Underrated albums/pleasant surprises

[Bob Lentil]

Continuing with the Rush theme (they're my favorite band after all), I love Presto and Test For Echo, but I think Caress of Steel is their weakest effort. I don't like the start/stop feel of the longer pieces and think they tend to meander a bit.

One of the albums I was most surprised by was Kansas' Somewhere To Elsewhere. After a string of mostly mediocre albums through the 80's and 90's, this album proved that Kansas wasn't a bunch of washed-up old guys.