In your opinion, what are 4 underrated British rock groups?

Answer 1

1) The Dave Clark 5 : That's right, the DC5. In my opinion, they had strongest run of singles during the first year or two of the British Invasion. Better than The Beatles or Stones but I don't expect anyone else to agree with me. Mike Smith was probably the strongest vocalist from of any British group of the era. Sad about his accident a few years ago. He is confined to a wheelchair and only has use of one arm. Also, Dennis Payton (sax) died this past year.
Such a shame they aren't in the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame. (BTW, I saw them on their last US tour in '67. They were loud & rocked hard. Their opening act was Neil Diamond!)
2) Mott The Hoople: Simply one of the greatest, overlooked & underrated bands ever. I caught them at their peak with Mick Ralphs & Ian Hunter and then a few years later when Luther Grosvenor (aka "Ariel Bender") had replaced Ralphs.
The first time I saw them, The Stooges (with Iggy Pop, of course) were the opening act. The second time, in 1974, their opening act was Aerosmith!
3) The Hollies: Graham Nash's stellar songwriting coupled with the best harmonies of all the British groups. Funny how they are best known for their only hard rocker - "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress." It was actually intended for lead singer Allan Clarke's solo album but they put it out under The Hollies name. (Trivia: It was a similar story in the States with The Raiders' "Indian Reservation". That was lead singer Mark Lindsay's solo recording but to help get the band back on the charts, he agreed to put it out under The Raiders name.)
BTW, I may be the only Hollies fan who actually liked the group when Swedish vocalist Mikael Rickfors briefly replaced Clarke in the early '70s. They did two albums with him. I still have the first LP but the second one wasn't even released in the States. Never heard it either.
4) The Yardbirds: As was indicated previously, the famous lead guitarists overshadowed the other members. It's not often a lead singer, in this case, the late Keith Relf, draws less attention than the guitarists. Drummer Jim McCarty & rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja carry on today with new members & put on a great show. I've seen them twice in recent years but my best memory is when I saw them on one of those famous "Dick Clark's Caravan Of Stars" tours in late '66. Jeff Beck had just left the group a week or two earlier. In those days news didn't travel as fast as it does now and his picture was in the program that was for sale. We didn't know he wasn't with them until they came out but it was Jimmy Page on lead guitar and Chris Dreja had switched to bass.
(BTW, The Yardbirds were not the headliners. Dino, Desi & Billy closed the show! Gary Lewis & The Playboys were supposed to headline but Gary got sick and DD&B were flown in as last minute replacements. Sam The Sham was also on the bill along with the late Bobby Hebb ("Sunny") and several other hitmakers of the day. The Yardbirds were the only British act, however.)
Note: The Yardbirds were, in fact, my favorite British band until that day in 1968 when The Stones released "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and won me over for good!
5) The Faces: Of all the groups I've mentioned here, this is my favorite band. In fact, they remain to this day, my second all-time favorite live rock band, after the Rolling Stones. I saw them on every US tour they ever made with the exception of the one with the late Jesse Ed Davis on 2nd guitar. (Not sure if that was their last or next to the last tour but I believe it was the next to the last.) Anyway, the were the ultimate party hardy band. The very personification of everything that rock 'n roll should be. They could be a bit sloppy at times but it was all good! They would perform somewhat stripped versions of Stewart's solo hits from the same period and they sounded so much better than the slick, polished versions on his albums. It's almost as though they were the Stones but with Rod on vocals instead of Mick. The band also included the late, great Ronnie Lane on bass. A wonderful songwriter himself. Did a couple of excellent albums with Pete Townshend. This is the band I miss the most!

Sorry! I got just a bit carried away and didn't realize that I had listed five groups at first. I thought about deleting The Hollies but what the hey, consider it a bonus.
While I'm on this roll, I might as well throw in The Troggs. Quite underrated. They also recorded one of the great overlooked albums in '92 with members of R.E.M. (minus Michael Stipe) entitled "Athens Andover." I'd also mention Procol Harum. They deserve far more credit than just mainly being known for "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." Two of their LPs, "Broken Barricades" and "Home", remain among my fifty all-time favorite albums.
Also, I agree with the others about the Kinks not always getting their just rewards but in the early years of the British Invasion, they were pretty much in everyone's top four or five, after The Beatles, Stones, Animals and maybe The Who. Too bad about Dave Davies' stroke a couple of years ago. He can play guitar again but can't sing and play at the same time just yet.
Anyway, it's not too often I get to share thoughts and memories about the best bands from the best era of music. Thanks!

Answer 2

1. The Kinks
2. The Yardbirds
3. The Faces
4. Jeff Beck Group

I really feel the Kinks never seemed to get the respect they deserved. The Yardbirds are another group that people seem to dismiss as well. Everyone knows Clapton, Beck, and Page, but they don't seem to dig the Yardbirds.

Answer 3

1. Yardbirds - Love this song 2. Them - freakin' incredible cover, amazing 3. I have always loved the Moody Blues and always will 4. Spencer Davis - it's OK, not my favorite good God Stevie Winwood looks like he's 17 there 5. Can't ever go wrong with the Kinks 6. The Hollies - my favorite <3 7. The Zombies - excellent 8. Don't remember them, that's a cute song though! 9. ERIC BURDON!!!! 10. Love it, but my favorite is Supersession's cover <3 Thanks Mike, I really enjoyed the links!!!!

Answer 4

1. The Kinks
2. The Sweet
3. Buzzcocks
4. Free

Answer 5

1The Kinks
2 The Arctic Monkeys
3 Muse
4 Oasis

Answer 6

1) Porcupine Tree
2) The Yardbirds (you would think a band with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page would be more noticed...)
3) the Kinks
4) Yes

Answer 7

Hawkwind,Atomic Rooster,Man,Budgie

Answer 8

yes
jethro tull
the animals
the kinks

Answer 9

Metalica, U2, underground, and hard core hooligans