Anyone else buy entire albums on the strength of one song?

saysadie · Post by **saysadie** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:41 am

I've been known to on occasion. I try to find singles of the song I'm looking for first but if I can't and I've heard good things I'll buy an album.

Hell, even if I haven't heard good things, I'll buy an album.

Was how I ended up with Billie Myers' CD 'Growing Pains', which I bought a little over two years ago for 'Kiss The Rain'... which reminds me, I don't think I've ever listened to it all the way through. (I'm sure I have more examples than just the one, but this is the one that inspired the question.)

Well?

IronHide · Post by **IronHide** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:59 am

Yes.

Usually i'll make a point to listen to at least 3 or 4 other songs before I buy the cd.

Sometimes I just buy a cd based on the band without ever hearing any of the new songs.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:08 am

If it's Ozzy, I buy it. Same with Rammstein, Trans Siberian Orchestra, and Rob Zombie.

If it's another group, I buy it if there's 3 (or more) songs I like.

Redstreak · Post by **Redstreak** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:45 am

I did it with Shinedown's Leave a Whisper, as Fly From the Inside is one of the two or three best songs I've ever heard, and I picked up Metallica's St. Anger blind just cuz it's Metallica.

sprunkner · Post by **sprunkner** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 6:28 am

The worst is when a band has one good album... and then you pick up the other three desperately hoping only to find out... yea.

Foo Fighters, anyone?

IronHide · Post by **IronHide** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 7:14 am

Oh come on. The Foo rocks.

There is Nothing Left to Lose was wicked.
The Color and Shape had Everlong (fav foo song)
One by One was kinda shaky but it's still a good record.

What's not to like??

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:18 am

Foos = Quality.

I've bought loads of albums having only heard one song.

Choice:

CD Single = £3 for 2, maybe 3 tracks
CD Album = £9 for upto a dozen tracks

Even if I've only heard the one track, there's a better chance of there being another decent track on the album than there is on the single.

Not rocket science.

Eline · Post by **Eline** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:56 am

I bought the Babylon Zoo album, for the song "Spaceman"

Never heard of that band again.

Usually I try to listen to a few songs first, in the cd-store.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:23 am

Brendocon wrote:
Choice:

CD Single = £3 for 2, maybe 3 tracks
CD Album = £9 for upto a dozen tracks

My feelings exactly.

Also, I don't download music. If I did, I wouldn't have to resort buying an album for the sake of one song I really want to own.

Post by **Denyer** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 2:01 pm

IronHide wrote:There is Nothing Left to Lose was wicked.

Well, I wouldn't turn it off... but it felt like it was recorded on autopilot. Their lyrics were much less repetitive and there was more energy on Colour And The Shape.

Trawling sales for albums has resulted in some fun purchases—bought "Version 2.0" on the strength of When I Grow Up, "Pure" on the strength of Nuclear Holiday, and a bunch more besides. These days, eBay is a great place to pick up back catalogue stuff.

Only time I buy singles is with the handful of bands I can count on to produce excellent b-sides. I consciously purge CDs I never listen to, so I've probably condensed down to a couple of hundred...

saysadie · Post by **saysadie** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 6:36 pm

Professor Smooth wrote:If it's Ozzy, I buy it. Same with Rammstein, Trans Siberian Orchestra, and Rob Zombie.

Oh yeah. I'll definitely do that with favourites too... The Tea Party in particular. They could record themselves snoring or something to techno tunes and I'd probably buy it. Sad but true.

The Tea Party's latest release was pretty much... well... It was good, but I don't know... Bob Rock getting his hand in kinda made me go 'ack'. Turned out well though, so I really can't complain. The first single off of the album did manage to grow on me in the end, and the track with Holly MacNarland is oh so pretty. Love that chick's voice.

I buy singles before I will buy albums if it's a band I know I never listen to usually... like this Billie Myers stuff, gave it a listen and it's mostly stuff that I don't think I can get into (though she has a lovely voice) and there's nothing in the music a lot of other people/bands haven't done better. Though it does depend on the price... I think I got this one secondhand for roughly eight bucks, so it's not a horrible loss imo.

If I can get a single for less than 3 bucks Canadian I'll go with that over a 25 dollar album if it's just one song I'm after. If it's a band I know has consistently produced some good **** the album's a good bet... But then there's the "What the hell, I'll just give it a go" thing that has gotten me albums like "WWE Originals" and Remy Shand's "The Way I Feel". Mixed bag there...

Never really got into the Foo Fighters overmuch. Colour and The Shape is gooder though, I have it here somewhere.

Love CD sales. Though I tend to hit flea markets spcifically for CDs, mostly. Have gotten lots of really excellent albums for next to nothing with those and have only encountered one that was a little scratched.

Denyer wrote:I consciously purge CDs I never listen to, so I've probably condensed down to a couple of hundred...

Yeah, I do that once in a bit, stuff I'm tired of and all... but when I'm craving something different I find myself wishing I had never gotten rid of the albums I had.

