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Post by kds on Sept 9, 2020 13:01:14 GMT
I was mentioning artists whose catalogs are worth taking a deep dive into last month.
Just curious, has anybody checked out the catalog of an artist, and wound up disappointed? Maybe a good compilation whetted your appetite to check out more, but then you realized the comp was plenty good?
Now, I didn't dive too deep, but I checked out a few of Chicago's albums from the 1970s (through VI or VII), and to be honest, never really felt compelled to go deeper.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 9, 2020 13:15:43 GMT
Good question!
I can't say I ever went all-in and then didn't like the artist/band, just because I would have to like something enough to think a deep dive was warranted. But there are definitely artists and bands that I liked and thought deserved more, only to find out they weren't quite as great as I had hoped or thought they must be: the kind of band for whom a good playlist/mixtape/greatest hits would be enough.
The Band is one. I really like the first two albums, but can't say I've ever cared much for anything else they did.
The Byrds are another. For me, in the end I would have been happy with 3-4 songs per album (often the singles) and Sweetheart.
Leonard Cohen is another. A lot of his music is very samey, though different kinds of "same" through his career. There are good songs throughout, but also a lot of totally inessential music.
For more modern ones, how about the Apples in Stereo and the Flaming Lips. (And yes, I just used bands with early 90s and late 80s roots, respectively, as "more modern." I'm old.) For AiS, the sound was often cooler than the songs (with a few exceptions per album): it was just refreshing to hear jubilant melody and energy at a time when popular music quite frankly sucked. But in hindsight, I bought several albums that I barely remember anything beyond a few songs. And the Flaming Lips just had a nice run in the late 90s to early 00s that they hadn't bested before or since, so exploring and expanding that catalog turned out to be unfortunate.
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Post by kds on Sept 9, 2020 13:26:43 GMT
Back in 2008, thanks to a crazy good sale at Record and Tape Traders, I went all in on Rush's albums from 1973-1984. I liked most of the material, but to be honest, haven't really listened too much since.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 9, 2020 14:00:24 GMT
I am basically a compilations' fan. Other than a relatively small select group - and you can probably guess who they are - I never got into albums that much. I grew up on the transistor radio, kitchen radio, car radio, TV music shows, and 45s. Growing up I never had the money OR PATIENCE to listen to albums, unless, again, it was a favorite artist. I guess I'm still the same way. I don't have the patience or time to sit through an album of songs that I don't really care for. Technology has spoiled me, too. Just give me the "best of".
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 9, 2020 14:16:05 GMT
I always had the fear that there were great things I was missing, having learned that in some cases, that was true.
Then over time, I realized that while that is true in some cases, it isn't true in most cases. Granted, greatest hits comps often didn't include my preferred tracks, but that is where your mention of technology comes into play: it's far easier now to choose for yourself the best songs and make your own greatest hits (without buying a dozen mostly mediocre albums to do it).
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Post by kds on Sept 9, 2020 14:23:45 GMT
I think in general, I prefer to explore an entire catalog if I enjoy the best ofs enough, even if in some cases, that proves to be a fruitless exercise. But, I've found some great album tracks from bands over the years. One big example for me is Queen. I honestly think most of their best songs consistently get left off of their various compilations.
I'll take exploring these catalogs over the seemingly impossible task of trying to sift through contemporary artist.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 9, 2020 14:32:55 GMT
The internet has helped me to greatly expand my music collection just by reading about certain artists. Maybe an article or interview will mention a specific must have/must hear track, and then I'll go find it. But it will be that ONE specific track. I won't buy an entire album just to acquire it. There was a time when you had to buy the entire album, but that time is long gone.
There are several artists that fall into that category for me, and I mean several - Lou Reed/Velvet Underground, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, The Band, The Bee Gees, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, the solo Beatles, and on and on. Oh my, the list is very long. I might - and do - love their "best of"s, but I won't go the next step and purchase their entire collection. Again, only with very select artists.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 9, 2020 14:38:11 GMT
The internet has helped me to greatly expand my music collection just by reading about certain artists. Maybe an article or interview will mention a specific must have/must hear track, and then I'll go find it. But it will be that ONE specific track. I won't buy an entire album just to acquire it. There was a time when you had to buy the entire album, but that time is long gone. Absolutely. I remember reading the AllMusic books--huge annual (?) compendiums of reviews and such before the website made it irrelevant--and finding links between musicians, albums, etc., and wanting to learn more. I always had a "wish list" without even knowing whether what was on it was any good, because there was no real way to know other than buying it (or borrowing it, or maybe if one had just the right kind of friend in college, having it stolen for you). And often those albums weren't easy to find, either, in the age of Musicland and Sam Goody and such, mall storefronts that usually had classics, greatest hits, and chart-toppers, but not a lot else.
