In a discography as vast as that of The Pillows, there will unavoidably be tons of tracks that don't get a lot of love. What are some of your favourite Pillows songs that you think are underrated?

Perhaps my top pick is 「プレジャー・ソング」 from 『Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!』. Gotta love that chorus; "oh yeaaaaah"!

Yesss, I looove Pleasure Song. I remember it being my favorite of the preview clips before the album came out.

Song For You. My favorite song on Moondust.

Pleasure Song: Hell yes. Super catchy, love the guitar work.
Song for You: Check; it might well be my favorite on Moondust as well.

I'm gonna go ahead and give three. First is Johnny Strobe. Lots of people here aren't huge fans of Ooparts, which is fine, but I always get a little sad when people say it's so bad, because it has this song on it, and I dig this song a lot. Next I'd say Limp Tomorrow. I've almost never seen that song get any love outside of when Horn Again was first released. Lastly, I'll say Flashback Story. That song has me grooving every time it comes on, and sometimes I'll even seek it out. I feel this one is doubly underrated, because it seems like it gets some flak for being one of the weird 'throwaway' Americana-esque tracks that Sawao has been peppering in for the last half a decade or so, but it is also up against a lot of very strong tracks on the rest of Trial. To me it just helps make that album all the better to my ears!

Bonus: the original Want to Sleep for.

Pleasure Song

Flashback Story was kind of my least favorite on Trial for a while, but it's really grown on me over time.

[quote="rockman240"]Song For You. My favorite song on Moondust.[/quote]
I think I'm unduly harsh towards "Song for You", just because it's a bit of a shift in gears on [i]Moondust[/i]. Seems too simplistic in contrast to the rest of the songs on the album, which are all more detailed (even if that extra detail is just a lead guitar part). However, it's definitely a beautiful, relaxing song when taken on its own; that simplicity is hardly a bad thing - the song has all the detail it needs. That said, I think "Snoozer" should have taken the place of "Song for You" on the album, as it would have fulfilled the need for a real soft track at that point on [i]Moondust[/i] without causing too much dissonance in its structure as I think "Song for You" sort of does.

[quote="ShwahnStuff"]Next I'd say Limp Tomorrow. I've almost never seen that song get any love outside of when Horn Again was first released. Lastly, I'll say Flashback Story. That song has me grooving every time it comes on, and sometimes I'll even seek it out. I feel this one is doubly underrated, because it seems like it gets some flak for being one of the weird 'throwaway' Americana-esque tracks that Sawao has been peppering in for the last half a decade or so, but it is also up against a lot of very strong tracks on the rest of Trial. To me it just helps make that album all the better to my ears![/quote]
Really disappointed that "Limp Tomorrow" isn't played more at Pillows shows, even if it was the opener for the whole [i]Horn Again[/i] tour. The intro has such a great textual feel, and the way that it builds on that initial idea with a constantly escalating sense of excitement is just masterful songwriting. Feels a little bit like it's lacking a really big, explosive moment, like a super emotional Sawao upper vocal range vocal part, but it's nonetheless one of my favourite tracks off [i]Horn Again[/i] for sure.

"Flashback Story" is definitely underrated but I think despite its similarity to those "throwaway" tracks you were referring to, it's impossible to argue that it's anything less than well-written. The galloping rhythm, cool vocal effect in the verses, memorable chorus melody and solo, and the balance between exciting rhythmic feel and chill vocals are all already commendable, but the combination of those elements gives the song a striking sense of uniqueness. Personally, I enjoy it as much as most of the other tracks on [i]Trial[/i].

[quote="dimsim3478"][quote="rockman240"]Song For You. My favorite song on Moondust.[/quote]
I think I'm unduly harsh towards "Song for You", just because it's a bit of a shift in gears on [i]Moondust[/i]. Seems too simplistic in contrast to the rest of the songs on the album, which are all more detailed (even if that extra detail is just a lead guitar part). However, it's definitely a beautiful, relaxing song when taken on its own; that simplicity is hardly a bad thing - the song has all the detail it needs. That said, I think "Snoozer" should have taken the place of "Song for You" on the album, as it would have fulfilled the need for a real soft track at that point on [i]Moondust[/i] without causing too much dissonance in its structure as I think "Song for You" sort of does.[/quote]

I was thinking Snoozer should have gone on there too, along with Quarter Century, but instead replace Alice and Ideal affection and it would be a pretty chill album, like a more sentimental Rubber Soul (not to mention being a more solid album IMO).

Damn, this is tough. I'm also going to cop out and take advantage of the "some of your favorite" phrasing here.

[b]Scarecrow[/b] and [b]Boat House[/b]. Not really a stretch to say that most of us are going to remember the Avex era as a blur of bland, forgettable, apathetic pillows music, but Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! still stands out to me as the only Avex album that could evoke some real emotional power. These two songs, in particular, feel a lot like the modern, spiritual successors to Strange Chameleon and Swanky Street – they both kind of center around a sharp, painful sense of loneliness and being a misfit. Now, while I suppose that's not exactly an uncommon theme in Sawao's songwriting, the link between these two sets of songs is the perceived anguish I feel: I get this sense of longing, and almost bittersweet, spiteful escape. Really hard to articulate, but especially against the backdrop of the Avex era being disappointingly mediocre, I feel like these two songs deserve more love than they get.

