Wednesday, February 11, 2009

You're discounting the possibility that young Henry is/was a big Zwan fan and knew what he was buying into.

But rather than talk about albums that were bollocks upon release and remain so years later how about those albums that start off making barely a dent in your consciousness, whether you had high expectations or not, and yet end up being one of those "go to" discs that more than stand the test of time and you might have tossed aside after 5 or 6 listens and never ventured near again.

I've had this type of discussion with some of you from time to time but I raise it again having just read Tim Perlich's latest 5N review in Now Magazine of Dan Auerbach's (from the Black Keys) latest solo release. Up until yesterday, the release date, on the Nonesuch record label website you were able to stream the entire disc. I did so and as much as I enjoyed some of the music I kept waiting for it to wow me like a so called perfect disc is supposed to.

But of course in the real non-Pitchfork world most of us don't make bold statements about any record until we've lived with it for a long time and let it's magic, if it exists, have its way with us. Very rarely does that happen after a few cursory spins. Sometimes it can take years and having those whose opinion we respect continually harp on about what we're missing in a great album.

Which brings me to my question. Are there records for you which upon first, 3rd, maybe even 10th listen left you shrugging your shoulders and now you wouldn't be without. And likewise are there records that you have been told time and time again by those in the know that you just oughta love that you know will never click.

A few examples for me that remain treasures in my collection but took a lot of listens: Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", Olivia Tremor Control's "Music from the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle, DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing"and Magnetic Fields' "69 Love Songs".

As perhaps one acclaimed record (two actually) I'll never feel warm and fuzzy about how about that Gram Parsons "GP/Grievous Angel".

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