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Post by kds on Sept 9, 2020 14:47:16 GMT
The internet has helped me to greatly expand my music collection just by reading about certain artists. Maybe an article or interview will mention a specific must have/must hear track, and then I'll go find it. But it will be that ONE specific track. I won't buy an entire album just to acquire it. There was a time when you had to buy the entire album, but that time is long gone. Absolutely. I remember reading the AllMusic books--huge annual (?) compendiums of reviews and such before the website made it irrelevant--and finding links between musicians, albums, etc., and wanting to learn more. I always had a "wish list" without even knowing whether what was on it was any good, because there was no real way to know other than buying it (or borrowing it, or maybe if one had just the right kind of friend in college, having it stolen for you). And often those albums weren't easy to find, either, in the age of Musicland and Sam Goody and such, mall storefronts that usually had classics, greatest hits, and chart-toppers, but not a lot else. When I really first got into collecting CDs, I was aided by several local record stores that sold used CDs very cheap, BMG, and local record shows. Thanks to a combination of these, I was able to assemble the catalogs of the likes of Pink Floyd, Rainbow, Van Halen, The Who, Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, The Doors, and Judas Priest among others without breaking the bank. EDIT - I also worked at Circuit City from 1999-2004, and their CD section had quite a few catalog CDs that were dirt cheap. Add in my employee discount, and I was able to pick up some catalog CDs from Roger Waters, Dio, and the Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath for about $5.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 9, 2020 15:27:34 GMT
Cheapo Records and Music-Go-Round were two used CD stores we had in the region, and there were also some independent ones in the two cities where I went to college, too. So I definitely took advantage of that, usually getting a lot of $6-8 CDs instead of $13-15.
It's funny and hard to even remember now, but Best Buy actually used to have a remarkable breadth and depth of music available, too. I remember going there in the early-mid 90s and seeing the whole catalogs of Queen, Zeppelin, Beatles, Van Halen, etc., as well as dozens of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Frank Zappa albums. In those days, it was VERY rare to find places that had that many albums. They very soon thereafter changed their model to a more typical "greatest hits and current hits" format before almost abandoning music altogether.
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Post by kds on Sept 9, 2020 15:40:07 GMT
Cheapo Records and Music-Go-Round were two used CD stores we had in the region, and there were also some independent ones in the two cities where I went to college, too. So I definitely took advantage of that, usually getting a lot of $6-8 CDs instead of $13-15.
It's funny and hard to even remember now, but Best Buy actually used to have a remarkable breadth and depth of music available, too. I remember going there in the early-mid 90s and seeing the whole catalogs of Queen, Zeppelin, Beatles, Van Halen, etc., as well as dozens of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Frank Zappa albums. In those days, it was VERY rare to find places that had that many albums. They very soon thereafter changed their model to a more typical "greatest hits and current hits" format before almost abandoning music altogether.
I don't know how I forgot about Best Buy, but that's true, they did have a good music selection, and often had sales, with CDs as low as $6 or $7. They were also a great place for new releases, usually with a brand new CD for under $10 on the week of its release.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 10, 2020 13:07:15 GMT
I've got another one that KDS will not approve of at all...
Pink Floyd.
I got The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon when I was in high school. I loved them, and still think they're great albums. Throughout college, I bought most of the other albums ... but I don't love a single one of them. There are some things I like throughout those albums, but not a lot. I'd have been just fine with the first two I ever heard and bought.
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Post by kds on Sept 10, 2020 13:45:35 GMT
I've got another one that KDS will not approve of at all...
Pink Floyd.
I got The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon when I was in high school. I loved them, and still think they're great albums. Throughout college, I bought most of the other albums ... but I don't love a single one of them. There are some things I like throughout those albums, but not a lot. I'd have been just fine with the first two I ever heard and bought.
To each their own. If you're not as into the albums, they did release a very nice two disco compilation called Echoes back in 2001. Floyd is actually a rare legendary act that hasn't released a ton of greatest hits packages. The other big one was AC/DC. I really had no choice but to get all of their albums to get all of the material I wanted. Although, I did have some help when I worked in radio via promo CDs when AC/DC's catalog was reissued around 2005. No only did I get to fill the holes in my AC/DC collection, but I got the Bonfire box set, all free.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 10, 2020 13:58:49 GMT
a very nice two disco compilation No thanks!
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Post by kds on Sept 10, 2020 15:05:53 GMT
a very nice two disco compilation No thanks!
Wow, must've had HCTN79 on the brain. Oddly enough, Pink Floyd does have a best of comp (only six songs though) that was released in 1981, when disco was still popular, called "A Collection of Great Dance Songs."
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