Getting into a Band

Li_Akahi

When I start listening to a new band, I have always had trouble with figuring out where to start (expecially when I download an entire discography). There are just so many albums in some rosters that it is a completely daunting task. I am hoping that this thread will help me and others with figuring out where to start by giving suggestions as to which albums are particularly worth listening to.

I want to start listening to:
Dream Theater (I already have Images and Words on my iPod)
Amon Amarth
Wolfmother

TheWhaleShark

I was going to suggest starting with Images and Words, actually. Just go from there.

As for Amon Amarth, check out Twilight of the Thunder God and With Oden on Our Side. They're the two latest, and they're both really really good. Particularly, check out "Cry of the Blackbirds" from WOoOS.

EDIT: I don't listen to Wolfmother.

Rym

Just listen to any random song. If you like it, great. If you don't, but you have reason to believe that you'll like some other song they've done, then try another and repeat.

I see no point in putting further effort into it than that, even for a music lover.

Kate Monster

Just listen to any random song. If you like it, great. If you don't, but you have reason to believe that you'll like some other song they've done, then try another and repeat.

I see no point in putting further effort into it than that, even for a music lover.

I disagree with you on this. I enjoy many artists that have particular albums or songs that are not at all to my taste. If I heard only that particular song/album, it would be unlikely that I would listen to anything else they made and miss out on some great music. Many times when someone recommends a band/musician, I will ask them to recommend an album or two to start out with or I will read multiple reviews of the band/musician and listen first to the albums that seem most likely to appeal to me.

Rym

Many times when someone recommends a band/musician,

That's why I note that you should continue with another song/album if you have any reason to believe that you'll like something else they've done. A friend's recommendation is just such a reason in most cases (depending on the friend).

Kate Monster

Many times when someone recommends a band/musician,

That's why I note that you should continue with another song/album if you have any reason to believe that you'll like something else they've done. A friend's recommendation is just such a reason in most cases (depending on the friend).

So why not ask for particular recommendations to have the best introduction to that band? I certainly would not recommend that anyone listen to Tori Amos' most recent album, but I would recommend several of her albums.

Rym

So why not ask for particular recommendations to have the best introduction to that band?

I'm generally of the mind that I should expose myself to as much music as possible if I'm seeking out anything new. If a band can't satisfy me from a semi-random sampling of their work, then I very likely prefer something aberrant from what they will generally produce, and would probably be better served by another band.

chaosof99

I believe the best way to start is to just hit up a song the band has submitted to a genre sampler and go from there. If you like the song, take on the album it came from.

Apreche

If a band has such a large discography that you don't know which album/song to listen to first, it is very simple to figure out what to listen to first.

If they have a greatest hits album, listen to that first. If you don't like the songs that are considered to be the band's hits, then you probably aren't going to like their b-sides.

If they don't have a greatest hits album, then listen to their best-selling album in track order. Some bands don't find their way until after a few years, so the first album is no good. Some bands jump the shark, so the new album is no good. The best-selling album is a representation of what most people think that band's best work is, and it will usually contain their number one hit song.

Kate Monster

If they have a greatest hits album, listen to that first. If you don't like the songs that are considered to be the band's hits, then you probably aren't going to like their b-sides.

If they don't have a greatest hits album, then listen to their best-selling album in track order. Some bands don't find their way until after a few years, so the first album is no good. Some bands jump the shark, so the new album is no good. The best-selling album is a representation of what most people think that band's best work is, and it will usually contain their number one hit song.

That can be a terrible method. I'll give you an example: The Beatles. Most of the songs included in their greatest hits are not my preferred of their music. Another example: Regina Spektor. Her singles are terrible, but most of her music (in my opinion) is wonderful.

Apreche

If they have a greatest hits album, listen to that first. If you don't like the songs that are considered to be the band's hits, then you probably aren't going to like their b-sides.

If they don't have a greatest hits album, then listen to their best-selling album in track order. Some bands don't find their way until after a few years, so the first album is no good. Some bands jump the shark, so the new album is no good. The best-selling album is a representation of what most people think that band's best work is, and it will usually contain their number one hit song.

That can be a terrible method. I'll give you an example: The Beatles. Most of the songs included in their greatest hits are not my preferred of their music. Another example: Regina Spektor. Her singles are terrible, but most of her music (in my opinion) is wonderful.

Beatle's Greatest Hits.
"She Loves You"
"Love Me Do"
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
"Can't Buy Me Love"
"A Hard Day's Night"
"I Feel Fine"
"Eight Days a Week"
"Ticket to Ride"
"Help!"
"Yesterday"
"We Can Work It Out"
"Paperback Writer"
Side two
"Penny Lane"
"All You Need Is Love"
"Hello, Goodbye"
"Hey Jude" (Edited 5:05 version)
"Get Back"
"Come Together"
"Let It Be"
"The Long and Winding Road"

Looks like a winner to me. Could use some gently weeping guitars, though.

Kidder

If it's an old-ish band (one that's been around for at least 10 years and released 4 albums), I'll usually start with the "Best of" Collections. They usually have the songs that the band considers its "best" or at least the most commercially successful.

