Bands you don't get that everyone else seems to like

[aerius]

Mahler. I've heard so many great things about his symphonies and how they're suppose to epitomize the human experience or something, and bring you to tears. I borrowed a couple of Mahler CD's from the library and spent the next couple hours being bored to tears. I can't figure out what's so great about his music.

Ani DiFranco. Don't get her music. It just doesn't work.

Bjork. See above. I still don't get it.

Dream Theater. The music has no soul, yeah it's technical yada yada yada, but it doesn't connect at all.

Pink Floyd's DSOTM album. If I hear it again in the next year or so I'm going to puke.

[tiberian]

white stripes.

[deepak]

Dream Theater and DragonForce super corny crap with terrible singers. Pretty much all death/black metal is cheesy as hell too. Prog metal and snorefest guitar wanking too. Anything Phil Collins era Genesis, he killed one great prog band

I enjoy listening to Radiohead, but I don't see them as this revolutionary, super inventive band anymore.

I like Opeth because I love good concept albums, and most of their albums tell a good story. I'm not as big a fan of Ghost Reveries as most people.

[deepak]

Scott Walker

Scott Walker is amazing

[fierce_freak]

Oh man, looks like a forgot a few. I don't get the Rolling Stones or Grateful Dead or Massive Attack or Flaming Lips or Radiohead, either. There are some others mentioned here that I've never even heard (like Phish or Portishead or Scott Walker).

I'm one of those people who likes Opeth and Dream Theater a lot. I suspect one of the differences is that I don't take the lead singer seriously in either case, and am listening to the rest of the band, while you are having a hard time getting over the lead singer. To the point where I'm used to both of them by now, and, like Robert Smith, can't imagine anyone else singing their songs.

x2 on this. I got into metal and hardcore and prog because the actual music, for me, is worlds better than most stuff out. The vocals are generally an acquired taste, and now that I've acquired it I couldn't imagine anything different.

Wilco -- just boring, from what I've heard.

Blasphemy! Ok, I can understand why some people don't get it. It took me a while to get it, but once I did, I was glad I took the time.

[ojnihs]

Scott Walker is amazing

[Dusty Chalk]

Beggars Banquet? Sticky Fingers? Let it Bleed? Exile on Main Street? I'm aghast!

Well, you knew this was going to happen didn't you? You start a thread like this, someone you like is bound to get listed.

I'm with grawk on the Beatles and for the same reason, not because they're bad, but just because I've heard all the Beatles in my life that I will ever need to hear.

Oh, and I don't think I've heard those albums in their entirety -- I mostly only know the Stones from the radio. I'll see if I can track them down (but knowing they're available on SACD makes me not want to settle for anything less, and I'm not sure I want to pay Japanese import prices without hearing them first).

[philodox]

Scott Walker is amazing

I'm with you if you mean amazingly cheesy and overrated.

I don't get the Rolling Stones or Grateful Dead or Massive Attack or Flaming Lips or Radiohead, either.

Man, I'm losing a lot of friends today. I thought you were digging Massive Attack at the recent meet?

[ojnihs]

I'm with you if you mean amazingly cheesy and overrated.

nice! philodox ftw!

[deepak]

I'm with you if you mean amazingly cheesy and overrated.

I recall you had one of his compilation box sets (60s work), have you heard his more recent stuff?

The Drift is one of the best albums in the last 20 years

But I like his 60s/70s stuff too, but it's just so different from Climate of Hunter, Tilt and The Drift.

[n_maher]

The Drift is one of the best albums in the last 20 years

Ok, I've never heard any of Walker's stuff so I'll give this a listen after lunch. We'll see which camp I fall into.

And, Jay, I haven't heard enough of Massive Attack to pass final judgment but I also wasn't so impressed with Mezzanine that I raced off to get the rest of their collection. If you'd like to give a recommendation of what to listen to next I'm all ears.

[deepak]

Ok, I've never heard any of Walker's stuff so I'll give this a listen after lunch. We'll see which camp I fall into.

And, Jay, I haven't heard enough of Massive Attack to pass final judgment but I also wasn't so impressed with Mezzanine that I raced off to get the rest of their collection. If you'd like to give a recommendation of what to listen to next I'm all ears.

Listen at night with all the lights off

I recommend the HD650, I believe postjack feels the same way.

As far as Massive Attack, Mezzanine is the only album I can really get into by them (but I understand why people like their other stuff).

[ojnihs]

And, Jay, I haven't heard enough of Massive Attack to pass final judgment but I also wasn't so impressed with Mezzanine that I raced off to get the rest of their collection. If you'd like to give a recommendation of what to listen to next I'm all ears.

I'm a big fan of Protection and Blue Lines

[deepak]

I normally don't care for Pitchfork, but I feel the reviewer nailed The Drift in this review. Much better than I could have put it.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/23262-the-drift

There is a lot of stuff I listen to that I'd never recommend to people unless I really knew their taste in music (experimental, avant-garde, free jazz, improv, etc) but I really feel that The Drift is something that I'd tell any of my friends to try and hear at least once regardless of where their taste in music lies

[boomana]

Thanks for moving this, Grawk. I actually thought I posted this in music, but I should probably stop midnight posting altogether.

How about all the jazz fusion that really started kicking in the 70-80s and has become boring has hell ever since. Live. Yes! Recorded? Wankfests for the most part. Damn good musicians giving me the yawns.

