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Nigel Williamson

The Best Music You've Never Heard 1 (Rough Guide Reference) Paperback – October 20, 2008

by Nigel Williamson (Author)

25 ratings

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The Rough Guide to the Best Music You’ve Never Heard is a winning collection of amazing stories of tragic mavericks and unlucky contenders, with hundreds of lost classics and hidden gems. The guide traces the musicians that fell by the wayside from the bands that could have been The Beatles to the acts that were better than the acts that made it. Find out why David Ackles is the Elton John that never was (and why Elton John agrees). Frank and opinionated, the guide is packed with playlists, includes stylish archive photos as well as contributions from music industry insiders including Bat for Lashes. Clue-up on the infamous lost albums from some of rock’s biggest stars and discover the tales of the famous-name side-projects that got away, not forgetting the cult albums reviled at the time… that are actually really good. If you’re looking for great new music, this book will show it to you. If you think you’ve heard it all, it’ll put you to the test.

Listen now to the Best Music radio show at www.roughguides.com/bestmusic with author, journalist and music expert Nigel Williamson revealing his ultimate rundown of rare tracks and hidden treasures. Also featuring a free downloadable bonus track by Caroline Weeks from Mercury Award nominated Bat for Lashes!

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Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Rough Guides
Publication date

October 20, 2008
Dimensions

6.52 x 1.75 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

1848360037
ISBN-13

978-1848360037

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In its chapter on Nick Drake the ethereal British folk singer who died at age 26 in 1974 without his three albums making any commercial impact whatsoever Nigel Williamson's "The Best Music You've Never Heard" pinpoints why there's such a growing market for knowledge about the overlooked "hidden gems" in recorded music's history.
Advocates for someone anyone who has ever recorded to little avail now have an instant global soapbox to champion a perceived injustice. "In the age of the Internet, long-forgotten classics are being rediscovered, reappraised and reissued on an almost weekly basis," writes Williamson, the primary author (with contributors) to this music book from Rough Guides. "But it was Drake, who unknowingly created the template."
In 1986, Drake's work was posthumously released as a four-CD box, prompting a renewed interest that has now made him one of the most respected British singer-songwriters ever. "Nick Drake is in a sense the patron saint of this book," Williamson writes. "The first of rock music's Van Gogh figures, his talent was almost totally ignored in his lifetime and his greatness only recognized long after his death."
This book makes a case for other musicians who history has forgotten, overlooked or chronically undervalued. There is a moderate British orientation Williamson was a former news editor for The Times of London as well as an experienced music writer but there is plenty of room for Americans like the Brecht-Weill-influenced singer-songwriter David Ackles and psychedelic folkies Holy Modal Rounders.
The back stories can be fascinating, revealing just how interconnected this global village of a world can be. The book touts the "Ethiopiques" series of hip, rockin' contemporary Ethiopian music that a French devotee named Francis Falceto has been assembling and releasing. --Denver Post

About the Author

Author Nigel Williamson is a regular contributor to the magazines Uncut and Songlines, and is the author of The Rough Guide To Bob Dylan.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rough Guides
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 20, 2008
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1848360037
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1848360037
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.52 x 1.75 x 9.25 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #4,283,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,908 in Popular Music (Books)
- #8,079 in Rock Music (Books)
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25 ratings

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Desiderata
Priceless trivia is a bonus
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

love it ... will buy more books like this ... the trivia that is included is priceless and the music highlighted is a "gift". Finding and then listening to music that was undervalued is a gift. I highly recommend.

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Andrew
Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
An interesting read and an nice way to discover some overlooked artists. Too bad it's out of print.

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mianfei
Has some exceptional albums, but could be better-written
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2009
Format: Paperback
There are so many books about advertising "best music never heard" that it is certainly possible to call the phrase cliched. Moreover, when one looks through books of this type repeatedly it is apparent that what may not be praised lavishly by Rolling Stone could in fact be very well-known to serious rock critics who understand the history of the music as a critic is supposed to.

As guides of this sort go, "The Rough Guide to the Best Music You've Never Heard", however, must be judged quite well for the presence of some undeniably classic artists who are not as well known to the general public as they should be. The way in which Laura Nyro, ESG, Can, Slint and Godspeed You Black Emperor, all unique artists possessed of music with unique qualities beyond the radar of people who only read mass-circulation magazines, are discussed is impressive. Most surprising as a fan is the information on Godspeed which is unavailable even from sites like Pitchfork or All Music!

