Bands that needed time

Listening to B&S Life Pursuit and recalling how it took me years to like this band though now I really like them. (They were too fey for me).

Any bands that took you a decade to like but now you really like them?

Nikki Sudden. I heard Red Brocade and thought it was crap. It took me years to appreciate him via his earlier work. And I still think Red Brocade is his worst album.

Suede.
Manic Street Preachers.
The Verlaines.
Bailter Space.
Band of Susans.

Bands that needed MY time to get warmed up to them, or bands that started out sucky or mediocre and turned out amazing (at least for awhile)? I'll take the latter.


Mott the Hoople
T Rex
Japan
Sonic Youth
Radiohead

Since this was written, I've even re-evaluated Red Brocade and found it much better than I remembered: https://blurtonline.com/review/nikki-sudden-red-brocade/

I didn't have any time for The Rolling Stones as a child, but you must remember that I only heard them on top 40 in the 70s as a kid. Singles off of "Exile" were not too bad. The next five years was pretty dire. As a teen they were the hegemony to be toppled. I didn't realize that i could even like them until I was in my mid-20s. Now I'm fine with them. A lot of that might be the blues thing. They were a blues based band and [in the early days a tribute act] I didn't get a feel for that genre until I was an adult.



Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

[postpunkmonk.com]
For further rumination on the Fresh New Sound of Yesterday®

I second Willie on Radiohead. It took me a decade to understand what they were doing. I'm not a diehard, but I like them.

The truth is most of the ‘classic rock’ bands that I can like today took forever for me to appreciate. Led Zep a great example... I saw them as a sworn enemy for many years. Now I can say their musical resume is pretty impressive.

Damning confession number two: my father had the Beatles ‘hey jude’ 8-track. One look at that cover as a pre teen and I dismissed them as gross hairy smelly hippies. In fact, I figured the frampton/ bee gees ‘sgt peppers’ was way better than anything those gross hippies could do. (I’m a bit older and wiser now).

The ‘damning confession’ hat-trick: in our chosen genre, the Talking Heads took alot of time. Even now I’m still not sure if I don’t appreciate them more than enjoy them. As an original cbgb’s act, I know they deserve respect. I’ve bought every album up through ‘naked’ but I still think their appeal is not immediate for me. My favorite period is probably the ‘fear of music’ ‘remain in light’ era.



Post Edited (06-07-19 20:22)

A band that I’ve started to listen to is a hot new act called Rage Against the Machine. While I was certainly aware of them in their heyday, for whatever reason I didn’t pay them much attention. I think I just lumped them in with a lot of acts I thought I despised in the early 90s.

It started about a month ago with me listening to Gang of Four’s ‘Entertainment’ every day for about a week while I went running. That record’s blend of hard-hitting music and political lyrics just felt right running down a city street (while I’m a sucker for power pop, I like when an act can blend in topical lyrics). Then came Public Enemy’s ‘it takes a nation...’. And of course the Clash. I think I want to see if I can get Rage to fit in with these acts I’ve loved for years.

While I’m not fully on board, and the vocals are an acquired taste I’m not positive I’ve acquired, I definitely like the ‘idea’ of them. Their visual aesthetic appeals to me. And I appreciate Tom morello’s unorthodox approach to the guitar.

Late to the party? Maybe the party’s just getting started!

Rage definitely brought the agit-prop, and Morello's guitar tricks combined with the Commerford/Wilk rhythm section could (and still can) be seriously intense. Still, having seen them live, what stands out in my memory isn't a band who could stir an audience to serious thoughts about the state of the world, much less to action. What stands out in my memory is a sea of shirtless frat-boys chanting along to "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!" in between gulps from $8 cups of Coors.

Never mind about whether I was late to the party; this was one of those parties I just didn't feel like attending. But that's okay. There's another swingin' party down the line.

So, is this about being "late to the party" or taking years to appreciate a band?

If late to the party, for me it's Devin Townsend. I've known about the guy for years, but I could only remember hearing him as the singer for Steve Vai back in the early '90s. Since then he's released a TON of music on his own. I started digging in about a year ago, and I'm so impressed. There's plenty of his stuff I don't like, but with him being so prolific, that means there's plenty I like as well. I've dug through his albums on Spotify and made a pretty extensive playlist that cherrypicks what I like best. Basically, the super heavy stuff isn't for me, but when he's singing (mostly) clean and the music's intense but still melodic, I go for that.

I respect Rage Against the Machine, especially Tom Morello's skill as a guitarist, and they were far better than the nu-metal bands they inspired. But despite their emphasis on politics and lack of sexist lyrics, there was still something really macho about them. Faith No More had a similar set of influences, but I prefer them: they were weirder (especially starting with ANGEL DUST) and harder to pin down.

I remember first hearing Fight for Your Right when I was working night shift and thinking it was pretty cool and funny. I thought No Sleep ‘til Brooklyn was OK too but at that point of my life I had no real interest in hip-hop and certainly no thought of ever buying a hip hop record. Many years passed and I heard Shake Your Rump on the radio. I thought that was pretty cool too and loved that mono-synth drone whenever that kicked in. Then, nothing really for a number of years until a friend mentioned Sabotage and the very cool video. I liked it a lot, but when I tried to find it on a jukebox, I instead stumbled upon Sure Shot and REALLY liked that. So I finally purchased a hip-hop record and it was Ill Communication. Later, I realised I had totally bypassed Check Your Head which I like almost as much. Oh, and happy 30th birthday to Paul’s Boutique too.

I followed the Beastie Boys from the get-go, often buying their new albums as soon as they came out, without having even heard them. so yours is an interesting perspective aitch, especially since I just read the Beastie Boys book ( highly recommended, by the way). it was unexpectedly moving since I realized I was kind of there with them the whole way. especially if you lived in New York or LA in the 80s or 90s you'll find it full of bittersweet memories it

The tale took a frustrating twist. By the time they were touring Hello Nasty I was fully into them but left for Europe for a 4 month adventure just before they hit Sydney. Then at every overseas destination, there were posters telling me they had been there the week before. It was many years before I saw them live but they were brilliant when I did.