Artists you once passionately loved but who now sort of annoy you

So here's the preroll. I curate my digital music collection aggressively. I cull stuff that just doesn't move me. I'm also not a completist. The goal is to always, no matter what track I play, experience music that moves me. I listen on shuffle a lot. It's like my own personal radio station. There's also an ebb and flow to curating my collection. Their are definite periods of acquisition, and other periods of culling and thinning the herd. Separating wheat from chaff.

I just culled Jean Luc Ponty's "Live." Man, what a colossal wank-fest. Hard to believe I could ever stand that shizzle. Hard to believe I put up with it when I first added it to my library last year. His prodigious skills are not in doubt. But it's just so much mindless wanking against two-chord grooves. In general a lot of that 70's fusion seems so pointless now. For me, only Weather Report transcends the almost universal vapidity of the times.

The other band that I almost dread appearing in my play list is the Grateful Dead. Once upon a time I found their music was magical, probably because it was incomprehensible to a certain degree. Now that I know how the illusion is pulled off (copious amounts of unpracticed apathy and a complete lack of accountability by their audience and fanbase), has ruined it for me. I can now tell mistakes from creativity; laziness from serendipity. The prospect of listening to a 15 min Playing In The Band or Dark Star now fills me with dread. I suspect that I will be culling more material from them.

I'm not suggesting my personal musical preferences scale at all beyond me. I'm genuinely happy for anyone who continues to enjoy music I don't.

I'm just curious... Has anyone else experienced similar feelings in their listening journey?

 

Yeh, the Dead is a bit like that for me now as well, I will admit. There are some things I can listen to, but most of the live noodling not

 

I don’t think I’ve ever had a complete about face on an artist or album, but there are days when an old favorite doesn’t cut it, but some time later the magic returns.

There may have been a kids record that I had that never pulled me back in.

 

'80s Judas Priest. I still like some of their stuff from this era, but a lot of it just sounds silly to me now.

 

I very, very rarely do that.

Why?

I've been known to... change my mind.

I used to not appreciate Leonard Cohen much at all.
I had some King Crimson on my shelf for YEARS before it clicked.
Same with the Dead - was eh - on most of the live, jammy stuff.

That's off the top of my head - but lo and behold, years roll on and now I love all of the above.
I could also include Miles Davis in that - had several CD for years and years and years before it clicked.

Now I listen to most of the above artists regularly.

I know not everyone has this experience but, for me, it's been very much well worth it not to get rid of much.

 

I was a huge Replacements fan for years, but I frankly find their music rather annoying now.

 

Justin Bieber...

 

Hooray

Today’s
“Things I Don’t Like” thread...

 

The Beatles

 

Pete Townshend.. Not just personally, but I can count all the songs I've liked of his and The Who on one hand since Keith Moon died. I also don't like the criticism he keeps laying on Keith. I think it's a way to say, "He wasn't responsible for our success" when I think he was a major reason why they were successful, and why the music was great - a driving force with amazing concepts from Pete, and one of the best vocalists with Roger, who could sing soft and hard, and one of the best bassists in John.

 

I go through phases, but these two (whom I used to enjoy immensely) have annoyed me for the past few years:

King Crimson
PiL

 

Ryan Adams

Seems to be getting worse with each album

 

Here's one for you but it's less about the music. My best friend is literally on his death bed after 3 years of stage 4 cancer. Our friendship began 22 years ago because of our mutual love for the early 80's band Altered Images, and vocalist Clare Grogan in particular. It's been a constant string through our friendship. For my friend's birthday this past May, I sent a message to Clare Grogan via her Facebook page. I gave her a brief summary of the situation and asked if she could possibly send my friend an email, as even the simplest message from her would give him such boost. But I also said if she's not comfortable with this, I completely understand. I got a response Clare wanted to send him an actual card in the mail, and they wanted his home address. I sent his address and said he would be so thrilled. This was back in June.

