Misunderstood Masterpieces Part 1

Ok, the title pretty much sums this up...these are 3 records that were critical and/or commercial flops but are actually these artists at the top of their game....read on, if you care...

1) Greetings From LA by Tim Buckley (1972)

This album of heroic sexual soul music starts with one of the best opening lines ever...and I quote..."I went down to the meat rack tavern/ & I found myself a big old healthy girl/ now she was drinking alone, oh what a waste of sin/ so I went on over to sweet talk that girl/ yeah I moved on in..."

This was obviously a bit to 'ripe' for Tim's hippy folk fans who liked his sensitive acoustic ballads from previous efforts like Blue Afternoon and Starsailor (yes, that's where
they got the name!). Anyway, this one got a rough ride from critics at the time, but they were wrong...it's by far his best record...a hidden gem.

2) Midnite Vultures by Beck (1999)

This record came out (appropriately considering its Prince-inflected electro funk sound) in 1999, and 10 years on it still sounds way ahead of the game. Suffering from the same fate as Buckley's
Greetings..., this record seemed to alienate both critics and Beck fans alike, with its eclectic mix of soul, rock, sampling, electro, country & falsetto balladering...It was named the 50th Worst Album Ever by Q Magazine in 2006 (who were probably still dusting off their copies of the overrated Mellow Gold!).

Way better than his early critically adored folk/hip hop hybrid, or his more recent tired Scientologist advert music....Johhny Marr is on it & it's the first great album of the 21st century and a year early to boot!

3) Saw Delight by Can (1977)

Can's early work, featuring vocalists Malcolm Mooney (Monster Movie), and later Damo Suzuki (Tago Mago-Future Days) is admittedly brilliant and pioneering...but some of it is fairly hard listening. Their days studying under Stockhausen had meant that their early work leant towards avant garde experimentation...not always a good thing! However, a trilogy of albums for Virgin records in the mid/late 1970s re-invigorated the band...the best of these (by a whisker) is Saw Delight...

Shorn of Damo Suzuki the band were joined by former Traffic bassist Rosko Gee and percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah. Adding African poly-rhythms, soaring synths & blissed out vocals - the band were sounding like Remain In Light-era Talking Heads but 5 years before
the event, & probably invented Acid House with the intro to Animal Waves...well...err...maybe...

When you read about Can, it's always the early stuff; critics tend to consider their late work a lightweight disco sell out...anyway it's a fucking classic...and features the best drummer ever Jaki Leibezeit...just buy it!

Ok, those are my Misunderstood Masterpieces which need re-evaluation...

In Part 2: Happy Mondays, Michael Jackson & (bear with me) Smashing
Pumpkins...(hey, where are you going...?!?)

What are your choices? Hit me up below!

James V x.

james@mytigermytiming.com