Inexplicable music blind spots

[badge]

For about 30 odd years, I've tried to like Siouxsie and The Banshees. On paper, it was a perfect match. Had spotify have been around back then, as a Sisters/ Velvets/ Iggy/ Bowie/ Furs/ Roxy/ Neph/ Ants etc. fan, they would constantly on the recommended list...
But I could never get through an album. Singles - some absolutely peachy singles yes, but a whole lp... no. Then, I thought maybe they are a singles band so got a compilation album but again, no.
I'd no issue with the aesthetics or attitude which can absolutely be a stumbling block with other bands.
In the last couple of months, I tried again - via Spotify and yeah, I was getting better... in that I was listening to other singles!
Finally today, I took the plunge and bought Ju-ju and Tinderbox which I'm listening to and loving right now.

It is one of those quirks of personal taste that I find fascinating. Like the way your taste buds mature and you find yourself suddenly able to appreciate things that previously turned your stomach! I love with music how personal taste, against all signs to the contrary, stops it living in the expected box/genre/algorithm. Somethings, sometimes, simply does not compute.

Anyone any blindspots to share? Bands you probably 'should' love but there is just something there that you just don't get... or ones that finally, years later, suddenly clicked?

[badge]

I'm on to Ju-ju now... What the hell was wrong with me!?

[Pista]

The Danse Society was one for me. I really didn't pay them any attention for a long time & then, at a party in the late 80s sometime, someone put on Heaven Is Waiting & I thought, "How have I missed out on this absolute gem of a record?"
One day I might have an epiphany over Nick Cave or one of James Ray's projects. Until that day they can stay firmly lodged in my blindspot.
That's not to say the music's bad. I don't think there is such a thing as good or bad music generally. There's music you either like or you don't like.

[eastmidswhizzkid]

I'm on to Ju-ju now... What the hell was wrong with me!?

thats the best 2 studio albums they recorded in my opinion. Tinderbox is so under-rated despiter having 2 of their goff-hey-day hits on it.
you NEED Nocturne really: the Live At Royal Albert Hall double-album (also vhs video) with fat bob on gittar back when he wasnt fat. All the live versions are better than their corresponding studio version apart from dear prudence which is s**t anyway. and you get 3 mins of Stravinsky's Rites Of Spring at the start for free.

[Icon]

For about 30 odd years, I've tried to like Siouxsie and The Banshees. On paper, it was a perfect match. Had spotify have been around back then, as a Sisters/ Velvets/ Iggy/ Bowie/ Furs/ Roxy/ Neph/ Ants etc. fan, they would constantly on the recommended list...
But I could never get through an album. Singles - some absolutely peachy singles yes, but a whole lp... no. Then, I thought maybe they are a singles band so got a compilation album but again, no.
I'd no issue with the aesthetics or attitude which can absolutely be a stumbling block with other bands.
In the last couple of months, I tried again - via Spotify and yeah, I was getting better... in that I was listening to other singles!
Finally today, I took the plunge and bought Ju-ju and Tinderbox which I'm listening to and loving right now.

It is one of those quirks of personal taste that I find fascinating. Like the way your taste buds mature and you find yourself suddenly able to appreciate things that previously turned your stomach! I love with music how personal taste, against all signs to the contrary, stops it living in the expected box/genre/algorithm. Somethings, sometimes, simply does not compute.

Anyone any blindspots to share? Bands you probably 'should' love but there is just something there that you just don't get... or ones that finally, years later, suddenly clicked?

Funny these things happen to other people too!

I always loved Siouxsie, every album, even most of the Creatures stuff. My favourite Siouxsie album is Hyena .
With me it‘s Joy Division though. I can‘t stand the voice of Ian Curtis. And it took me a long time to sort of like the songs as such.
I don‘t bother trying to like them anymore after 35 years. I accept they’re not really for me.

[eastmidswhizzkid]

persomnally for me its the Carpenters. for years i despised the overly sacchharine vocals (ironic for someone constantly throwing up) and unintelligible 2 year old style lyrics . for very sha-la-la-la-la & every woe-oh-oh-oh i'd have happily force -fed the dumb cunts with formaldehyde just to see someone elses horror at their own horror preserved SILENTLY forever.. and i still feel that way now i have boxes of their vinyl that i would long ago have snapped into bits for impromptu plectrums but they was mums. if anyone wants them mesage me. glad shes dead to be honest.

what do you meran ive misunderstood the thread?
have i?
oh forget it then....