Then there is the section of the many lost psych-folk classics of the early 1970s that have only very recently become known to the general public. It's a slight pity they did not mention more songs on Parallelograms, for the description of how a quite inaccessible record came to be released by a major label without touring is very interesting. There are a great many other interesting stories within the book, for instance those on Handsome Family, which were a married couple for decades before playing music.

For people with a different musical taste to mine, I am sure the section on lesser-known heavy rock bands like Blue Cheer and Kyuss will be very valuable: even to me it is quite impressive. The chapter on non-anglophone pop, a genre which experience has told me to be sceptical of because it really is almost never original compared to songs sung in English, is another surprise even if it rarely fires with utter completeness. The section of the lesser-known figures in 1960s and 1970s black music is also pleasing because for decade after decade that genre has been picked clean in a manner rare in popular music. The story of Minnie Riperton is one in particular I never suspected: a black soul singer who inspired Kate Bush!

On the other hand, I can definitely find enough faults with "The Rough Guide to the Best Music You've Never Heard" to prevent myself giving it the full five stars. For one thing, the biographies of the artists discussed could follow a much tighter template than they do. It often seems some are given much more detail than others and that the reasoning behind what is written could be better. Then there are artists like Pavement and albums like Neil Young's Tonight's The Night whom readers of even the most mainstream of rock magazines will be familiar with and whom, as Richie Unterberger told me half a decade ago, are not in any sense obscure even though not mass sellers. The sections on "alternative Americana", progressive rock and blues could also have been done better to match the rest of the book.

All in all, "The Rough Guide to the Best Music You've Never Heard" has both valuable information and a large number of interesting sidelights that make it well above average as music guides go. It should help even experienced music listeners like myself find out more, and for those less experienced, even if uneven, it might tech them a great deal.

