Ever buy a CD from a band you've never heard?

[indra]

Have you ever bought a CD (a full CD, and not a compliation -- unless it's a best of by a particular band) of a band or musician without ever hearing the music before? If so, do you remember the circumstances, and more importantly, did you end up liking the CD?

I have three instances that stand out for me:

1) I bought The Waterboys' Fisherman's Blues because Bono had it in a list of best releases of the year whenever it was released. I bought it, and it is still my very favorite cd by The Waterboys.

2) I bought Gersey's Storms Dressed As Stars after reading a very good review of the album by Steve Kilbey of The Church. I figured if Steve liked it, it had to be good. I think I listened to nothing else for a week when that cd arrived! Love it so much I bought Hope Springs the Gersey cd released prior to Storms, and am looking for their very first ep.

3) I decided I should listen to Remy Zero, as Kilbey was working on an album with a member of that band, so I had a friend recommend an album for me. Villa Elaine was the one she picked, and it is still the one I like most (I also now have Golden Hum).

 

[Jack In The Box]

I bought Elbow's Asleep In The Back, now they're one of my favorite bands

 

[IWasBored]

i probably have. i can't think of anything off the top of my head, though.

 

[Bunbury]

No never, I guess I'm not too adventurous.

 

[IWasBored]

i've bought plenty of cds by bands i know i like without ever hearing the particular songs on that album, but i'm pretty sure never an album by a band who's music in general i've never heard.

although usually now when i buy music by bands i'm not familiar with, i get that stuff used and listen at the store...

 

[AcrobatMan]

1) I bought Lost Souls by Doves - recommended by some interferencers without listening to any of Doves song..and its ok-ok..

2) I bought Beck's Sea change - - recommended by some interferencers.. and I it.

These 2 albums..i had never heard the artists before..

There are many albums I had bought..in which I had not heard any song of the album... but I had heard songs ( on different albums) by those bands

 

[indra]

Yeah, I buy loads of albums by artists I know without hearing any of the songs on the album before...most of my favorites don't get played on the radio. Poor, poor me. Of course, I don't really listen to the radio either.

 

[celia]

yep done that with quite a few bands based on recommendations from people that I KNOW have good taste in music. or sometimes the cover looks cool or they are in a HMV sale or whatever...

Fiona Apple
Dave Matthews Band
Nick Drake

among others I cant think...

and i love these 3 dearly!!!

 

[vivaSA]

I bought "Live" and they sucked!

Never made that mistake again.

 

[Popmartijn]

i probably have. i can't think of anything off the top of my head, though.

Same here.

 

[dandy]

the only time i was adventurous enough to try this was, luckily for me, a no-brainer: pj harvey's rid of me. i kept hearing amazing stuff about pj but where i live, there was no way she was going to be playing on the radio or anything. so, i bought it without having heard anything by her. i was not disappointed.

 

[bammo2]

I bought Damien Rice's 'O', based on recommendations

And I was not disappointed

 

[Souly]

Yeah. It was by an Irish band. The album was called All that you can't leave behind.

You might have heard of them.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Many many times. I bought Starsailor just because it was in meegannie's sig and she has good taste.

 

[HelloAngel]

I bought the first Interpol CD based on good reviews and the CD cover - this was before they became popular and before I heard one lick of a song. So glad I did.

 

[Justified]

1) I bought Lost Souls by Doves - recommended by some interferencers without listening to any of Doves song..and its ok-ok..

same here, I bought both Doves cds a few years back because they were recommended to me, but unlike you I love Lost Souls and Doves are now one of my favorite bands. Shortly after buying the cds I was able to see them live in concert and I want to see them again.

I went to Wilco a few weeks ago and I had never heard one song by them and I really enjoyed the concert.

 

[meegannie]

I buy albums if they have nice artwork or if the band has a funny name.

 

[IWasBored]

I buy albums if they have nice artwork or if the band has a funny name.

i bought the spilt 7" that the briggs and the kings of nuthin' based on reccomendations without ever hearing either band.

blood for blood - livin in exile. i don't think i listened to it before buying it, i think i bought it based completly on the fact that this guy i knew told me i'd like them. he was right. it took a a couple years for them to become one of my favorite bands...but that's one.

