Goofle

Yeah I should have expanded onto that point. There are albums that I disregard and others I give a few more tries, but the reasons why I gave up or decided to give it another shot depends on the album itself, not a general rule.

If I clearly just don't like it, and there's nothing about the album that makes me think "Oh, but there's a concept...", "Maybe I wasn't focussing enough" or "The sound is quite out there, maybe I just need to get used to it" then I just move on.

__________________

dca

99% of the time my mind is made up almost the instant I hear something, and my opinion will be set from that moment

However there have been a few times where an album I was initially disappointed with or indifferent to, has become a favourite on repeated listenings, such as:

Beck - Mutations. I think I was expecting more wacky, hip-hoppy beck after Odelay, and the downtempo country vibe felt like slightly monotonous and plodding. I now think this is his masterpiece! (And yet his next album Sea Change is very similar in style to Mutations, but somehow despite repeated attempts I've never enjoyed listening to it)

Pavement - Brighten The Corners. After the single Stereo, I was expecting a much more eccentric, random kind of album. At first the rest of the songs sounded a bit bland and samey. After hearing it a few more times the songs suddenly made sense and about 1000 listens later I now think it's easily Pavement's best album.

crazed

What makes an album a grower for me has more often to do with the mood I'm in and less to do with the music. However, there is just as often music than demands more attention than usual: I don't think these fit into grower category as I'm sure I like the albums it's just that I'm not sure how much.

butthead aka 216

For me I like to listen to an album normally then also while lookin at the lyrics but then also months later I usualky relisten. Time just changes things sometimes yrs go by before I run across an album and listen to it again. Top 40 songs grow on me with time n maybe that's their plan. If ya hear it enough u will hust grow to like it. Kanye is especially one of those artists for me

SATCHMO

There has to be some impetus to revisit an album in the first place. Unless I absolutely despise the sound, or I know that the style of music doesn't align with my tastes, I'll usually at least give the first 3-4 tracks a go and decide whether or not I'll come back to it. I think some albums have a degree of depth and complexity that isn't appreciable on first listen, sometimes other albums require more active, attentive listening, which at the time may not be possible, and sometimes, like crazed mentioned, my mood is just not right for that style of music. Some albums just simply do become better through familiarity though.

Trillian

Yeah, but then most of my favorite albums have been growers. I think the nature of growers is that they're harder to get into initially (usually for me this means there's something challenging or unfamiliar about the music/style), but once you get into them, they stick around for longer.

Yup, if I find myself immediately liking a song I'm wary. Mostly because those songs don't really have much to offer on repeated listens, so they sound good at first, but get old really quick.

Trollheart

To the second part I would have to say no. There have of course been times when on first listen I've been knocked out by an album but then going back to it somehow it's not as good --- I think I mentioned this in my "Fortress of Prog" thread with respect to Delusion Squared --- but generally if I really like an album first time I think it's great that I do, and I know I'll be listening to it again and again. This is how I felt with Ten, Mostly Autumn, Kamelot and Arena. No, you don't know any of them...

I don't think there's any album or song I loved immediately that later lost its sparkle for me. But maybe that's just because I'm an old codger (seriously: is that word really a shortened version of "coffin dodger"?) and set in my ways.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

djchameleon

Yeah that doesn't happen with me at all. When I find a song I really like. I will replay it and burn through it until I am sick of it but it doesn't mean I don't like it anymore or have grown wary. I just reach a point where I am satisfied with the song and no longer feel the need to constantly repeat it.

As for the overall topic of growers, I don't think there are albums that grow on me. If I don't like an album for a specific reason then I won't try to torture myself by replaying it until I break down and finally start liking it. That's exactly what it sounds like you guys are doing.

If I don't like the way that an album starts out I will stick it out and make sure that I listen to the whole think because I tend to end up finding tracks that are gems hiding in the rough later on or I find something about a track that sounds pleasing to my ears.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

Ninetales

There are albums that Ill hear once (or not even get through it once) and i will know that its unlikely ill ever listen to it again. But there are albums that ill dislike, but there is something that will make me come back to it later (usually months or years). I remember hating Godspeed the first few times, but something kept me coming back. And then eventually it hit me. Hard. And now i love em.

Im still trying to like Dummy. Its an album Ive always thought id really like but for whatever reason i dont. But it has that intangible and undefinable *quality* that keeps me coming back to it every once and a while. One day..

And then there are albums that ill like originally but theyll become more stale as time goes by. I will rarely hate something i used to like but might become indifferent to the point where i wont listen to it anymore. Focus by Cynic is one of those for me although maybe itll come back to me if i hold off listening to it for a long while.

Music is a very crazy thing eh

Neapolitan

Yeah, I told you about that is how I got into early Genesis. I didn't know they were "growers." Once I got to understand the albums better music-wise I thought they were great. I think that only happens with bands I am already into, because I don't like what I hear right off I won't give it repeat tries. Yes the first two and Relayer had grow on me, Tales has yet to grow, but Paul played part of it in plug and I liked what I heard. Some albums grow faster than others, some burn out, and other I think are epic right off the bat.

__________________