Post by **Denyer** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 7:23 pm

I've owned three or four copies of Urban Hymns. Most of it grates on me, but I particularly like Velvet Morning and Bittersweet Symphony if I'm in the mood. Generally dislike keeping albums around for token tracks.

Not normally so schizophrenic with CDs...

The Tea Party's latest release was pretty much... well... It was good, but I don't know...

Pretty much how I feel about the last set of Wildhearts releases and Ginger solo projects. Songs starting to feel less distinct because of the sheer number, that sort of thing. Lyrics starting to feature more repetition. On the other hand, it's pretty amazing that they got this far without starting to sound as if they were covering their own material, and it's only some of the releases.

More quality control would probably do it—trying to do far too many b-sides whilst coming to believe fan hype that everything they release turns to gold seems to be the problem. It probably can't be kept up indefinitely.

Price certainly helps. Getting a bargain justifies some filler, but it's obviously even nicer when cheap and consistently great turn up in the same find.

when I'm craving something different I find myself wishing I had never gotten rid of the albums I had.

The net's really good for this—there are an amazing number of indie band sites out there with a few tracks to flick through. They usually end up top of the list when it comes to later impulse purchases (if mail order can be said to be impulse...)

Found a lot of bands (such as Jack Off Jill) through MP3.com when it was still around in its original form, plus a lot of radio-friendly punk that became popular over here about a year later. Having an unthrottled uni connection at the time helped a lot.

The obscure stuff's more fun to get new people into, too. Some people turn it into wankerish oneupmanship (eg, a band's no good if they're known) but I don't see why a collection can't sit The Corrs next to God In Ruins.

god · Post by **god** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:02 pm

no, cause besides the good song the rest sucks usually

saysadie · Post by **saysadie** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:13 pm

Yeah, I don't much like having CDs around for single tracks either (though I still do, and will continue to do). Is also why I tend to gravitate towards singles first... I already know I like the song, and if there's anything compelling on it I might check the album out. If I don't forget or something, I tend to do that when stepping into a CD store and coming upon row after row of CDs that're just all very tempting... I've been known to go to the till with more than I can afford.

Denyer wrote:Songs starting to feel less distinct because of the sheer number, that sort of thing. Lyrics starting to feature more repetition. On the other hand, it's pretty amazing that they got this far without starting to sound as if they were covering their own material, and it's only some of the releases.

Yeah, same thing with TTP. Honestly, it's all starting to sound the same because they've been there so many times before, but they're still managing to be really significant even with seven (iirc) albums out.

Imo, "Transmission" was their most accesible work, but not their best. They've got some kickin' tunes on it but Edges Of Twilight is probably a bit better (though Transmission is still my favourite). The 'experimental/acoustic' type of thing within EOT works well. The Badger is an instrumental track which is just a rambling, sunny joy and the album also has my favourite Tea Party track on it, which wins it points.

The obscure stuff's more fun to get new people into, too. Some people turn it into wankerish oneupmanship (eg, a band's no good if they're known) but I don't see why a collection can't sit The Corrs next to God In Ruins.

Yeah, I actually encounter a lot of the opposite. People aren't willing to give new stuff a listen for some reason, it's all Nickelback and radio **** around here... stuff they're more exposed to, I guess, that sort of thing. I however like my variety.

Speaking of Wildhearts, I'm quite liking them and The Crimea. Muchos grassy-ass once again.

They're both on my must-find album list for when I head into the city... I'll have more luck finding anything by them there than I would here.

Ultimate Weapon · Post by **Ultimate Weapon** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:21 pm

I hardly remember buying an album just for the single. Velvet Revolver springs to mind, which I have quickly returned. The records I will buy are based on the artist. I picked up Mike Ness's Under The Influence Vol. 1 and it has not left my turntable. Without hearing singles you take a gamble on artists you never heard from. It's always a safe bet to stick with a genre you like and the bands will sound more appealing.

saysadie · Post by **saysadie** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:46 pm

Ultimate Weapon wrote:Without hearing singles you take a gamble on artists you never heard from. It's always a safe bet to stick with a genre you like and the bands will sound more appealing.

Gambling can be fun. But different strokes for different folks... If you don't try other things you'll never find other stuff you might like that you may have passed up otherwise.

That's pretty much how I look at almost everything actually, not just music... but we're talking about music here. And though I like to pick up things based on stuff I've heard I'm not gonna pass something that sounds interesting by just because it's outside of a certain 'genre'. S'all music, s'all good.

Post by **Denyer** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:42 pm

saysadie wrote:Speaking of Wildhearts, I'm quite liking them and The Crimea. Muchos grassy-ass once again. They're both on my must-find album list for when I head into the city... I'll have more luck finding anything by them there than I would here.

Haven't lost mail, honest. Just got programming stuff to bang head off first.

If you've got a decent import bit you might find the Lottery Winners On Acid EP (Crimea) or a few Wildhearts albums. What will be the regular version of the Crimea album isn't out for a month or two, although the Americas will get it first.

