How Long...

... do you give an album before deciding it's worthy or it's crud ?

Say you're listening to an album for the first time to decide if it's your thing or not.

Do you listen through the entire album before judging it ?
Do you skip to the 1st few seconds of each song to judge it ?
Do you judge by the 1st song ?
Do you get in a few songs before you decide ?

What's your formula ?

I listen to it, and if I don't like it straight away then I put it away for a while and a few months later give it a second spin. So I generally make up my mind then.



Fundy

If I listen to it and it doesn't hold my attention, I'll wait a week or two and try again.

It depends on the style.

If it is a style I don't really care for I won't even listen to the entire album. Just a few minutes of a couple of songs can tell me if I wont be able to tolerate the vocals or the non-stop double bass drum onslaught.

If it is a style I tend to like I will listen to the album all the way through at least 3 to 6 times (on different days), before I decide if it's a keeper or something to toss/trade.

I have kept a few albums that later (maybe even years) I eventually decide I just really didn't want. (hence my tradelist)

^ Very similar with me.

I have multitudes of albums, and tons of different styles. So I will throw on a random album to "taste it" and even if I don't like the 1st song, I'll give it up to 3 or 4 songs before I decide "this is awful" (then I will never listen to it again).

If the 1st song is "ok", I'll give the entire album a listen just in case it improves. If I don't care for the entire album the 1st time, I will never listen to it again.
I know by the first listen whether an album will grow on me or not.

staybrite,

If you have any albums you just want to toss, I can take them off your hands.

I tend to get several albums at a time (Canadian shipping costs), so I have to choose from a field of 5 or 6 CDs at a time. I usually choose by listening to a couple tracks and by starting with the album that sounds coolest.

Usually, production plays a big part in an album. I almost can't listen to Saint -Crime Scene Earth 2.0 (for example) because everything sounds so rough to me, even though the songs are great. I'll often listen to something with slightly inferior songwriting but clearer sonics, rather than great songs with muddy production.

I generally listen to a few songs on youtube...
If I like what I hear I get the album...
I then listen to the entire album.

I usually try to listen to an album in full a couple of times before deciding if it's a real gem or a musical turd.

alldatndensum wrote:

...a musical turd.

I just thought of a name for a post-punk band. Harmonic Flatulence.

"musical turd" sounds like a good band name to me...

I listen to something as least 3 or 4 times before I make up my mind, usually.

There are cases when the loathing is instantaneous, however.......Extol's The Blueprint Dives comes to mind.

unworthy wrote:

"musical turd" sounds like a good band name to me...

Especially if they are another crappy hardcore band. The name could become synonymous with the genre! LOL

Try to listen to a new CD a cuople of times.
When I don't like the CD on that moment, it goes back in the collection.
I'll try it later again.
Most of the time I can get into the CD.