Good tunes by "bad" artists

IdleRich

IdleRich
Maybe surprising or out of character tunes is a better name but basically I always find it quite interesting when an artist that no-one likes has an obscure tune that is actually really good.
I mentioned Put Your Love In Me by Hot Chocolate on the disco thread (not actually obscure because I think it was a big hit but no-one seems to remember it) as an example of this. A well known example is Theme From Dead Cities by Simple Minds. Anyone else got any tips along these lines?
I'll start the ball rolling by suggesting Blood Pressure by Acker Bilk from his Leave Off It's Us album. Pretty tough kind of funk jazz cut with this weird bit of electronic fx and echoes in the middle - someone I know described it as Ramsey Lewis meets King Tubby and although that's possibly a slight exaggeration it's on the right lines.
 

crackerjack

Well-known member
Not sure I accept Hot Chocolate as bad artists....or even Simple Minds, who started cool but got bad (The American is another boss tune from that period).

Crazy Horses has to be the daddy of all that.

I Owe You Nothing by Bros.
 

STN

sou'wester
David Essex, Rock On is spooky and spoingy and dubby.

Work all Day by the otherwise quite crap reggae singer Barry Biggs.

May I also recommend the March Special of Mr Trick and wrongtom's show/podcast for this?
 

crackerjack

Well-known member
David Essex, Rock On is spooky and spoingy and dubby.

Yeah, Rock On is brilliant, really stark and odd.

Is Gerry Rafferty crap? Cos that Get It Right Next Time is the chuffing bollocks.


In a similar vein, it's a long way from Is She Really Going Out With Him to the very brilliant Stepping Out.

Rich, not sure i'm hitting the mark for you here. I'm sure i've got comps full of stuff like the Acker Bilk thing, but i'm fucked if I'm thinking too hard about it now.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
"(Kenny Rogers - Condition I'm In for the youtube-blocked)"
Is that the version by him on his own or with the First Edition? The latter is obviously better, apparently it was an influence on Hendrix' guitar style which makes sense I guess.

"I'm sure i've got comps full of stuff like the Acker Bilk thing"
What with all those weird dubby fx? Like what?

Rock On is a famous one of these isn't it? It's the kind of thing I'm on about. Also Crazy Horses I guess.
 

crackerjack

Well-known member
Is that the version by him on his own or with the First Edition? The latter is obviously better, apparently it was an influence on Hendrix' guitar style which makes sense I guess.

The Big Lebowski one, so the latter, right?


What with all those weird dubby fx? Like what?

No, I mean 'before they were crap' tunes by people you never knew were any good.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
"It Ain't Over Til It's Over - Lenny Kravitz
Can't stand a single other tune by him."
I guess I want weird digressions though - I'm thinking Toni Basil doing northern soul or Cliff Richard's little known proto-electro tune (although that last one might not exist).
 

unclerico

Well-known member
might be a bit obvious what about "pictures of matchstick men" by status quo?

pre-denim pub rock they were seemingly doing whimsical psychedelic rock

a lot of the psych vinyl buffs i know really like that tune! i quite like it myself too actually

definitely beats "we're in the army now"...
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
might be a bit obvious what about "pictures of matchstick men" by status quo?
pre-denim pub rock they were seemingly doing whimsical psychedelic rock
a lot of the psych vinyl buffs i know really like that tune! i quite like it myself too actually
definitely beats "we're in the army now"...
Yeah, I like that one. They were doing that kind of thing for a while though weren't they, Ice In The Sun was another one but not so well known. And weren't they called The Spectres before hand?
Wonder if this is any good...

http://www.popsike.com/Status-Quo-Spectres-Acetate-Nothin-Yet/4891232141.html
 

mms

sometimes
Madonna - Think of Me

ohh.... come on now madonna, she's had tons of great tracks,
i mean get into the groove is absolutley irresistable, everybody, lucky star, like a virgin, justify my love etc...

cross referencing threads, one of the reasons why i compared prince, madonna and michael jackson is cos i remember why i really got deep into em when i was 10 or whatever, they all had brilliant drums, madonna had jellybean producing and prince and michael jackson you know about that.
 

routes

we can delay.ay.ay...
they all had brilliant drums.

spot on. ugh. memories of sitting on the kitchen floor trying to play the drums from MJ's 'the way you make me feel' or Stevie's 'superstitious' on a drumkit made of empty ice cream tubs... hmmm, this shit old gag suddenly seems apt:

where does Justin keep his oil?


drums...
 
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