Over the years, how I (we?) listen to music has changed enormously. I don't just mean in technology (vinyl/cassette -> CD -> digital -> 5.1 Surround?), but in terms of habit, of when/where I listen, and going from being a young fan with less than 10 albums to having shelf after shelf after shelf of CDs, from being limited by how many albums I can afford to being limited by how much time I have to listen to them all.
One of the things that struck me about this journey is how I used to want to get good albums. So, on a typical 5-star scale, I wanted 4* or 5* albums. But these days, I get albums that are fine, they're good, they're a solid 4*, and I soon stop listening to them. Instead, I find I go back again and again to a smaller pool of the real stand-outs.
And so I'd rather have an album with one great 5* song, even if the rest is lousy, even if the album overall is 3* or 2*, than an album that's consistently 4*. I crave finding those flashes of genius. An occasional diamond in the rough matters to me more than reliability and consistency. (In terms of music, at least!) Anyone else feel the same?
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