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Watching thin Lizzy on BBC. BBC reckons that thin Lizzy were one of the best bands out there with little recognition. They were about to conquer usa but Gary Moore pulled out at the last minute. Midge ure replaced him. Ughh
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 19:54 - Dec 13 with 2303 views
My vote is for Diamond Head. Lauded by Sounds magazine for having more riffs in one song than in an entire Black Sabbath album and good enough to be later covered by Metallica, they released their own well regarded self produced album -
For some reason it took ages to get a label deal, and then the sound production was all wrong. Live classics came out all tinny. Or maybe they sounded a bit too much like Led Zeppelin unlike contemporaries that did make it, like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard.
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 21:03 - Dec 13 with 2218 views
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 19:22 - Dec 13 by distortR
Love Leatherface, I don't know how 'big' they could have expected to be, hugely influential in that genre. 'Mush' was probably the peak of their popularity, 'Minx' was a quite different and lower key follow up, not so immediate. I had 'Dog Disco' on repeat in the van a couple of weeks ago, mind.
I know what you mean. Probably a bit too rough and ready to achieve true mainstream success, but songs like not superstitious and springtime should have been bigger than they were imo.
Agree mush their best album, but most of their albums are great.
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 21:12 - Dec 13 with 2195 views
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 21:03 - Dec 13 by SK_hoops
I know what you mean. Probably a bit too rough and ready to achieve true mainstream success, but songs like not superstitious and springtime should have been bigger than they were imo.
Agree mush their best album, but most of their albums are great.
Agree about their albums, I found 'Minx' a real grower. 'Springtime' is great, I still shout along with it. Did you ever come across the double CD compilation of bands covering their songs? Shows the esteem they were held in by some, including me. I dunno, commercial success wouldn't have seemed right for a band as singular as them, the Guardian described them as the greatest British punk band of the modern era. Dickie Hammond, RIP. Gutted when I heard that news, and realised there would never be another Leatherface tour or album.
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 21:59 - Dec 13 with 2135 views
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 21:39 - Dec 13 by distortR
Agree about their albums, I found 'Minx' a real grower. 'Springtime' is great, I still shout along with it. Did you ever come across the double CD compilation of bands covering their songs? Shows the esteem they were held in by some, including me. I dunno, commercial success wouldn't have seemed right for a band as singular as them, the Guardian described them as the greatest British punk band of the modern era. Dickie Hammond, RIP. Gutted when I heard that news, and realised there would never be another Leatherface tour or album.
Nah, not seen that CD, do you know the name of it? I remember reading that guardian article though, thought that was really cool.
Yeah, absolutely gutting - such a great guitarist. Melodic, yet hard hitting playing.
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 22:08 - Dec 13 with 2120 views
I really enjoyed For Love Not Lisa in the mid '90s
Softhand
Coming Into Focus
My second suggestion might be way off due to my American perspective (as in they might have been a much bigger deal over there) but The Long Blondes seemed on the cusp but then their guitarist suffered a stroke and that was that.
Lust in the Movies (album version)
Once and Never Again
[Post edited 13 Dec 2021 22:09]
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 22:25 - Dec 13 with 2101 views
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 21:59 - Dec 13 by SK_hoops
Nah, not seen that CD, do you know the name of it? I remember reading that guardian article though, thought that was really cool.
Yeah, absolutely gutting - such a great guitarist. Melodic, yet hard hitting playing.
' A tribute to leatherface' I think, on a Canadian record label. Some good stuff on it, some not so, alas my copy is stuck in Australia with most of my possessions, which I hope to get back one day............
Jangly guitars, witty, off-kilter lyrics and in spite of the 'John Peel favourites' tag, songs you could hum along to; I give you the magnificent Monochrome Set, then and now.
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 23:49 - Dec 13 with 2016 views
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 14:35 - Dec 13 by ngbqpr
The Only Ones.
Fell down the crack between punk & radio friendly punchy pop?
Despite their drug issues, they produced three albums full of superb songs, exquisitely played, and not ruined by some inappropriate choice of producer. Somewhere between Squeeze and Buzzcocks.
CBS as a label at that time did their best to ruin so many good bands. Never really 'got' The Clash, got it all wrong with Spear of Destiny by trying to dull their edge and market Kirk B as a pin up, and were bailed out from ballsing up the Psychedelic Furs when Pretty in Pink was chosen for that movie.
"Everyone around me is a total stranger, everyone around supports the Queens Park Rangers....Everyone"
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 08:43 - Dec 14 with 1888 views
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 19:54 - Dec 13 by M40R
My vote is for Diamond Head. Lauded by Sounds magazine for having more riffs in one song than in an entire Black Sabbath album and good enough to be later covered by Metallica, they released their own well regarded self produced album -
For some reason it took ages to get a label deal, and then the sound production was all wrong. Live classics came out all tinny. Or maybe they sounded a bit too much like Led Zeppelin unlike contemporaries that did make it, like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard.
