The Move (self-titled)
A Gift From a Flower to a Garden by Donovan

Though maybe not my favorite album by The Kinks, I'd like to put a good word in for The Kink Kontroversy.  It encapsulates a lot of what I love about this band; first, the raw abandon of their cover of Milk Cow Blues to kick it off.  But there's also a lot of subtle lyrical gems by Ray like "The World Keeps Going Round" (a personal favorite), "I'm on an Island," and "Ring the Bells."  And the better known tracks are energetic, well-written, and enduring: "Till the End of the Day," "Where Have All the Good Times Gone."  Damn, now I'm going to have to go pull this album out.

Underrated:

One Year/Ennismore by Colin Blunstone
-I never see much about these solo efforts, but they are utterly jaw-dropping fantastic.  Blunstone's voice is in great form.  He's writing some great songs and the production by White/Argent is very tasteful.  Zombies fans should not overlook these releases.

Distant Shores by Chad & Jeremy
-A soft pop gem that is all too often ignored in favor of Wilson and Boettcher.  I love this group, but even I consider this album to be their peak.

Tim Hardin 1/Tim Hardin 2
-Again, these two records are mentioned so little (perhaps because they are out of print?) but are so fantastic.  Tim's songwriting is crisp, concise, and profound.  The songs that have been covered by other artists ("Reason to Believe," "If I Were a Carpenter) are here in superior versions.  And there are many others ("Lady Came From Baltimore," "How Can We Hang On to a Dream") that are unbelievable.  I love these records.

Pot Luck With Elvis
-This one seems to be overshadowed by Elvis is Back!, and I'm not sure I disagree with that.  But this record has some gems of its own to be discovered.  "Kiss Me Quick" is one of his all time great opening performances and "Suspicion" rocks harder than the Hitchcock film of the same name, but everything here is of a similarly high caliber.

Celebrations for a Grey Day/Reflections in a Crystal Wind by Richard & Mimi Farina
-If everyone who loves Dylan got turned on to these released, my world would be infinitely happier.  Farina's approach to folk songwriting is unique, and as a consequence he avoids the Dylan imitation pitfall (well, most of the time ) that hurt many in this same time period.  But with songs like "Reno Nevada," "Hard-Loving Loser," "House Un-American Blues Activity Dream," and "Pack Up Your Sorrows," coupled with Mimi and Richard's wonderful vocal blend, these are landmark releases.

Bleecker and MacDougal by Fred Neil.
-The Voice.  This guy's lower than lower than low voice would be enough.  But that makes the songwriting and guitar playing all the more special.  "Other Side of this Life," "Little Bit of Rain," "Handful of Gimme," " Blues on the Ceiling" - holy hell.  For this brief recorded moment in the 60s, Neil was equal to Dylan.  Maybe better.

Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!
-An essential purchase for the fan of the Chairman's Capital era.  Though not as highly regarded as Songs for Swingin' Lovers! and A Swingin' Affair!, it is every bit as essential.  Frank hits and swings as hard as ever here.  And the renditions of the Cole Porter songs are amazing.

Amusement Parks USA, a demented slice of BB bliss.

Sail on Sailor or Marcella

We'll Run Away--its innocent optimism is too much, I love it.

How about Dennis leads?

Mona or This Car of Mine?

Close call, but I have to go with River Song.

To continue the Dennis theme,

Little Bird vs. Be With Me

This could perhaps be my favorite record by The Beatles.  It has a pure energy that some of their later work, ie. Pepper, Abbey Road, lacks.  As for the covers, I absolutely adore them.  To me, they represent the genius of Lennon's early period--pure emotion on record.  Their version of "Please Mister Postman" is a true example of what popular music should be--raw, urgent, and brilliantly performed.  I'm very surprised that many on the board have taken issue with The Beatles' covers.  I've always felt that The Beatles are one of the supreme interpreting bands on these early covers.  Hell, the emotional primacy achieved on tracks like "PMP" or "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" cannot be matched on the later records, despite the more elaborate production.

On a related note, I think some of the early American albums that cut the covers really miss out on an essential part of The Beatles' artistry.

This is not to overlook the original songs on this LP.  I'm not sure George ever matched the sheer brilliance of "Don't Bother Me" for the rest of his career--a track that perfectly summarizes his persona.  Of course, as on all the early records, John steals the show.  "Not a Second Time" is by now an acknowledged underrated masterpiece, but I wish "Little Child" would also get some more praise.  These tracks are so powerfully raw and emotional that for all of the talk of the emotion on Platic Ono Band, I think that Lennon never upped the emotional stakes of this record (and the other early ones).