Sadly underrated singles that should've been much bigger

[Barking Spiders]

Thread on the Four Seasons prompted me to check out this gem from way back, when I barely out of nappies - diapers for our US cousins -  (meaning I was a nipper, rather than a High Court judge enjoying some relaxation). It's just great all round so much so I've played it 12 times today already. According to Wiki it reached #3 in 1976 but doesn't get much airing nowadays on the wireless. Any other tunage from yesteryear that reached the UK top 30 but doesn't get much of a look-in on the radio nowadays but should do.

 

[Old Man Riva]

Blimey, that’s a blast from the past - I used to really like that track!

I’d add...
The Passions - I’m in Love With a German Film Star

Hollywood Beyond - What’s the Colour of Money

Swans Way - Soul Train

Bill Nelson - Living in my Limousine 

Jerry Harrison - Rev it Up

Edit to say... apologies, some of the above didn’t make the Top 30 - I should have read the original post properly!! 
 

Medicine Head had a couple of singles in the early 70s - One and One is One and Rising Sun - that don’t ever seem to get played on the radio.

Similarly Atomic Rooster - Tomorrow Night and Devil’s Answer - and Family - In My Own Time and Burlesque - seem to be absent from nostalgic playlists... 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Old Man Riva

[AndyTravis]

This - loved it since first listen

 

[Baxlin]

Georgie Fame’s version of Sunny.

Various Stax offerings from the 60s

Rene and Renata ‘Save your love’ but maybe there’s a very good reason for its lack of airtime, (and it’s outside the remit of this thread - as it shouldn’t be played!)

[Barking Spiders]

8 hours ago, Old Man Riva said:

Blimey, that’s a blast from the past - I used to really like that track!

I’d add...
The Passions - I’m in Love With a German Film Star

Hollywood Beyond - What’s the Colour of Money

Swans Way - Soul Train

Bill Nelson - Living in my Limousine 

Jerry Harrison - Rev it Up

Edit to say... apologies, some of the above didn’t make the Top 30 - I should have read the original post properly!! 
 

Medicine Head had a couple of singles in the early 70s - One and One is One and Rising Sun - that don’t ever seem to get played on the radio.

Similarly Atomic Rooster - Tomorrow Night and Devil’s Answer - and Family - In My Own Time and Burlesque - seem to be absent from nostalgic playlists... 

Doesn't matter if they didn't quite make top 30. The point in my OP was that there are are thousands of great tunes that were 'hits' as such but since dropping out of the charts radio stations have rarely given them any more airtime. Love the Passions and Swans Way songs.

[Baxlin]

9 hours ago, Old Man Riva said:

 

I’d add...
The Passions - I’m in Love With a German Film Star

Hollywood Beyond - What’s the Colour of Money

Swans Way - Soul Train

Bill Nelson - Living in my Limousine 

Jerry Harrison - Rev it Up

Edit to say... apologies, some of the above didn’t make the Top 30 - I should have read the original post properly!! 
 

Medicine Head had a couple of singles in the early 70s - One and One is One and Rising Sun - that don’t ever seem to get played on the radio.

Similarly Atomic Rooster - Tomorrow Night and Devil’s Answer - and Family - In My Own Time and Burlesque - seem to be absent from nostalgic playlists... 

Oops, I thought music could be my ‘specialist’ quiz round, but I have to say I don’t recognise any of these tracks,  and apart from Medicine Head, none of the artists either!

But half the time nowadays, when seeing an artist and a song title, I don’t know which is which...

I describe myself in various profiles as ‘an old rocker’, which probably explains  a lot (accent on the old).

Edited July 22, 2020 by Baxlin

[Old Man Riva]

42 minutes ago, Baxlin said:

Oops, I thought music could be my ‘specialist’ quiz round, but I have to say I don’t recognise any of these tracks,  and apart from Medicine Head, none of the artists either!

But half the time nowadays, when seeing an artist and a song title, I don’t know which is which...

I describe myself in various profiles as ‘an old rocker’, which probably explains  a lot (accent on the old).

Nothing wrong with being an old rocker! And check out the tracks by Family and Atomic Rooster as they may be to your taste - and you’d probably recognise them if you heard them.

