When you buy a new album, how many times you play it till you put it away?

Good question, though highly subjective

For me, I usually listen to something 2-3 times if I have the time (depending on how much music I buy at any given time). If not, usually just one spin. I rip it to the computer & get it on my iPod as quickly as I can so I can take it to work w/ me & play it when convenient. If it's something I like a lot, it gets repeated spins (sometimes several in one day), and if I don't care for it as much on first listen, sometimes I'll put it away intentionally & come back to it later with a fresh perspective.

Of course, if it's something I'm reviewing for my weblog, it usually gets top billing during that time

This is an interesting topic and there is no definitive answer from me, but what is slightly more interesting to me is how buying several albums at the same time affect how you view an album. Like, when you get two albums and both are very good, you tend to underrate the worse one of the two, even if it rules, and not play it much. Likewise, when you get two crappy albums, you overrate the not-so-bad one.

There's a Dio topic in the Complete Works sub-forum, and we're about to get to the albums that may have benefited from this thing. I remember I got Magica and Lock up the Wolves at the same time and I ended up thinking Magica was real awesome, a monster album, just because it was better than a classic 80's Dio album that I got at the same time. So I played it lots and got attached to it. Later I've just realised Lock up the Wolves isn't all that good, and Magica just SEEMS great because it makes Lock up the Wolves look weak.

Like how Finland seems awesome to someone moving in from Iceland.

Reviewing for my blog doesn't count. That's a totally different animal....


For myself when I buy something new it falls into two categories....


Favorite Bands

If it's a new Rush, Maiden, Priest, Saxon, Ultimatum, Scorps, and several others I will listen to it a lot unless it just sucks from the first spin... Not indifferent but SUCKS.... Brides 'Skin For Skin' fell into that... I can't get through it at that point I'll file it away..... Usually with favorite bands I will give lots of grace because it's new music by a favorite band!


New Bands

If it's the first time I've heard such band I will listen to it a least once and usually twice before determining anything..... But for me the same rule applies if it sucks.... it's gone into the vault with the hope it will somehow it gain my attention again...

On most cds Ill play it 3 times most of the time unless i made a mistake and the cd is terrible. now I am less forgiving today than I used to be when i played a cd until i felt like i had given it a good listening through to see if i liked it or not.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Depends on the album. If it's a brand new release from a favorite band, it might dominate my play list for days. If it's something that I have owned in the past (i.e. an upgrade of an old tape to CD) it might get 2 or 3 spins before it gets put away.

If it's a new band I've never heard before it usually takes 4 or 5 spins for it to "gel" and for me to decide if I truly dig it or not.

+1. The quality of the album is a big factor, too. I find that I also have a number of albums that I've heard a few times, then put away for six months, and only really 'got' once I've dug it out again. I don't have a problem with not liking things straight off the bat.

Usually the last six CD's that I bought are running in my truck changer and get run through 2-3 times. After that I put them on my "In" shelf and they will get another couple of spins in the near future. If I still like them I'll add them to one of my Ipod playlists. However if I'm lukewarm for some reason I'll file them in the "stacks" for reference. The stacks are for albums with only one good song, or something that is interesting or historically significant but not really all that likeable.
If an CD is really awful or boring I put them by the back door and use them to throw at the Crows that like to perch on my basketball hoop and turd on my truck.