Seven art rock albums that deserve more love
From the artists who should have achieved more success than they did
If you look at any list of best art rock albums around, you just might find anybody who would end up on the best rock albums of all time. From Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd to The Velvet Underground and solo outings by both Lou Reed and John Cale, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Radiohead, Kate Bush…After all, as a sub-genre, art rock is defined as a challenging approach to that music that includes elements usually not traditionally associated with it.
Now, that surely covers a wide musical ground, from classical music to vaudeville, you name it, but also
Yet, with all the big names that can be found on the list of great art rock albums, there are those names that only achieved a cult or a limited fan status - simply not as much as they or the music on their albums deserved. Very often, their songs were appreciated by a larger audience by being covered by other artists, often big fans themselves. Here are seven such albums from artists that either didn’t achieve as much fame as they should have or albums that weren’t (or still aren’t ) appreciated as they should be.
Seven art rock albums you should still be listening to
Laura Nyro - New York Tenaberry
Nyro’s first two albums were filled with songs that were covered and achieved success with artists from Barbra Streisand and Patti Labelle to name just a few. Yet, Nyro herself had a unique, striking voice that could be an acquired taste for many and an equally unique approach to interpreting her music that could range from deep soul to avant-garde jazz.
These characteristics became even more evident on this incredible album from 1969 that somehow remained in the shadows of her more accessible work. Oh, and if you are wondering, Nyro made up the word tenaberry.