I watched Top of the Pops religiously as a kid in the 70s and was always drawn to what me and my mates would describe as “rock guitar” - so anything from Bowie to Blackfoot Sue! The Family and Atomic Rooster tracks definitely have the sound I was drawn to back then.
 

Barking Spiders, this is something that I definitely think fits the bill...  

 

[casapete]

1 hour ago, Old Man Riva said:

Nothing wrong with being an old rocker! And check out the tracks by Family and Atomic Rooster as they may be to your taste - and you’d probably recognise them if you heard them.

I watched Top of the Pops religiously as a kid in the 70s and was always drawn to what me and my mates would describe as “rock guitar” - so anything from Bowie to Blackfoot Sue! The Family and Atomic Rooster tracks definitely have the sound I was drawn to back then.
 

Barking Spiders, this is something that I definitely think fits the bill...  

 

Agreed, great song! Think it made top 10 in 1972 but for some reason rarely seems to get airplay.

[Nicko]

Two slightly newer bands that received critical acclaim and some success with albums but never really broke the singles charts or airwaves in any way were Gomes (Mercury prize winners in the late 90s) and Editors (Nominated for the same prize in the mid 00s).  I appreciate these aren't to everyone's taste but put it in contecxt next to say the Stone Roses and Oasis.  I've  rarely heard anything from these bands on the radio, although Gomez did used to get played on BBC London sometimes.

Both albums get regular airings chez Nicko and both bands are great live too.

 

[grahamd]

Well in honour of Tim Smith who sadly passed last night, this should have been a lot bigger than it was

 

 

[Mudpup]

A singing bass player and a bagpipe solo as well 😊

 

[DaveFry]

1996

 

[Mykesbass]

On 21/07/2020 at 22:52, Barking Spiders said:

Any other tunage from yesteryear that reached the UK top 30 but doesn't get much of a look-in on the radio nowadays but should do.

 

Here's a partial reason - I was quite surprised by a couple of the tracks included, but just look at how often the tracks get repeated. This is the same across all commercial radio now, albeit slight tweaks according to their format (can't find the same info for Planet Rock, but I know from previous listening the level of repeats on there is also ridiculously high).

https://media.info/radio/stations/absolute-80s/playlist

[Japhet]

Loved this. Lovely bass groove too which is probably why I like it so much.

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by Japhet

[ubit]

On 21/07/2020 at 23:24, Old Man Riva said:

Hollywood Beyond - What’s the Colour of Money

I'd forgotten what a fantastic song this was!

[ubit]

This should have been bigger than it was!

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by ubit

[DaveFry]

Andy Williams's single in '67 . His next single ( in '68 ) was " Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You " .

Little known gem of a simple song .

[bassbiscuits]

Hue and Cry’s “Labour of Love” from the late 80s is a bit of a belter.

Also love McAlmont and Butler’s “Yes” but never hear it played anywhere. 
 

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by bassbiscuits

[AndyTravis]

Just now, bassbiscuits said:

Hue and Cry’s “Labour of Love” from the late 80s is a bit of a belter.

Also love McAlmont and Butler’s “Yes” but never hear it played anywhere. 

Both on my playlist 

[grahamd]

10 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

Hue and Cry’s “Labour of Love” from the late 80s is a bit of a belter.

Also love McAlmont and Butler’s “Yes” but never hear it played anywhere. 

Classics both. On an 80’s tip, great bass on this minor hit

 

 

 

[stewblack]

Sad? Underrated? Single?

Title for my autobiography?

[Sandypjb]

15 hours ago, grahamd said:

Classics both. On an 80’s tip, great bass on this minor hit

 

 

 

Awesome song And album - watched the lead singer James Grant on the Quay Sessions recently and he still can really sing and play.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Sandypjb
Additional info

[grahamd]

Just now, Sandypjb said:

Awesome song And album - watched the lead singer James Grant on the Quay Sessions recently and he still can really sing and play.

Good to hear he's still going. Jocelyn Square another goody

[ubit]

On 24/07/2020 at 19:15, bassbiscuits said:

Hue and Cry’s “Labour of Love” from the late 80s is a bit of a belter.

I seen them at a festival back in the early 90's. They spent the whole time preaching politics and I was frightfully unimpressed!

[PaulWarning]

The Undertones, You've Got My Number, one of favourite songs, ever, all you seem to hear is Teenage Kicks