I'm exactly the same way. I feel like there are artists that I don't really listen to, even though they are definitely something I like, but I was simply introduced to them during the wrong cycle.

I agree with the first part of this but you lose me in the second to last sentence. I've found over the years that, a lot of the time, albums that I immediately love on first listen don't end up having much staying power for me, while growers are often the albums I listen to for years to come. If I just dismissed anything that didn't blow my mind on first listen I'd actually be missing out on a lot of my favorite music.

I generally base my opinion on first listen. If I dislike the album, it will very rarely get a second listen unless I see that most people rate it highly. If I slightly enjoy it, and the music itself is "strange" by conventional reasoning, I will give it another listen.

For example...

I listened to a Shabazz Palaces album and didn't really get into it that much on first listen, but when I went back to the album, it grew on me massively. Now I listen to their work regularly.

On the other hand, I don't like the new Metallica album but I won't go back because there is nothing unconventional about it.

Most of My Morning Jacket's albums are tough for me. I love them, they're one of my fave bands, but I can't listen to any of their albums all the way through. That's mainly because they go off on so many tangents that it takes a while to get acclimatised to certain styles, or you have to hear a song live to "get" it.

I still have yet to see why The Velvet Underground's S/T is claimed as such a good album, Pale Blue Eyes is an amazing song, but I can't get into the rest of the album.

To be honest I even prefer it to & Nico :)

the live 1969 is my fave, actually

:afro:

What usually annoys me about this sort of phenomenon is that I sometimes have every reason to believe I'll enjoy a certain album, and then I'll only enjoy a few songs off it, and never bloody get into the whole album.
Belle And Sebastian are the epitome of this to me. They sound like something I'd usually listen to and enjoy quite a lot, but I can only really enjoy the first song out of every album I own. And I really do love those songs.
It's ridiculous. I feel like I'm keeping myself from enjoying something for no reason.

I know the feeling when it comes to Belle & Sebastian.
Had the same problem, then I grew into the Life Pursuit, then I grew into Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk like a peasant. I really love the latter. Still working on the rest of their repertoire.

I only have If You're Feeling Sinister, Tigermilk and The Boy With The Arab Strap, and I only really like the first tracks of each album: The Stars of Track and Field, The State That I Am In and It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career, respectively.