Music Memoirs

This week's Top Five on Friday music meme question is here:

Top five bands that you think are underrated, and your favorite album by each.

5) Rocket Scientists
Of course you've never heard of them, unless you're a regular reader of this blog and/or a big fan of progressive rock. These guys are an indie-label neo-prog band out of southern California. Mark McCrite's vocals are at times Beatles-esque, and keyboardist Erik Norlander frequently provides synthesizer explosions of Wakemanian proportions.
Favorite Album: Although I think Earthbound has the best songwriting, it's currently out of print. So I'll recommend Oblivion Days, which is much more aggressive musically.

4) Rush
Is it possible for a band this big to be underrated? Yes, if you consider radio play. They get practically none, even on the classic rock stations. And if you should happen to hear them on the radio, it's almost always Tom Sawyer. Not only is this not the band's best song, it's not even the best song on that album. Would it kill you DJ's to play Subdivisions or Something for Nothing once in a while?
Favorite Album: Although 2112 and Moving Pictures both have well-deserved reputations, the album that really turned me on to this band was Roll the Bones.

3) "Weird Al" Yankovic
He's this generation's best musical satirist, and maybe the best ever. He parodies not only individual songs (Like a Surgeon, Eat It, Amish Paradise) but also artist styles (Everything You Know is Wrong, Wanna B Ur Lovr). Some of his parodies (Achey Breaky Song, Smells Like Nirvana) are better than the originals. And his polka medlies (Polkas on 45, Angry White Boy Polka, Bohemian Polka) are classic. But he's more than just a comedian or a rip-off artist. He's a gifted musician and arranger with an ear for a good hook and a finger that's been firmly on the pulse of pop culture for over two decades.
Favorite Album: Dare to Be Stupid

2) Mike + the Mechanics
When Genesis released Invisible Touch, some critics thought it sounded too much like Phil Collins' solo work. (That's because it did.) Mike Rutherford's side project never had that problem. The group built its own identity with hits like Silent Running, All I Need is a Miracle, and The Living Years. These songs are catchy and easily accessible, like most of their music. But catchy and accessible does not necessarily mean shallow. This group's songs, while not challenging to listen to, often have thought-provoking lyrics and subtle musical textures that set the group apart from typical adult contemporary fare.
Favorite Album: Beggar on a Beach of Gold

1) Toto
Most people only know this band, if at all, from hits like Rosanna, Africa, and possibly Hold the Line. Knowing only these songs, one might get the impression that Toto was one of those sugar-coated pop bands that flashed and then died out in the 80's. One would be wrong. Most of this group's best work never made it to the radio. (What's new?) These guys were/are extremely talented rock musicians who can turn up the energy when the occasion calls for it. They're also extremely versatile and frequently-used studio musicians. Remember Beat It? Other than Michael Jackson on vocals and Eddie Van Halen on solo guitar, most of the rest of the musicians on that song were Toto. If the only albums you've ever heard from this band are Toto IV, The Seventh One, and/or Past to Present, you're missing out. Grab a copy of Hydra or Kingdom of Desire, if you can find one - that should change your outlook.
Favorite Album: Isolation.