EDIT: Much as I like the very GG Et Cetera, which I have in my collection, not adding FM was a careless error and I have replaced it in that slot. I have known and liked the album Black Noise.

EDIT Deux: Changed the title, eh.

Klaatu

My wife's family is Canadian, and they always got a kick out of that fact.  

Hmm, among the obvious Saga, Rush, GYBE, and Klaatu, I vote for A Silver Mt. Zion.

Could also have mentioned FM, if they were in the list.

Happy birthday, Charles!

FM get my vote...

I've never been a fan of Voivod. They're far too noisy for me. Admittedly, I haven't listened to an entire Voivod album, but I've listened to various bits and pieces of albums in my usual lazy and superficial way. 

Thanks. I think we can all wish every day is a Groundhog Day here, where we can listen to albums repeatedly without the passing of time, but life is too short for that, and as Grumpy so rightly mentioned earlier, if an album doesn't immediately appeal on first listen, then listening to that same album repeatedly is unlikely to change one's initial opinion. 

Learning to play a musical instrument is the first thing I'd do if I had unlimited time available, just like Bill Murray in the clip below.  

^ Ah, well, this forum is not as vibrant now as it once was.

Psychedelic Paul wrote: Logan wrote: ^ I regret what I wrote in that other topic, I don't think I explained what I meant well, and it sounded more critical than I had liked.  I'm a very concept-driven person, love to explore ideas, but those concepts can be very half-baked.  I often take a lazy and superficial approach, and am glad for it.  I have neither the time nor desire to delve deep into everything.  I just think one commonly should be careful when being dismissive of an act based on limited exposure, but then we all likely agree with that.  A thing I really like and respect about Paul is that he rolls with things, does not seem to bear grudges, instead of getting flustered with idiotic comments from people like me.  Glad you're both here. Thanks. I think we can all wish every day is a Groundhog Day here, where we can listen to albums repeatedly without the passing of time, but life is too short for that, and as Grumpy so rightly mentioned earlier, if an album doesn't immediately appeal on first listen, then listening to that same album repeatedly is unlikely to change one's initial opinion.  Learning to play a musical instrument is the first thing I'd do if I had unlimited time available, just like Bill Murray in the clip below.

I was thinking about trying to be careful with judging and dismissing many acts based on just the one album (or as I have seen from some, one song), because often acts might be diverse across discographies and in one album.  Since Swans often came up between us, while one might never like Filth,  one might find one likes The Burning World, another might prefer To Be Kind etc.  I have my own approach to discovering new-to-me music which often involves looking at the RateYourMusic charts (helps that I have pretty mainstream-for-there tastes), seeing which album might interest me genre-wise, scanning some reviews, then quickly scrubbing (scanning) through tracks on youtube, then honing on particular tracks that seem to appeal.  Playing those, then playing the whole album if I found music that appeals.   I don't try to start at the beginning of the discography usually.  I often go by where the ratings and reviews tend to take me (which to at least one person here is a terrible approach, but it works for me).  Because of how I approach music, I very rarely hear an album in full that I don't really like.  And I don't hear as many as many others (despite have heard many thousands) because I like to listen to those I really love again and again.

I do dismiss bands/ artists as probably not for me based on limited listening quite often -- or it's more like I just choose not to pursue them often.  then they are largely forgotten until I see the name come up. I do now appreciate a considerable number of acts that I mostly ignored early on and my mind has very much changed on some albums.  Air is band that I loved since 2004.  Air's 10 000 Hz Legend did not immediately appeal, I had read negative reviews about it (at RYM) and I was very harsh with it, but then I came back to it and loved it.

My wife would say I give myself too much free time, and she's right, but I want that free time to be as enjoyable as possible.  By the way, I'm the kind of listener who when i find I like something I might play it an awful lot over short time -- sometimes until I get tired of it or just move onto other things.

As for the Groundhog Day scenario, I often think about that.  I have the time and the means to learn to play piano better if I want, but I rather feel like a thousand groundhog days where I get to do next to nothing sounds like bliss to me (just another day in paradise).  I've had more time to live that dream than most.   Okay, I'd get bored once I ran through Netflix, Prime, HBO etc.

No one approach fits all, and my approach is different at different times.  There are times when my ear does have to attune/ acclimate to certain music or I need to be exposed to gateway music to both get certain music and love it.  I often have an act or some acts I am very into at a given time that branch off into particular passions.

I hope when I speak or makes claims about bands, into them or not, or dismiss them as never for me, that my opinions at least are reasonably well informed.  Thinking in part, not you, when people would dismiss X band-for-PA as having nothing to do with Prog while not even being familiar with the most relevant material.  Now that kind of unresearched claim is lazy and ignorant.

^ And Eskimo Pops (or as we call it more locally, Inuit Surprise).

"Oh hey! I just love these things! .... Crunchy on the outside and a chewy centre!"

Angry Polar Bear might look good wrapped around a bass guitar.

"Polar bears are losing their habitat due to global warming, give them a new home on our luxuriously furry signature bass guitars."

Or all that's left of Bob Drake adorning that bass (i.e. his fur suit).

Inuit (on having a Bobsicle): "Oh hey, I just love this thing.  Furry on the outside and a chewy centre."