This is one of those really obvious, you tube heavy ideas. But every brilliant artist has some stuff that isn’t that isn’t well known, but is brilliant.
So I’ll start with Elvis. Very few people seem to know “I’m So Glad You’re Mine.” Shame, cos it’s BRILLIANT.
Richard Thompson’s cover of Donovan’s Season of the Witch, recorded for the US series Crossing Jordan and only ever released on the soundtrack (but easily available if you know the right places to look). The guitar solos are mighty.
I’ve collected several CDs worth of songs recorded by Bob Dylan for movie soundtracks and tribute albums and unavailable anywhere else.
Here’s one of my favourites – Boogie Woogie Country Girl from the 1995 CD Til the Night is Gone: A Tribute to Doc Pomus.
in 1995 Bob’s voice was just starting to take on some of the huskiness we know today, but enough of the old magnificence remains to make this a fine version.
Let it roll!
I had never heard of Doc Pomus so (of course) I googled him and the man is a legend!
This is, of course, one of the reasons I come here…and you’re right, it’s great track
The biography of him, ‘Lonely Avenue’, is first-rate.
John Fahey: if you think of him at all, you think “guitar”. And for the first 35 seconds of this track your expectations are fulfilled. Then he takes a very well known tune and turns it on its head. I think it’s brilliant.
I think this qualifies – Marc Almond and Robert Smith and Steve Severin wrote this one.
https://youtu.be/Bzigxp0quKI
Tori Amos – Honey. Available only as a “b-side” on the second version of the Pretty Good Year CD single until included on the expanded Under The Pink deluxe edition. Once upon a time me & Tori wereascloseasthis. Sigh.
Jazz guitarist Oscar Alemán was a contemporary and sort-of rival of Django Reinhardt. Born in Argentina in 1909, he outlived Django by several decades but was never so famous outside of his home country, where he was a much-loved musician, actor and singer.
(La Vida Con Swing)
“Skiffle King” Lonnie Donegan was the man who started this rock/R&B/blues malarkey here in the UK. Here he is covering a Lieber & Stoller song originally recorded by The Coasters on the B-side of a single. A fine and unusual song of marital fidelity under pressure.
I actually prefer Lonnie’s recording. The Coasters version seems rather carelessly knocked-out in comparison. Lonnie’s version is more soulful. YMMV of course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA1Lh-6kQVo
(Sorry But I’m Gonna Have To Pass)
‘Child of the Moon’ by The Stones – the flip of ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash.’
They must have reckoned it at the time because they made a promo, a very good promo, for it.
I think initially it was a double-A side.
Since 1968? Vanished. Turned up on an obscure early 1970s comp. and on the ‘London Years’ 3-cd set.
The group have disowned it, but then they’ve disowned ‘Little Red Rooster,’ their BBC recordings, their debut LP, Rolling Stones No. 2….
No they haven’t!! Klein stole their Decca material from them!!!
Great track selection, by the way.
They are worth zillions.
If they wanted to put that stuff out, they would.
Put it another way, start printing that awful tongue logo on anything that moves and see how quickly they move.
‘V. quickly’ would be my guess.
Yes indeed. They own that logo and have control of it. But not those early albums you love.
Are we talking “Deep Cuts” and/or “completely hidden / forgotten”
Howzabout:
Alice Cooper – Pain
Languishing on the largely forgotten/ignored 1980 Album “Flush The Fashion”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Juqn5gp28
Chas & Dave – Scruffy Old Cow
Apparently this was recorded for the Born in the USA album but left off, album sales say this didn’t matter but if left on this would surely have been a single and be more widely known.
Thirteen Women – Bill Haley & His Comets
From a late little known covers album Elvis phoned in from heaven
Not a very well known brilliant band Sunlightsquare with their not terribly well known version (just out, download and 7″ only) version of the song “unconsciously plagiarised” by Rod Stewart for Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.
Taj Mahal
I was listening to my Afterword Portugal Playlist and this rather fine song came on by Neil Hannon aka the Divine Comedy.
Cathy
It’s from an album by Portuguese composer Rodrigo Leao who was previously in Madredeus. There are several other guest vocalists and it’s all worth a listen.
I suspect NH wrote the lyrics.
Divine Comedy fans like @duco01 may enjoy this interview.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/may/23/divine-comedy-neil-hannon
“I was an old man trapped in a young man’s body. Now I’m an old man trapped in a middle-aged man’s body.” He pauses wistfully. “So I’m getting there…”
And now Beth Gibbons doing a Leao song.
Lonely Carousel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx_HWuMJK0M
Billy Bragg’s finest moment (possibly), guitar backing by Johnny Marr, Walk Away Renee (version). He certainly never wrote a better lyric than “And then one day it happened – she cut her hair and I stopped loving her.” Tucked away on a B-side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am9s85pfH8I
Love this one.
One of my all time favourite lyrics (?). So good.
A recent-ish (well, only fourteen years old) gem from Bryan Ferry, with a little help from his erstwhile friend/rival/nemesis.
This revised version is probably a lot more well-known nowadays courtesy of its inclusion on the ‘Nothing Has Changed’ retrospective, though it’s still hardly one of the Dame’s most recognisable songs. But it is outstanding, in every way.
