Discovering a Large Discography

[Birds in Hell]

Then I stopped liking music in any kind of serious way a few years ago and stopped.

I can't get my head around this.

[E.H. Ruddock]

May I suggest to any of you looking for a large discography to get into to try the Talking Heads? You will be pleasantly surprised.

[LoathedVermin72]

Then I stopped liking music in any kind of serious way a few years ago and stopped.

I can't get my head around this.

This doesn't surprise me, as someone who loves The Force Awakens as much as dime does clearly lost his soul a while ago.

[Kevin Davis]

I prefer to jump around haphazardly based on what seems interesting.

Taking a chronological approach feels a little too scholarly.

Haphazard jumping is the way for me. I've never done the chronological thing, save for artists whose catalogs I've followed in real time.

[E.H. Ruddock]

I prefer to jump around haphazardly based on what seems interesting.

Taking a chronological approach feels a little too scholarly.

Haphazard jumping is the way for me. I've never done the chronological thing, save for artists whose catalogs I've followed in real time.

Imagine in 20 years on some One Direction spinoff message board when someone decides to haphazardly jump into the Pearl Jam catalog and they are able to post how pleasantly surprised they are when they randomly listened to Backspacer first, but then found Vs..

[dimejinky99]

Then I stopped liking music in any kind of serious way a few years ago and stopped.

I can't get my head around this.

Just when I was younger I'd buy everything Q & NME would rave about as the best new thing. You get older and realise everything is only a flavour of month and being pushed by big labels and you have to go deeper to find good stuff that would last. And bands that would at least be consistent and interesting and creative.

Once or twice a year I'll get excited about a band (frightened rabbit this year) but overall I don't love or have anything like the voracious appetite I used to. Even with regards learning about the greats and exploring their catalogues.


Jus lost interest.

[Kevin Davis]

I prefer to jump around haphazardly based on what seems interesting.

Taking a chronological approach feels a little too scholarly.

Haphazard jumping is the way for me. I've never done the chronological thing, save for artists whose catalogs I've followed in real time.

Imagine in 20 years on some One Direction spinoff message board when someone decides to haphazardly jump into the Pearl Jam catalog and they are able to post how pleasantly surprised they are when they randomly listened to Backspacer first, but then found Vs..

.

If it's a One Direction board it'll probably be the other way around.

[Strat]

I think the first Neil YOung album i LOVED was Greendale when it came out. I knew all the hits by heart but never really dug into his full career due to the overwhelming nature of his production. I randomly bought the cd at Best Buy along with the Rehearsal Dvd that came with it. I couldnt believe my ears. I loved it. I think i then bought the greatest hits, revisited Ragged Glory, then the classics. Jumped around listening to all of it over the next few years before finally starting from Album 1 and going all the way through.

Neil

[epilogue]

Rank the large discographies you've discovered.

[Kevin Davis]

Define large and also define what it means to have discovered it -- am I simply aware that it exists? or do I know every nook and cranny of it? or what level of awareness in between are we talking about here?

Also, "Greendale" is pretty cool.

[dimejinky99]

Engaging with a large discography is probably a better term.


We all know Neil Young has a huge discography. No way are we going to explore it all but we're aware of it.

[bune]

Really? My first Neil album was Mirror Ball for obvious reasons. I knew of Neil, sure, but I didn't know any of his songs so it surprised me to hear his reedy voice the first time. I bought Broken Arrow next and that was probably one of the worst ones to jump into. Granted I was a poor college student and there was little to no pirating in 1996 so it was hard for me to go big into the discography and I didn't get anything else for years.

I bought the Harvest DVD-Audio and it was mind-bending how good it was. I then bought Greendale and it was OK. Bought the Greatest Hits in 2004 and it was decidedly awesome. Then I got Prairie Wind and it wasn't. I didn't buy anything else for years, just listened to the Greatest Hits and Harvest. Somehow/sometime I got a copy of Decade though I really don't remember if it was via purchase or gift. That introduced me to Buffalo Springfield and CSNY, though I didn't get into them until very recently.

The final waning days of Columbia House I grabbed as much of his stuff as I could and I listened to it but didn't appreciate it for some reason. I mean, look at this list: Neil Young, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, After the Gold Rush, Harvest, On the Beach, Zuma, Old Ways, and Harvest Moon. Fucking awesome bunch of albums, right? I had them all pegged in iTunes as 3-star albums. They were 'eh' for some reason. But I held on to the albums because I knew they were important, whatever that means.

And then this Spring a guy was selling the Archives box set and I got it for $40. It was the Blu-Ray version too so I got to listen to the whole thing in high-res audio and it all blew me away. I don't mean the fidelity either, it was the music and the lyrics. After bumping that whole collection for about two weeks I went back to the albums on my ipod and I was beside myself looking at the ratings. Every album was somehow better now and I was hearing things and wondering what the hell my past self was thinking with some of the songs. I mean, off hand look at Birds. Jesus, what a song.

This is a discography you almost have to go through randomly because of how random he is anyway musically. You could pick up something like Harvest and then Trans and then Old Ways and just wonder what the hell is going on.

Also you could create a decent-sized discography just out of shelved Neil Young albums. What the hell. I hope when he passes someone goes to his vault like they did with Prince and just releases everything.

[Kevin Davis]

Engaging with a large discography is probably a better term.


We all know Neil Young has a huge discography. No way are we going to explore it all but we're aware of it.

I get the impression that there are multiple people here who've explored it all, myself included.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Not a ranking, a suggestion for listening when "discovering". Then, enjoy the hell out of the live stuff because it is wonderful:

1. Little Creatures
2. More Songs About Buildings and Food
3. Speaking in Tongues
4. Talking Heads '77
5. Remain in Light
6. Naked
7. Fear of Music
8. True Stories

[epilogue]

Not a ranking, a suggestion for listening when "discovering". Then, enjoy the hell out of the live stuff because it is wonderful:

1. Little Creatures
2. More Songs About Buildings and Food
3. Speaking in Tongues
4. Talking Heads '77
5. Remain in Light
6. Naked
7. Fear of Music
8. True Stories

I own and adore More Songs About Buildings and Food, Talking Heads '77, and True Stories.

Which one should I get next?

[Kevin Davis]

I like "Fear of Music" and "Remain In Light" best.

[epilogue]

I like "Fear of Music" and "Remain In Light" best.

PICK ONE FOR ME DAVIS

[tragabigzanda]

[epilogue]

Rank the large discographies you've discovered.

Discovering the first five JJ Cale albums changed my life.

Someday I'll get into JJ Cale. Someday.

[epilogue]

To this day my greatest experience in discovering an artist's discography was Tom Waits. That was one that changed my life.

And I did not do that totally chronologically.