recommendations?

[Dalya]

There are bands I have tried and didn't like, but that I know I will [probably] eventually like if I start with the right album. So, recommendations?

*The Smiths and/or Morrissey
*The Decemberists
*Frank Zappa
*Interpol (although I'm not sure I'll ever like them)
*Joy Division (I bought Still and Unknown Pleasures in highschool and the only song I liked was "ice age", so I sold them both, but haven't reslistened since)
*Blonde Redhead (I have Misery is a Butterfly and am sort of indifferent but don't dislike it)


And stuff I know I like but don't know what album to start with or what to get next:

*The Zombies
*Little Richard
*Magnetic Fields (I have "i")
*Broadcast
*Bryan Ferry
*Siouxie and the Banshees
*The Who (I have Tommy and Who's Next)
*Folk Implosion (have Take a Look Inside but haven't really listened)
*Iorn and Wine (have their newest album)
*Stereolab
*Sebadoh
*Sigur Ros (only have the new album)
*Syd Barrett
*Todd Rundgren

Plus most electronica and japanese noise music.

Thanks.

[airboy paul]

there's no question about the magnetic fields- you'd definitely need to get 69 love songs.

sigur ros- get the baby alien foetus one, agaetis bryjrun, or something like that. or ()

[katie]

the smiths - strangeways, here we come
the decemberists - picaresque; the crane wife; castaways and cutouts (fuck, it's all good, but i recommend that order for you particularly)

[roach]

the smiths - my favorite is strangeways, here we come. also like the queen is dead.
morrissey - the first I knew and owned was Your Arsenal, still love it. Morrissey fans at the time hated it, something about it being upbeat. Also like Bethoven was Deaf
joy division - The first one I bought a few years ago was The Complete BBC recordings, I usually don't like live albums, but this one kind of kicks ass. it came with New Order by the same title that is horrible, think i've only listened to it once. also like Unknown Pleasures.
Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet


electronica
orb - adventures beyond the ultra world. Orbus Terrarum. Orblivion... all three I have lost over the years. blah.
Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust
Prodigy - Experience
Roni Size - New Forms
Talvin Singh - ok

[mere1975]

there's no question about the magnetic fields- you'd definitely need to get 69 love songs.

From Beulah:
"I heard he wrote you a love song. So what? Some guy wrote 69, and one just ain't enough."

I figured that was a musical or literary reference, but I didn't know where it was from (and never thought to research it) until now. Thanks Airboy!

- Mere "popular mechanics for broken hearts could help me now" 1975

[Jan]

Interpol (although I'm not sure I'll ever like them)

I wasn't overly taken with Interpol until I heard the singles from Antics, then it suddenly clicked. So, I recommend that you buy Antics. If that floats yr boat, fire on with Turn on the Bright Lights. Our Love to Admire is alright, but definately the poorest album they've released so far.

As for Sigur Ros, Agaetis Byriun (sp?) is the best place to start. Personally I think that the untitled album ( () ) is fairly poor, so I'd steer clear of it unless you start seriously splunging over them.

[Dalya]

From Beulah:
"I heard he wrote you a love song. So what? Some guy wrote 69, and one just ain't enough."

huh. i never even thought about what that line meant.

i love beulah.

thanks, guys! i'll get busy on amazon this weekend.

[monet2u]

hateful of hollow by the smiths...I mean come on...How Soon Is Now, such a great song.

[Sybil]

The Who - Quadrophenia...DUH.

Sy "I CAN"T BELIEVE she has Tommy and Who's Next, but NOT Quadrophenia" bil

[mr_j]

the magnetic fields: everyone says 69 love songs, but, really, that's not stephin's best work. it's groundbreaking because it's three albums, but it was kind of designed to manipulate the media into selling a record and making stephin famous (which it did!) rumor has it that at a point Jeff Mangum had legitimately disappeared and that Merge paid for the initial 69 Love Songs pressing and promotion with Jeff's royalties because they were just sitting in the bank, unclaimed, but i digress. frankly, stephin merritt's music is best when succinct. if you must, i recommend buying volumes one and two, and avoiding most of volume three--it's clearly the lesser of the package. but his truly best work was Get Lost, which was released in 1995. it's one of the greatest breakup records i've ever heard. the two before it The Charm of the Highway Strip and Holiday, are equally as brilliant.

