Albums You Tried Really Hard to Like

[yonderhillside]

"In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel is a hallowed album I struggle with.

King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. One - as brief as it, is on my all time top X.  Additionally, Two Headed Boy is pretty amazing stuff.  The rest tho', is a challenge.

This shakes me, cold. I'm one of those who believes this the modern classic it deserves to be. The over-all tone of the album, including the brilliant songs you listed, have an old-worldly, almost other-worldly, primordial, feel to them. Appalachian folksong meets neo-classical, post-modern alienation and boredom. Supposedly, as well as seemingly, thought up in a dream-state a la spiritual possession via an, albeit unconfirmed, survivor of the Holocaust. Haunting, yet simultaneously joyful and life-affirming. 'Tis a good listen, indeed.

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

Kiss / Hot In The Shade. Still hate it.

[JK]

Pink Floyd, Piper at the Gates of Dawn. As I kid, I was mostly aware of Pink Floyd from The Wall, which was recent enough in my formative musical years that my nine-years-older sister liked it contemporaneously, I saw the movie and heard the album, etc. I liked that (and still kind-of do). I got older and learned Dark Side. I was there for the late '80 MTV-era stuff. Eventually I wanted to dig into the catalogue, and did so with Piper, among others.

I was not impressed.

Later I got into the mythology around "the crazy genius" type, regardless of genre. Thelonious Monk, Captain Beefheart, Brian Wilson, whatever. It's a powerful myth that I think still drives a kind of listener. So I heard about Barrett and revisited Piper (and checked out The Madcap Laughs). Still nothing.

Every few years--including right now, as I'm typing--I check it out again. After all, opinions change. If I were a political candidate, my opponents would call me a flip-flopper and debate moderators would confront me with my earlier self to shame me. But I'm shameless, damnit. However, I still just don't like Piper Or Syd Barrett in general. Or, frankly, Pink Floyd, for the most part.

I'm sure a lot depends on when you jump into a band's career. I was aware of Pink Floyd from late 1966 onwards, and the Barrett era means a lot to me. The period immediately following Syd's departure has a sadness to it that later listeners most probably miss. (This same sadness returns on Wish You Were Here.)

These days I'm battling my aversion to Roger Waters and discovering the brilliance of many of the later tracks. That said, The Wall for me is just that----a wall.    

[Smilin Ed H]

Tubular Bells. Had three copies over the years and have given it many a try, but apart from the Exorcist bit, it does nothing for me.

[RangeRoverA1]

I don't rmbr trying to like album. Trends, universal positive reviews don't influence to re-listen to album to like it.

[JK]

Just a Poke, recorded in Germany by the New York band Sweet Smoke, is high on my friend's list of "Keepers" (here) but it's the first in that list that I can't warm to. Perhaps it's because I already have another favourite one-track-a-side LP recorded on German soil, the stunning In Den Gärten Pharaos by Popol Vuh.

I tried, I really did. It's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_k4GKhslK4

[Ovi]

I must've listened to Van Halen's debut about 10-15 times. Still think only 2 songs are really great.

Also, AC/DC's Back in Black and Highway to Hell, Joni Mitchell's Blue, Beck's Sea Change, Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks (except for 3-4 songs that I think really are masterpieces), Yes' Fragile (I acknowledge the talent, just not my thing) and all Smiths albums.

Damn, I love Van Halen now. And Blue, Blood on the Tracks, and Fragile. Sea Change is all right.

I saw Trout Mask Replica mentioned in this topic, and I gotta say I loved that album right from the first listen. I think it's beautiful in its craziness, it always makes me smile. And has helped me through dark times.

[RangeRoverA1]

I frankly, being different language speaker perhaps, don't get the phrase "dark times". People use it frequently everywhere, it puzzles what precisely they mean by it. Anyhoo, smb. (bubbly waves?) in this board asked me few yrs back to listen & review Trout Mask Replica. Didn't get to it yet. Curious to hear it.

[Ovi]

I frankly, being different language speaker perhaps, don't get the phrase "dark times". People use it frequently everywhere, it puzzles what precisely they mean by it.

A period when things are not going so good.

[beachcat]

Quadrophenia - The Who

I bought it long ago because I loved Tommy, but I just could not get engrossed in Quad's story. I remember thinking, that's it? Gosh, I feel guilty even now admitting it!

[Julia]

Sunflower -- I even wrote fake enthusiastic reviews here because I was embarrassed to dislike this album that so many people love so much. I was already feeling like I was stepping on people's toes all the time.

Led Zeppelin -- I mean, they're ok and I like some of their songs Ive heard. But I listened to their first and fourth albums and they just weren't for me. With how they're treated as like the second most glorified band after the Beatles I feel like Im committing a sin by saying this.

The Wall -- its a good album, I just wasn't blown away after everyone talked it up so much. I prefer their 70s output and my favorite album is Piper at the Gates of Dawn, however...

Syd Barrett's solo albums -- some really good tracks (Here I Go, Dominoes, Baby Lemonade, Gigolo Aunt, Effervescing Elephant, Octopus, Wined and Dined) buried under a bunch of mediocre ones -- or badly produced ones I should say. I think Syd was extremely talented, he's my favorite musician after Brian but he flamed out too early. If he were firing on all cylinders I think these other tracks could've been fleshed out into something really special and he would've gone on to make many more great albums besides Piper. Take these and his non-Piper tracks with Floyd (Jugband Blues, Scream Thy Last Scream, Paintbox, Apples and Oranges, Vegetable Man, Arnold Layne, Candy and a Currant Bun, See Emily Play) and you'd have a killer "second album" though.