Sorry, but since two of those albums are in the AM top 200, it's difficult to consider them "underrated". Now, IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA, _that's_ underrated.
I do think that "Magical Mystery Tour" is a perfect example of "underrated". Even critics don't deny that it's top-notch Beatles, yet they find it easy to exclude it from lists because of some pointless reasons. I've heard that it wasn't suppose to be a real album, and that it's really a thrown together collection of songs from that time + the album cover looks more like a phony ad for a single.
"Sgt. Pepper's" came out first & introduced the new Beatles sound to the world + it has one of the greatest album covers ever. If you switch the release dates & album covers between these two albums, then a lot changes in the way these albums are rated.
I've always liked magical mystery more than sgt. peppers. They're both great albums but mmt has I am the Walrus. I am the Walrus = Instant Classic Album
Their buddies the Apples have made better records. I think Liz Phair's Whitechocolatespaceegg, the Frames Live "Set List" and Camera Obscura's "Underachiever Please Try Harder" are heavily overlooked along with Soundtrack of Our Lives Behind the Music.
1. Gary Higgins: Red Hash
2. Minnie Ripperton: Come To My Garden
3. The BeeGees: Main Course (don't laugh, just listen)
NONE of these made the Top 3000! Oh, the injustice!
Here's an idea: What if we changed this thread to your top 3 that didn't make the top 3000? THAT would be a good way to define underated IMO.