Starting with the best

[DynamiteKid]

In the recommendations threads, both the general ones and the previous artist-specific ones, we've seen various different methods of recommending where to start on an artist's discography.

But which do you consider to be the best way?

- Do you start at the beginning with the first album, starting where the musician started? The disadvantage here is many artists don't hit their stride for a while into their careers and so the first album may be a turn off.
- Do you start with their best album? The disadvantage here being that it's all downhill after the best...
- Do you start with their worst album and work upwards? Obviously here since you start with the worst you end up with something crap that may put you off...

What do you think is the best starting point for an artist with an extensive discography?

[Inlander]

Unless I'm buying an album because it has a specific song on it, I generally start with the album that whatever authority I'm consulting (usually the Oracle) considers "the best": if I'm trying to get into a band I want that band to really show me what it's got. Once I'm committed to the band I'll be in a better position to start digging through their more "difficult" albums, or go looking for albums that might have one or two ace songs on them but a lot of lower-quality material.

[october1983]

I think it's really quite context specific, both in terms of the band and the listener. A lot of the time there is something of a discrepancy between a band's "best" work and their most accessible. In that case, sometimes the latter is a safer place to start, but it still depends somewhat on the listener's tastes.

[scarred]

Unless I'm buying an album because it has a specific song on it, I generally start with the album that whatever authority I'm consulting (usually the Oracle) considers "the best": if I'm trying to get into a band I want that band to really show me what it's got. Once I'm committed to the band I'll be in a better position to start digging through their more "difficult" albums, or go looking for albums that might have one or two ace songs on them but a lot of lower-quality material.

This is pretty much exactly my method.

[nufan]

Unless I'm buying an album because it has a specific song on it, I generally start with the album that whatever authority I'm consulting (usually the Oracle) considers "the best"

Again, my exact method. I believe that if you really like a band you can start out with their "best" album, and if you love it, move onto their other albums and still really enjoy them; the best bands normally change their sound from album to album and can stay fresh and entertaining.

[Ptommydski]

I never buy anything apart from singles collections, remix albums and best ofs.

It helps me a lot if it has the word 'Essential' in there somewhere so I know I've got all the right stuff I need to proclaim myself an expert.

[Ptommydski]

Okay someone mock me up some fake Essential album covers in the manner of these atrocities -





Go go go.

[StaedlerMars]

[StaedlerMars]

Oh wait, that's not what you meant is it?

But in all seriousness, I go to Spotify and pick a random album. Generally the one that has the largest percentage of 'top tracks' in it. This is probably not the best way to do it though.

[rynne]

Unless I'm buying an album because it has a specific song on it, I generally start with the album that whatever authority I'm consulting (usually the Oracle) considers "the best"

I do this most of the time.  The way I figure it, I can generally tell from one album if it's worth it to go through the rest of the band's catalogue.  If not, then at least the album I own is the one album worth owning. 



...Though sometimes I'll start with a band's more extreme/idiosyncratic releases, if it's something that's closer to my own tastes than said artist's general sound.  For example, the first David Bowie album I got was Outside because I was more into industrial than glam rock.  The only Lou Reed album I own is Metal Machine Music.  And since I'm not familiar with jazz in general, I chose Pangaea as the first Miles Davis album in my collection.

[BlahBlah]

[David_Dovey]

Okay someone mock me up some fake Essential album covers in the manner of these atrocities -

Go go go.

I love this because it's the exact same pose as the Miles one.

[michaelicious]

[David_Dovey]

I... I'm pretty into this record at the moment guys

[nufan]

King Harvest Has Surely Come is pretty much the greatest thing ever recorded so yay go you

[Ptommydski]

Winner.

[Christophe]

[Jeans]

[Christophe]

[Jeans]

Don't be oversaturatin'

[Christophe]

I think I'm gonna stop for now, otherwise I'd make the most ludicrous ones possible

[Sox]

The hell you will.

[Sox]

[Sox]

[Sox]

[Scandanavian War Machine]

someone do The Complete Complete Collection please

[Sox]

I'm just a bit miffed that Mike got to the punchline before I did.

[Sox]

I should post these in the mediaf!re thread, but each link leads to a zipped folder containing images of my butt with the supposed tracklists written on in sharpie.

[Sox]

Those would be the 'rear insert's of the CDs.

[David_Dovey]

I was going to do a back cover for the G.G Allin one implying that it had no music on it but I couldn't find a way to convey it clear enough to my satisfaction without being really obvious and just saying something like "oh hey I guess there's no music on this cos G.G. sucks you guys"

[michaelicious]

[Sox]

Best one ^

[Jeans]

Yeah, Michael is winning this thread.

[DynamiteKid]

This is not how I envisioned this thread turning out.

Nonetheless, I am happy.

[David_Dovey]

I don' think I understood the point of Tommy's thing. Was it really just an excuse to circlejerk each other over the bands we like?

I guess I'll go be clever elsewhere

[michaelicious]

You could ask that question of basically every thread in this sub-forum.

[Sox]

...is that really what you took away from this thread? It was a funny suggested alternative to the original premise of the thread, and it took off. There was humour to be found in the improbability and absurdity of the bands we picked actually releasing the albums we mocked up.
Circlejerk? I put it to you, that it's all in your head, and you see one either because that is how you envision the forum, or because you're looking too hard for some excuse to be a smartarse!

Good day to you, Sir!

[David_Dovey]

Hi Darryl