Top Five On Friday - 9/25/09

Top Five!

Top 5 under-appreciated artists/bands and why you think they are under-appreciated

I have an entire feature for just this kind of thing: Introductions.  I'll try to use other artists for this list as much as possible.

1)  Joe Jackson.  He became popular right around the same time as Elvis Costello.  His lyrics are just as biting as Costello's, if not as literate and obscure.  His band is nearly as good.  Heck, his bass player is nearly as good!  He has shown just as much ability to explore and master other musical genres.  So why does Elvis Costello get all the ink from the hipsters and not Joe too?

2)  Neil Finn and Crowded House.  He's mainly under-appreciated by Americans who think the only thing he's ever done is "Don't Dream It's Over."  He's seriously one of the best pop musicians of our time.  I don't even know if I'd classify him as pop, because he can do it all.  He's just good.

3)  David Gilmour.  Anytime I mention him, people always say "who?"  They certainly know who Pink Floyd is, but for some reason they don't know the man who made them great.  David is my favorite guitar player and deserves to be mentioned in the same league as Clapton, Hendrix and Beck. 

4)  Leona Naess.  She has some serious talent and makes some of the most soothing music I've heard.  She's been "up and coming" for a while now and I hope she gets to a point where she finally belongs.  Check out my introduction of her.

5)  Mitch Mitchell.  He was Jimi Hendrix's drummer.  He was just as creative, daring and talented as the likes of Keith Moon and John Bonham, if not more.  Unfortunately, only Jimi Hendrix fans or drummers seem to know about him.  Sometimes, when I listen to Hendrix, I pay attention not to the guitar but to the drumming.  Mitch's playing was worth your attention.