The Best Obscure Records

[Peter Reum]

Most Los Lobos albums are not well known outside of a very loyal bunch of superfans

[RangeRoverA1]

Here are a few off the top of my head:

The 5th Dimension: The Magic Garden (1967)
The Four Seasons: Genuine Imitation Life Gazette (1969)
Chicago: III (1970)

I never thought these regarded "obscure". My impression was people like early Chicago. Also "Genuine Imitation" has some cult following.

[Jay]

I haven't looked through this whole thread, but I doubt anybody has mentioned "Badfoot Brown & the Bunions Bradford Funeral & Marching Band". It's an album by Bill Cosby from 1971. Here is some info about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badfoot_Brown_%26_the_Bunions_Bradford_Funeral_%26_Marching_Band

[JK]

I discovered this yesterday----Beefheart's true heirs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWWNJG4lEMk

[Rocker]

Mississippi Fred McDowell - I Do Not Play No Rock 'n' Roll

[Julia]

Lately Ive been really digging Marxist Love Disco Ensemble, particularly 1905: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRDwNuBvgpc and Hues of Red: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eVVlkIp8GU such a genuinely cool band!

[JK]

Lately Ive been really digging Marxist Love Disco Ensemble, particularly 1905: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRDwNuBvgpc and Hues of Red: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eVVlkIp8GU such a genuinely cool band!

Wow -- thanks for the tip, J. Our tastes do tend to cross, so I’m looking forward to giving this a listen.

[Julia]

Lately Ive been really digging Marxist Love Disco Ensemble, particularly 1905: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRDwNuBvgpc and Hues of Red: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eVVlkIp8GU such a genuinely cool band!

Wow -- thanks for the tip, J. Our tastes do tend to cross, so I’m looking forward to giving this a listen.

You're welcome! It was tough to find, let me tell ya. I heard 1905 at a club and was so taken I ran up to one of the employees and asked what it was and he said he didn't know but gave me a link to the spotify playlist they were using that was like 200 something songs as I recall. I listened to almost the whole thing until I finally found the song again and it was all worth it  I kept googling the lyrics I could make out "but it aint easy to live this way" but it's so obscure and so non-descript in a vacuum that that wasn't doing it. ANYWAY, yeah, one-off neo-disco music from an intentionally politically subversive group...kinda like the dance music counterpoint to the USA. Very cool one hit wonder band.