[elamanamou]

I'm on to Ju-ju now... What the hell was wrong with me!?

thats the best 2 studio albums they recorded in my opinion. Tinderbox is so under-rated despiter having 2 of their goff-hey-day hits on it.
you NEED Nocturne really: the Live At Royal Albert Hall double-album (also vhs video) with fat bob on gittar back when he wasnt fat. All the live versions are better than their corresponding studio version apart from dear prudence which is s**t anyway. and you get 3 mins of Stravinsky's Rites Of Spring at the start for free.

@eastmidswhizzkid Nocturne
is what got me into the Banshees and the great VHS recording!

[eastmidswhizzkid]

I'm on to Ju-ju now... What the hell was wrong with me!?

thats the best 2 studio albums they recorded in my opinion. Tinderbox is so under-rated despiter having 2 of their goff-hey-day hits on it.
you NEED Nocturne really: the Live At Royal Albert Hall double-album (also vhs video) with fat bob on gittar back when he wasnt fat. All the live versions are better than their corresponding studio version apart from dear prudence which is s**t anyway. and you get 3 mins of Stravinsky's Rites Of Spring at the start for free.

@eastmidswhizzkid Nocturne
is what got me into the Banshees and the great VHS recording!

which is a must as well as the 2lp live album as its different

[mh]

I'm a huge fan of the first 2 Siouxsie albums. Yes, even Join Hands - I see the Lords Prayer as not being wildly different to what the Sisters would later do with their Sister Ray/Louie Louie/Ghostrider medleys. The rest of them I find more of a mixed bag, but with more good than weak.

Tool are probably my own ultimate blindspot band. They've just never done it for me, and leave me cold, puzzled and disinterested.

[GC]

My list of blind spots -

Neil Young - tried my best but his voice annoys the s**t out of me.
Siouxie - failed.
Motorhead - only like Ace of Spades - and believe me I have really tried.
Bauhaus - but strangely I like Peter Murphy's solo work.
Ramones - a bit childish and pfff
David Bowie - does nothing for me

I love these threads by the way

[Swinnow]

My big blind spot is jazz, I just can't stand it, in any form. Guess I'm strictly rhythm.

[Dust Witch]

New Model Army for me. I definitely don't dislike them, I've just never thought to seek out more than what I've heard.

[Swinnow]

New Model Army for me. I definitely don't dislike them, I've just never thought to seek out more than what I've heard.

"Good. Out of the door. Line on the left. One cross each. Next. Crucifixion?"

[abridged]

Never really took to the Banshees for some reason and apart from Bauhaus singles they were the musical equivalent of anaesthetic. Most post Sisters/Nephs goth bands were terrible. And the biggest one of all, apart from a few singles Bowie was really really awful. I'll get me coat.

[Silver_Owl]

The Mish for me. Love The Banshees - mainly the John McGeogh era.

[timsinister]

New Model Army for me. I definitely don't dislike them, I've just never thought to seek out more than what I've heard.

"Good. Out of the door. Line on the left. One cross each. Next. Crucifixion?"

Well if we're airing our dirty laundry, I must admit I've drifted away from New Model Army as I've aged. Used to hammer the tunes, nowadays they don't turn up on any of my playlists. Just got rusty I guess.

Conversely it took me an embarrassingly long time to get into The Cure. I loved almost all of the self-titled 2004 album, but it's only in the last few years I've taken to the Big Three 'goth' albums. Still can't stand the poppy stuff though!

[abridged]

New Model Army for me. I definitely don't dislike them, I've just never thought to seek out more than what I've heard.

"Good. Out of the door. Line on the left. One cross each. Next. Crucifixion?"

Well if we're airing our dirty laundry, I must admit I've drifted away from New Model Army as I've aged. Used to hammer the tunes, nowadays they don't turn up on any of my playlists. Just got rusty I guess.

Conversely it took me an embarrassingly long time to get into The Cure. I loved almost all of the self-titled 2004 album, but it's only in the last few years I've taken to the Big Three 'goth' albums. Still can't stand the poppy stuff though!

