"Getting into" a band

Often, I hear or read about a band and listen to them a little but don't think much of them.  Then a few weeks or months later, I'll come back to them and find I really like them and can't get enough.  Does anybody else go through a similar process? Part of it might be getting used to their sound or style which can take time to appreciate. I'm curious though if anyone else does this.

Sure, I think that's pretty common.  I remember a member who once claimed to know on the very first album play if he liked or hated a piece of music.  I always thought that was crazy....I think it more often takes at least a few plays to give the artist a chance to catch your ear.  

A Person wrote: Finnforest wrote: Sure, I think that's pretty common.  I remember a member who once claimed to know on the very first album play if he liked or hated a piece of music.  I always thought that was crazy....I think it more often takes at least a few plays to give the artist a chance to catch your ear.   There have only been a few instances in which on hearing something I immediately go "ZOMG MUST HAS"

That's not so uncommon for me, but that is definitely not the rule.

Finnforest wrote: Oh I can certainly have a reaction on the first play.  I'm just saying I won't solidify my opinion after one play, esp if I don't like it.  We had a guy once say that in the forums.  He said he knew on first play if he hated it, and he wouldn't try it again.

There are some albums I like and have a formed opinion since the first time, but those are so few in my collection. . . . I can think of 3, maybe 4 out of nearly 500 CDs, so definitely the exception.

And that guy. . . . . Yes, I remember him. He was a collab, whasn't he?

I honestly can't remember who it was....that exchange was right after I joined the site.   Though I'm sure there are others who have said similar stuff.  

Finnforest wrote: A Person wrote: Finnforest wrote: Oh I can certainly have a reaction on the first play.  I'm just saying I won't solidify my opinion after one play, esp if I don't like it.  We had a guy once say that in the forums.  He said he knew on first play if he hated it, and he wouldn't try it again. That doesn't seem logical to me. On the other hand, I have not liked something one time, liked it the next, and then not liked it again the third. Yeah, I've flipped flopped flipped once or twice too Matt, I know what you mean!

thirded.

Listening and re-listening is an absolutely imperative method for me.  I rarely like an album on the first or even the third listen; I need to acclimate my ears and my expectations.  I know that I'm starting to groove on something when I start anticipating certain moments in each song.  I remember, many MANY years ago, trying to 'get into' Pink Floyd...I had a copy of Dark Side that sat in a pile of meh CD's for years before I suddenly discovered that it was one of the greatest albums in the known universe.  The same thing goes for Gentle Giant and Van Der Graaf Generator...it took me ages and ages and plenty of re-listenings to come to an appreciation of these bands.  I'm still working on Genesis and Yes.

I think a lot of it depends on who it is and what album it is. Some albums are instantaneously accessible, and others take a hell of a lot of listening to to appreciate.

Eärendil wrote: Often, I hear or read about a band and listen to them a little but don't think much of them.  Then a few weeks or months later, I'll come back to them and find I really like them and can't get enough.  Does anybody else go through a similar process? Part of it might be getting used to their sound or style which can take time to appreciate. I'm curious though if anyone else does this.

 

I'm all over the place on this one.  Sometimes I like an album right away, and continue to like it more and more with every listen.  Sometimes I like an album on first listen, and like it less and less with repeated listens until the point where I realize it just isn't what I thought it was that first time.  Sometimes, I dislike an album on first listen, and repeated listens do nothing but make me hate it even more.  More often though, I get nothing from an album the first couple times through, but with repeated listens I like it more and more.  The best example for me is the first 3 or 4 times I heard The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, I didn't like it (I had only heard Genesis Live at that point, which I loved from the first listen).  I put it away for 6 months or so, and then decided to give it another try (since I had heard all the Gabriel era studio stuff at that point, and loved it all) and found that it clicked for me suddenly.

It's totally subjective really.  I think for me the Flower Kings are a good example as most of their album after Space Revolver did not click with me right away, though I didn't dislike them on first listen.  Over many plays, I came to love nearly all of them.

Still, I think with prog it is pretty common to need multiple listens to really "get inside" the music and appreciate what is going on.  This can then lead to loving the album, or not, depending on the listeners taste.  But I give just about every album at least 3 or 4 plays before giving up if it still doesn't click for me.