Albums you do not get...a plea for help and understanding


So like most of you (I bet), I listen to tons of music.  But there are just some albums I never learned to appreciate.  I hope this thread can serve as a teaching tool.  I did not get Mingus at first but now he is one of my favorites.

Perhaps ending each post with, "What am I missing?" would be a good idea.

I will start with Graceland by Paul Simon.  Most of my friends call me crazy (still after all these years...OUCH that was bad) but I never desire to listen to this record.  I get the African influence and rhythm but it just does not impress me.  Alternatively when Peter Gabriel did the African influence thing I found it stunningly good. Paul Simon as a musician impresses me in his other works.  What am I missing?

bancsee

Anything Miles did before BB I LOVE

I used to feel the same way! Every couple of years I'd pull out my copy of BB and try to listen but I could not get through even one whole side. I ended up springing for a MoFi release and played it LOUD. I think these two things, plus years of effort, and click! I finally got to like the album. That opened up the gateway to his releases after BB for me. I now also really like Agharta and Pangaea, as well as others. 

 

 

I saw Miles Davis live in concert during his Bitches Brew days. I never liked the album but I got to say that the performance was truly involving and excellent.

BB took me a while too.  I can't say I listen to it often but Miles runs the voodo down is a great cut.

This thread grew on me

You guys have covered the gamut and much of it mirrors many of my artist disconnects as well

The Dead, Tom Waits, Dylan, Miles, Radiohead, etc

@curiousjim the Shatner stuff was off the charts funny

Unable to connect with Kind Of Blue, have tried at least a dozen times but do align more with the BB and Jack Johnson Sessions era material, his work with John McLaughlin and Herbie Hancock I do enjoy but still unable to get through the entire album

I didn't get Dylan until I was in my 50s, tried in my 20s, 30s and 40s but it just escaped me.  Based on reviews, accolades and just the shear body of work over 4 decades made me think it has to be me, what am I missing

I finally broke through with Dylan through covers of his songs by other artists. I'd often times find that I enjoyed what I thought was a new song only to find that it was a Dylan remake.  Just for sport check out Maggie's Farm by RATM

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, I think there are more than 5000 covers of Dylan songs

Once I had this breakthrough I couldn't absorb Dylan fast enough, music, books, magazines, interviews, art, etc 

The man is a true national treasure, IMO

His interpretation of world events, society and the day to day things that we all experience is so relatable and still relevant today

There's a documentary called Trouble No More.  It's various biblical scholars and gospel singers doing a dep dive on Dylan's gospel albums.  They applaud his translation of scripture to song relative to accuracy and context and have approved his songs for multiple gospel hymn books

What he endured from the media as this voice of a generation pedestal was brutal, the repetition of the same line of questioning for near 20 years and the self protection techniques he developed just to break the monotony, false pretenses and public expectations

His decision to go from folk to electric, one of the great decisions in rock n roll.  He had it figured out 10 years before most people could accept it.  Was way ahead of the curve on that decision and was torched in the press and folk fanbase 

Another one that took 25 years for me to enjoy was Derek and the Dominoes, and I really enjoy EC and Duane Allman

I tried in my 20s and 30s four or five times and could never get through the entire album, seemed too laid back

I saw Derek Trucks in a small club in my 40s, they played Anyday and Tell The Truth, he played both guitar leads and left my jaw hanging.  I found out those were Derek and the Dominoes songs and the disk owned me for the next 6 months

The weaving of those two guitars is a thing of beauty and the engineering by Tom Dowd is very underrated

Where EC was in life and pouring his heart out to George Harrison's wife is a whole other matter - very different times.....

In closing here's the first verse to Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, still amuses me each time I hear it

Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be putting me on"
God say, "No". Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killing done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61"