Sometimes I am so wrong.

[SlackMF]

Anybody ever buy the latest release by their favorite band and get all pissy because it wasn't like the last one (which kicked ASS) and all you wanted was more of the same? And you don't even remember at the time how much it sucks when a band just puts it on autopilot, releasing the same shit (but with slicker production) and becoming one of those bands that you only need one record by (any one will do).

2 cases in point or case-in-points or whatever:

The last Spoon album and the last Yo La Tengo. I bought 'em the day they were released, I played 'em several times, and I thought "these aren't horrible." I played them a few more times and thought "or are they?" I could barely stay awake through "Summer Sun" and was annoyed that Spoon had traded their guitars for sissy pianos (nearly 20 years ago I got pissed at Van Halen for much the same thing).

Months later I throw them in the car disc changer for filler. A few days go by and BAM! Suddenly I’m a drooling slave to these tunes. I love piano! I can’t get enough. I shower, eat, work, fuck, sleep and shit to them. I can’t even remember the previous releases and I'm wondering "what the fuck was I thinking?!"

And then I realize this has happened before... I'm not sure when or what record, but I know it's gone down exactly like this before ... and when it happens it's so much more intense then if you liked the album on first spin. These records become the greatest of all time.

So I was wondering do certain albums have this effect on everyone? I doubt it. Does this happen to other people? Sure. Probably. Tell me your stories. I actually wrote this thinking maybe I could come here and get some suggestions and recreate the event. But I guess if your planning on it happening it’ll never work. Oh well.

I'm going back to watch the World Series of Poker now. Thank you for your time.

[vesper]

The exact same thing happens to me. In fact, my favorite disc - The Pixies - Surfer Rosa - did just this to me. I got it when I was just getting into independent music, and thought, "For fuck's sake, this is terrible." Then, as I was going through albums to trade in maybe half a year later, I put this back in and was blown away. NO album has ever struck me in that way again; every time I listen to it it floors me.

Same goes for Raindogs and this Miles Davis w/ John Coltrane bootleg I have from Zurich.

[johansen smith]

sigh, yet another thread where i have to defend the brilliance of Summer Sun.

[Paul]

This happened to me with Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Rós. Of course, this doesn't really fit the qualifications of this thread since I was never familiar with the band prior to hearing it. But I tried to get into it for months, only to end up frustrated every time. It just seemed sooooo boring. Then, one night, I just had it playing in the background and it really came to life. From then on, I actively listened to it all the time. When ( ) came out, I was pleased to find it was even better.

[vesper]

Originally posted by Paul
This happened to me with Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Rós. Of course, this doesn't really fit the qualifications of this thread since I was never familiar with the band prior to hearing it. But I tried to get into it for months, only to end up frustrated every time. It just seemed sooooo boring. Then, one night, I just had it playing in the background and it really came to life. From then on, I actively listened to it all the time. When ( ) came out, I was pleased to find it was even better.

I forgot about Hlemmur, the tour-only release of Sigur Ros. I listened to it twice and thought it was one of the most forgettable discs I owned. I tucked it away (quite pissed that I'd wasted $18 on it) and didn't pull it out again until I needed some background music as I read. It wasn't until then that it really struck me; all that baby needed was the right environment.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

Von took awhile to catch on for me but now I love it (I listened to it at work today, in fact). I need to listen to Hlemmur some more.

[DefenderOfPants]

i really didn't like malkmus' first release. now i can honestly say, that i have enjoyed every song on the album at one time or another.

pulp's "we love life" is kind of disappointing. it hasn't grown on me yet, and i am afraid it never will. i only like two or three tracks.

"hyacinths and thistles" was very different from "wasps' nests". my favourite songs by the 6ths were on "hyacinths and thistles", but i couldn really get into the album as a whole. i appreciate the album more than i enjoy it, really. if that makes any sense.

[earl grey]

in a few months, perhaps we will all be raving about the new liz phair.

[pabost]

"Once We Were Trees" by Beachwood Sparks

I'm sure there are others. Good thread.

[Ladt]

Originally posted by DefenderOfPants
i
pulp's "we love life" is kind of disappointing. it hasn't grown on me yet, and i am afraid it never will. i only like two or three tracks.

". I find that with every pulp album.

[earl grey]

i'll concede with this is hardcore and we love life (though hardcore nicely packs the highlights into the first half, keeping it interesting). different class, though, is a classic in my book ... not a bad song on there.

[SlackMF]

I didn't mean to limit this to examples of bands you already loved. In fact the first time I heard Pavement (Greenlander on some crappy UK comp.) I didn't give a rat's ass. And then months later I start humming the song and have no idea where I heard it. After hours sifting through CDs I finally find that comp (maybe it was called Volume??) and became a pavement fanatic. I bought Watery, Domestic next and now I look back and think how much it would've sucked if I had never heard Pavement. Then there's the Pixies: I bought Come On Pilgrim expecting standard 4AD fare and thought holy shit, what the fuck is this??? My friend almost threw the tape out the car window. In fact it wasn't until I got River Euphrates stuck in my head that I became a Pixies zombie. Just a couple more examples that came to mind reading your responses.

[evil_speakers]

Surfer Rosa. My friends says: you like Nirvana? Listen to this. Screechy, acousticy, feedbacky, weird, no arena rock chords, SPANISH?!?!?! I didn't get it. I didn't like it. I gave it back. Thanks but no thanks. Few months later. Used record shop. Bossanova. $12. What the hell. Retarded Pixies/FB devotee ever since.

I do the same thing with every bloody Bobby Pollard release. "Man, he's lost it, the magic is gone". I heard the Lifeguards. Yawn. A drum solo song? Wow. This doesn't bode well for Earthquake Glue.... I put it down after my requisite three spins and don't look at it again. Three weeks later I'm humming something. Words form in my mouth.... "Is it in the riiiiiiiiiiiver"....
Where did that come from? I listen to "Mist King Urth" incessantly for about 2 weeks. God damn you Robert Pollard, do it to me every time....

[pony]

Originally posted by earl grey
in a few months, perhaps we will all be raving about the new liz phair.


I was about to say the same thing when I of course realised that I could never possibly say I liked such a pile of trite crap. But it did take me some time to get used to WCSE, and now I like it...

[redheaven]

The latest Throwing Muses album is like that for me...they've been my favourite band for about 7 years now, and when I heard their new album, I just couldn't get into it...until about a month after I bought it, when I kinda realized how much I'd been listening to it, despite telling people I thought it was ass...

I found Slanted & Enchanted was like that, except it took me about 3 YEARS to get...now I love it...still, I don't get anything else by Pavement...