Previously: Uncut Readers’ Great Lost Albums Part One, Uncut’s Great Lost Albums.
15. Nova Mob: The Last Days Of Pompeii
My lost album suggestion: “The Last Days Of Pompeii” by the Nova Mob (formed by Grant Hart a couple of years after Husker Du). Rough Trade went bust not long after it was released so it never got the distribution it deserved. I remember dragging some mates to see them play it in its entirety the summer before it was released – a fantastic show…
Simon W
16. NRBQ: “Workshop” (early 70s, Buddah)
NRBQ’s early catalogue is a hash – I don’t think “Workshop” has ever come out officially on CD and it’s a great record. Other discs have been released in a haphazard way.
Morgan Broman
17. Patto: Roll’Em Smoke’Em… (1972, Island. 1996 CD, £25)
A fantastic rock album with Ollie Halsall’s superb guitar and piano playing, Mike Patto’s singing, A band at their peak. Dig “Singing The Blues On Reds”!
Giles Boddington
18. Shawn Phillips: Collaboration (2006 CD)
Many Shawn Phillips albums are missing in action, the best to me being “Collaboration” (his other masterpiece, “Secons Contribution” is still available), and they reach ridiculous amounts of money! When will he get the long overdue reappraisal he deserves ?
Jacques, France
19. The Pirates: Out Of Their Skulls & Skull Wars (1997/1999 comp, CDs pricey)
The Pirates – “Out Of Their Skulls” & “Skull Wars”. Both of these were only available on CD for a short while – from a time whrn R’n’B meant more than soulless, over-produced slush !
Nick Procter.
20. Terry Reid: The Driver (1992 CD)
Suggested by Daniel Brøndberg
21. Leon Russell: Hank William’s Back (1973, 1990 CD)
On “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” we’ve got JJ Cale, Charlie McCoy, Carl Radle etc… Recorded at Bradley’s Barn and remixed at Ardent… What more can you ask?
Colin Spencer
22. Shriekback and The Jazz Butcher
I thoroughly enjoyed the latest issue of Uncut, especially the cover story on the 50 Greatest Lost Albums. I counted nine of the 50 as being in my CD/LP collection. I had the good fortune to read the article the same weekend that I took in a few episodes of VH1’s Top One Hit Wonders Of The 1980s TV program. Looking around on the internet, it occurred to me that the best way for an artist to keep all of his or her albums available to the public is to have at least one hit. Finding the albums of great (groundbreaking, even) bands such as Shriekback, The Jazz Butcher or The Fibonaccis is nearly impossible, while the entire catalogues of lesser bands such as Flock Of Seagulls, Modern English or Tommy Tutone are still in print. Imagine if Shriekback’s “My Spine Is The Bass Line” or “Gunning For The Buddha” had caught on with a few stateside DJs the way “I Ran” did. Having a hit record may not be the goal for some bands, but it appears as if having at least one hit ensures that the band’s other material will escape obscurity. Thank god Roxy Music had a few hits.
Jeff Eason, Boone, North Carolina
23. John Stewart: Bombs Away Dream Babies (1994 CD £150!)
I think that “Bombs Away Dream Babies” by John Stewart is also possibly not available anywhere though I have not checked every site that offers mp3s.
Michael Stephenson, Homossasa, Florida by way of Australia.
24. Mickey Thomas: As Long As You Love Me (1977)
It was made in between his Alvin Bishop Band-period and Jefferson Starship. I still think it’s brilliant. The man is an unbelievable singer. It was recorded with Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn and Booker T. No Stax-Volt-sound though. The gem is his version of Van Morrison’s “The Street Only Knew Your Name”. When I bought it, it was already in the sales. I still can’t believe he did not manage to reach stardom in his own right on the backof this album.
Peter Hendriks, Leiden, The Netherlands
25. Richard Thompson: Strict Tempo (1992 CD issue)
There was a rumour of a release via his mailing list about two years ago, but so far no sign of it. Amazon cost of a second hand copy is £29 – I recently found a second hand vinyl copy to go with the one I already own at £2 but I think that was lucky.