Specifically for Dream Theater, I loved the concept album "Scenes From a Memory". It was my first taste of Dream Theater and got me hooked. Just listen to it non-stop from beginning to end in the original track order. I moved on to "Train of Thought" after that, which is a much heavier album.

Sail

I usually ask Krishna. Really though, just seek out anyone who likes the band and ask them.

By the way, I'd like to get into The Residents, anyone have a starting point for me on that?

[Edit]

Beatle's Greatest Hits.
[list]

That's mostly "pop-era" Beatles, though. This barely touches upon the second half of their career.

Funfetus

I usually go to All Music Guide and read the reviews of their albums, and decide where to start from there.

Sometimes, there's just no good way, or no way to know what the good way is. For instance, I tried for a while to get into Skinny Puppy. A lot of people whose opinions I respected told me they were a great band. But each album is drastically different from the next, and none of what I heard was doing it for me. Eventually, I happened upon a live version of "Smothered Hope", which I could get into. It was more rock-based, with a lot of guitar. Turns out that it was actually a cover by Ministry, though Skinny Puppy's singer was touring with them at the time, and did the vocals. There are no guitars within a thousand miles of Skinny Puppy's version of the song -- but that cover turned out to be the entry point that I needed, and Skinny Puppy became one of my favorite bands ever.

...

Download discography > Listen through (with skipping if you don't like a song) > Listen through again and delete the songs you don't like > ??? > PROFIT. Hey, you are listening to music because you want to listen to music, aren't you? Listening to a few less enjoyable songs won't kill you. Unless you have such obscure tastes that only ever one song can be made that you like, then you just have a problem though.

whatever

By the way, I'd like to get into The Residents, anyone have a starting point for me on that?

The Commercial Album.

Geo

When I start listening to a new band, I have always had trouble with figuring out where to start (expecially when I download an entire discography). There are just so many albums in some rosters that it is a completely daunting task. I am hoping that this thread will help me and others with figuring out where to start by giving suggestions as to which albums are particularly worth listening to.

I want to start listening to:
Dream Theater (I already have Images and Words on my iPod)
Amon Amarth
Wolfmother

I'm proly gonna see Dream Theatre in August since they are playing at my hometown.

Li_Akahi

I'm proly gonna see Dream Theatre in August since they are playing at my hometown.

Yeah, they're playing with Queensryche on August 1st at a venue 10 minutes from my house.

Sean

Wolfmother

I wouldn't bother with Wolfmother. They are initially entertaining, but after the first few times you'll come to realise they are bland and derivative.

Churba

Wolfmother

I wouldn't bother with Wolfmother. They are initially entertaining, but after the first few times you'll come to realise they are bland and derivative.

I request some elaboration, would you kindly?

Sail

I request some elaboration, would you kindly?

The only difference you'll find is the album art.

Churba

I request some elaboration, would you kindly?

The only difference you'll find is the album art.

You recognize they're are in a similar genre, I applaud you, sir. What's the next astute observation, that Ray Charles couldn't read sheet music?

Sail

You recognize they're are in a similar genre, I applaud you, sir. What's the next astute observation, that Ray Charles couldn't read sheet music?

Hey, you were the one wondering what they're derivative of. Wolfmother is recycled Led Zeppelin, straight up. It's not an insult, it just is what it is.

Churba

You recognize they're are in a similar genre, I applaud you, sir. What's the next astute observation, that Ray Charles couldn't read sheet music?

Hey, you were the one wondering what they're derivative of. Wolfmother is recycled Led Zeppelin, straight up. It's not an insult, it just is what it is.

True, I probably reacted harshly, considering, and my apologies for leaping down your throat for little reason.

But I disagree that they are derivative, it's the function of the Genre they fall into - Led Zeppelin is probably an unfair comparison, as it's a separate(though similar) genre. Aussie rock, from the environment it evolved in, tends to focus more in simple, hard-driving guitar, bass and drums, rather than more complex melodies and rhythms. There's more detail in the Wiki Article on Aussie pub rock on that score.

Sail

I'm dubious. The bassist is so clearly a disciple of John Paul Jones to me, his style mimics JPJ's distinct technique almost to the letter. I can't help but think that the guy grew up listening and playing Led Zeppelin. Same goes for the vocal style. You've got a point with the guitar being much more driving than complex, but if someone gave me evidence to the contrary that the dudes in Wolfmother aren't die-hard Zep fans, I'd be very surprised. As far as I can tell from my research, pub rock is pretty much completely based off of 70's hard rock bands, so I don't think that Zep is an unfair comparison at all. Just because a genre or scene develops in a certain country doesn't mean that it doesn't draw influences from elsewhere.

Churba

I'm dubious. The bassist is so clearly a disciple of John Paul Jones to me, his style mimics JPJ's distinct technique almost to the letter. I can't help but think that the guy grew up listening and playing Led Zeppelin. Same goes for the vocal style. You've got a point with the guitar being much more driving than complex, but if someone gave me evidence to the contrary that the dudes in Wolfmother aren't die-hard Zep fans, I'd be very surprised. As far as I can tell from my research, pub rock is pretty much completely based off of 70's hard rock bands, so I don't think that Zep is an unfair comparison at all. Just because a genre or scene develops in a certain country doesn't mean that it doesn't draw influences from elsewhere.

