"Their early stuff put me off"

[trurl]

Glass Hammer.

[TheH]

Glass Hammer.

Unbearable stuff

[trurl]

They got better though

[yeselpkrimson]

Glass Hammer.

Unbearable stuff

[ThomasKDye]

Glass Hammer.

You'll laugh, but "On to Evermore" is still my favorite, still getting repeat listens. And I have five other albums since then.

[trurl]

Bbc.co

You'll laugh, but "On to Evermore" is still my favorite, still getting repeat listens. And I have five other albums since then.

Not at all, I think there's plenty of good moments there, and Perelandra too. There's bits I'd rethink though :-D

[Vic2012]

Glass Harp

[PeterG]

All that early R n B cover stuff & their own early sugary-sweet love song stuff plus over exposure on the radio for over 4 decades put me off The Beatles for the loooongest time, I bought my first Beatles album in the 90s (Rubber Soul) and I bought Revolver, Abbey Road, the white album, Let It Be and the No.1 singles compo (all within the last 10-15 years).

However, I only ever listen to Revolver and Abbey Road.

[the winter tree]

It took me a while to understand/get into the very early XTC. I still don't care for their first album very much but now like/love all the rest.

[JAMOOL]

Glass Hammer.

I agree that the first two GH albums aren't so great (and the second is definitely better than the first), but I will say they are at least entertaining. I've always loved that about Glass Hammer; they have their ups and downs but they put themselves out there so much that you can't dislike the bad spots - I don't think Middle Earth Album is great by any shake of the lamb's tail but I still commend them for doing it. I had a listen to On to Evermore again last week and I really really like that one - I remember thinking at first listen "this new female singer is incredible!!" (turns out that was Walter Moore??) - both "This Fading Age" and "Only Red" are great, especially the former - it gets lodged in my brain for weeks on end.

For me I would have to say Pet Shop Boys. Which is odd because their first two albums are great (again, the second is better than the first) but I didn't really get into them until I heard Behavior and Very (though to be honest the real turning point was that massive B-side collection Alternative". I don't know what was wrong with me!

[bob_32_116]

For me I would have to say Pet Shop Boys. Which is odd because their first two albums are great (again, the second is better than the first) but I didn't really get into them until I heard Behavior and Very (though to be honest the real turning point was that massive B-side collection Alternative". I don't know what was wrong with me!

The thing is, I think the Pet Shop Boys are patchy. Not that particular albums are patchy, but rather they will put out an excellent album followed by a dull or mediocre album, then another good one, etc.

I was blown away by "Yes" and play it quite a lot. When they released "Electric" I made sure to hear it, and found it a massive disappointment.
Now, it's quite possible that some listeners would have opposite impressions of those two albums, but my point is, I find it hard to imagine someone loving both.

[JAMOOL]

Now, it's quite possible that some listeners would have opposite impressions of those two albums, but my point is, I find it hard to imagine someone loving both.

Possible? That was the consensus, wasn't it?

[bob_32_116]

Possible? That was the consensus, wasn't it?

Was it?

Anyway, I don't care about any "consensus" (which in my experience is often more imagined than real). I am more interested in what you, I, and other forum members think.

[JAMOOL]

sadly I haven't heard either of those! but I remember a lot of people saying "Electric is so much better than Yes or Elysium was". opinions are always divided on them - I was kind of shocked to see so many people down on Bilingual, which was an incredible album front to back (I really dislike "Electricity" but otherwise it's very solid)

[bob_32_116]

sadly I haven't heard either of those! but I remember a lot of people saying "Electric is so much better than Yes or Elysium was". opinions are always divided on them - I was kind of shocked to see so many people down on Bilingual, which was an incredible album front to back (I really dislike "Electricity" but otherwise it's very solid)

"Electric" was very much a dance floor album, so people who like that sort of stuff - which the PSB have done a fair bit of in the past - would naturally prefer Electric. "Yes" and "Elysium" are both more like albums of songs that just happen to be based around synth, which is much more to my liking. I'd say the final song on "Yes" almost qualifies as progressive. It's certainly not your normal disco fare.

[Scrotum Scissor]

You'll laugh, but "On to Evermore" is still my favorite, still getting repeat listens.

Even though this ("3rd wave "symph") isn't my style of "prog" at all, I've got a handful of GH CDs - and On to Evermore is still my fave by far. Could be that it was my first one, and that I just came off a buying/listening binge which left me wholeheartedly unimpressed with most other such bands, but I think there's really much to commend about this album.

[spacefreak]

Beatles / Radiohead / U2

[klothos]

The thing is, I think the Pet Shop Boys are patchy. Not that particular albums are patchy, but rather they will put out an excellent album followed by a dull or mediocre album, then another good one, etc.

