Have You Heard Their Other Album(s)?

I started going to the gym, and I'm enjoying it and making it a routine. This is big for me because I've never been able to honestly write that sentence before. I start my gym routine with a quick (for me) mile on the treadmill and I've found that music selection is imperative here. A good run requires good cadence. So I put on some Can, but had trouble finding the right track. Then I saw Monster Movie on my streaming app. I haven't heard that one, ever, because any time I put on Can of course I'm going to play one of their consensus GREAT albums: Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, or Future Days. Why would you listen to The Can if not to hear Damo Suzuki and the GREAT albums? So anyway, fuck it, I'm gonna run for 8 minutes and listen to Monster Movie.

And I was amazed by how little drop-off there is between Monster Movie and the later Damo albums. "Yoo Doo Right"?!?! Almost every bit as good as "Halleluwah." And every tune was solid too. In fact, I think it's the only Can album I've listened to where I enjoyed every single track. It'll be in the regular rotation, and that listen even made me follow up with Soundtracks which is kinda mish-mashy, but I am so thankful that "Mother Sky" is now in my life.

So I guess my questions here go like this:

1) Do you hold preconceived hierarchical opinions about albums based on critical consensus?

2) I think it was...Avec? Undo? who convinced me to listen to Common One when all I ever really cared about was Astral Weeks and I am thankful for that. It's my favorite Van Morrison record now. I think Paves convinced me to listen to Adventure when all I ever really cared about was Marquee Moon, and I think I'd be fine if had only ever listened to the latter. Do you have any experiences that map to these?

3) What other albums by artists known for a certain era or set of records are every bit as good as their more famous albums?

Gym music fucking sucks and most people in 2019/2020 bring their own headphones so they can listen to what they want on their phones. Tet gyms across the country (and the world?) still think it's a great idea to blast Chainsmokers/Bebe Rexha/etc. so loud that it bleeds right through your headphones and into your ears anyway. I'd consider going back if that wasn't the case.

Not what your thread is about but I just wanted to say that, I'll respond for real sometime soon.

Michael K. wrote:2)  I think it was...Avec? Undo? who convinced me to listen to Common One when all I ever really cared about was Astral Weeks and I am thankful for that.

This was definitely not me.

Man, this is an awesome thought experiment. Mostly right now it’s making me remember that getting into Can has been on my to do list forever.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who reached for the critical consensus Beefheart album (Trout Mask) as a youngun and couldn’t quite understand it, only to fall in love immediately with Safe as Milk later and fall down the wormhole. Only other example I can think of at the moment is the extremely on brand Ned Braden experience of getting obsessed with every non OG Modern Lovers Jonathan Richman album, but that very acquired taste has been well documented.

undo wrote:Gym music fucking sucks and most people in 2019/2020 bring their own headphones so they can listen to what they want on their phones. Tet gyms across the country (and the world?) still think it's a great idea to blast Chainsmokers/Bebe Rexha/etc. so loud that it bleeds right through your headphones and into your ears anyway. I'd consider going back if that wasn't the case.

Not what your thread is about but I just wanted to say that, I'll respond for real sometime soon.

To this day one of the things I’m most proud of having done is deciding that They Might Be Giants first two albums would be playing at my high school gym whenever I was there during I think it was 1999 and actually having the sway to make it happen.

undo wrote:

Michael K. wrote:2)  I think it was...Avec? Undo? who convinced me to listen to Common One when all I ever really cared about was Astral Weeks and I am thankful for that.

This was definitely not me.

Yeah, that didn't sound right.

Probably cruising into "lol, we don't mean that kind of thing, yeahduff" territory, but I've never felt compelled to listen to early Beach House.

No, I think that fits, Duff. I mean, I'd be interested in expanding the topic from "critical consensus" to "personal experience." I'm interested in how one can *click* with an album by an artist in a way that causes that same person to actively avoid other albums from the same artist. I'm blind to all T. Rex albums that aren't Electric Warrior & The Slider, f'r'instance.

Duff... wrote:

undo wrote:

Michael K. wrote:2)  I think it was...Avec? Undo? who convinced me to listen to Common One when all I ever really cared about was Astral Weeks and I am thankful for that.

This was definitely not me.

Yeah, that didn't sound right.