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Chris bct
I am always interested in hearing about music I don't know about.
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2013
Format: Paperback
1 Last White Christmas vol II w/ CCM, IRI! & Traumatic - Italy
2001 1983 - CCM live is, well, unparalleled in music.
This is the most intense hc available. Forget gruff vocals and heavy
sound that's all metal tinged. This is the finest hc 24 or so minutes
live ever. As a bonus IRI! has the rare ability, maybe only band on
earth, to fluidly blend keyboard and synth to real hc. There's an
explosion/cocophany song that just blows your mind. This is
really a perfect 3 band split release with Traumatic being an
excellent 60's hc band from 1983. Italian hc rules, it's totally
unique in hc. The rare perfect lp. (originally released as a 60
minute tape, now a 76 minute cd).
2 Bad Brains - attitude - NY/DC 1982 When yer
listening to it you realize it's really the finest punk rock lp ever made.
Kudos the tape release! A perfect blend of hc & reggae, the finest
of each really. Best vocalist, superior drums & git. The rare perfect
lp. Another amazing debut lp. Virtually no time between songs,
least the hc ones. Just the way I like it.
3 Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night - National City/L.A. 1974
Only his 70's releases rule and this is the best
of them. Smokey piano lounge music with perfect raspy vocals
and vivid story telling. There's nothing else like this anywhere.
The rare perfect lp.
4 Steel Pulse - Reggae Fever - UK 1982? Their finest
lp. The best reggae lp ever. Not that sleepy stuff. Not overly
repetitive. Lively and beautiful. The rare perfect lp.
5 Half Japanese - The Band That Would Be King - U.S. 1989 There is no band like them on earth. Sometimes they hit,
sometimes they miss. This whole lp hits. Unexpected even after
years of listening to it. Horns, hooks, gits. Raw musical beauty
with no commercial buffering added. The rare perfect lp.
6 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland - Seattle/UK/U.S.
(2lp) 1968 The finest rock lp ever and it's a
double. You go places on this record. Welcome to Jimi's world.
The rare perfect lp.
7 Minor Threat - discography - DC 1985? 1981
Not a true lp but a comp of everything they ever released. The
best U.S. punk band ever.
8 Black Flag - First Four Years - L.A. 1983? 1978-1981? Not a true
lp but a comp of the first four years releases. The beating heart of
punk rock man. Classic.
9 Circle Jerks - Group Sex - L.A. 1980 The finest single
pure punk lp ever. (only cuz there's so much beautiful reggae on
Attitude). 31 minutes? Perfection. Deny Everything! Filled with
perfect punk rock singles. Another amazing debut lp.
10 Minutemen - My First Bells - San Pedro 1985 1980-1983 Not a
true lp but a comp of their early releases including most of their
finest material although, the following 4 lps they did were virtually
as classic as this material. No band like them on earth. Funk punk.
A clean minimalism with honesty and earnestness. Still satisfys
today. I need to hear live sets of theirs just to get more of this.
11 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? -
Seattle/UK/U.S. 1967 Jimi was the master and
the world lost a guitar genius. Plus he could write songs and had
that perfect voice. Still potent today. The rare perfect lp.
Another amazing debut lp.
12 Tom Waits - Small Change - National City/L.A. 1976 It's terrible to choose between this and Heart of Saturday
Night. Another perfect lp.
13 Hates -Contamination CD - Houston w/ 3 1979 7"s, Panacea 12"
1982, & New World Oi! 1992 Not a true lp but a comp of
their 5 best releases. The great American hidden punk rock band
man. Classic songs that sound brilliant 20 years later.
14 The Urinals - discography - L.A. 1987? 1979-1981 Not a
true lp but a comp of their 7"s and live material. Another amazing
trio (like Hates & Minutemen). Minimalist punk rock classics.
Punk rock from UCLA. Ack, Ack, Ack, Ack could be the best punk
song ever.
15 The Undertones - The Undertones - Ireland 1979 The finest
power pop of all time. Poppy, guitar strong love songs from war
torn Northern Ireland. A perfect debut lp. Another rare perfect lp.
16 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love - Seattle/UK/U.S.
(2lp) 1968 Really, his 3 classic releases are
superior to any other releases by any other rock 'n roll bands,
maybe with the exception of the Beatles. There's still strength in
this music, and mysterious beauty. The rare perfect lp.
17 I Thrash, Therefore I Am - Europe w/ Mob 47, Anti Cimex, Xpozez +
2001 1985 A tape release. The finest hc comp ever
which is a tough call with the next 3 or so punk comps listed below
being equally amazing. I think, my favorite comp name.
18 The Bobs - The Bobs - L.A. 1983 Accapella harmony vocal
ingenious with smarty pants lyrics. They always have a story to
tell and each song here is perfection. The rare perfect lp.
Another amazing debut lp.
19 Half Japanese - U.S. Music To Strip By 1987 As great,
really, as King lp. Every song is wonderful. If you just get 2 lps by
these guys, get these 2.
20 Minutemen - The Punch Line - San Pedro 1981 Their first lp.
Gimme more. Perfection. Another amazing debut lp.
21 Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks - Where's the Money - S.F. 1971
No band like them on earth. Smarty pants lyrics/bluegrass/whimsical
/understated rock though it's a bit of a stretch to actually call it rock.
This is their best lp and it happens to be live.
22 The Beatles - The Beatles (The White Album) - UK (2lp) 1968
An lp that changed the culture, certainly my life and many
others. So much beauty. No bad songs.
23 Santana - Santana - Tijuana/S.F. 1969 A rare perfect lp. No
one has since merged rock and Mexican music so perfectly as they
have. Another amazing debut lp.
24 Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth - Wales 1980 No
band like this one from Wales on earth. Ultra minimalist. Almost all
punx I know who know this lp love it. It just makes you love it.
They only did 2 7"s and this. A true shame. Another amazing
debut (only) lp.
25 Russia Bombs Finland - Finland w/ Kaaos, Bastards, TK, Riistetyt,
Appendix 1982 You want a perfect hc comp lp? This is it.
26 Teenage Jesus & the Jerks - Everything - NY 1990? 1979-1981?
Not a true lp but a comp of their 7"s and 12"s. The finest
punk guitar ever. Still amazing and still puts some folks off, I'm sure.
27 The Dickies - The Incredible Shrinking Dickies - L.A. 1979
A rare perfect lp. Every single song. And that bright yellow vinyl!
