The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

Menu

Navigation

You are here: Home / Forum / Underrated band members

Underrated band members

by 74 Comments

Danny Kirwan – never seemed to get the props he deserved… Mick Taylor probably falls in this category as well as Malcolm Young from AC/DC

His end was so sad for such a talent… Danny

1

Comments

    • It might be semantics, but I think Colin is overlooked, rather than under-rated. A melodic bass-player, who meshed with the drums. He spurred Andy on. Colin’s songs are all over Skylarking, and whatever their differences, Partridge has said how much he admires Moulding’s songs, like Bungalow and In Another Life.

  11. The late Dave ‘Maha Dave’ Codling, rhythm guitarist with Quintessence was underrated – indeed, so underrated that his erstwhile record label cut him unceremoniously out of the cover pic on this CD-era compo. There were six members of Quin and Dave was unfortunately standing to the left of this photo… Here he is, delivering the goods on ‘Giants’ (1969), with Alan Mostert on lead guitar.

  12. On the subject of the Stones – I always thought Bill was under-rated. It didn’t help that Keith was known to play bass in the studio sometimes (smacks a bit of Macca playing drums and the effect on the way Ringo was perceived) – but Bill would usually play a proper inventive bass player’s line.

  14. I’ll have one of my favourite guitarists of all time, someone who preceded Knopfler with that Strat sound, Tim Renwick of Sutherland Brothers & Quiver.

    • Back in the 70s in my student days at Birmingham, SB&Q were booked to play in the students’ Union.
      I got the gig to review them for the students’ newspaper and got in the dressing room to interview the band before the gig.
      Someone else had written a preview and had compared Tim Renwick to Robbie Robertson. He was mightily pissed off rather than flattered by this comparison and then no meaningful interview took place as I repeatedly denied authorship of the offending comments while trying to elicit something other than complaints from Renwick and piss taking from the rest of the band.

      • Excellent story Carl, and I’m with TR. RR has many strengths but he’s at best an adequate guitarist. And he can’t sing, no matter how much he might pretend*.

        * I’m biased by Levon Helm’s book…

  16. Graham Maby.
    Joe Jackson’s bassist on most of his tours and recordings. Also a frequent collaborator with They Might Be Giants, Natalie Merchant and Marshall Crenshaw.

    George Duke.
    Keyboard whiz in Zappa’s early ’70s bands.

  17. Norman Watt-Roy is another brilliant yet curiously ‘unknown’ musician that just came to mind… here keeping/steering the Blockheads in the groove with one of the best bass riffs of all time..

    Maybe it’s just a bass player thing – you’re consigned to obscurity if you play bass

  18. Most rhythm guitarists in a band with a lead player, especially if they don’t sing. I accept that is a thing less seldom seen in ye olde rock etc. But there is an argument that they are often the most integral player in the band. Tending to immerse myself most in folk these days, and Scottish folk at that, this is especially true when there is no “other” rhythm section. So players like Jenn Butterworth, Anna Massie, Ali Hutton (when not playing pipes or whistle), Innes White are the most important players in the set up, even when a wild soloist is diddling over their top.

      • I haven’t. Butterworth is one busy woman: she seems to gig every day of the year, in one combo or another. She is certainly the focus with Pound’s Day Will Come and Kinnaris, with whom I have seen her. The duet album with Pound is superb.

      • I dunno, Yesterday’s Men was as good a single as anything they recorded with Mike. I even like I Pronounce You from their ill-fated The Madness phase.
        Barso was indeed the brains of the outfit but I think as a songwriter, saxophonist, Lee Thompson is actually the underrated member of Madness.
        And while we are here, secretly, they also had one of the best rhythm sections in pop too.

  22. For AC/DC, I would say Phil Rudd rather than Malcolm. A lot of the greatness of those early records is in the beat, and I don’t think it’s as easy as it sounds.

  23. Simon Nicol. Fairport’s other guitarist.

    The other two members of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, i.e bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Öström.
    Esbjörn was the trio’s writer and leader, but their playing as a trio was positively telepathic.

  24. Yes, yes and yes again for Danny Kirwan

    A brilliant player and songwriter. One of the first Green-era tapes I had was Live in Boston, and was only later I realised how much of the playing that blew me away was actually Danny rather than Peter.

    Some stunning playing towards the end of this tune, which I think Peter Green thought was Danny’s best

  25. Maybe not in the spirit of the original post but I’ll nominate Dave Ruffy. While I’m not familiar with much of his work with the Ruts, I’ve seen him with Aztec Camera, the Waterboys, the Daintees and Edwyn Collins band. I’ve seen all of these bands multiple times and in every case would regard the iteration with Dave Ruffy on drums as their best.

    On a more niche note Keith Donald in Moving Hearts never got the limelight he deserved. His contributions always made the live shows for me.

  26. Jimmy Dewar – after Lulu & The Luvvers, Stone the Crows and (I think) a stint with Frankie Miller, he should have become a star with Robin Trower.

    Also underrated: Bobby Tench, Scott Thurston and Val McCallum.

  29. Jim Lea. Noddy and Dave are the public perception of Slade, and there’s absolutely nowt wrong with that, but Jim was the musical heart of the band, and very gifted.

    • Not ‘back’ just ‘guesting’.
      I saw them last week as DM had returned, I must admit I had a very enjoyable night. DM’s drumming was excellent his drumming on Matty Groves particularly, for a small chap he packs a wallop, certainly put some oomph in their oeuvre.
      This is from someone who said he would never bother seeing them again.

      • Almost enough to make me consider reneging on my never going back to Cropredy stance. Again, at that. But the line up this year isn’t the dogs bollocks, it’s just bollocks.

Leave a Reply