It's an embarrassment of mine that I regularly confuse you two simply because you both have mysterious internet personae and message board handles that are four letters long.

lol, apologies to Undo.

Think we had a SOMB thread about that a million years ago.

I feel you Michael K.

Wire - first three are worth it, the rest is crap

Wilco - stuff before yankee hotel foxtrot is crap

Why would I listen to Aerosmith’s 70s albums?

The Grateful Dead are a hippie band, I would not enjoy them.

Nobody would ever take seriously the band that made Push Th Little Dasies.

Monster Magnet, the guys that made Space Lord? No thanks.

Ballroom Blitz? Sure the song is ok but there is no way I would like the rest of that bands output.

A few dumb opinions that I once had. Reevaluating music is easier to do these days with streaming.

Oh definitely! I think it's way easier via streaming, but I also feel like I'm so much better at listening to music now than I was when I was 23. Music makes so much more sense to me on a visceral level and my tastes tend to be (mostly) more generous.

Does anyone here listen to Alice Coltrane?

Because yeah, Journey in Satchidananda is great. And there's probably a lot more to her than that. But I really love her final album, Translinear Light, and no one ever talks about it other than just mentioning it as a "comeback album" or some bullshit.

Listened to the first Robert Plant solo album on a whim about a year ago and was surprised to discover that I thought it was great and less surprised that it was basically a Led Zeppelin album with a different guitarist and my boy Phil Collins on drums. Somehow haven't felt the need to listen to it since, possibly due to the fact that there's no way of being reminded about a Robert Plant solo album, my initial impressions may also be incorrect but now that it's popped into my head again I'm going to try to confirm them soon.

Ned Braden wrote:Man, this is an awesome thought experiment. Mostly right now it’s making me remember that getting into Can has been on my to do list forever.

Do it! It's really fun music, which I feel is the part of the message that becomes lost in the noise of its Greatness. Start, imo, w/ Monster Movie.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who reached for the critical consensus Beefheart album (Trout Mask) as a youngun and couldn’t quite understand it, only to fall in love immediately with Safe as Milk later and fall down the wormhole. Only other example I can think of at the moment is the extremely on brand Ned Braden experience of getting obsessed with every non OG Modern Lovers Jonathan Richman album, but that very acquired taste has been well documented.

These are both spot-on for me too, although I probably prefer TMR to Safe as Milk nowadays. And Lick My Decals to all the above. I, Jonathan changed me in ways that Modern Lovers never has and a regular crate dig at the record store is for off-brand JR discs.

I kind of feel like I, Jonathan is gradually entering or possibly already has entered a sort of canon that wouldn't really be possible without the internet, and I'm very glad about that, it's a banger. I can and will not elaborate on this thought.

I was the one to rep Commin One lol. And yes I'm astounded that album has been buried but I've found that does happen often. Consensus or critical darling records many times are not my favorite.

I enjoy Time of No Reply (the compilation) better than Pink Moon
I like Kate Bushs newer stuff more than her classic work
I'm convinced Bucky Fellini is the best dead milkmen record but that's definitely not consensus
TMBG 1st album is their best

Stuff like that

undo wrote:Does anyone here listen to Alice Coltrane?

Because yeah, Journey in Satchidananda is great. And there's probably a lot more to her than that. But I really love her final album, Translinear Light, and no one ever talks about it other than just mentioning it as a "comeback album" or some bullshit.

yes and pretty much everything she did was incredible

The Wipers.

I’m listening to Is This Real and it kills.

Turned on AIA and thought about how much Grouper I haven't heard.

Duff... wrote:Turned on AIA and thought about how much Grouper I haven't heard.

I know, right? I mean, I pretty much adored Dragging a Dead Deer up a Hill and can't really be bothered to listen to anything else she's put out.

In all fairness, she's sort of dauntingly prolific. It's hard to keep up.

Yeah. Also not in a place in my life where I can give music time and attention, which her music needs.

This was one of my favorite albums from last year, hard to choose but this is great:

https://grouper.bandcamp.com/album/after-its-own-death-walking-in-a-spiral-towards-the-house

There are at least three LPs in between this and Dead Deer that I haven't heard and I really don't know how that happened.

Seeing her live last year was a really special experience. Honestly though, I rarely listen to her music unless I am studying or if I decide to go on a long walk by myself at night, which never really happens..