How did this band never get huge?

[j]

I've come across a few bands that, after listening through some of their stuff, I can't figure out how I've never heard of them before. I can understand how they never became big stars and stayed together forever, but how have they stayed off the radar this whole time?

The one I'm listening to currently is Les Fleur de Lys. The Reflections album (a collection) is really amazing and all of it seems pretty listenable and radio-friendly. Radio/industry politics aside, I have to wonder. It actually gives me hope that I might find other stuff that's gone passed over that I'll really like.

Are there any others like this? I'll list some more when I run across them - I'm pretty bad at remembering band names off the top of my head.

BTW, the Nuggets compilations are a great starting point for this kind of research. Lots of unknown but awesome in there.

 

[Bandwagonesque]

That's awesome j. I'm mixed on Les Fleurs... their white-boy soul stuff is blah, but their maximum R&B stuff is ace.

On Jason's recommendation, I picked up an compliation by The Attack... you might like that as well. It's like Les Fleurs with less soul, more psych.

I don't listen to as much independent/college radio that I should... most of it sounds like crap to me anyway, and I don't have the patience to sort through it all for the 5% I might like. Ditto goes for local bands and indie shows. I typically go to shows of bands I'm famliar with. For all I know, I'm probably missing out on a lot of good stuff. I'll always catch the opening acts though.

 

[Bona Drag]

+1 on the Nuggets thing.

I always wonder how people who seem to post relatively infrequently in S&D rack up so many posts; I forget about the other seven forums. This one ain't bad, but I avoid CEP&M like the plague.

Anyway, on a similar note to Les Fleurs, I've found a lot of gold just going back through all the Brit brands that never really broke here and never get their stuff played on the classic rock and oldies stations I grew up with - such as the Small Faces, who immediately came to mind when you mentioned white boy soul. You two sound pretty well-versed in pop music history, so maybe you've been into Marriott and Co. for a while; I'd never heard them (besides "Itchykoo Park") until about a year and a half ago, but they're ******* awesome - definitely in the "second-best 60s Brit band" conversation.
I probably need to stop here because I could go on and on about them, and at least a dozen others...this thread could be endless...

 

[Bandwagonesque]

Small Faces.

Criminally underrated, and one of my favourites. A box set was recently issued by Immediate I think, with reproductions of each album. Really neat. And a 40th Anneversary remaster of the s/t debut was just released. No additional bonus tracks though, so you're better off with the Decca, and Immediate anthologies that contain pretty much everything. And they are relatively cheap too for double disc sets.

 

[Baron]

I had to Google search Les Fleur and I was surprised to see that they were a 60's band. I think that there are a lot of things like this. That Shuggie Otis album that got reissued a few years ago is a good example. Sometimes things just fall through the cracks - bad timing, bad management, whatever. Check out Numero Group records. They keep finding crazy stuff and reissiung it. I've gotten some great records from them.

 

[Modernist]

Well, it mostly boils down to about half a dozen lineup changes, plus assuming different names on occasion (Rupert's People's "Reflections of Charlie Brown" are actually Les Fluers de Lys - no, the rest of Rupert's People work is not LFdL), and releasing under various labels. The only constant member was the drummer...

But yes, they were an amazing band. You might also want to check out the Smoke, another great 60s british band, mixing blue-eyed soul and psychedelia, and the Action, who were a lot more soulful (beautiful Motown-esque vocal harmonies, plus they were impeccable dressers).

On a side note, the 60s can prove to be one BAD habit. It doesn't take long for someone to become a vinyl records and clothes junky.

 

[shoreman1782]

I just wanted to mention that I get Bandwagonesque and Bona Drag confused all the time, even though BWE posts a lot more. Sorry, fellas.

Thanks for the rec, J.

 

[Bona Drag]

He also has cool avatars, and I have no avatars.

+1 on the Smoke.

And, as I said, I gotta be careful or else I'll go on forever, but the Small Faces' version(s) of 'Shake' are better than Cooke's and Redding's - I know that's heresy, but goddammit, it's true.

EDIT: And I say that as a massive Otis fan; obviously, I think Sam is great too, but slightly overrated and def. below the Big O in the soul pantheon, popular opinion notwithstanding.

 

[Bandwagonesque]

Originally Posted by Bona Drag

He also has cool avatars, and I have no avatars.

What's not to love about chicks with Rics?

 

[ken]

I've had a few buddies in bands that put out fantasticly radio-friendly records (Matthew and Sleeping at Last come to mind) but get nowhere with them. You need a kickass manager and a helluva lot of balls, methinks, to make it in that business. And even then, sometimes the contract you have to sign is just too satan-friendly to commit to.

 

[j]

I had the Small Faces from the freakbeat obsession thread a while back (which see), and I'll be checking into the other stuff. BTW, another one of these that is criminally overlooked is the Flamin' Groovies (speaking of 'Shake' and the 'Action'). I probably mentioned that on the other thread, but they are one of my favorites. Oh yeah, and Love (& Arthur Lee).

 

[j]

The Sound. Discuss.

 

[Bandwagonesque]

Do you mean The Sounds? I love groups with hot Swedish chicks in them. That includes ABBA.

The Flamin' Groovies and Love will always be underappreciated because people are, for lack of a better term, dumb. A lot of Love's music is dated sounding hippie-****, and they just weren't the same post-Forever Changes, but I listen to their first three albums sooo often. The Groovies though will always be classic. Then, now and in the future.

The Saints were a Australia pub-punk-garage band from the mid 70s - so overlooked. Imagine the garage sounds of early Groovies, motown/R&B horns, and British punk.

 

[Get Smart]

good call on the Saints....HELLA underrated band

and The Sounds...(if that's who you mean)....AMAZING debut album, like a harder edged Blondie with no bad tracks. The 2nd album is a pile of shite. I had just bought the 2nd album a couple days before we had tickets to see The Sounds....the opening bands were unlistenable so we went back to car to chill and I put the Sounds 2nd album on.....it was SO BAD that it made us not want to go back into the show and we just drove home. That band has seriously JTS but their debut is f'ing great

The Small Faces 1st album is stellar...they get more props with Itchykoo Park, but I'm not a fan of that album so much. The debut is hard as nails...for such a tiny fella, Steve Marriott had an AMAZING voice

 

[Get Smart]

Originally Posted by Bandwagonesque

I love groups with hot Swedish chicks in them.

I hope you listen to Sahara Hotnights! Maria Andersson =