1. TEENAGE FANCLUB
They've been around since the early 90s but have never really equalled the success of their most popular album, Bandwagonesque. An album that is equal parts Big Star, Grunge, Punk and Power Pop. Their music has definitely changed since Bandwagonesque, now going for a more acoustic sound, but still grounded in their Big Star infatuation. Always the critics darlings. Check out " Four thousand seven hundred and sixty-seconds", a compilation with a bunch of their shoulda-been hits.
2. HUSKER DU
The great, lost, American Hardcore Punk band. A band that had not one, but two great songwriters in it. Bob Mould and Grant Hart. Mould writing the more angry punk stuff with Hart writing the more punk-pop stuff. The production on their early albums leaves a lot to be desired, and their first 2 albums should be avoided, but by the time of "New Day Rising", they had hit their stride. An album that hits you over the head with their power. They even did 2 double albums in their time, one being a concept album!!! How many other Punk bands did that?
3. DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS
Okay, okay...you can all stop laughing at me now. I know most people know them because of "Come on Eileen", their only hit, but Kevin Rowland's earlier version of this band was great. On "Searching for the young soul rebels" their sound was based more in Soul and R n' B, with a horn section and Kevin Rowland's strange but soulful vocals. They actually had an earlier hit in England called "Geno", a song about Northern Soul and Mod favorite, Geno Washington. Their name is a nod to The Mods drug of choice, dexedrine, a form of legal speed. "Too-rye-ay" is a GOOD album, getting rid of the horn section entirely and going for a more Celtic-Soul sound, but if you can find "Searching...", BUY IT!
4. CHEAP TRICK
Okay, okay...you can stop laughing at me again...I really didn't base my opinion of them on their later stuff. Like "The Flame" (wretch!), which they didn't even write! I'm basing this on their first 5 albums, "Cheap Trick" through "Dream Police". All those albums are a perfect blend of Hard Rock and Power Pop. Their first album is incredible--"Elo Kiddies", "Oh, Candy", "The Ballad of TV Violence", and their live album, "At Budokon" was originally one of the biggest selling imports at the time and incredibly influential. Their label didn't even want to release it in the U.S.! I think their VERY underrated.
5. THE LA'S
The only album by this band. Has the song "There she goes" on it, which Six Pence None The Richer covered and is on every commericial for women's anti-perspirant!? Lee Mavers, the leader and head writer of the band, hated this album so much that he somehow got complete control of their second album. He's supposedly so anal and a complete control freak, that the album will probably never see the light of day. A great album that's a forebearer of the Britpop sound and still sounds very timeless.
6. PAVEMENT
One of the best Indie bands of the 90s. Every one of their 5 albums are great. "Slanted and Enchanted", their first, being my favorite. Great song writing, great guitar playing, and their original drummer was incredible. They even had an Alternative hit with "Cut my Hair" but never really strived to make it big and stayed pretty true to themselves. A lot of people say their sound is a rip-off of The Fall, I see it some ways, but when I hear a Pavement song, I KNOW it's a Pavement song.
7. XTC
Ahhhh...XTC. One of my favorite bands of all time. I really don't think Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding can do any wrong. I've liked every album of theirs. From the beginning when they were a post-punk, angular guitar band, to their more recent stuff, that is very British Pop. They almost had a hit with "Dear God" from Skylarking, which a lot of people know them from. But to me, my all time favorite album is Black Sea.
8. VIOLENT FEMMES
A cult classic first album that seems to be constantly rediscovered by every new generation. They seemed to get worse with each new album, but their first album broke a lot of new ground. Kind of a folk-punk sound with almost emo-sounding lyrics. Always a classic.
9. THE UNDERTONES
Originally Ireland's answer to The Ramones, but with only four albums to their name, they quickly changed from a three cord Punk band to a more sophisticated Pop band. Feargal Sharkey's whiny, nasal voice is a little hard to take some time, but the O'Neill Brothers, who wrote most of the songs, could come up with guitar hooks so good, you'd soon forget who was singing. It's incredible to see their progress over those four albums, and their last "The Sin of Pride", is really underappreciated.
10. THE STONE ROSES
They only had two albums, but their self-titled first, opened up a flood gate of British bands that would bring Britpop to the forefront in the mid 90s. Their first album is hard to describe, psychedelic, rock and dance music all melded into one. By their second album, Second Coming, which took 3 years to complete, drugs had taken over and ruined what could have been. It's actually not a bad album, going for a more Hard Rock sound, but nothing like their influential first.