I must admit I've only ever liked the more cheerful Cure songs and a couple of the 'pop' albums, The Top and the Head on the Door. The gothy ones bore me I have to say. The young me really wanted to like them of course!

[badge]

Wow, I didn't even want to open a Cure can of worms but eh, yeah, they never did it for me either. I watched The Cure in Orange back in the day on telly and loved A Forest but beyond that, I couldn't get him and the alt world back then was either Smiths clones or Cure-heads.

It's funny thinking back, I went through the then canon as was passed down so The Banshees, The Cure, Bauhaus and others like the Alien Sex Gang Children, The m*****n but none of them rocked quite like The Sisters so it was all very anti-climactic. Subjective taste is such a funny thing...

[mh]

REM.

I can't stand Stipe's voice, whereas musically they always seemed very generic and derivative to me. When they took that weird turn to populism with the Out Of Time LP it was a dark era, where at times it seemed you couldn't open a music paper without being bombarded by fawning over what was a very below-average band. Q, I would have expected it from, but Melody Maker? A very strange one.

[eastmidswhizzkid]

ok: the Cure for me were magnificent when they were GOTH. & just before ,& just after. Three Imaginary Boys (boys dont cry import) is proto-post-punk excellece but 17 seconds Faith & Pornography are totally world beating.

Bore-haus are artwank tossers but did about (goes off to count) 11ish good songs. (FYI these are the 6 songs on the 81-83 ep with the lp spirit being better than the single. In the flat field, dark entries , stigmata matyr, terror couple kill colonel, ok 10 songs.

thats more than Joyless Divs who did 24 hours, shes lost control, walk away, transmission, love will tear us apart & thats it -IM (not so)HO.

Nephs took me a while to appreciate them beyond blind cheek but if you get rid of the crap off the CD and have the vinyl tracklist for Dawnrazor with Power, Preacherman & Laura thats ok. and the second album is boss. Nods is a fabulous drummer. McCoys a bellend.

i dont like rose of avalanche or salvation. but The Lorries are near Gods.

[Planet Dave]

REM.

I can't stand Stipe's voice, whereas musically they always seemed very generic and derivative to me. When they took that weird turn to populism with the Out Of Time LP it was a dark era, where at times it seemed you couldn't open a music paper without being bombarded by fawning over what was a very below-average band. Q, I would have expected it from, but Melody Maker? A very strange one.

Aren't ears brilliant! REM are superb

Most of the bands mentioned so far have held my attention for at least 5 minutes (or approx 1 to 2 albums), but for no good reason besides musical blind spottery I've never given the remotest fk about Iron Maiden, regardless of holding absolute regard for at least 2 of their songs.

[eastmidswhizzkid]

REM.

I can't stand Stipe's voice, whereas musically they always seemed very generic and derivative to me. When they took that weird turn to populism with the Out Of Time LP it was a dark era, where at times it seemed you couldn't open a music paper without being bombarded by fawning over what was a very below-average band. Q, I would have expected it from, but Melody Maker? A very strange one.

Aren't ears brilliant! REM are superb

Most of the bands mentioned so far have held my attention for at least 5 minutes (or approx 1 to 2 albums), but for no good reason besides musical blind spottery I've never given the remotest fk about Iron Maiden, regardless of holding absolute regard for at least 2 of their songs.

iron maiden is the number of the beast album and thats it. oh and where eagles dare & trooper off of piece of mind. IMHO

[mh]

First 2 Iron Maiden LPs are superb. Punk/street metal with a rough edge. When they went down the progressive metal rabbit hole with Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son was also awesome. Everything else I can give or take, although I'll grant that most of the other classic era LPs have good tracks.

Plus they were in the best Bill & Ted joke, so that has to count for something.

And the classic Daley Thompson Lucozade advert.

[iesus]

i agree to @mh iron maiden were pretty good up to 7th son of a 7th son and the albums mentioned (notb and pom) by @eastmidswhizzkid their top moments.
Even though i don't like it particular, don't forget that wrote for them ToL...ehm i mean Fear of the dark

[alanm]

Queen. Radiohead. Pearl Jam. Bowie. I could go on.