The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 1059: Peaked Too Soon &#8211; Bands That were Before Their Time.

Ever hear of Jeremy Bentham? He was an Englishman, a political philosopher who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries—and he was, by all measures of his time, a radical.

He was against slavery when it was still very much a thing for the British Empire. He promoted animal welfare. He believed that everyone over a certain age—men and women—should be able to vote. He was against the death penalty. He wanted homosexuality decriminalized, and he advocated for no-fault divorce. These are now the foundations of liberal democracy.

These concepts were not just years but centuries ahead of his time, and none of these changes came into effect until after he died. Jeremy Bentham was far, far ahead of his time.

Ada Lovelace was another one. She is widely recognized as the first-ever computer programmer. Computers didn’t exist when she lived in the early 19th century—heck, there wasn’t even electricity yet—but her notes laid the groundwork for the world of mechanical and electrical thinking machines.

And then, of course, there was Leonardo da Vinci. In the 15th and 16th centuries, he designed concepts for the first parachute, the helicopter, and the tank. He explored human anatomy, astronomy, art, cartography, botany, and even paleontology—centuries before anyone knew that dinosaurs existed.

These people—along with inventor Nikola Tesla, author Jules Verne, and Terry Pratchett (an author who predicted the rise of fake news and disinformation on the internet)—eventually got their due, but only after they died.

Their stories got me thinking: what musicians were so far ahead of their time that they never got credit for their accomplishments at the time? Or how about musicians who still aren’t getting the recognition they deserve for pushing the envelope in the world of rock?

That’s just wrong. It’s time to fix that. This program is about musicians who should have been famous for altering the course of music but got no respect at the time.

Songs heard on this show:

Francois Hardy, Je N’attends Plus Personne
Velvet Underground, Heroin
Jonathan Richman, Roadrunner
Fanny, Blind Alley
Big Star, Thirteen
Death, Politicians in My Eyes
Bam Ban, Villains (Also Wear White)
Mudhoney, Touch Me I’m Sick
Tin Machine, Under the God

Eric Wilhite has our playlist.

The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on these stations. Don’t forget that there’s a podcast version, too, in case you miss any episodes. Get them for free wherever you get your podcasts.