You know how a lot of times a band will come out with an album that'll be so huge and popular that it pretty much becomes their definitive album? Usually when that happens, no matter what they release afterwards, whether it's a new direction or more of the same, it gets shit on because what came before was so popular, so popular and overplayed that people get sick of it. Or even old stuff that went unnoticed until they adopted a more mainstream sound. I've always had a taste for obscurity so I like to look at lesser known/appreciated albums from these bands to draw my own opinion rather go by common perception. A lot of times you may find that it was just ahead of it's time. I also think people's reactions are interesting when you tell them such an album by that band is your favorite. Here are a few for me, what are some of yours? Let's discuss.

Adore by Smashing Pumpkins- This is a fantastic and well done album, it saddens me that it gets no attention at all. I don't think I've met anyone else that likes it. It's got a great style and it blends different sounds that make it hard to put in a catagory. It's a very mellow and thoughtful album. Whenever I listen to it from begining to end, it makes the time seem like a dream. Machina is also a very underrated album as well.

Meddle by Pink Floyd- This is a turning point album where you can really hear the band develope their sound and it's a great precurser to Darkside of the Moon. To me, the album is a bridge between the old and the new.

Elegantly Wasted by INXS- I'm not a big fan of theirs but I do enjoy a good bit on this album. A guy I used to work with happened to play it one day and I asked who it was. I was really surprised that the album wasn't very well received at all especially since I think the title track is the best song I've heard by the band. Of course it came out long after their peak but even as time went on it's still not very appreciated. I even went back and checked out their older stuff to see if people were right but I can honestly say I don't like much else that this band has done.

Calling All Stations by Genesis- Here's a prime example of the new singer syndrome. It was the last album by Genesis, featuring Ray Wilson as the vocalist. This album came and went, especially here in the US. The album seems to have more a belated appreciation in retrospect these days though. I think this album is among the best of the band's work, especially after the Peter Gabriel era. Unfortunately they gave up on Ray Wilson too soon and he was pretty much written off immediately. Last summer I was still living in the UK and I went to a show where he played back up for the singer from the Cranberries, whose name escapes me at the moment. She was promoting her solo album. It was a good show and afterwards I got to meet Ray Wilson and I told him I thought he did a amazing job on this album. It was a good feeling to be able to tell someone who was overlooked that I really appreciated their contribution to a band that had forgotten about them. He said he really appreciated me saying that and I could tell he meant it.

Well that's all I can think of right now but I'll post more when I think of them. I just wanted to see some suggestions by other people and maybe get into something new that wasn't given a chance when it came out. I'd also like to hear someone else's thoughts on these albums, see if you feel the same or if you disagree.