speaking personally, I've never really been a fan of this 'Overrated' tag, because it just invites us to list classic albums we don't think are as good as the common consensus makes them out to be.

I much prefer it to be the other way round, so are there well known albums you like which have come in for some flack but you feel is unfair? Does it have a low rating on PA and you feel it's slightly unjust? To keep this thread a little more focussed, I'd ask forum members to only include albums which score less than 3 stars.

Just to get the thread going, I'll kick out a couple:

The early 80's were an unkind time for the 70's prog giants and of course this was a bit 'poppier' than what went before, but it's not a bad album. Sure the first couple of tracks don't do it any favours, but there's still some great guitar work here; there are no turkeys and 'The Air Conditioned Nightmare' is great. A rating of 2.42 is harsh...

Sure, it's a step down from the wonderful trilogy of albums which went before it, but 2.88? Even Ra is rated 2.79?! You might describe this as the 'And Then There Were Three' of Eloy's catalogue; it has all the style and essence of classic Eloy without all the substance, but to my ears it is consistently good, no turkeys and A Broken Frame is great...

So, when you are surveying ratings of band's discographies on PA and you come across an unfair anomaly, which are they are why? 

Starcastle debut album 

ELP debut album 

Uriah Heep's debut album 

Many times, prog debuts were lightning caught in a bottle! 

Comus To Keep From Crying which I helped bump the rating up to, now, 2.87 with a review (I gave it three stars)

"To Keep From Crying might just be the antidote some of you need from the dirtiness you feel from having listened to "Drip Drip".

If I were the tearful type, I'd say that all the disdain this album gets has barely kept me from crying. I wish more people would join the light side of Comus while still appreciating the dark side. Not only do I think that this album does not get enough respect from those who love First Utterance, but I wish that it got more attention from those who hate Comus based on the rather dark and disturbing, pagan themed conceptual album called First Utterance."

Magma's Merci is another (side B especially has some i think wonderful music).

Tangerine Dream's Zeit now has a respectable 3.72 but it had less than three stars for many years.  While I can understand many not have the patience for it, I did think that sorely underrated as I consider it to be a  masterpiece of its ilk.  Mind you, if that ilk is garbage to one....  Also, Electronic Meditation now scores over three, and I have seen quite a few people holding it in low regard, but that is the album that got me into Tangerine Dream.  I have seen plenty of scorn for it.

Pink Floyd's More I was going to mention, and I seen now that its ratings has risen over the 2s into the 3s with 3.15 at PA. 

 1978: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Love Beach -  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvU2i83JQfiswmBTTaAyhB5" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvU2i83JQfiswmBTTaAyhB5  (rated 2.12 on PA)

 1986: Emerson, Lake & Powell - Emerson, Lake & Powell -  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtKb2sKbN9e7RqzfFtnb3k0" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtKb2sKbN9e7RqzfFtnb3k0  (rated 3.13 on PA)

 1992: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Black Moon -  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvKlKtnIef2L-sKwWozM6Dh" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvKlKtnIef2L-sKwWozM6Dh  (rated 2.77 on PA)

 1994: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - In the Hot Seat -  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsRElYTXER7YSEMhEIOmP3D" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LsRElYTXER7YSEMhEIOmP3D  (rated 1.78 on PA, which sounds about right) 

Thanks for your comments, Greg... 

Not helped no doubt, by Edgar's apparent own low opinion of their first four works?

Zeit is for one of those evenings of deep meditation, with a beer in hand and the lights off, where you 'feel' every nuance and atmospheric change in the music... music this sparse and minimalistic, clearly isn't going to be for everyone, and even for those who do accept it, it's probably only for certain occasions. Interestingly, I actually listened to Zeit last night (I'm recovering from Covid in my bedroom, so had the lights off)

Alpha Centauri and Atem get more of a listen at chez Butcher as a general rule; I really like Atem. Electronic Meditation is the one I still struggle to fully appreciate, but a little while ago, I did invest in the Esoteric Box Set 'The Pink Years' 70-73, which has given this relationship added impetus...

Upon reflection, I think this thread was made for you, Paul... there seem to be all manner of unloved, strange 'runts of the litter' that you take to your heart and champion.. 

You're right! I like the positivity in this thread which counter-balances the negativity in the "Overrated Prog Albums" thread. 

Yes, I think the 'Classics' all score 4 stars and more, because they are classics which have stood the test of time and are therefore highly rated; no point saying they are overrated, is there? Of course, we all have 'classic albums' we personally just can't enjoy, like we have a mental block, where we just don't see what everyone else sees, no matter how hard you try. There are albums like that for me too, but I tend to accept that the short coming lies with me and not the album, since just about everyone else on the forum thinks it's marvellous?

The Pink Mice-In Action and In Synthesizer Sound

Strange Days-9 Parts To The Wind

Wallenstein-No More Love

Triumvirat-Mediterranean Tales

Il Baricentro-Sconcerto

Solution-Divergence

there's a few....

And this subject has certainly been covered before as well, but okay, some I'll surely mention are all the ELP albums beginning with the debut and up to and including BSS.

Yes, just like these three underrated albums for instance. 

Although they both score over 3, with the debut 3.90, they aren't really underrated (the debut in particular is often cited in Fb groups), but they are for me a timely reminder, because I do need to give them a serious listen at some stage in the near future, so thanks... 

I had been patiently waiting for you to post some unfairly maligned Yes albums and credit where it's due, you didn't disappoint... 

