Harkening back to your note on Zappa, Mike, I had (and maybe still have) a strong ambivalence towards his music. Partially this stems from the fact that my brother played "Joe's Garage" incessantly in my mid-teens, which, to say the least, got under my skin, and partially it's from the overarchingly satirical nature of his work, which I often find smug and annoying. Musically, however, I think there is a fair bit to experience, and so I've gone back in the past year and downloaded a number of his early records, including Freak Out and Absolutely Free. They are pretty enjoyable pop-psychedelic records, with strong song structures and arrangements. I've also picked up Hot Rats, which many think is his masterpiece, a jazz-fusion-pop record that needs a few listens, but is pretty dynamic musically, more along the lines of what you described Mike. Having said all of that, and at least I've given the man chance, if I'm being honest with myself he's never going to be one of my guys.

So nice segway (how the hell do you spell that word?) into your blog Derek. Frank Zappa is a good BD example of a much-lauded artist whom I don't much like. If you look him up on allmusic his bio starts with "was one of the most accomplished composers of the rock era". Seriously, I question that.

Which segways into records that I didn't like initially, but grew on me, there are lots...genius, or near genuis, often is harder to digest, I find. Even in pop music. Examples like Animal Collective's "Feels" album (more on AC momentarily), the Deerhof's Runner Four, VU and Nico, Stones' Beggar's Banquet, Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dreams, Pavement's Slanted, Nico's Desertshore (more on Nico later), even Juliana Hatfield's Become What You Are, were all records that I grew to like and then love after repeated listenings and despite initial wariness.

And re Kyle's mention of Pitchfork's 9.6 for Animal Collective, I'll start by saying, I like these guys. I think they make really interesting music, with lots of layers. But I find PM's unfettered adoration pretty far off the mark. And it's not just this record, it's all of them, plus the solo efforts by Panda Bear and whatever the other guy's nom de plume is. I'm nowhere near feeling the genius that Pitchfork does.... and it happens a lot with them, both on the overly positive and opverly negative side, so it shouldn't bother me as much as it does (but it does). For the record, I'm far better aligned to allmusic as a source of reliable reviews.

And finally, in chatting with Derek over a Jamieson's last night, I wanted to pose an additional question to the group. And here it is :

Who is the coolest female pop / rock artist of all time? (If you've been reading along you know who I'm about to nominate...yes, that's right, Nancy Sinatra!) OK nope, I would put forth Nico as the most fascinating, imponderable, strangely beautiful and uncompromising female artist - who, unlike many uncompromising pop artists, makes music I truly adore - of the pop age.

High praise, I know, and based mostly on two records (Chelsea Girl and Desertshore) and her work with VU. I can't get enough of this music. Over the past five years she is probably my most oft-played artist. Every few months I go through another period of deeply unhealthy mini-obsession. These two and a half records are outstanding, weird-but-very-musical statements that inspired a couple of generations of avant garde artists. A Big Wow.

Anyone else care to put forward their not-as-cool-as-Nico fave female pop/rockers?