Best speeded up/reworked rock covers of all time. Now, this is a
funny and invigorating band who shoulda made it big. Another
amazing debut lp.
28 The Vibrators - Pure Mania - UK 1979? 1 A rare perfect lp,
well, maybe 1 or 2 songs a touch less than perfect. Still, awesome
late 70's punk rock from England. Another amazing debut lp.
29 Cream - Disraeli Gears - UK 1967 - (2xlp) What a band.
Classic studio and that jammin' live. Perfect chemistry between this
trio. Love Jack Bruce's voice with their lyricist's sorta spacey words.
30 Really Fast vol 1 - Sweden w/ Anti Cimex, Asta Kask, Huvudtvatt +
1983 An awesome punk rock comp. Still unbelievable. As
the volumes continued to be released each one was further and
further away from this perfection. At least for vol 1 they totally
lived up to their name.
31 Propaganda - hardcore 1983 - Finland w/ Riistetyt, Rattus, Bastards,
F.ing Finland, Tampere SS + 1982? I've always thought of
this lp as a companion to Russia Bombs Finland, both equally,
really, amazing hc comp lps.
32 Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman - U.S. 1970 A rare
perfect lp. Every song is spot on. He never did anything like this
again, only a few songs as great on the next lp. Lyrically,
musically, tone, voice, this lp has it all. It stands the test
of time outstandingly. Another amazing debut lp. Best father and
son song in rock.
33 Pere Ubu - Dub Housing - Cleveland 1979 Them at their peak.
A rare perfect lp. Nobody like them. Dischordant yet always got
the beat. Not everyone's gonna like these odd vocals of David
Thomas.
34 Raw Power - Raw Power studio/live 1983/1984 - Italy If these
Italians don't blow you away on this record then your taste in punk
is easily questionable. Originally released on tape only till 2000's,
now on cdr. It is their finest despite Screams... of 1984 being their
most well known lp primarily because tape format, just in and of
itself, removes the music of a tape only release from the ears of
most listeners, in punk or otherwise. This captures them both
studio and live at their peak with the original best screaming punk
vocalist of all time doing about 6 songs each side including the
punk classics Raw Power/F. Authority.
35 The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Sex Pistols -
UK 1977 A rare perfect lp. They released so little. But if
this was all I ever did as a band I'd be completely proud. Stands
the test of time magnificiently. Real punk rock baby. Another
amazing debut (only official) lp.
36 Red Rockers - Condition Red - Louisiana 1980? The
forgotten, rarely known hidden gem of American punk. Their
only great lp. Essentially, the U.S. Clash, this lp only. A rare
perfect lp. Another amazing debut lp.
36b 100 Flowers - discography 81?-84? Not a true lp but an anthology
of all their releases. The next stage after the Urinals, same 3 guys.
Still great music, stands the test of time well. Not HC but
definitely intelligent punk.
37 Iggy Pop - Soldier - U.S. 1980 There's some songs on
here that are ultra classics. Iggy at his musical peak.
38 Cream - Fresh Cream - UK 1967 Really, just as great as
the other 2 Cream lps. Has easily stood the test of time.
39 Bikini Kill - Pussy Whipped - U.S. 1994? Nobody ever
sounded like them again. The best Riot Grrl band, by far. The
perfect angry girl (w/ a guy drummer) band. Gave birth to Riot grrl
bands, built on the shoulders of Slits/Raincoats/Bush Tetras.
Man this rocks, hard. Everything they released was amazing until
their last lp, Reject All American, which only had like 2 good songs.
40 Cream - Wheels of Fire - UK (2lp) 1968 Really, just as great
as the other 2 Cream lps. You typically saw this lp in about every
teenager's record collection in 1970 or so. Back in the day, this lp
blew minds. It's still lovely.
41 Wretched - libero divivere - Italy 1984 If this Italian band
doesn't blow your brains out, no one will. Together with their two
perfect 7"s before this, this lp is a rare perfect lp and stands as one
of the finest punk lps ever. Another amazing debut (their only) lp.
42 Gang of Four - Entertainment! - UK 1979 They never
sounded this good again. Their artistic peak, their first lp. A rare
perfect lp. Double contrary vocals and killer feedback on Anthrax.
It's an odd mix of dance music with that ridiculous drum sound but
with hard git which makes the whole thing swing. One of the best
first lps ever.
43 No New York comp - NY w/ James Chance and the Contortions,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, DNA, Mars 1978 Eno
produced this, making each band sound better than any release
they ever did otherwise. A rare perfect lp maybe slightly less so
with 1 or 2 Mars songs. The heart of the No Wave late 70's
New York sound. If you get no other record from this period/scene,
get this one.
44 The Undertones - Hypnotised - Ireland 1980 Really, as
perfect as their first lp. There is no better power pop band in the
history of modern music. Course, you gotta be able to stand those
odd vocals by Starkey. As usual, it's strong song writing that
really carries this stuff. Plus, they're like the most innocent
earnest sounding band without sounding like idiots.
45 Minutemen - Buzz Howl Under the Influence of Heat - San Pedro
1983 Really, as perfect as their other 3 best lps. The 4
together are one long great lp. R.I.P. d boon, a great loss to our
musical world (car crash, 1985).
46 The Bobs - My I'm Large - L.A. 1987 Also as brilliant as their
first lp. Awesome lyrics and usually I don't care about lyrics a twit.
Funny stories, incredible harmonizing. This is what accapella is all
about.
47 The Roches - The Roches - New Jersey 1979 Another
amazing debut lp. Three perfect female harmonizing voices with
memorable lyrics about their lives and other stories, often humerous.
48 Pagans - (the pink album) - Cleveland 1983 America's answer
to the Clash. Badly underknown band. Incredible lp. Tons of fun.
This is what should have been popular on the radio. Just don't ever
get anything live by them, definitely a studio band. Formed 1974,
really and truely, the first real punk band in the world.
49 Minutemen - What Makes a Man Start Fires? - San Pedro 1983
Oneof the 4 classic lps they did. Ranked lower than above
Minutemen lps only to make room for classic lps by other bands.
50 The Specials - The Specials - UK 1980 Another amazing
debut lp. A rare perfect lp. Modern U.K. ska like only them and
English Beat could do. Been lots of non Jamacian ska bands since
then, nobody's come close. Not even. Including them.

