10 Great, Often Overlooked Albums You Should Check Out
Although there is no shortage of good new music hitting both store shelves and streaming services on a daily basis, sometimes you may be inclined to take a look back on music from the past. While popular music will never let the past die, thanks to throwback radio stations and the promotion of classic hits, there are occasional albums from the past that aren’t discussed much these days. Whether forgotten by time, brushed under the rug by later works, or simply not given the attention they deserve at any point, here are a handful of albums that we think more people should give a listen.
1. Songs of Pain: Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston was a schizophrenic, manic depressive, underground musician born and raised in West Virginia. Although his life and career is very extensive and interesting, his later music would be more refined and even promoted by the likes of Kurt Cobain. However, I still stand by his first record Songs of Pain as being his best or at least most interesting. Recorded entirely on an old tape recorder and featuring poor sound quality, Songs of Pain is definitely not for everyone, but Johnston’s naive delivery of his wonderfully poetic and touching lyrics are enough to strike a chord with anyone willing to give his work a chance. Also, if you want to know more about the man himself, check out the documentary “The Devil and Daniel Johnston.” It’s an amazing film!
2. Marcy Playground: Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground is often considered a one-hit-wonder as this record did produce the hit “Sex and Candy.” However, the rest of this group’s self-titled debut album shows that they had more to offer than just “Sex and Candy.” This record is very sadly ignored, despite the incredibly solid collection of songs on it. Despite it being an incredibly well made alternative rock record, released at the height of that genre’s popularity, it regrettably has been overlooked since its release.
3. Only a Lad: Oingo Boingo
It is incredibly hard to determine what the general public thought of Oingo Boingo in the 1980s. The group was heavily featured in a lot of ’80s comedy films, including creating the theme song for John Hughes’ Weird Science and starting the career of Danny Elfman, who has scored some of the most successful films of all time (e.g. Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Dick Tracy). Despite that success, there seemed to always be a crowd who considered them a bit of a joke. The band’s incredibly odd appearance and wacky musical style did not help this reputation, but this also didn’t stop them from making a few hit songs. One thing I can say for sure, though, is that Oingo Boingo’s debut album, Only a Lad, is incredibly overlooked. While fans of the band surely know this record, many people ignore it regardless of its clear influence on a lot of modern pop. Chances are modern audiences would like this album more than those who heard it when it originally released, so I would implore you to check it out; you may love it.
4. 21st Century Breakdown: Green Day
As a life-long fan of Green Day, I have never been able to figure out why 21st Century Breakdown never got much attention. Released in 2009 following the band’s most successful record, American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown serves as a pseudo-sequel to the original album. Revisiting some of the same themes and tone as the previous record, with a newer more refined style, 21st Century Breakdown was exactly what fans wanted after American Idiot, so why does no one talk about it? I have never been able to figure this out, but I can say that if you enjoy Green Day in any capacity, you should certainly give this album a listen. It’s a gem that was somehow never given a chance, despite the band’s popularity.
5. More: Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd is an incredibly beloved band with many devout followers and a name more recognizable than the majority of their songs. Chances are you’ve heard tracks from Wish You Were Here, The Wall, and The Dark Side of the Moon more times than you could possibly count in your life due to their incredible reputation in rock history. However, if you asked any given fan of Pink Floyd what their favorite album by the band was, chances are you’d get any other album named to you before you got their 1969 record More. The reason for this is due to the fact that the record is a soundtrack to a mostly forgotten film of the same name, but that definitely doesn’t make it any lesser of an album than the rest. This album features some of the boldest early work from the band, and despite it being often overlooked it may be one of the band’s best works.
6. Closing Time: Tom Waits
Tom Waits is far from an unknown artist, having released an incredible amount of music over the years, being featured in countless film and TV roles, and having one of the most recognizable voices of all time. It’s safe to say you’ve probably been exposed to Waits, whether you know it or not. However, at the beginning of his career, Closing Time, an incredibly well-made folk record, made him known for long enough to be a success, but the reputation would not hold. If you ask anyone who’s heard this record they’ll definitely tell you that it is great, but the popularity of it is far from where it should be. Fans of Waits often overlook it due to it being distinctly different from the rest of his catalogue, while most general folk music artists would likely rather listen to Bob Dylan or Woody Guthrie. Despite this, Closing Time is something that can be liked by anyone. It’s incredibly somber and sweet, and although Waits’ voice at this point isn’t as grizzled as it would later become, it is an incredibly warm presence that welcomes anyone who decides to listen to it.
7. They Might Be Giants: They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is a band that I’m personally surprised never became popular. The band has had an incredible amount of success with tons of albums, a few chart-topping songs, and a collection of theme songs for popular shows, like “Malcolm in the Middle” and “The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.” Despite having an incredibly devoted fan base, the group still isn’t exactly what anyone would call a mainstream band. The reason I’m surprised by this is because of how fun their music is to listen to and how seemingly no one who’s actually heard their work dislikes it. They’re family-friendly without feeling like they’re too sanitized, they make upbeat music with incredibly catchy and fun tunes, and they have a wide range of what they can do musically. This was never proven better than in their self-titled debut album. Not a single track on the record is boring or annoying, and no matter what kind of music you like you’ll probably find something to enjoy on They Might be Giants.
8. God Bless Tiny Tim: Tiny Tim
The gifted ukulele player and incredible singer Tiny Tim is a character in music history that has almost been forgotten in time. At one point, however, Tiny Tim was an incredibly recognizable face. He was a recurring guest on the hit show “Laugh-In” and even got married live on “The Tonight Show.” So why exactly is it that no one talks about Tiny Tim anymore? For starters, at one time he was treated almost like a novelty act. He would often be brought out for a quick laugh and, in some cases, to be made fun of. People didn’t take the man seriously despite his incredible talent and love for music. Thankfully, he is at least somewhat known by current generations because of his song “Livin’ in the Sunlight, Lovin’ in the Moonlight,” which is prominently featured in the first episode of “Spongebob Squarepants.” But sadly, most people don’t know Tiny Tim’s work outside of that. Although God Bless Tiny Tim is an admittedly odd record, it is a truly great one that should be remembered for years to come.
9. People Who Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World: AJJ
AJJ is a group that is held to a high regard in indie folk scenes, but not really known outside of that area. Performing in a sub-genre of folk known as “Anti-folk,” AJJ is a group that makes folk songs that are often critical of the general structure of folk as a whole. Their lyrics are poetic and meaningful, their emotion is high and raw, and their music is wonderful. If you like music with lyrics that are up to interpretation, soft guitars, and strong emotional voices, this album is the one for you.
10. Alice’s Restaurant: Arlo Guthrie
I hesitated to highlight Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant because at the time of its release this record was incredibly popular. Its opening track “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” was a huge radio hit despite being an 18-minute comedic folk ballad that ultimately served as a protest song for the Vietnam draft. And, the record is often held as one of the best folk albums ever recorded — not to mention Guthrie is the son of folk hero Woody Guthrie, the writer of many classic songs, like “This Land Is Your Land.” So why did I include it here if it’s already made a mark? My reasoning is simply that no matter where I go, the only people who have heard of this record are music historians and dedicated folk fans, so I bring it here not because it has fallen into obscurity or that no one listened to it when it was released but because I think that despite a few of its themes not being as relevant today as they were in 1967, modern audiences, especially younger music fans, should hear this. It’s witty, funny, cutting, emotional at points, poignant, musically gorgeous, and just masterfully made. I hope that if you decide to give it a listen, you enjoy it so that a younger generation can carry on the love of Arlo Guthrie’s most important musical work.