I was originally not going to mention it to my friend in case it never came, but he was having a very down day in early July so I mentioned it to him. He was so excited by it. But as his condition has continued to deteriorate, I asked his father if this card ever arrived. It has not. Not only is it disappointing that someone who played such a part in this very special friendship would take the situation of a terminal person and make a kind gesture, only never to follow through with it, but now my 30+ year love for the band and their music has to be tarnished by the situation. I've barely played anything by Altered Images in the past couple of months. I just keep thinking, who does she think she is, Lady Gaga or Madonna? Is she really that busy between her retro cruises and festivals playing the same 5 songs over and over to follow through with something she suggested? What a shame.

 

I was just thinking about this recently. Throughout high school and most of college, I was a passionate fan of Peter Gabriel's solo material, especially his third and fourth albums.

One night, though, I was sitting around with a couple of friends, listening to his third album ("Melt") and one friend said "It's kind of pompous, isn't it?" and that basically killed it for me. That was over thirty years ago, but I still almost never listen to that album or Security, or anything after that. The only PG albums I listen to regularly are the first two.

And ironically, I still love PG's tenure in Genesis, along with plenty of other prog rock that many people would consider "pompous", but there's something about the specific "flavor" of pomposity in PG's post-1980 output that just turns me off completely.

 

Tom Waits

Later years.

 

Controversial!

I thoroughly enjoyed Orphans and Blood Money. Not so much Real Gone or Bad as Me.

 

Hate to say it, but

Queens of the Stone Age.

Absolutely loved their first three albums, and the next two I very much enjoyed but not quite as much. Songs for the Deaf I think is my favorite album of the 2000 decade, and Rated R might be the second.

But their last two have been very disappointing, and I suppose that counts as annoying.

Theorizing why this happened is not something I've thought about a great deal, because it doesn't make the way the music has gone any better. Maybe Nick Oliveri's departure eventually took its toll. I also was very up on Them Crooked Vultures, but that did not work out as well as I had hoped. Like Clockwork is liked by many, but I cannot get into it. I thought about that, oh well, maybe it's just one album that didn't thrill me. But Villains put me over the edge. It didn't sound like anything special in terms of innovation, the production was problematic, guitar tech in particular, and it was overall something I never thought would happen with QOTSA - boring.

I have tried to go back to Like Clockwork a few times and give it another chance. Never works.

Given the history here, I think it unlikely that Josh Homme will go back to making music I love, so yeah, that is annoying.

 

I go in waves on my music. I’ve had albums that disappointed me initially and then years later I loved. I now rip everything I buy, whether I like it or not because we all change. I would never, ever delete anything. It’s not hurting me keeping it. One day I may connect with it.

 

Manic Street Preachers. Was obsessed with them for a few years. Now, two and a half albums (and the odd song on their other albums) aside, I find most of their music and lyrics too clumsy or heavy-handed to bear.

 

I dislike a lot of artists that I liked when I was 5. Damned if I can remember them though.

 

Red Hot Chili Peppers. I still like much of the older stuff, I just don’t like what they’ve become.

 

Cowboy Junkies- I got into them ten years ago and bought everything they released. Loved their earlier music. They went off on more of an electric, noisy sound with the Open album. I tired of their sound and sporadically listen to earlier albums but the latter albums after Open sit on my shelf collecting dust.

Neil Young- his political rants went over the edge for me and I've not listened to him in many a year which saddens me as I like some of his past music.

Genesis- just don't care anymore.

Beatles- listen to them once and a while but really I'm over it and could care less about the new remastered releases.

Most classic rock- I've heard most hundreds of times. Just tired of them and now most of my music listening is new artists.

 

Oh well, shizzle happens...

 

Rolling Stones.

In my youth, I had all their albums and 45s. Through the mid-70s, I could name each album, each songlist, and every word to every song -- in order without fail.

Now, I have none of their stuff, really no longer like to hear Mick's voice, just no longer "get it." Satisfaction does nothing for me, although at one time I would rush home from school to turn on the radio, in hopes of being able to pull in WABC and maybe hear a "triple play" of the song. Now, no -- just no. Mick Jagger singing "My Girl." Sheeeesh!

 

I agree with that sentiment... I never really considered Weather Report to be fusion, but I guess that the guys at Columbia figured it was a good marketing strategy...