[Music] Artist with far better songs/films/art than their huge hits?

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

For most people, Vandergraaf Generator is Theme 1. Theme tune to radio 1



Except it wasn't. It was a cover of George Martin's version.



Anyway, for VDGG, there are a million better tracks, such as this:

 

[Seagull58]

I think the idea is to name one track that outshines all the famous hits of an artist.
Otherwise it becomes a list of big hits people don't like.

I'll bite.
"In a broken dream" by Rod Stewart (with Python Lee Jackson) versus all his crap croony bollocks hits.
And this classic by Aphrodites Child . . . . can you guess who the singer was and what he became?
(clue, not Nottingham Forest owner, despite appearances).

If you're talking about Demis Roussos, he became a very fat bloke in a dress.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

For many, Genesis were a pop band fronted by cheeky cockney, Phil Collins.
Mmmmm.......no.

 

[Seagull58]

Linda Lovelace is famous, almost solely. for starring in Deep Throat but that was a very one dimensional acting performance in comparison with her earlier catalogue. She exhibited a much wider acting range in the less well-known movies Dogarama and P**s Orgy

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Not a lot of people know that early 80s synthpop poptasticians, Ministry.....



Morphed into this. Brace yourselves.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Knocks The Boy With The Arab Strap into a cocked hat.

 

[Weststander]

Jeff Beck? He hugely regretted his management/label cajoling him into awful Hi Ho Silver Lining.

 

[Flounce]

Cat Stevens wrote many great songs but this is the definitive version of this one

 

[Nitram]

 

[Nitram]

 

[DJ NOBO]

 

[Doonhamer7]

Back in the '80s, Depeche Mode were renowned for their commercial radio-friendly synth-pop singles, pretty-boy image, and regular appearances on TOTP and the cover of Smash Hits.

Yet some of their album tracks were quite dark and heavy, with some slightly pervy lyrics:


Also, most people only know Killing Joke - if they know of them at all - for their mid-80s' hit Love Like Blood, but they have recorded dozens of much better, but decidedly uncommercial, tracks in subsequent years, two of my favourites being:

Back in the '80s, Depeche Mode were renowned for their commercial radio-friendly synth-pop singles, pretty-boy image, and regular appearances on TOTP and the cover of Smash Hits.

Yet some of their album tracks were quite dark and heavy, with some slightly pervy lyrics:

Depeche Mode - went from synth pop to true dark goth. Even heard them played on Kerrang radio This week

 

[Nitram]

 

[5Ways Gull]

I think the idea is to name one track that outshines all the famous hits of an artist.
Otherwise it becomes a list of big hits people don't like.

I'll bite.
"In a broken dream" by Rod Stewart (with Python Lee Jackson) versus all his crap croony bollocks hits.
And this classic by Aphrodites Child . . . . can you guess who the singer was and what he became?
(clue, not Nottingham Forest owner, despite appearances).

Was Vangelis also in AC?

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

George Michael Mothers Pride. His best song imo

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Was Vangelis also in AC?

Evangelos Papathanassiou, later known professionally as Vangelis (keyboards, flutes)?

Yes.

 

[Blues Guitarist]

I misread the thread title. Expected very different links in this thread.

 

[keaton]

As a Beatles fan I'm not sure I'd have Sgt Pepper in my top 7 Beatles albums. And for films Punch Drunk love is the only excellent Paul Thomas Anderson film, and if David o Russell had quit after Three Kings and I heart Huckabees, nothing would have been lost.

And ET and Close encounters of the third kind are shit

 

[alanfp]

Having been an admirer of Chris de Burgh's songs for some time, I cringed when he released the awful Lady in Red.

Spanish Train is a powerful song from 10 years earlier. Like many of his songs, very much a 'story song'.



See also "No Borderline" / "Goodbye to it All".

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I have been thinking about this thread a lot, and you’re right about Talking Heads. Whilst their well know hit songs are great, imho they have lesser known songs which are better. Take Heaven for another example.