Bugger. Try again…
Someone here (can’t remember who, so I’ll say @tiggerlion) surprised me a while back by not knowing Neil Young’s Little Wing and assuming it was the Hendrix song. As a non-fan of Young it’s my favourite song of his. I love the way the harmonica and saxophone mix (or is it just a harmonica sounding like a saxophone?). I love the way his voice sounds so delicate, the last line (“winter is the best of all”) barely rising above a whisper. I love how short the song is, doing its job then buggering off before anything spoils it. And I love the fact that the title leads people to assume it’s the Hendrix song.
Joe Strummer – The Unknown Immortal
I love Joe Strummer’s soundtrack to Alex Cox’s film “Walker”. I play it more than I play “The Clash”, Give ’em enough Rope, London Calling and Combat Rock combined.
The soundtrack is mostly instrumental, but there are three tracks with vocals, including this little-known gem.
Possibly the best thing Cassandra Wilson has ever done. From the perennial pound box favourite the excellent “Love Jones” soundtrack. Bit saucy.
Marvellous thread Gangle!
Here are Robert Wyatt and Tracey Thorn with the full version of the track Vinceremos from Working Week’s rather fab first album.
That’s my morning listening sorted.
Thanks to @duco01, I’ve remembered the soundtrack to another Alex Cox movie, Straight To Hell. It has one of my absolute favourite tracks by The Pogues, A Rake At The Gates Of Hell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YVqt8Xz92A
(Another Pogues favourite is The Body Of An American, originally buried away on the Poguetry In Motion EP, but probably disqualified for this thread as it’s started to appear on the most recent reiterations of their Best Ofs. Seriously, I think there are now more Pogues compilations than there are original albums)
Soundtracks are definitely a place to find lost gems. Hats off to Ry Cooder’s record company for doing a compilation of his film music. But then again, Ry is so productive that keeping track of all his fine work is a full time job.
Some other record companies have also obliged. There’s a compilation of Tracey Thorn’s various side projects.
Then you’ve got artists who choose or are forced to change record label. Or are members of different bands for short periods.
Gary Clark, who started off in Danny Wilson, is a good example. Despite writing a lot of fine songs, his career has been a very stop-start affair.
A track from his solo album Ten short songs about love.
Free floating
It bombed. As did his band King L. They made one great album then vanished.
First man on the sun
My current favourite Ry Cooder isn’t well known, Muy Fifi.
Covered by Alex Chilton in the 70s – here’s the Rolling Stones original.
https://youtu.be/wsQtndswJbc
Mr Cohen has many fans here. But perhaps not all of them have heard him in the slightly funkier context of Was (not was).
Elvis’s Rolls Royce
Frank Zappa is probably disliked by more people here than he’s liked by. Not sure what Sting’s standing is here.
Regardless of that, here’s “Mr. Sting” guesting with Zappa’s 1988 tour band on a cover of his own song, “Murder By Numbers” which segues back into Oliver Nelson’s “Stolen Moments”, which was what they were playing before “Mr. Sting” came onstage. This is the unedited version which includes the third verse and a sax solo.
Oops!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgWf4tERHyg
Disallowed from the album by the author, they say
From Rowland, the dress years.
Have a lickle faith (as he sings at 1.00)
How about this piece of sultry late night music from Tom Waits and Crystal Gale from the soundtrack of One from the heart?
Nina Persson has done a lot of fine work outside of the Cardigans.
This A Camp track has always been a favourite
I can buy you
This live cover of Famous Blue Overcoat complete with orchestra is rather good too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7o7RI3Kkss
Yup, here’s Ms Persson again, doing a TV theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGZCl7trmig
That was ace, @sniffity. Never even heard of it.
Very 007 too. One of YT notes comments that Nina P was offered the role of a Bond girl but turned it down.
I presume it’s the same David Arnold who did this gem with Björk. Also from a soundtrack.
Play dead
This is more the Xmas Present than the Wedding Present. But that tough, gruff, macho Mr Gedge doing a romantic pop duet with his mirror opposite, the exquisite and very feminine Simone White works very well.
Lloyd Cole had a very fine band, the Negatives, that included the equally talented Jill Sobule. They had great songs and were rather good live but lasted only one album.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Enjoying sampling many of the suggestions posted here. Adding to the Bryan Ferry tune, I’m a big fan of Roxy Music. This is from Siren which is not as strong arguably as the four albums that preceded it but is perhaps the Roxy album I play most often. It contains this gem of a song.
Roxy Music
She Sells
A very underrated album.
That is a lovely track. Jobson’s only co-write, I believe.
Siren is viewed differently on either side of the Atlantic. In the UK, critics and fans remain more fond of the earlier art inflected albums. In the US, they only really became aware of Roxy Music with Country Life and they lapped Siren up. Critics over the pond regularly rate it as their best and most coherent LP.
I’ve gone back to Siren as a result of your post. The two singles are superlative and eclipse the rest of the album. Sentimental Fool and Another High are rightly recognised as excellent. The remainder benefit from being listened to out of context. I remember being taken aback by how good End Of The Line is when it popped up on random. Whirlwind is magnificent and could slot in seamlessly onto side one of For Your Pleasure. Nightingale is really very lovely exposing a fragile Ferry. The only one that jars, with its awkward melody and cliché’d lyrics is It Could Happen To Me. Skip that one and you have an album with consistent lovelorn themes, great tunes, funky grooves and just enough splashes of Art Rock noise to keep the old fans engaged whithout frightening away any new ones.
Thank you.