Do you subscribe to the "grower" school of thought?

**Janszoon** · 02-05-2014, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I think I do. I almost never (unless I get distracted by burning toast or a knock at the door or aliens invading --- or aliens knocking at the doorto tell me my toast is burning!) listen to an album with half an ear. Especially if it's the first time, I want to know if it's something I'm going to like, so whether or not I'm reviewing it or filing it away for later review, I listen as fully as I can. I want to know like DJ what's good about it, what if anything is great about it and what if anything is bad about it. If it's a band/artiste I've never heard of and I like it I'll then probably go looking for more by them.

I actually prefer my first listen to be "with half an ear" a lot of the time because it gives me a sense of what kind of mood I'll want to be in when I give the album a closer listen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

That's true as well, with the oft-quoted-by-me example of Phil Collins' "Face value". But what I think we're saying here is that if you listen to a NEW album (to you) first time and HATE it --- I mean don't see anything good in it at all --- then why push yourself to like it? I know this is not what you're saying but the overall consensus often seems to be "you'll like it if you spin it a few more times." That may be true, but I'd rather go with my formulated opinion made by listening to the album once than try to keep listening to it to make myself eventually like it.

I think maybe the key thing might be that people who will give an album more than one chance are also people who are less likely to hate an album right off the bat.

Lisnaholic · 02-05-2014, 09:46 AM

My attitude to re-listening to see if something is a grower meshes pretty well with Janszoon´s and SATCHMO´s (even down to his example of Topographic Oceans).

I also agree with Ninetails and his/her mention of moods. Happened to me yesterday with a Mike Bloomfield album which I´ve had for about three years. I´d played it and felt disappointed about four times, but yesterday, it just suited my mood perfectly. So now I have a new listening policy; if I play an album when I´m sad, then I should try it again when I feel energized. If I don´t like it when I´m wearing black shoes, play it again in tennis shoes -maybe it´ll sound better.

I´ve also had the feeling that Darrenaj9 describes so neatly:-

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darrenaj9

There are not only 'growers' but 'shrinkers' too.

I guess it's like a nice meal, eat it way to often and the day comes you decided that's it and your mind just falls off it.

My personal experience with some well-known albums and artists:-

Growers that rewarded my patience: Trout Mask, Tago Mago, Topographic O,
Tried to like but never have: Sun Ra, Bitches Brew, Tubular Bells,
"My mind just falls off it": most Pink Floyd and T Dream albums
Great, but I have to be in the mood: Nick Drake , Dixie Dregs

Ninetales · 02-05-2014, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

No. Mood has nothing to do with me. If I'm depressed I can usually listen to a slow instrumental but could as easily listen to Iron Maiden or Tom Waits. It's seldom if at all that I fit music to my mood, though of course particular albums/tracks may AFFECT my mood, ie sad songs etc.

Very strange. Musically affects me differently depending on how I'm feeling. I love ambient music but I wouldn't want to listen to it when I'm going partying.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

That's true as well, with the oft-quoted-by-me example of Phil Collins' "Face value". But what I think we're saying here is that if you listen to a NEW album (to you) first time and HATE it --- I mean don't see anything good in it at all --- then why push yourself to like it? I know this is not what you're saying but the overall consensus often seems to be "you'll like it if you spin it a few more times." That may be true, but I'd rather go with my formulated opinion made by listening to the album once than try to keep listening to it to make myself eventually like it.

I can understand this and I'm sure everyone has albums they've heard once and shelved. But, atleast in my case, it's more about my music tastes expanding and so I'll revisit albums that previously hadn't hit me. When I first listened to Spiderland i didn't really like it much. As I started to like new things like Talk Talk and Godspeed and such I thought may as well try it again. It had been atleast a year since my last listen. And so maybe this was another first listen for me. I just remember not liking it but nothing specific on why. And this new listen hit me hard. And I've loved it ever since.

It's easy to dislike something immediately but it's also easy to hold that initial reaction longer than you even remember what it was you disliked about it in the first place. It's like how you can say you hate mushrooms but if you haven't eaten a mushroom in years how does that opinion have any legs? Sure you can continue to not eat them, and that's probably reasonable, but hey maybe you've grown to like them.

My main point is it's less about forcing yourself like something, but rather giving it time for a fresh start. I refuse to believe that anyone's music taste stays stagnant and never changes throughout their whole life. Idk maybe I just value music growth more than the average person

**Janszoon** · 02-05-2014, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninetales

Very strange. Musically affects me differently depending on how I'm feeling. I love ambient music but I wouldn't want to listen to it when I'm going partying.

For me it's not even dependent on what I'm doing. Some days I'm really in the mood for bebop and I'm really not going to enjoy grindcore if I listen to it on those days. But then there are days when all I want to listen to is grindcore and bebop just wouldn't do it for me.

Ninetales · 02-05-2014, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

For me it's not even dependent on what I'm doing. Some days I'm really in the mood for bebop and I'm really not going to enjoy grindcore if I listen to it on those days. But then there are days when all I want to listen to is grindcore and bebop just wouldn't do it for me.

Yeah I guess that's what I mean when I say "mood". It's not as simple as happy/sad. I'm into slower, calm music at the moment so yeah I'm not going to listen to death metal. But it might not even last a day. Could be listening to Behemoth in a matter of hours who knows!

I'm pretty volatile in what I feel like listening to so it makes sense that a first and second listen could be vastly different.

Musikwala · 02-11-2014, 03:56 AM

Well, there ARE albums that have "grown" on me. Several. But I also feel sometimes that anything will grow on you if you listen to it enough number of times!! LOL.

02-11-2014, 03:56 AM	#46 (permalink)
Musikwala Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 51	Well, there ARE albums that have "grown" on me. Several. But I also feel sometimes that anything will grow on you if you listen to it enough number of times!! LOL.