7 Great Underrated Rock Albums

By Jeremy Bednarsh

The Who

Sell OutThe Who, 1967

While it might be hard for us to realize, broadcasting rock music on BBC radio in the 60s was heavily limited. Therefore, “pirate radio”, where a ship with a studio and transmitter would broadcast from international waters, played a huge role in giving airtime to rock bands such as the Who. This album, released before “Tommy”, was the Who’s tribute to pirate radio. Pete Townshend structured the album to sound like a block of programming, complete with jingles and fake commercials in-between songs. And the songs in question, including “Our Love Was”, “Can’t Reach You”, “Sunrise” and “I Can See for Miles” are some of the best songs Townshend has ever written. But the best part of the album has to be the irreverent sense of humor running through the album, with photos of the band in comical product placement and goofy songs such as “Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand”.

Vincebus Eruptum

While bands such as the Stooges and MC5 are celebrated by punk critics for their influence on the genre, Blue Cheer was able to capture the primal power of rock n’ roll at least a year before them. The album saw the band exploring and exceeding the very limits of available amplifier technology, feedback abuse and deafening volume like no other previous group. With its rebellious, anti-establishment ethos, as evidenced by the opening track (a rough cover of the rockabilly classic “Summertime Blues”), Vincebus Eruptum was able to cut to the very core of what rock n’ roll is about.

Blue Cheer, 1968

Presence While most people are inclined to discuss the earlier work of Led Zeppelin (and for good reason; it’s almost all excellent), some people forget some of their later albums, including 1976’s “Presence”. By the time this album had come out, Zeppelin had taken a major departure from its old blues roots, and when they returned to them in “Presence”, fans and critics alike were apathetic towards the band’s newest album. Nonetheless, with this album, they were able to take a look back at their old blues influences and create something else entirely, as evidenced on such tracks as the epic “Achilles Last Stand” and the face-melting aggressiveness of “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”.

Led Zeppelin, 1976

Waiting For ColumbusThanks to the very things that made them great: a subversive sense of humor, self-destructive behavior and undeniable musical talent, Little Feat were doomed to nothing more than cult status. While they never earned mainstream recognition, Little Feat maintained a steady cult status. Their music is an unwieldy blend of raw and smooth music, but they’re able to make it work great with rock-solid playing and slide guitar. The band’s career was sadly cut short by guitarist George Lowell’s untimely death, so we’re left to wonder what other kind of work they would have made.

Little Feat, 1978

TuskFleetwood Mac is hardly an unknown band, thanks in part to the massive success of their 1977 album “Rumours”. “Tusk”, their follow up to “Rumours”, is considered the most expensive album in rock history, with a $1 million budget. This new album allowed them to create whatever they wanted: a weird, personal and brilliant work that positions the band’s three singer-songwriters as a trio of solo artists, much like the Beatles’ “White Album”. The album ended up reaching the Top 5 and selling a couple million copies; no small feat, but a long way from the chart and sales dominance that came with “Rumours”. While it wasn’t nearly as big a hit as “Rumours”, and not as good an album, it does reveal a band that never let superstardom get in the way of art.

Fleetwood Mac, 1979

Done With Mirrors

Even though Aerosmith’s work in the 70s was of infinitely higher caliber, their comeback in the 80s, after Stephen Tyler and Joe Perry kicked their notorious drug habit, took the world by storm with the slick, polished “Permanent Vacation”. Before that, however, they released “Done With Mirrors”, with songs of a much leaner and meaner variety. While not to discredit such fun, commercial-friendly songs as “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” or “Love in an Elevator”, had they stuck with a more primal sound in their later work, you can’t help but think that they would have sounded better.

Aerosmith, 1985

Yeah!

When a band releases an album long after they’re considered relevant, it’s very easy to overlook it. Especially when the album-in-question is entirely made up of covers. But a lot of people don’t understand what makes covers so great; they give a band the chance to take a song and make it their own, which is exactly what Def Leppard did with “Yeah!”. The album reveals a band that clearly loves music, as they cover a variety of sounds: glamrock, pop, hard rock and even the legendary Jobriath.

Def Leppard, 2006