Artists you first misjudged but then later liked?

I agree about its length. Welcome back...was about to send a search party!

 

Two artists I misjudged were the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, both primarily because the voices of Springsteen and Joe Strummer grated on me. In addition, Springsteen seemed overly bombastic to me. Admittedly I needed several weeks to acclimatize to the Clash's sound, which seemed rough to me, especially their debut album, as I was "graduating" from the relatively smoother sound of Electric Light Orchestra and power-pop bands like the Records and Knack. I actually bought their debut and London Calling albums before hearing any of their contents on the basis of positive press alone. Once my musical palette broadened, I became avid fans of both artists.

One other band I misjudged was the Long Ryders, which I dismissed without even hearing one note of their music. The basis of my dismissal was rock critic Dave Marsh's castigation of them for their semi-infamous Miller beer television commercial. I immediately dismissed the band as poseurs. Consequently, I did not hear their music until almost 30 years later, which I deeply regret, as they are among my very favorite rock artists.

 

My worst misjudgement was Rush. The first album I bought by them was Caress of Steel. I liked Bastille Day and I Think I'm Going Bald, but not so much the rest of the album. Had I bought their 1st album I would have been an immediate fan. I kind of ignored them until around Permanent Waves and then realized what a huge mistake I'd made by not following them.

It also took me about 15 years to buy a Primus album. I avoided them due to the vocals. Now I really love them.

 

I had a similar reaction the first time I heard of Lenny Kravitz on my college radio station freshman year. DJ says "here's a song from a new artist who is also the husband of Lisa Bonet from the Cosby Show". I scoffed thinking "this ought to be good". Sarcastically of course. Well when "let Love Rule" came on, I was blown away. Amazing track, still to this day!

 

I now love Led Zeppelin, but I used to hate them because they were the band liked by kids in high school who drove muscle cars and beat me up.

 

In my mind as a younger man, Tom Waits was the inexplicable weirdo with the voice like rusty nails and the arrangements that sounded like cars colliding in junkyards.
Now I see him as a genius of songwriting and composing, and despite (because) of his vocals, I find him a tremendously moving singer.

My journey into more modern jazz has started in the last 10 years or so. I always liked the stompin' melodic music from Ragtime on through the 40es bands, but it took a long time to listen to Miles, even at his most mainstream. I didn't understand the chords, the decisions, and I didn't like what I heard. Now I find him enriching.

As for Steely Dan.....I have tried, seriously, again and again.....it still isn't "there" for me

 

I was also sceptical about Kravitz then. He did have quite a lot of hype preceding Let Love Rule. I remember the press frequently whipped out the clichéd 'Lennonesque' adjective to describe him. I was 16 then (in 1989) and in a Beatles/John Lennon phase (thanks to the Imagine documentary), so I sort of scoffed at that idea. But yeah, then I listened to the album... and I liked it, a lot (more then than I do today). But "Let Love Rule"... that was, and still is, a brilliant song (which does sort of have Lennonesque qualities). "It Ain't Over Till It's Over" from Mama Said is also a stellar track. Lenny didn't live up to the hype at all, but Let Love Rule and Mama Said definitely had a lot of potential that he never fulfilled.

 

Madonna

 

The Doors: Boy, was I wrong about them! They've been my favorite 60's band for the last 15 years.

 

A whole genre! Jazz! When I was a young man I thought jazz nothing more than formless abstract noodling aimed at middle-class yuppies.

.... Wrong!

 

Growing up in the 80's, Led Zeppelin was the antithesis of Pink Floyd for me and only stood for mindless cock rock good for playing drinking games where you drink upon hearing the word "baby"... Yet I never played because I thought they sucked so bad! While I don't love them, I really enjoy listening to the records I own and dig Robert Plant's solo albums.

Another would be Deniece Williams. How on EARTH could I have predicted when I saw Footloose in the movie theatre that the singer to that gawd awful "boy" song would be the largest representative in my R&B vinyl... even beating out Roberta Flack?! I am sooooo glad tastes change over time and biases often disappear.

 

Another vote for Gaga.

I was always a fan of HER. I'm a sucker for people who make the conscious decision to be completely ludicrous in public, and if there's a better example than her in the last 20 years, I don't know who it would be. The first time she caught my attention, I looked up one of her videos (Telephone maybe) and made it about 15 seconds in. Meh. Still liked her, though.

Recently, I saw a photo of her wearing a Les Rallisez Dénudes shirt. Interest somewhat reignited. Then I saw this, which made me laugh so hard that I couldn't breathe.



Decided to give her another shot. Fortunately, I picked up Artpop. Radio pop is WAY outside my comfort zone, but the opening track (Aura) is noisy, ugly, and confusing. After that I was hooked.

It's a shame that Gabriel and Gaga weren't doing this kind of thing at the same time.

 

I didn't like the Rolling Stones at all at first. I thought they sounded dumb.

 

Stone Temple Pilots

 

They are in my Top 5 also-and I didn't get them when I first saw them live.

 

Jack Jones-in the 60s I thought (a) that he was a square and (b) that he couldn't sing. I now prefer him to Sinatra, Bennett, etc.

 

Spoon
Gomez
Neil Young
Neutral Milk Hotel

 

How can you put Steely Dan and country music in the same sentence??

 

Seriously. Country music has Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams...

 

Black Keys had been around a bit and popular but I never bought in that is until the Brothers album.

 

Genesis. Was first exposed to the 80s music and while I liked some of it they never became a favorite. Then I heard Foxtrot and was blown away. Now I love all the Steve Hackett era stuff.

 

Same here, I didn't think much of them until I realized they're one of the few blues rock bands still around.

 

Bowie - In 72/73 I judged him as a teenybop artist for the girls (though I loved Jean Genie). Then I heard "Moonage Daydream"
TRex - Hated Bolan in the 70s and saw him as even more of a teengirl artist. Became a fan in the late 80s.
Pink Floyd - Bored me death in the 70s. Again, I got into them in the late 80s.
Grateful Dead - A silly hippy band I thought. Then a friend made me an introductory cassette and I was IN.

 

Facelift, right? Awesome

 

Oasis for me.