Listening to music I don’t particularly like

Then, there are albums like this: Betty Carter, 'Social Call' I just bought.

Put out in 1980, her original material from 1955, and never released from 1956. Mono, as I said, recordings in the Mono era were quite good, Quincy Jones and Gigi Gryce involved here.

I always love hearing how an artist began and developed, you get that with the first listen, and the liner notes are very informative.

Listening to one of my all time favorites of hers, 'Finally', you know how she progressed, turned herself into an instrument, amazing. Only some of the 'Social Call' material is wonderful.

If it was a CD, I probably would just play the 5 songs I really liked, LP, I will listen to all tracks, in the presented order That's when you hear something you missed first or even 2nd time time thru, busy reading the notes, ... I will never play it frequently like 'Finally', but I will never part with it, and will play it on the rare occasion for the several great songs it contains.

Also, I learned, try favorite albums CD versions on Shuffle. You will discover certain songs, typically the ones that follow the 'hits' in new ways. Cannot do that with LPs.

That's something I rarely do, listen to music that I'm not fond of, but that makes my system shine.

When I toured my then local lineup of brick-and-mortar audio stores to find a new pair of speakers, it really bothered me that one of the dealers insisted that I listen to a particular piece from an artist I didn't know or enjoy, but made the speakers really shine.

Roon radio plays often in my house. I tune it out until something good comes on. At that point you can save that song to a playlist and later start the playlist from that song. I would call that exploration. Saved songs typically have a good sound and rythm. 

I too find myself listening to well recorded songs to hear my system.  Percussion is a big thing for me.  

You might listen to these songs to hear what your systems are capable.  These are high quality recordings:

1. Girlfriend (Feat, Dam-Funk) by Christine and the Queens

2.  Lights on by Maggie Rogers

3.  The River by Aurora (ADifferent Kind of Human

4.  Chocolate by The 1975

5.  Kiss in Blue by Yello

6.  The Expert by Yello

7.  Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancocks 1973 Head Hunters Albumn 

OH YES ! There are many,many recordings from the past that were not only poorly recorder, but also poorly transcribed and poorly produced.  I have been able to clean up some of the poorly "produced" albums but it's only part of the picture. 

I actually have found that MANY afficianodos of ROCK and ROLL and HEAVY METAL bands, etc. actually like the "distortion" associated with a large number of poorly recorded albums from the past. Even some of the newer albums or the so called RE-MASTERED recordings. aren't a hell lof a lot better.

You can clean up a little of the "grunge" with a first class DAC, but even with that it still remains a "GI-GO" situation.  For some, the pain is worth it.  I'M NOT ONE OF THEM !