Hmm - Good points all, though I will note that they've recently changed out the lineup, ditching the old bassist and drummer, so the next album will be worth a look if only to see the differences.
They say that they're influenced by Led Zeppelin, but I can't say about if they're die-hard fans or not - But I'd say that yeah, He probably did grow up hearing and playing that sort of music, though for people of his age, it's not uncommon.

I will stand by my statement, however, that Led Zeppelin is not an entirely fair comparison. Pub rock was indeed influenced by 60s and 70s hard rock bands, but Wolfmother is child of the pub rock genre, as opposed to bands like The Skyhooks, The Screaming Jets or The Angels, who were all major parts of that scene as it started, grew, and evolved into a distinct genre. To me, It seems a bit like comparing Jimi Hendrix to, say, Howlin' Wolf, Or comparing Clapton to Freddie King. Everybody has their influences, and It's not something that you can really get away from when you develop your own style, because by emulating the artists you like as you learn, you end up with some of their style in yours.

Sean

Hmm - Good points all, though I will note that they've recently changed out the lineup, ditching the old bassist and drummer, so the next album will be worth a look if only to see the differences.

That's a fair point. I did actually love their first album when it came out and listened to it pretty solidly for a month or so. I even went to the effort of seeing them live in London and it was a pretty decent show.

I guess the real problem was that the songwriting was average and the dull performances couldn't make up for it. I would be interested to see how they go with a new lineup. They are better than 90% of the crap that gets to the radio so they are not completely without merit, just rather uninspiring.

However, I'm not sure that I agree with the pub rock classification that some have suggested. I can kind of see where people are coming from, they do appear to have that crude, unpolished edge that many other pub rock bands have, but I think that is mostly due to them not being particularly good musicians rather than a deliberate musical choice.

Churba

I guess the real problem was that the songwriting was average and the dull performances couldn't make up for it. I would be interested to see how they go with a new lineup. They are better than 90% of the crap that gets to the radio so they are not completely without merit, just rather uninspiring.

I'll agree with that - Their lyrics are utter bollocks.

However, I'm not sure that I agree with the pub rock classification that some have suggested. I can kind of see where people are coming from, they do appear to have that crude, unpolished edge that many other pub rock bands have, but I think that is mostly due to them not being particularly good musicians rather than a deliberate musical choice.

I don't know, I don't feel it's something I can provide an opinion on without having seen them in person.

Kate Monster

Beatle's Greatest Hits.
"She Loves You"
"Love Me Do"
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
"Can't Buy Me Love"
"A Hard Day's Night"
"I Feel Fine"
"Eight Days a Week"
"Ticket to Ride"
"Help!"
"Yesterday"
"We Can Work It Out"
"Paperback Writer"
Side two
"Penny Lane"
"All You Need Is Love"
"Hello, Goodbye"
"Hey Jude" (Edited 5:05 version)
"Get Back"
"Come Together"
"Let It Be"
"The Long and Winding Road"

Looks like a winner to me. Could use some gently weeping guitars, though.

Those that I crossed out are Beatles songs that I don't particularly care for. They are fun, catchy, and good to dance to but not something I would listen to on my iPod; however, there is a large portion of the Beatles discography on my iPod because their music was far more than the relatively trite hits. In my experience, a lot of hits and singles from musicians are the worst representation of their music because it is usually the most watered-down/catchy/cliche/expected of their music. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but it certainly applies often enough that listening to singles alone can result in a skewed understanding of a musician's work.

Apreche

Those that I crossed out are Beatles songs that I don't particularly care for. They are fun, catchy, and good to dance to but not something I would listen to on my iPod; however, there is a large portion of the Beatles discography on my iPod because their music was far more than the relatively trite hits. In my experience, a lot of hits and singles from musicians are the worst representation of their music because it is usually the most watered-down/catchy/cliche/expected of their music. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but it certainly applies often enough that listening to singles alone can result in a skewed understanding of a musician's work.

Well, the Beatles are a somewhat unique case in that they had different phases in which their musical stylings changed drastically. The early Beatles and the later Beatles were effectively two different bands.

Cases like this are solved really easily. When you discover a band, before you go out and get their stuff, read their Wikipedia page first. You'll learn all about any sort of quirks the band may have that will probably make it very obvious what to listen to. It will also tell you about very important things like if the members of the band have changed over history, i.e: Ozzy/Dio Sabbath.

Kate Monster

Cases like this are solved really easily. When you discover a band, before you go out and get their stuff, read their Wikipedia page first. You'll learn all about any sort of quirks the band may have that will probably make it very obvious what to listen to. It will also tell you about very important things like if the members of the band have changed over history, i.e: Ozzy/Dio Sabbath.

That is incredibly similar to what I stated above. I said that I ask for recommendations and/or read several reviews so that I can hone in on the music I am most likely to enjoy by a particular artist. Getting some basic information before I take the time to download or spend any money makes as much sense as researching any product before I invest my time and money.