Albums that grew on you

[Spectrum]

Once long ago, being a huge Yes fan, I bought a Yes album. It was the 80s, and the album was 90125.

Didn't really like. I mean, it was okay as far as 80s pop rock goes, but come on, this is YES we're talking about! Where's the epic prog rock I wanted? So I listened a few times and kind of put it on the shelf, and of course they played Owner of a Lonely Heart on the radio and MTV so much it made you want to puke anyway.

Tonight I was looking for something to listen to and decided to pull this one out of the vinyl collection and spin it back up.

It's not so bad, now. Nothing to be disappointed over since 1983 is pretty far back in the rear view mirror. The music is very pop/commercial-sounding for Yes, and of course this was not the classic lineup at all. It's got that 80s sound to it, the overdone synths and the too-loud snare drum, but it's not as obnoxious as most of the cliché 80s stuff.

But the tightness is there in spades, the theatrics are still there. And even if you don't notice the prominent bass it has Chris Squire's fingerprints all over it. Hearts in particular sounds most like a vintage Yes song.

It's no Fragile or Close to the Edge, but for what it is it's pretty good. And it brings back a few memories too.

What albums did you not really like but later warmed up to?

 

[Killed_by_Death]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Spectrum]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

You didn't like it the first time you heard it? I am too young to remember its release, but I loved it immediately when I heard Battle of Evermore. I can't think of a bad song on it. Sure we're all sick of Stairway, but it's not the song's fault the radio played it to death.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I was born a Metal Head, and to me Zeppelin didn't make the cut.
"When the Levee Breaks" was the only one I liked immediately, but that was a cover.

BTW, I met Jimmy later in Thailand. He holidays in Pattaya.

 

[40Hz]

My Aim is True. Elvis Costello's debut album.

Thought it was ok the first few times I heard it. I later came to realize just how good an album it actually was.

 

[Spectrum]

Another album that took me a while to warm up to was Rush's Power Windows.

I became a Rush fan on Signals and Grace Under Pressure, but Power Windows at first seemed a bit too out there with all those 80s synths and lack of real "rocker" tunes. I couldn't really groove to it the way I could to their earlier stuff, and all the old Rush heads were hating on it too.

Then I saw them play most of the album live on their tour that year in Philadelphia, and suddenly mine eyes were opened. I'll never forget Mystic Rhythms, the power of that deep synth bass and then that Wal, and the crazy awesome light show. Now I can listen to the whole album and love all of it. Big Money, which was the big radio hit for that album, is probably my least favorite tune on it.

 

[Spectrum]

My Aim is True. Elvis Costello's debut album.

Thought it was ok the first few times I heard it. I later came to realize just how good an album it actually was.

I felt the same way about Portishead's comeback album, "Third".

At first I was expecting more 90s trip-hop and it was weird, but after a few listens I think it's by far the best thing they've ever done and one of the best albums of the last 10 years.

 

[40Hz]

Since you're a prog fan I suppose I should include Genesis's last album as a (mostly still) prog band before a certain short former child-star drummer retooled them into a boring and predictable pop band.

I wasn't too crazy about this one compared to some of these lad's previous albums. But as the years have gone by, I've come to like it quite a bit. The song Behind the Lines is actually rather (rhythmically) brilliant in a subtle way, despite a few too many phrases being repeated a few too many times. But hey! - it's prog…so it's supposed to run a little long, right?

And in all fairness to Phil, Peter Gabriel is a pretty tough act to follow - as his post-Genesis work continues to demonstrate.

Phil Collins' reworked version of Genesis may have yielded better sales figures and attracted bigger audiences. But his music and performance isn't even in the same category, let alone the same league, as Peter Gabriel's.

Or so I think anyway.

 

[Spectrum]

One of the 80s Genesis tunes I liked was "Second Home by the Sea" which was a sort of instrumental sequel to the song Home by the Sea. In fact, that whole album "Genesis", despite being a huge pop album, is actually pretty good once you get over the fact that it's not old school prog. It's got a lot of darkness on it. Mama, Silver Rainbow, etc., kind of creep me out. Illegal Alien I dislike, and Taking it All Too Hard sounds like a Collins solo song, so you can keep those.

It's a shame Collins back problems keep him from drumming; I like the guy as a drummer despite all the schlocky 80s pop music.

 

[NoBueno]

Gentle Giant - In a Glass House.

I seriously didn't know what to expect when I bought that album, all I knew is that it was well regarded by other prog-heads.

It took me a couple of years after the initial spin to give it another go, and after a half-dozen or so listens It just clicked, and now absolutely love it!

Totally worth the effort to listen to, 'cause it led me to find their masterpiece Octopus.

 

[58kites]

I'm gonna answer bands that grew on me:
Jane's Addiction...was not that impressed at first and eventually they grew on me.
I did not care for the early Beatles material and then I heard Rubber Soul and they became interesting to me.
Took me some time to like Alice in Chains.
Took me some time to like Soundgarden.
Took me a long time to not dislike Bob Dylan's records.
Did not like RHCP until Mother's Milk...then I got it.
Did not like Steely Dan's material until I listened to how well the musicians played and decided they were more than a syrupy pop band.
Never liked Elvis or Johnny Cash or James Brown. ...still don't.
Did not like Bowie until Diamond Dogs and then I went back and listened to earlier stuff.
I quit on Black Sabbath about two or three years after their first record but 40 years later I like them again.

 

[Stewie]

First time I heard Little Feat(Feats Don't Fail Me Now) I hated it. My buddy played it over and over until I got it. One of my favorite albums to this day

 

[noagreement]

I saw YES for the first time during that 90125 tour, and they were spectacular. There are some gems on that album. But I love the 80s as it was my high school years.

 

[StraffordMike]

Anything by McCartney and Wings. My mother played Ram to death. Now I can't get enough. Of course I was playing guitar then.

 

[DChalo]

JK.

 

[Londo Molari]

I HATED this album when it was first released. Sometime in the mid 90's I tried it out again and fell in love with the production. Now I enjoy it quite a bit, listen to it repeatedly every couple of months.



The first few times I heard this LP I just couldn't get into it. Now it's one of my favorites.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

This is a real sleeper that grows on you. Todd Rundgren, Nearly Human.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

 

[HankHillWaluigi]

Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica took four years of listening to grow on me. As of now it's an album I can enjoy and appreciate. I do adore the strange rhythms and melodies, and it got me into Zappa to boot.

 

[Volunteerk9]

I was familiar with John Sykes from his previous Whitesnake gig and I saw them open for Bon Jovi way back in the beloved 80's. Came home from the concert, bought the CASSETTE and listened to it briefly. The more I listened to it, the more I loved it.