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Featured Replies

No hit wonders, but plenty obscure.  I still, for the life of me, don't know why this song wasn't a massive hit.

 

I think Austin's David Ramirez still, somehow, qualifies as obscure.  Guy's incredible.

I bought this album in the 80’s. I’m thinking maybe 10 were sold. The album is actually awesome. No one knows these guys.

3 hours ago, strangulation! said:

the Neil Young thread got me looking for Powderfinger covers, which ended here:

 

 

 

I "may" have gotten hammered with Country Dick at Dirty Dan's one night.  I may have gone from a Beat Farmers show at Belly Up to Dan's.  He may have showed up an hour or so later and joined me and a friend with whom he was acquainted at our table.  We may have gotten several table dances, along with several whiskeys. 

Hell of a nice guy, from what I can remember.  I was sorry to hear of his passing. 

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Damn, you guys are bringing the shit!  This is exactly what I hope this thread would be, I'm discovering all kinds of new stuff, I love it!

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This guy one or two of you may be familiar with, a Texas singer-songwriter named Sam Neely.  Had a couple of minor hits in the 70's, my mom had this 8-track "Neely 2" that I just fell in love with when I was a kid (along with Mark Lindsay's "Silverbird" for some reason), I finally tracked down a vinyl copy years ago and still spin it  regularly.  He was living in Corpus and passed away in 2006.  That Neely 2 album is really good, it actually has an early Elton John feel to it ala Tumbleweed Connection or Madman Across the Water, lots of string arrangements, it's good stuff.

 

This was his other "hit":

 

This was probably my favorite song on that 8-track, rock n roll to an 8 year old!

 

On 4/1/2019 at 4:37 PM, UTCzech III said:

He is, but still never got much play in the US, a little on college/community stations, but never enough.  This could also be a college/indie rock thread, Sparks is fairly well known but still never got more than underground love...  Had this album many years ago, got ruined in a flood...

 

Sparks were fairly mainstream for 80s dance music.

Very good band from Houston. Late 80's to mid 90's. Definitely not grunge and a little too early for the rock + rap ala Linkin Park style. I always turned it up when I heard this song on the Houston airwaves. Just didn't have a style that fit their times.

 

I "may" have gotten hammered with Country Dick at Dirty Dan's one night.  I may have gone from a Beat Farmers show at Belly Up to Dan's.  He may have showed up an hour or so later and joined me and a friend with whom he was acquainted at our table.  We may have gotten several table dances, along with several whiskeys. 
Hell of a nice guy, from what I can remember.  I was sorry to hear of his passing. 

Still have my old Tales of the New West CD. Didn’t know he died on stage.


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On 4/5/2019 at 12:51 PM, jimmyjazz said:

Is Top Jimmy the artist referenced in a Van Halen tune?

Yes.  David Lee Roth was a big fan of Top Jimmy.  

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-halen-top-jimmy/

BTW, that whole album (Pigus Drunkus Maximus) is damn good.  Mostly covers (there are two or three originals, IIRC), bluesily done with an "I don't give a fuck" attitude. 

 

Edited by Carl Spackler

On 4/6/2019 at 6:02 AM, Ths71 said:


Didn’t know he died on stage.


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Yep.  Died way too young.  But I suppose if you're a musician and you're gonna go, you might as well go out doing what you love onstage, no?

He's a member of an illustrious list of artists who have died onstage, including Mark Sandman (Treat Her Right; Morphine), Johnny "Guitar" Watson, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, and Tiny Tim.

On 4/2/2019 at 7:55 PM, Carl Spackler said:

One of my faves.  It just rips relentlessly.

They are a good band.  A particularly ripping version of Take Me Home, Country Road.

Also, I figured Golden Ball & Chain would probably qualify as their one hit.

But in the same vein as Romeo Void, from the MTv generation:

 

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45 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

Maybe my favorite one hit wonder:
 

Great tune!  Sidenote:  beginning sampled from this weird band:

You've heard their music, you just don't know it:

on Napoleon Dynamite (though a cover version)

 

Windows and other commercials:

 

I did an 80s'/90s night the other night. Just kept playing videos from the suggested video list and came across stuff I forgot about. That Spacehog song was one of them.

others:

School of Fish - Three Strange Days

The Fly's - Got You Where I Want You

Faith No More (yeah I know they had more than one hit) - Falling to Pieces

Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

Marvelous 3 - SugarBuzz

 

and listening back on these songs I realize how bad my taste was in the 90's.

 

 

Edited by po elvis

10 hours ago, po elvis said:

School of Fish - Three Strange Days

Good tune, good band.  The singer died of cancer in his early 30s.

I met those guys at SXSW and hung out for several hours after their show.  Michael Ward ended up being the guitarist for Jakob Dylan's band The Wallflowers and later Ben Harper.  Super nice guy, always remembered my name even years later, and a terrific player.

Good tune, good band.  The singer died of cancer in his early 30s.
I met those guys at SXSW and hung out for several hours after their show.  Michael Ward ended up being the guitarist for Jakob Dylan's band The Wallflowers and later Ben Harper.  Super nice guy, always remembered my name even years later, and a terrific player.


Holy shit I knew he played for Jakob and Ben but didn’t realize he was in SoF. He’s easy to spot with his distinctive coiled cord.
I wore the hell out of this CD.  This was The Refreshments' only hit, but Roger Clyne has been making great music for the last 20 years.  He'll be in Austin again in June.
 

Good dude. Friend of a bunch of mutual friends here in AZ. I bought a guitar he signed the other day at a charity auction. Jammed with him for a bit after the show.

77642f03d1a581c46694c3c830361e30.jpeg
1 hour ago, Wyatt Mann said:

This is cool. Not sure why its not a hit.

 

Outside of being almost 3 decades behind Nine Inch Nails and pseudo-industrial Depeche Mode, I guess?

I don't know how Obscure Joy Division is considered.  But, I heard it at a RaceTrack gas station and barely remembered it.  But loved it enough to download it and it is one of my most played on my iTunes account.  This was Joy Divisions only US Top 200 hit. Members of Joy Division later formed New Order and had several hits. 

Edited by UT Lax

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19 hours ago, Mudcat35 said:

How about some Holly & The Italians?

 

 

Wow, haven't heard that name in a long time, good stuff.  Reminds me of another hottie from that era, Rachel Sweet.  Damn.

 

 

On 4/17/2019 at 11:54 PM, po elvis said:

I did an 80s'/90s night the other night. Just kept playing videos from the suggested video list and came across stuff I forgot about. That Spacehog song was one of them.

others:

School of Fish - Three Strange Days

The Fly's - Got You Where I Want You

Faith No More (yeah I know they had more than one hit) - Falling to Pieces

Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

Marvelous 3 - SugarBuzz

 

and listening back on these songs I realize how bad my taste was in the 90's.

 

 

I was gonna put Marvelous 3 - Freak of the Week. So maybe a two-hit wonder?

I want to sincerely thank everyone on here for their posts. This is one of the coolest threads on the surly. I love the obscure great song.

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