[b]Ninny[/b] and [b]Subhuman[/b]. Pointing to B-sides as "underrated" is almost cheating, especially because both Ninny and Subhuman came out around the same time as The Holy Trinity did. And these do get love... whenever they're brought up, which isn't very frequently.

[b]Movement[/b]. I think this might be the one song on this list that most IMers will actively disagree with me on, but I really think this is a quality song. It's driving, has an interesting upbeat main riff, and (from what I remember) has some dark, thoughtful songwriting (IIRC it was a metaphor for death and mortality?). I fully admit that I might be conflating quality here with personal emotions from the time period when it came out, but still I think this song deserves a lot more love than it gets.

[quote="rockman240"]I was thinking Snoozer should have gone on there too, along with Quarter Century, but instead replace Alice and Ideal affection and it would be a pretty chill album, like a more sentimental Rubber Soul (not to mention being a more solid album IMO).[/quote]
Ah, almost forget about "Quarter Century". You could probably call it underrated, too. Can't believe that a damn near perfect song like that one got left off the album.

[quote="Orochi"]I think this might be the one song on this list that most IMers will actively disagree with me on, but I really think this is a quality song.[/quote]
Whaaaaaaaat? People don't like "Movement"??

[quote="Orochi"]Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! still stands out to me as the only Avex album that could evoke some real emotional power.[/quote]
Hmm, I actually thought [i]Wake up![/i] was probably the weakest Avex Pillows album, and maybe their weakest since [i]Moon Gold[/i]. Anyway, love your comparison to "Strange Chameleon" and "Swanky Street" and the "sense of longing" description, and gotta agree that both "Scarecrow" and "Boat House" rule, especially the latter, which we see all too little of at live shows, though Sawao brought it back a few years ago on his "Buzzy Roars" Tour. In terms of their live shows, though, "Scarecrow" has made its fair share of appearances since [i]Wake up![/i] came out; I think it's the only track from the album other than "Wake up! dodo" that that can be said about. Hard to leave it off the setlist when it's certainly among the absolute best songs from the band's Avex years.

[quote="dimsim3478"]In terms of their live shows, though, "Scarecrow" has made its fair share of appearances since [i]Wake up![/i] came out; I think it's the only track from the album other than "Wake up! dodo" that that can be said about. Hard to leave it off the setlist when it's certainly among the absolute best songs from the band's Avex years.[/quote]
Oh cool! To be honest, I haven't actually kept up with their live setlists... ever, really. But that's awesome, I'm happy to hear it's getting proper recognition.

[quote="dimsim3478"]Hmm, I actually thought [i]Wake up![/i] was probably the weakest Avex Pillows album, and maybe their weakest since [i]Moon Gold[/i].[/quote]
Fair enough; to each their own. Common criticisms I've heard of the album are that there's a lot of rehashing (specifically Skinny Blues being a Biscuit Hammer: Lite Edition™) or "silliness" (e.g. Serious Plan). They're all legitimate; I just happen to feel, personally, that Wake up! does all that better than the other Avex-era albums. Probably a matter of personal taste more than anything.

Also, in case I haven't already expressed this, Pleasure Song is awesome!

WUx3 is one of my favorite albums, Avex era or no (definitely in the top 3 of the Avex era at least), and Boat House is my favorite song on it. The B-side, Boys be Locksmith, is dang catchy, too. I go back and forth with Scarecrow, it depends on my mood, but it hasn't grabbed me like it used to in quite a while now.

I agree with most on the recent B-sides as well, like Quarter Century, but what's the consensus on Goodbye Present? I like that one a lot, but I'm not sure I recall how it was received here back when it came out, and I don't see it discussed ever.

Quick edit: Orochi, your profile pic is from Cave Story, isn't it?

[quote="ShwahnStuff"]Quick edit: Orochi, your profile pic is from Cave Story, isn't it?[/quote]
Indeed! It's the true form of Monster X.

I knew it!
That part took me so many tries the first time I played it, and when I finally beat it, I started laughing out loud. Such a good game!

I haven't listened to anything pillows in a while :O I like this thread and I want to contribute but I'm drawing a blank :/

Private Kingdom I recall enjoying a bit more than others. Lonesome Diamond I liked too.

Lonesome Diamond is definitely underrated. Also, Noboranai Taiyou.

[quote="Marekenshin"]Also, Noboranai Taiyou.[/quote]
Yesssssss!

Actually, speaking of which, I took a lot of inspiration from Noboranai Taiyou when coming up with the drum part for a recent song my band wrote. The lethargic, dragging, heavy tom rhythms wound up working really well.