I find that the case for most synth-bands -- Depeche Mode's history is a smattering of good-bad-good-bad-etc......Pet Shop Boys for sure ......Erasure is hit-miss-hit-miss-ad nauseum.........OMD is another one (their last album, "English Electric", is FANTASTIC, by the way)

[cavgator]

ELP debut is great though, I wholly agree, I'm an old fan of them.. KC, ELP, and PF had made great first albums.

ELP's debut is stronger than ItCotCK because it has less filler. Cut Moonchild down to a two minute song and it would be flawless. But King Crimson's debut was the more important album. Many people forget that ELP was conceived fully formed as established musicians from successful (or influential) bands. Who knew of anyone on King Crisom prior to the band? How many here bought The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp before ItCotCk was released?

For me, I didn't care much for Yes until The Yes Album came out, and not full force until Fragile. the band that comes to mind for me, however, is Jethro Tull. A friend's older brother had this album from a band I never heard of called This Was. He put it on, and there was this blues thang going on with what sounded like a high-school level flautist. At that time, I didn't care for it at all. I liked Stand Up a bit better, and preferred Martin's guitar playing, but was still tainted by their debut. It wasn't until Benefit that I became hooked. At that point I re-listened to this Was and Stand Up with a different perspective and came to like them very much, and still do.

When they were released, Cream's album's didn't do much for me. Songs were too long, too bluesy, not rock enough. That changed as my tastes matured. Now they are legendary.

Rush is another band I didn't care for at first. Too much metal. My appreciation for Rush began with 2112 and Farewell to Kings.

Another thread that would be fun is which band's earlier material is preferred over their later stuff, but I have a feeling where THAT will head...

[Scrotum Scissor]

ELP's debut is stronger than ItCotCK because it has less filler. Cut Moonchild down to a two minute song and it would be flawless. But King Crimson's debut was the more important album.

Take away the free improv section of "Moonchild", and it's not the same record at all. "Prog fans" need to understand the ways and creeds of broader/other/wider expressions, and the craft of improvisation has traditionally been a token to both musicianship and imagination - implying that there's not more "objective valeur" to a six-chord "song" progression (that would be "Moonchild") than to nine and a half minutes of trying to find one's path ahead. Granted KC were far less interesting improvisors at this point than they would become later (and a head or two under the likes of Soft Machine), they were still entitled to venture there - even on a studio album, IMO.

I like the debut ELP, except for the bloody drum solo; now there's a kind of "prog exhibitionist" pseudo-improv that I could never stomach, no matter how technically able. Throwaway, for my money.

[Rufus]

Didn't rate Simple Minds, Human League & Heaven 17 until their third or fourth albums!!!

[mogrooves]

ELP's debut is stronger than ItCotCK because it has less filler. Cut Moonchild down to a two minute song and it would be flawless.

I've never considered "Moonchild" to be "filler" but "of a piece" with the overall aesthetic and "vibe" of the LP in toto, a complete musical statement.

ELP's debut, however, suffers from a gratuitous drum solo and Lake's acoustic guitar showcase ("Take A Pebble"), which veers inexplicably into the vapid precincts of country hoedownville. (The handclaps don't help!). And "Lucky Man" may not rise to the level of "filler" per se but I've always felt it to be superfluous. My fave of their albums, but not as strong as the epochal Court.

[yeselpkrimson]

[...] and Lake's acoustic guitar showcase ("Take A Pebble"), which veers inexplicably into the vapid precincts of country hoedownville. (The handclaps don't help!).

Not that this explains the "inexplicably," but Lake used a traditional folk song called "Old Blue" for that part of "Take A Pebble." He just left out the vocals on the studio version. (But yes, he left in the handclaps!)



Another cover from that same era, handclaps mandatory apparently:

[Watanabe]

I've never considered "Moonchild" to be "filler" but "of a piece" with the overall aesthetic and "vibe" of the LP in toto, a complete musical statement.

ELP's debut, however, suffers from a gratuitous drum solo and Lake's acoustic guitar showcase ("Take A Pebble"), which veers inexplicably into the vapid precincts of country hoedownville. (The handclaps don't help!). And "Lucky Man" may not rise to the level of "filler" per se but I've always felt it to be superfluous. My fave of their albums, but not as strong as the epochal Court.

Agree about Moonchild, but not take a pebble.Sure the random acoustic country bit in the middle was seriously ill-advised, but most of the track is a piano masterpiece from Emo, not a lake showcase.

[WytchCrypt]

And "Lucky Man" may not rise to the level of "filler" per se but I've always felt it to be superfluous.

Wow. I consider Lucky Man to be the most important song ELP ever recorded. Emo's Moog solo at the end was the first exposure most of the listening world got to what a synthesizer could do in a lead role. That solo was responsible for driving many more keyboardists than any other song to step forward from their piano's and organ's and find out what synthesizers could add to their music.