Even if I put Diamond Head through Dbamplifier it still sounds quiet and that's the re-mastered one!
Great band though.
Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 09:08 - Dec 14 with 1867 views
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 22:25 - Dec 13 by olderR
I saw Caravan a few weeks ago for the first time in about 50 years. One of my all time favourites along with IF.
Caravan have continued playing in various formats and I have seen them a few times in the 2000's. Where were they playing when you saw them and what's the line up now?
I'd forgotten all about IF. must give them a twirl on Youtube when I get the time.
[Post edited 14 Dec 2021 16:25]
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 11:03 - Dec 14 with 1803 views
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 19:54 - Dec 13 by M40R
My vote is for Diamond Head. Lauded by Sounds magazine for having more riffs in one song than in an entire Black Sabbath album and good enough to be later covered by Metallica, they released their own well regarded self produced album -
For some reason it took ages to get a label deal, and then the sound production was all wrong. Live classics came out all tinny. Or maybe they sounded a bit too much like Led Zeppelin unlike contemporaries that did make it, like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard.
Why, you will want to be reading Denim and Leather, published 24/2 by Little, Brown, for more on the story of Diamond Head …
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 11:18 - Dec 14 with 1776 views
Got completely addicted to The Saw Doctors album "If this is rock and roll I want my old job back" and listened to it twice a day on the way to/from work for over a year. They were big in Ireland but never really made it across the water probably because it was too folky?
Loved The Proclaimers who also sung in their native accent and they made it big so that's the best I can come up with. I still have a few of their songs on a megamix that plays in the car and when they come on, the whole car is singing along.
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 13:22 - Dec 14 with 1691 views
The Boothill Foot Tappers. But the quality of 'Ain't that far from Boothill' is so good that anything they would have done thereafter would not have been as good.
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 13:27 - Dec 14 with 1684 views
Ozric Tentacles: Between 1990 and 2000, they released some truly amazing music but since it became less of a band and more Ed + back-up musicians, the quality has dropped off.
Triumph: Mentioned before on here but they really did produce some cracking tunes.
Menswear: Their first album is packed with short, catchy tunes. I think the fact that they were such poseurs detracted from the quality of their output.
Fates Warning: I don't like their early work, but the albums since 2000 have been excellent, with the band effortlessly straddling the place where prog, AOR and metal intersect. The only remaining founder member, Jim Matheos, is a decent but unspectacular guitarist, but his songwriting is sublime. You think you know where a track is going and then before you know it, he's taken you off in a completely unexpected direction.
California's Djam Karet have been making wonderful instrumental rock for over 30 years. They can rock out but are also skilled at creating moody, atmospheric, ever ambient soundscapes.
Anvil. Obs.
"Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1."
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 14:06 - Dec 14 with 1650 views
Another band I really thought would be huge were Zerra 1. Supported loads of bands in mid eighties including U2, Boomtown Rats, the Cure and Ultravox (I was lucky enough to see them live on that tour).
Interesting take on the new wave genre at the time, loads of talent and well produced, but perhaps not pretty enough for the time or U2/Simple Minds got there first.
Never knowingly understood
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Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 14:12 - Dec 14 with 1644 views
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 22:08 - Dec 13 by larsricchi
I really enjoyed For Love Not Lisa in the mid '90s
Softhand
Coming Into Focus
My second suggestion might be way off due to my American perspective (as in they might have been a much bigger deal over there) but The Long Blondes seemed on the cusp but then their guitarist suffered a stroke and that was that.
Lust in the Movies (album version)
Once and Never Again
[Post edited 13 Dec 2021 22:09]
Oooh yeah The Long Blondes were great.
I'd like to add Big Star into the mix.
Thing is, sometimes you don't want bands you love to make it, it's nice to have them as a little secret you share with just a few others.
Greatest bands that fell short/never made it on 12:04 - Dec 14 by GaryT
Got completely addicted to The Saw Doctors album "If this is rock and roll I want my old job back" and listened to it twice a day on the way to/from work for over a year. They were big in Ireland but never really made it across the water probably because it was too folky?
Loved The Proclaimers who also sung in their native accent and they made it big so that's the best I can come up with. I still have a few of their songs on a megamix that plays in the car and when they come on, the whole car is singing along.
Derby played the Saw Doctors at half time in our game there, which was a bit random.
Comsat Angels, anyone? Great second album, but went backwards from there.
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