Yes, the subject probably has been covered before David, as has just about every other subject...

So, given my criteria, which of the albums cited could you make out a case for as being underrated?

Looks like an interesting list Doug; worthy of exploration... 

Other than Open Your Eyes, the three YES albums with Jon Davison as lead singer seem to be the most maligned of all, so this seemed like a good place to give them some love.  

According to my tastes / evaluations; very underrated (these are true masterpieces):

1) VdGG: The Least

2) Family: Doll's House 

3) Tim Buckley: Starsailor

4) Roxy Music: I

4) Gentle Giant: I

5) Peter Hammill: Chameleon

6) R. Wyatt: Rock Bottom

7) Henry Cow: In Praise of Learning

8) Comus: First Utterance

9) Perigeo: Azimut

10)  Neu! Neu!

2. ELP - Brain Salad Surgery (similar comments to above although I cannot come back on their decision to include Benny The Bouncer on the album instead of When The Apple Blossom Blooms. Dumb decision. However it's only 2 minutes of nonsense that's easy to skip. As I said on the other thread, ELP albums are mostly rated about right).

3. Anathema - Weather Systems (again very similar comment. It doesn't have a bad rating by any means but I would still make it higher and put it easily in the top 50 best prog albums)

4. Genesis - And Then There Were Three ( I have news for you, Genesis as a 3 peice band did work. Great songs even if some of it is 'pop'. Deep In The Motherlode, Down and Out and Burning Rope are great prog songs but there are no bad songs imo)

5. Tangerine Dream - Le Parc (2.87 rating but easily one of my favourites by them, I believe it's a masterpiece)

6. Vangelis - Beauborg (2.64 rating is mad, is this really a 'progressive' music site??!)

7. Dream Theater - The Astonishing (yep I like it!)

8. Martin Orford - The Old Road (not a bad rating at 3.83 but I would put it over 4 easily)

9. Glass Hammer - The Inconsolable Secret (a lot of their music is underrated but this especially should be better than the 3.45)

10. Tin Spirits - Scorch (more overlooked than underrated as such. Dave Gregory side project before he became a full member of BBT. I love it personally.)

Illusion - s/t

Illusion - Out of the Mist

Nino Ferrer - Blanat

Yoshiko Sai - Mikkou

Alquin - Marks

Time and a Word, Relayer, Tales, GFTO, Tormato, Big Generator (more than a little though) and Talk (maybe also their very first album just called Yes)

Genesis 

And then there were three, Trespass, A Trick of the Tail, Wind and Wuthering

ELP

The debut

Rush

Caress of Steel, Hold Your Fire, Counterparts, Signals (maybe) 

Pink Floyd

Atom Heart Mother, The Final Cut, A Momentary Lapse of Reason

Porcupine Tree

Lightbulb Sun, Stupid Dream, Signify

Gentle Giant

Self titled debut, The Missing Piece

King Crimson

In the Wake of Poseidon, Larks Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black, Three of a Perfect Pair

Camel

The Snow Goose, Dust and Dreams

Grumpyprogfan wrote: Jared wrote: To keep this thread a little more focussed, I'd ask forum members to only include albums which score less than 3 stars. It amuses me that many don't follow what is intended.

Is it perhaps because the original poster in the title of this topic asks for albums that are a little underrated, hence his desire for so-low-star-rated albums runs counter to that?

For my part, I consciously ignored his unconventional requirement for two-star-rated albums and posted titles of albums that, despite being masterpieces, i.e., albums without a weak moment, didn't reach four stars, not to mention that they are referenced very infrequently or never.

As always Rich, it's an interesting list and thanks for your insights, some of which I agree with, others not.. I'm just picking out this one because quite by sheer chance, I'm playing it at the moment.. Overall, I'd raise it to about 3.3, but when considering the 'Blue Years', I have always preferred both Green Dessert & Underwater Sunlight, placing LP on a level with Tyger in quality? 

LP in particular really sounds quite dated now, to that distinct mid 80's vibe...

Well, I guess there are two principle ways that an album can be underrated; the one I focussed on, which is that the PA album rating seems very low, while the other is that an album may have a respectable rating, but has only been rated by 40 members, where you think an album of such consequence should have 400 ratings!  Both of these are for me equally valid, which is why verslibre's comments are salient:

and there you have it, encapsulated in this sentence, the reason why I tend to initiate so few threads on this forum; by the time we hit page 2, someone will have dissected and analysed my intentions, finding their consistency wanting... takes all the fun out of the experience quite frankly... 

Miles Davis - Water Babies (3.45) =4.5.

Soon Over Babaluma (3.69) =4.5

My favorite The Incredible String Band-album:
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (3.31) =5
is also their most popular everywhere but here.

I rate all of Tortoise albums higher than PA does, but the low score of:

Standards (3.44) =4.5 -  is the most "extreme

==just my opinion

Sorry for not entirely having read your OP, Jared, and thus not answered according to your 3 stars criteria. 

Unfortunately, Jared, I'm also used to that some people don't respect my OPs.

I can also tell that the 3 stars criterium makes this thread more meaningful to me, even difficult to answer. 

So I would always at least look at both RYM and PA ratings, unless otherwise is stated in the OP.

 

Can anybody rate a topic, or whose rating is shown in the overview of Forum Topics?

^ I think, I've found the answers, like this topic has so far got 8 votes (ratings) with the average 2.5.

Thanks, and I'd at least say, it's very questionnable.

Albums I would rank 5 stars (followed by PA rating):