Dave Monk
26. Maureen ‘Mo’ Tucker: Playing Possum.
1981 solo debut suggested by Alan Norrington
27. Various Artists: Dance Craze
One that I can’t believe is not in print (and not on your list) is the Dance Craze live compilation. Easy enough to get on vinyl, bit pricey on CD. Could do with with a DVD release too. My two(tone) pennies worth
Peter Rayner
28. Various Artists: Sun City Artists Against Apartheid (1993 CD, £30)
Little Steven – “Sun City Artists Against Apartheid”. Have not seen this on CD at under £60.
Bill Harper, Milton Of Campsie, Scotland
29. The Wild Swans: Incandescent (Renascent, 2003)
The Wild Swans’ 1982 “Revolutionary Spirit”/ “God Forbid” has been
named by more than a few people in the know as one of the best British singles ever. Paul Simpson’s post-punk outfit should have joined Liverpool contemporaries Echo & The Bunnymen (whose late drummer, Pete de Frietas, produced the single) and Teardrop Explodes on the charts and in the record shops. Yet the Wild Swans didn’t get around to releasing a proper album until 1988, orphaning aforementioned single and a handful of other recordings. Those were finally collected on CD, as well as a spoil of BBC sessions and demos, on “Incandescent”. Released in 2003 by Renascent, the same label that reissued the Sound’s catalogue, the two disc set was available for a short time before both it and Renascent disappeared. “Incandescent”, if it can be found at all, is worth a
whopping £138. How do I know? That’s what I just sold my copy for on Amazon.-
J Bergstrom, Madison, Wisconsin
30. The Wolfhounds: Unseen Ripples From A Pebble… (Pink, 1987)
A leftfield choice, but a wonderful album that deserves to be heard by a larger audience
Mark Thompson, Suffolk
31. The Yardbirds: Live Yardbirds (1971)
One that’s missing (I think it was released on an obscure CD label in 2000 and then quickly withdrawn) is “Live Yardbirds” featuring Jimmy Page, the recording of a 1968 concert at the Anderson Theater in New York City that was initially released briefly on Epic Records in 1971. I’m fortunate to have the original LP which has a great version of “Dazed And Confused” that bests the later Led Zeppelin version.
Peter, Greensboro, North Carolina
PLUS!
Jeff Moehlis at music-illuminati.com comes up with this lot:
Great feature on Lost Albums! Here are a dozen more for your list:
Ya Ho Wa: “Ya Ho Wa 13 Presents Savage Sons Of Ya Ho Wa”. One of the ultimate cult band’s best albums, only available on CD in the out-of-print boxset
“God And Hair”.
Vangelis: “Earth”. Mystical prog-rock, a stylistic follow-up to
Aphrodite’s Child’s “666”.
Ash Ra Tempel: “Ash Ra Tempel”. Most of their albums are out-of-print, this is debatably the best of the bunch.
Shaun Harris: “Shaun Harris”. Perhaps the second best album released in March 1973, after “Dark Side Of The Moon”.
Mandrake Memorial: “Puzzle”. Psychedelia from Philadelphia, other albums also out of print.
Tim Blake “Crystal Machine”. Solo album by keyboardist from Gong.
Plastic People Of The Universe: “Egon Bondy’s Happy Hearts Club Banned”. Czech avant-rock featuring poetry of dissedent Egon Bondy.
Nick Mason: “Fictitious Sports”. Pink Floyd drummer, featuring Robert Wyatt on vocals.
Royal Trux: “Thank You”. Scuzzy, Stonesy rock.
Tonto’s Expanding Headband: “Zero Time”. Pioneering electronic music.
Robert Fripp String Quintet: “The Bridge Between”. Fripp, Trey Gunn, and the California Guitar Trio.
Game Theory: “Big Shot Chronicles”. All of their albums are out of print, this is the best in my opinion
And eight more from John Hynes, Toronto, Canada…
Some of the Great Lost Albums not on your list could include:
1. Dave Clark Five: Sessions
2. Johnny Cash: The Junkie And The Juicehead Minus Me
3. Ronnie Hawkins: Ronnie Hawkins (first LP on Atlantic recorded @ Muscle Shoals)
4.Ronnie Hawkins: The Hawk (Second LP on Atlantic)
5. Ronnie Hawkins: Lady Came From Baltimore (Yorkville YVS33002)
6. The Kinks: Great Lost Kinks (Reprise MS2127)
7. Mandala: Soul Crusade (Atlantic SD8184)
8. Cathy Young: A Spoonful Of (Mainstream S6121)