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B. Schmidt
The odds and ends of (not so) popular music.
Reviewed in Germany on June 29, 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

In most cases there‘s a reason why an artist is unknown. One could believe that life or the public wasn‘t fair to him or that he was simply unlucky. In this book many of the musicians get the notification: „they could‘ve been …“ but they weren‘t. They failed. It‘s harsh to say but in my opinion they failed because they weren‘t good enough. The cemetery of artists who in the end failed and weren’t successful is gigantic. Anyone interested in music will have some fun reading this book. But don‘t expect to find many hidden pearls or fine songs you will love. It’s not garbage but most of the music is second class or even worse. Overall I was disappoited though in general I like the rough guides about music very much.

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david hinton
Read it order ir . buy the records render title superfluous.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Anyone who reads this will probably say smugly, well that's what you think . But it includes one-hit wonders , genre unknowns , lesser spotted stuff from big names and you will discover either lovely unknowns or interesting views on semi -unknowns . Well done.

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Peadar Hill
Classics or the King's new clothes?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book was very cheap and sounded interesting so I took the plunge.
I consider myself very knowledgable in my own particular areas of interest and didn't expect to find too much "new" material. To be honest I only found one band "Smoosh" who were unknown to me and really piqued my interest but after checking them out I wasn't over impressed!!
However the book did make me dig out some old vinyl that I'd not listened to in probably 30 years i.e Pavement's "Slanted & Enchanted" and Slint's "Spiderland" so overall not a wasted experience.
To be fair the book is very well written with a lot of background info on each band. It's broken down into 14 different sections e.g Folk, Indie, Soul etc but I admit I skipped a lot of them as I knew I'd have no interest in those artists however good they were!
I imagine though that if your knowledge is not too geeky like mine there would be a lot of bands in here who you probably haven't come across and should probably seek out.
Recommended.

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Franc
The best music you've never heard
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Bought this as a present for a music mad friend. I've been told it is very good,
giving lots of suggestions,directing the reader to new artists and giving a lot of background information
A very interesting read.

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Charles McDonald
Excellent music book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Love this book. Very interesting and well written. If you want to go off the beaten track to find quality music then this is the book for you.

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The Best Music You've Never Heard 1 (Rough Guide Reference) Paperback – October 20, 2008

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Nigel Williamson

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5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless trivia is a bonus

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting

4.0 out of 5 stars Has some exceptional albums, but could be better-written

4.0 out of 5 stars I am always interested in hearing about music I don't know about.

Top reviews from other countries

2.0 out of 5 stars The odds and ends of (not so) popular music.

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it order ir . buy the records render title superfluous.

4.0 out of 5 stars Classics or the King's new clothes?

5.0 out of 5 stars The best music you've never heard

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent music book

Priceless trivia is a bonus

Interesting

Has some exceptional albums, but could be better-written

I am always interested in hearing about music I don't know about.

The odds and ends of (not so) popular music.

Read it order ir . buy the records render title superfluous.

Classics or the King's new clothes?

The best music you've never heard

Excellent music book