 

[Bonochick]

I've bought a lot of CDs just because of suggestions from people online (either from here or the Ryan Adams board). They have all been successes. Here are some I can think of...

Whip It On - The Raveonettes
The Remote Part - Idlewild
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Hail To The Thief - Radiohead
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco
The Music - The Music
Baby I'm Bored - Evan Dando
Hot Fuss - The Killers

 

[HeartlandGirl]

I've done this several times, I think, but the one that sticks out in my mind happened recently. I bought the Colder album, "Again," just because I liked the cover. It also had a sticker on the plastic saying what a great electronic album it was, comparing it to bands I liked. So I picked it up. Here's the cover that caught my eye:

Turns out it's a pretty cool little album. I don't regret getting it at all.

 

[u2popmofo]

I've done this several times, I think, but the one that sticks out in my mind happened recently. I bought the Colder album, "Again," just because I liked the cover. It also had a sticker on the plastic saying what a great electronic album it was, comparing it to bands I liked. So I picked it up. Here's the cover that caught my eye:

Turns out it's a pretty cool little album. I don't regret getting it at all.

You've made quite a few great spur of the moment purchases lately. You're right about this album though, seems to be really cool.

I havent gotten something I've heard nothing of for quite a while. For some reason the first album I ever remember purchasing without having ever heard a single song of their's/his is :

Morrissey - 'Vauxhaul and I'

The other big one that ended up completely changing how I felt about music (which I bought becasue of reading good reviews on it, not because I've heard any of it):

Travis - 'The Man Who'

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

I've done that a few times but the only one I can rememeber right now is Coal Chamber's Dark Days. It looked good and I was in a desperate need of new bands. It's a good record but not so great.

 

[Needle_Chill]

Wilco - A.M. (Amazing!!), The Verve - Urban Hymns (Bittersweet Symphony, Lucky Man... One on the best albums ever!)

 

[Muggsy]

U2 *POP* .. lol

cuz the "Discotheque" video was great

 

[Nate Dogg]

Huffamoose,s/t?- shouldn't have,I was young...(been pawned)

Rubyhorse,Rise- good choice

Jeff Buckley, Grace- a grower...but it grew on me big time...I went and got Sketches too..

 

[cass]

I bought Damien Rice's 'O', based on recommendations
And I was not disappointed

I stiiiiiillllhaven't found what I'm looking for. I have wanted that album for some time now. I certainly have bought CD's withour having heard them first. I have a very "varied" music collection.

Indra I popped in to say...are you the person who loves Steve Kilby and The Church. I was reading about them in the newspaper yesterday, they are doing a one off performance in Brisbane and Steve is involved with a poetry festival. maybe you knwo about it already. I thought he was the bees knees ( handsome and talented) when I was younger. I was a bit shocked by his pic in the paper yesterday we're all getting so old. It was a bit of a shock to see him after all these years.
We might be aging...but still rockin'
maybe I should have put this in your journal...I'm on a flying visit , pressed for time.
If you're not the Church fan
ignore all that ^

 

[Saracene]

I've bought plenty albums like that; too many to mention all.

Fiery Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Bark - read a good review in women's magazine of all places, Really like it.

PJ Harvey - Rid of Me - got it after reading Rolling Stone feature on the best albums of the 90s. PJ is now my favourite artist ever.

Liz Phair - Exile from Guyville - saw it mentioned heaps in all sorts of music mags, another great buy.

Sevara Nazarkhan - Yol Bolsin - gotta be the first time I bought an album because I really loved the cover art. The music turned out to be great, too.

Sigur Ros - Agaetys Byrin - got it after reading ecstatic reviews everywhere, which turned out to be correct for once.

White Stripes - White Blood Cells - ditto.

 

[Bono's shades]

I almost never buy CDs unless I've heard at least one song from them. The only two exceptions I can think of are:

Nick Drake - Pink Moon (never quite got into it though).

Radiohead - OK Computer (wasn't sure about it at first, have since grown to like it a lot).

 

[u2valleygirl]

Only CD's from bands which I am a true fan. I tend to be skeptical and I normally think things out before I buy. I only make exceptions if a CD has been highly reccomended.

 

[Basstrap]

Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine

I thought it would be like indie rock

sweet jesus I was wrong (I was thinking Dismemberment Plan)

it has surprisingly grown on me though