I think only two Wildhearts albums got released over your way—Earth Vs The Wildhearts (great album, more straightforward rock than the electic mix of personal faves on that CD) and Riff After Riff (which is a cut-down version of the UK Coupled With and a bit of a rip-off.) Another one to generally avoid is Anarchic Airwaves, which got released against the wishes of the band.

Having finally acquired a decent connection, will try to find some TP tracks.

Ultimate Weapon wrote:Without hearing singles you take a gamble on artists you never heard from.

Not really. Most bands I pick up are recommendations, based on what tracks they've made available on-line, etc. There are times it's just fun to take that gamble—I wasn't actually sure The Suicide Machines were a punk band when I picked an album out of a sale bin. The artwork was generic, so only the number of songs on the disc suggested they were.

Genre is a convenience invented by librarians and marketing departments, usually so vague as to be meaningless. Though you can usually tell a band are pretentious ****s if they list a bunch of pseudo-genres as long as your arm in their promotional material.

And the "you like band X so you won't like this one" schtick got old in school.

Ultimate Weapon · Post by **Ultimate Weapon** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:29 am

saysadie wrote:
Ultimate Weapon wrote:Without hearing singles you take a gamble on artists you never heard from. It's always a safe bet to stick with a genre you like and the bands will sound more appealing.
That's pretty much how I look at almost everything actually, not just music... but we're talking about music here. And though I like to pick up things based on stuff I've heard I'm not gonna pass something that sounds interesting by just because it's outside of a certain 'genre'. S'all music, s'all good.

I like to gamble, but not with music purchases. I use genre to stay within a certain range of music that I like, which is punk. Good record stores will have this section separated from the rest so I can go right after what Im looking for. It saves me time.

Denyer wrote:
Ultimate Weapon wrote:Without hearing singles you take a gamble on artists you never heard from.
Not really. Most bands I pick up are recommendations, based on what tracks they've made available on-line, etc. There are times it's just fun to take that gamble—I wasn't actually sure The Suicide Machines were a punk band when I picked an album out of a sale bin. The artwork was generic, so only the number of songs on the disc suggested they were.

Genre is a convenience invented by librarians and marketing departments, usually so vague as to be meaningless. Though you can usually tell a band are pretentious ****s if they list a bunch of pseudo-genres as long as your arm in their promotional material.

And the "you like band X so you won't like this one" schtick got old in school.

Well yeah if you hear the mp3 track online then you will probably buy the album. I picked up Danzig's Circle of Snakes LP after hearing an online track, despite the critical reviews, and I like it. Rarely will I buy an album based on it's cover or artwork. I think Shockwave's Omega Supreme is one example.

As I said before it's just easier to find what you are looking for if it is catergorized by genre, metal, industrial, punk/indie, ska, rock, etc... Nothing really wrong with liking a particular style of music. But if a band waxes philosophical about their connection to John Lennon or some such I usually turn the channel.

Usually band X opens the door to other bands that have been influenced by them. I only really remember hating Oasis and Pearl Jam because of Nirvana & the Beatles. But that was back in school like you said.

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:31 am

Ultimate Weapon wrote:I use genre to stay within a certain range of music that I like, which is punk. Good record stores will have this section separated from the rest

This would work if bands only ever played one type of music, and played it in a stereotypical manner. Lots of bands play what would be classed as metal and as rock or punk.

The distinctions come down to personal opinion, and it's usually of sales staff who haven't heard the bands—or itinerant brattish customers who decide to reshelve a band in a different section, or different albums by the same band in different sections.

This is just one reason brick and mortar stores lose out on customers, especially when people are gift-shopping for others.

Sheba · Post by **Sheba** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 2:39 am

I ususally do so on the strength of two songs. Although there have been instances of me doing so on only one song.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 9:11 am

I recently picked up Grrr...it's Betty Boo! on the strength of I'm On My Way which I found from off of the internet...I only paid 99p for it from off of eBay but then found that the album version of I'm On My Way is utterly rubbish at about half the speed with Hey Jude mixed into it for no apparent reason. Let Me Take You There, the other single from the album, was passable. Haven't made it through many more tracks though.

Generally these days I'll download the singles and if they really stand out or if I like the artist's back catalogue I'll buy the album, though I think the last CD I went out and bought was D12World, so I guess it doesn't happen very often.

harmony · Post by **harmony** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 10:07 pm

I've done so in the past...of course, once I have the CD I find out that there are another 2 or so songs on there that I had heard and liked. So far, I've only had two CD's that didn't work out, and those are gonna go away along with some that I got and while I liked the music I didn't care enough for the band/artist to truly warrant keeping it. I still have waaaay too many CD's without those....and I really need the space :P

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:09 pm

I often have, in periods.

Normally its when I have a song going round my head for weeks on end. I have to buy it. Normally regret ie as if I know only 1 song the band/artist is likely to be s###. Particully pop acts.

Though theses days compliation C.D's are more frequent and tend to have a few classic stuff from old bands mixed in. The recent "Rock anthems" series is a good example.