broadcast: their first album, work and non work, is killer. the rest...just didn't do much for me. got a little too Stereolab-esque.

stereolab: as much as i love Mars Audiac Quartet, I really recommend Refried Ectoplasm: Switched On, Volume 2: it's a singles collection of singles nobody except a few people ever heard, plus it's 2-cd's worth of total stereolabness and weirdness. it's fun!

siouxsie & the banshees: peeopshow, and i like juju and a kiss in the dreamhouse, but, really, both singles collections (once upon and twice upon a lifetime) are all you'll really need. they get a bit redundant; to me, and this is only my opinion, they haven't really aged well.

roxy music: avalon

bryan ferry: bete noir

folk implosion: dare to be surprised

sebadoh: bubble & scrape, harmacy--get those two, if you like, explore further. it can be a wild ride.

todd rundgren: something/anything. i also recommend Nazz Nazz. i also recommend Skylarking. it's the best Rundgren album he never made!

the who: quadrophenia! one of the best rock albums ever made, period.

[airboy paul]

I like Get Lost, but I have to disagree with you and go with (ugh!) popular opinion that 69 love songs is his best album. i'm not too sure which is my favourite/least favourite cd, as they all have great songs on, and a lot of variety too. It's a stunning album. I think it was a bit different in the UK, we only ever had the option of buying the 3 disc boxset (whereas in America you could buy them individually or as a more expensive boxset?)- and this was maybe slightly more expensive than a normal album, but now can be bought for under £10 here, which is just bargainous.

there's no question about the magnetic fields- you'd definitely need to get 69 love songs.

From Beulah:
"I heard he wrote you a love song. So what? Some guy wrote 69, and one just ain't enough."

I figured that was a musical or literary reference, but I didn't know where it was from (and never thought to research it) until now. Thanks Airboy!

- Mere "popular mechanics for broken hearts could help me now" 1975

Yup, I was already a fan of Magnetic Fields when I got that Beulah album, and was very excited to hear that lyric, especially on my favourite song of that album.

[James]

There are bands I have tried and didn't like, but that I know I will [probably] eventually like if I start with the right album. So, recommendations?

*The Smiths and/or Morrissey
*The Decemberists
*Frank Zappa
*Interpol (although I'm not sure I'll ever like them)
*Joy Division (I bought Still and Unknown Pleasures in highschool and the only song I liked was "ice age", so I sold them both, but haven't reslistened since)
*Blonde Redhead (I have Misery is a Butterfly and am sort of indifferent but don't dislike it)


And stuff I know I like but don't know what album to start with or what to get next:

*The Zombies
*Little Richard
*Magnetic Fields (I have "i")
*Broadcast
*Bryan Ferry
*Siouxie and the Banshees
*The Who (I have Tommy and Who's Next)
*Folk Implosion (have Take a Look Inside but haven't really listened)
*Iorn and Wine (have their newest album)
*Stereolab
*Sebadoh
*Sigur Ros (only have the new album)
*Syd Barrett
*Todd Rundgren

Plus most electronica and japanese noise music.

Thanks.

The Smiths - Meat Is Murder
Morrissey - Bona Drag
Frank Zappa - his stuff is all over the place...I'd start with "Strictly Commercial", or if you're dying to get an album, Apostrophe' or Overnight Sensation are the places to start
Interpol - meh
Joy Division - Closer
Blonde Redhead - Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons or 23

The Zombies - Odyssey and Oracle (one of the greatest albums ever)
Little Richard - Here's Little Richard
Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs, or the 6ths' Wasps Nest (the 6ths are also him)
Siouxsie And The Banshees - Hyaena
The Who - Live at Leeds
Iron and Wine - In The Reigns (w/ Calexico)
Stereolab - old sound: Peng, new sound: Cobra & Phases Group play "Voltage" In the Milky Night, but they have a lot of awesome stuff
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
Syd Barret - flip a coin: Madcap Laughs or Opel
Todd Rundgren - he produced XTC's "Skylarking" album, which is his true masterpiece...