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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
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erik_squires
16,121 posts
 

Graceland was Paul Simon appropriating everything he could. The African artists alone were much better, and if you really want to be upset watch his interview about how just randomly he picked words for those meaningless lyrics.

One that always makes me scratch my head is Norah Jones. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun enough to listen to her, but as a ground breaking, world renown artist that makes Jazz musicians stop what they are doing and take notice? OOooookay, sure.

The big album I’ve tried and tried to get however was Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue.

roadwhorerecords
280 posts
 

Got the first Kate Bush album as a gift when it first came out. Out of courtesy, I listened to the first side. Put it up. Told my friend I really liked it. Second album was released, and same friend gifted it to me. I listened to it, then the first again. I thought they were OK. Then kept going back to them. Then I started watching for new releases. I have been a fan for decades now.

tony1954's avatar
tony1954
1,051 posts
 

1. Rap

2. Hip Hop

3. Perhaps 80% of music released after 1980.

What am I missing?

deadhead1000's avatar
deadhead1000
714 posts
 

I’ll jump in on an interesting thread. I didn’t get the Grateful Dead, hated the Europe 72 album as my roommate played it again and again. But a year later it was my favorite. Also, I am from New Jersey (don’t hold that against me) originally, and never got into Bruce. Great live shows I will admit, some of his lyrics and rhyming are brilliant, but just can’t enjoy him.

I also have tried “Kind of Blue”, I can understand the brilliance of the musicians, but I have not gotten it yet. I think if I had been into Jazz music when it came out, then I could and would appreciate it. 
 

I enjoyed Graceland when it came out, played it over and over. At the time there was nothing like it. Just to be clear, I am referring to the US, no one was playing music like that on any of the big/popular, progressive radio stations and most stores did not stock ‘world music’. Now it’s easy to find it; again meaning in the US, and I think that album had a lot to do with it. That said, I haven’t listened to Graceland in 10 years at least. Diamonds on the soles of my shoes was a great song.

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