There are so many great artists and so many great albums. No surprise some really good ones get somehow lost and forgotten Would be fun to give and discuss examples. Van Morrison certanely qualifies as a great artist who has made an incrediblr numbers of very good/great albums. One forgotten gem from Van is A period of transition from 1977. Co-produced by Dr John it was not all that well recieved and I rarely see it mentioned. It s unfair since it really is a gem. It s generally lighter than other Van albums from the time but a sheer joy. Some funk, some jazz and a stunning ballad Cold wind in August. Dr Johns presence is deeply felt and the whole exersice is expertedely produced and arranged. The gorgeous Flamingo Fly is one of my all-time favorites from Van. The strutting horns, Dr Johns piano and Vans joyous vocals is pure magic. Plenty of moments like that on this forgotten gem. Would be fun to hear about other forgotten gems
"Can't Help Thinking About Me" David Bowie. I'm always surprised this is never mentioned when there are lists of his greatest songs.
Backstreets - Bruce Springsteen I think if you didn't own the Born To Run vinyl, you may not even be aware of this musical masterpiece.
I worked for a record store owner in the '70s that had a promo copy of that he let me play that I immediately dubbed to a tape (since he wasn't about to sell it). I thought the very same thing then. Still do.
Bob Dylan released a couple of singles in the early 1970s - "Watching The River Flow" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece". I think "Masterpiece" is a real gem. Bob started playing it again last year but I think it is largely forgotten. Great song.
Frank Sinatra - "Forget To Remember" ... It was the B-side to "Goin' Out Of My Head" in 1969; never appeared on a studio album, only comps.
A Period of Transition is a forgotten gem? No one has forgotten this record...it’s just not highly regarded. If you think it’s a gem, that’s great! But it’s not a forgotten one.
Youngblood - Leon Russell Famous live performance Concert for Bangladesh, w/Jumpin' Jack Flash intro. On his Live 3 disc set. Leiber & Stoller (famous songwriting team; Story of whom, is depicted in musical Smokey Joe's Cafe..excellent!!) On clip, begins @ 3:10. Thought folks would appreciate this clip, too!! Kicks @ 3:15. Crank It UP!! Long John Baldry - "Don't Try To Lay No Boogie-Woogie On The King of Rock & Roll"
There are so many forgotten gems from Elton John... The one I chose to post is "Healing Hands", a 1989 top 20 hit. It's a very catchy and anthemic song which sadly became lost between his bigger hits and wasn't even included in "Diamonds".
Go to a McCartney show and it’s hard to tell Junior’s Farm was a #3 hit. But the crowd goes crazy for Obladi which was not a single.
Before Stevie had his run of deep, personal , genius, incredible albums that stand as Titans in popular music - he was a pop-soul hit making machine. But most of the albums had quality cuts alongside those hits. My favorite of those is Signed, Sealed, Delivered album. Alongside several smash hits were cuts like this:
A Rod Stewart album often forgotten is the one right after the epic, Every Picture Tells A Story - and right before he became “Rod the Mod”. That would be: Never A Dull Moment, which had several hits and great non hit songs. This cover of the Sam Cooke classic still stands out:
"Something for Nothing" by Rush is IMHO the best track on 2112. I remain surprised that Guns n Roses never released "Think About You" as a single. Izzy Stradlin's JuJu Hounds and 117 Degrees are both gems too few people have discovered.
The Band covered it on Cahoots and it was fairly well-known at one point. I love it: I think it’s Dylan’s saddest song.
