Underrated albums/pleasant surprises

Originally posted by Rick and Roll
I have the self-titled Aviator album. It makes a wonderful frisbee. However, I defer to you Keith, as I have never seen them live.

I think you could use it to make a better Flower Pot. Place it over a deep bowl and put something very hot on the centre. The disc will start to melt and sink into the bowl and VOILA...an aviator plant pot.

Seriously for a minute.
Another find was "Paris". They released two albums 1) "Paris", 1975 and 2) "Big Town 2061" in 1976. The band that included Glen Cornick (Jethro Tull), Bob Welch (Fleetwood Mac) and Thom Mooney (The Nazz). Thom was replaced on 2) by Hunt Sales (Tin Machine). The albums are pretty heavy in places but I think they would appeal to AM listeners.

Another (in my opinion) underated group are Fruupp an Irish prog band from the 70s. They released four albums, Future Legends (73), Seven Secrets (74), Prince Of Heaven's Eyes (75), Modern Masquerades (75)

"Fruupp were an Irish band who released four albums of pastoral, progressive rock, quite similar to Genesis of that period. However, they were eclipsed in popularity by that band and were not as well known. The Prince Of Heaven's Eyes is from 1974, and contains all the trademarks of that era, including the ubiquitous mellotron. The music is very melodic and will surely appeal to those who enjoy the symphonic, keyboard-oriented style of prog rock. "Songs for a Thought" is a compilation (clocking in at just under 76 minutes) that collects material from their releases (plus an otherwise unavailable bonus track), and should serve as a fine introduction to the band. The music is centred around the keyboards of Stephen Houston, with lush Mellotron-strings backgrounds and melodic piano comps and leads. The style is probably quite similar to what Genesis did in the early-to-mid 70s, a bit mellower, though fuller sounding. Additionally, Fruupp employ a wider arsenal of instruments including violin/cello and oboe".
(This text taken from Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Prog Rock at http://www.gepr.net/geprfram.htm)

The compilation album "Songs for a Thought" would make a good addition to the playlist.