Underrated Bands

So, here's the deal. I am looking just at the talent in the band. Units sold or lyrical content does not matter. Some of these bands are huge, but never got respect but others were genre or small niche markets. These are five that I think may be the most underrated.

In No Particular Order:
Duran Duran- Their new romantic look and really dumb songs (Rio anyone?) made them seem like dumb preening boys. But, they had some really tight music and John Taylor was a really good guitarist. The production of Nile Rodgers gave them a dance sheen and enhanced their sound. The drum line in "Wild Boys" is propulsive and well done. Listen to them again without the 1980's baggage and the videos.

AC/DC- Talk about lyrical content sinking a groups standing. If AC/DC had decided to talk about something other than rocking, drinking, and pussy the musicianship of the band would have mattered. Angus Young is possibly the the greatest guitarist ever, certainly from Australia. He knew when to shred and when to just play solid support. Both Bryan Johnson and Bon Scott had voices that made you forget how dumb the lyrics were.

The Staple Singers- Working in a genres that usual get no respect for their guitar, soul and gospel, Pops Staple was one of the best soul guitarists ever. Excluding Curtis Mayfield, calm down people. Their big break to the pop charts never really happened so they never got the fan base they should have. The band as a whole was amazingly tight and their uplifting lyrics and beautiful singing of Mavis Staple has made them my Sunday morning staple (ha ha) for years.

Chic- Disco sucks. Possibly the most racist and homophobic statement uttered in defense of rock. Chic had great vocals and Nile Rodgers, but most importantly it had Bernard Edwards on bass. His beats and the break on "Good Times" made this band one of the most important to the rise of hip-hop. They also knew that disco could have "real" music and not just rely on studio tricks. Their songs were easy to sing along to and I bet right now your thinking about clams on the half shell and rollerskates...rollerskates.

Motley Crue- Vince Neil's voice and Tommy Lee's penis almost kept them off the list. However, the stellar play of Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars got them on here. Like AC/DC they had a shortage of lyrics you would call "intelligent", but they had a sense of fun and real talent. If they hadn't pissed it all away they might have done something. Bob Rock honed their admittedly sloppy sound and made their records almost as good as T-Rex. Yeah, I said it.