[bhd812]

Diana Krall. I understand she has a great voice but to me she sounds like a man..i just can not get into her music at all. I tried many of times but the Testosterone levels coming in the mic is to much...

I like a variety of different voices seriously but not Dan Krall...i mean Diana

[philodox]

I recall you had one of his compilation box sets (60s work), have you heard his more recent stuff?

You recall correctly, however, I don't think that defense is completely bulletproof. I will definately pick up the drift if I see it used, but no way am I paying full price after the introduction I've received.

Nate - I do like Mezzanine, but I prefer their earlier stuff, Blue Lines in particular.

[itsborken]

...Oh, and I don't think I've heard those albums in their entirety -- I mostly only know the Stones from the radio. I'll see if I can track them down (but knowing they're available on SACD makes me not want to settle for anything less, and I'm not sure I want to pay Japanese import prices without hearing them first).

Yeah I'd like to know that too. If the SACD eliminates the poor recording of the guitar intro and horns in Brown Sugar for instance I'd definitely pick them up. If its a minor improvement but still scratchy-annoying I'll probably pass.

As a side note, the first time I picked up a copy of Sticky Fingers and played it I thought I somehow trashed my stylus.

[fierce_freak]

Man, I'm losing a lot of friends today. I thought you were digging Massive Attack at the recent meet?

Yeah, there was that one track that I was liking (the one where you thought there was a sound everyone heard but was just in headphones. the killer bass track was cool just because of the huuuuuge bass)...it's just every other time I've listened to Massive Attack I just don't really get what's special about them.

How about all the jazz fusion that really started kicking in the 70-80s and has become boring has hell ever since. Live. Yes! Recorded? Wankfests for the most part. Damn good musicians giving me the yawns.

I'm certainly far from an expert on Jazz, but fusion is one of the few sub-genres of it that I remotely like...Dave Weckl being my favorite from what I've heard.

Diana Krall. I understand she has a great voice but to me she sounds like a man..i just can not get into her music at all. I tried many of times but the Testosterone levels coming in the mic is to much...

I like a variety of different voices seriously but not Dan Krall...i mean Diana

lol, x2

[Dusty Chalk]

How about all the jazz fusion that really started kicking in the 70-80s and has become boring has hell ever since. Live. Yes! Recorded? Wankfests for the most part. Damn good musicians giving me the yawns.

Can you be specific? You're treading right on the line of "I agree with you completely" and

For example, Romantic Warrior by Return to Forever is one of my favourite albums of all time, mostly because of its lyricism and melodicism, but I agree that a lot of recent mainstream jazz is basically elevator music played by really good musicians. Case in point, a lot of Miles Davis' post-1980 output.

[postjack]

Listen at night with all the lights off

I recommend the HD650, I believe postjack feels the same way.

Yes, the HD650 is superb with "The Drift", mainly because instrument placement and imaging isn't so important, while a deep, dark, scary sound is.

Band I haven't heard mentioned yet:

Modest Mouse - Don't get it, don't care. Every single one of my friends likes Modest Mouse. I just think its dumb, and I don't like Isaac Brock.

Bands I concur with:

Rolling Stones - Overrated. I've always seen it as bad blues pop/rock. I mean the songs aren't even that good. And the fact that they still are together today makes it worse.

Diana Krall (and all her ilk, past and present) - I DON'T LAHK SINGIN IN MAH JAZZ. If you sing its not jazz, its pop music. This is all well and good BUT ITS NOT FUCKING JAZZ. imo.

Bands I agree with Grawk on: Dead & Phish. I never try to convince anybody these bands are good. Its just a thing. And for the record I never saw the Dead live. And if you don't currently like either of these bands (or Panic, who I usually put just a wee notch above Phish) then good for you, because its time consuming as hell listening to their music. You could listen to several '65-'67 blue note jazz albums in the time it takes to listen to one show.

Bands I like a lot who others don't (in this thread): Ryan Adams. I urge people to listen to Heartbreaker, Cold Roses, and Jacksonville City Nights in their entirety before making any judgment calls. If you don't like him then, you are off the hook. He is a true master of song writing and vocals, and as a bonus his albums are recorded in a fashion super pleasing to this audiophile's ear.

[JBLoudG20]

Notorious B.I.G. If that fat bastard would get have gotten on a treadmill, he wouldn't sound so out of breath from just rapping.

[philodox]

Have you heard his Ugly Casanova album Post? I don't mind Modest Mouse, but Ugly Casanova was really great.

Jay - Biggie wouldn't be biggie if he followed your advice. Don't hate on him just cuz he's a big boy.

[Dusty Chalk]

Modest Mouse - Don't get it, don't care. Every single one of my friends likes Modest Mouse.

Good one -- I don't get them either.

And for the record I never saw the Dead live.

So you like them for the music. (to everyone else) See? It is possible to like them without "experiencing the experience".

[postjack]

Notorious B.I.G. If that fat bastard would get have gotten on a treadmill, he wouldn't sound so out of breath from just rapping.

BLASPHEMY!

I preferred 2pac in my naive youth, but with the experience my advanced years have brought me, I now fully understand the greatness that is C. Wallace. And if you wasn't fat he wouldn't be Biggie now would he?