The Mars Volta

[infandous]

I only have the first two, and while I liked them well enough, I didn't feel interested in getting any more. I think at the time the third album came out I was so into sympho prog that I just didn't think I wanted to listen to new and experimental music like theirs (I'm only half kidding).

I will have to pull those albums out and give them another listen.

What I liked most, was at the time Francis the Mute was released I worked in a CD store (remember those?). I found it very encouraging that we sold out of that album the first day it was available (something like 300 copies, possibly more, I don't remember). This was in a small college town. People drove from nearby towns to get it as well. These were overwhelmingly young guys (pretty much all guys, from what I remember, so MV are obviously prog, lol), late teens to early 20's. Whether you like their music or not, you can't really say it's typical commercial fare, and I'm reasonably sure they never got radio play (though even in 2005 that wasn't really terribly important anymore). It just made me happy to see that and gave me hope that young people could appreciate more challenging music. I tired suggesting a number of prog bands that we had in stock, and a few of them obliged and picked up a handful of modern prog stuff (though not many, admittedly).

Anyway, I'm gong to break those albums out again as I haven't listened to them in many years. My tastes have broadened considerably since then, so I may like them more than I did (and I liked them well enough back then, just didn't love them).

[arturs]

What I liked most, was at the time Francis the Mute was released I worked in a CD store (remember those?). I found it very encouraging that we sold out of that album the first day it was available (something like 300 copies, possibly more, I don't remember). This was in a small college town. People drove from nearby towns to get it as well. These were overwhelmingly young guys (pretty much all guys, from what I remember, so MV are obviously prog, lol), late teens to early 20's.

Yes the MV craze was a wild phenomenon for a year or two. I'll add a story with a female component. I was killing some time at a Tower CD store when FTM came out and this bleach blond lady probably around 40-50 comes in wearing a bikini and coverup and starts bossing around the clerk.

"My daughter wants a CD. Help me find it!"
uhh, what is it called?
"I dunno. Mars. Well Mars something. Do you have it??"
I'm sorry, I'm not sure I...
"Wait! I'll call her... [on phone...] What? Mars? What? Volta? Volta what?"
By this time the clerk has moved on to help someone else so she finally shouts all the way across the store "MARS VOLTA! THAT'S WHAT SHE WANTS!" and everyone in the store stopped and stared for a few seconds.

First and only time I've ever heard someone give a loud shout-out to any prog band in a record store.