the bear's lost albums of the rock era

This week's lost album is Van Morrison's second, Astral Weeks:

After his first solo album with Bang (containing "Brown Eyed Girl", Morrison had a dispute with that label on the musical direction he should take, with Bang pushing for a more pop sound. End result of a long story is that Morrison left Bang for Warner Brothers and recorded this Impressionist masterpiece. Morrison's voice is the focus, of course, but it's Richard Davis' basswork that provides the lyrical counterpoint and becomes the lead instrument.

Chosen as the late great Lester Bang's desert island record in Stranded, read his review here.

You're starting to sound like Billy Joel here.

The '60s stuff I'm looking forward to.  Keep 'em coming, bear.

x2 - A favorite of mine.

Is this one too obvious? Ok, it's probably not technically "Lost" although I keep meeting (younger) people who don't really know it.

Well, "lost" is as subjective as it gets, but, really, this is 1) The Beatles, and 2) their album that changed all of music. IMHO the only way this qualifies as "lost" is that it has aged badly, sounds dated in places, and has fallen on the list of Best Beatles Albums to like fourth or fifth, behind The Beatles, Revolver, Abbey Road, and maybe Rubber Soul.

This week's album, at the risk of losing the few of you playing along, delves into the weirdness. I won't make a habit of playing the weird card, probably won't get any weirder than this one. Maybe I can't get any weirder than Trout Mask Replica:

The previous album, Astral Weeks, was recorded in a few sessions over 48 hours yet sounds like a finely crafted long-term project. Conversely, Trout Mask Replica sounds like an accidental but forceful collision of musical genres but was rehearsed for up to fourteen hours per day for over a year in seclusion and poverty. TMR is one of those albums that took everything that came before it, combined it all together to create something entirely different, and thus influenced much of what came after. This one's not going to be appreciated as easily as the previously cited lost albums, but rather needs to be heard dozens of times so that it grows on you. Like a fungus or something.

Artist:  Joe Cocker

Album: Luxury You Can Afford

Why? - totally off the main stream path, cut-out bin album yet a classic.  Great vocals. Joe had it all together for this album.  "Together" is relative and fleeting for Joe Cocker, I know.

Artist:  The Byrds

Album: Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Why? It's the roots of the "roots" movement. Americana happened here first. A bold experiment in fusing country, folk and rock it was initially a commercial failure that set the stage for decades of music to come. It's not difficult to listen to at first, but it never gets too familiar. There's always something to enjoy and appreciate about it on every new listen.

Nice one.

Which Zappa album will you bring out - anyone of those beats Captain Beefheart, who was a Zappa student.

Zappa's body of work may arguably beat Van Vliet's, but none of his albums touches this one. Certainly not the first time a student outdid the teacher.

Besides, I would no sooner classify Zappa's albums as "lost" than I would one of Costello's. But thanks for playing!

2 live albums from the 70's that may or may not have been overlooked as great. 

Triumph - 1985, recorded during 1981 to 1985.

Some things are better off left lost.

Here's a rare one, regional mid-1980's punk/psychadelic

Edit to add: Here's a better video.....they are back together and performing Win!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJJOveLAGBo 

video

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3614905766416754780 

Absolutely hated them - which is weird because all of my friends thought I would love them.  Something about Bruce Merkle just flat out annoyed me.  Saw them live in late 85 in Georgetown (stationed in Virginia) and I walked out and went to The Library (College bar - not the place with geeky librarians). 

Yeah, I can see hating them too. It's probably the Flipper influence.

Flipper= best worst band ever