u/stepn-out

My gateway into the Kinks was Low Budget, ordered through Columbia House as one of my 10 albums for a penny. I was 14 years old and absolutely devoured it. I still do — "Moving Pictures" became part of the soundtrack to my Boston to NYC walking video.

I bought Give the People What They Want and One for the Road immediately upon their release. Same with State of Confusion. I later went back and picked up Misfits. Then, for whatever reason, I stopped.

I'm now listening through the entire Kinks catalog chronologically as part of a long-term music project — three listens to every album. I've made it to Live at Kelvin Hall (which may deserve a follow-up post of its own).

I'm starting to hear glimmers of the Kinks I fell in love with, but I'm surprised it's taken six albums to get there.

I know The Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur are waiting for me. I'm ready.

For those of you who discovered the Kinks through their late-'70s and early-'80s material, when did the band you loved finally emerge?

I've started a personal project in which I'm listening to the catalogs of 29 classic rock artists, three times each, before ranking them.

In the course of this project, I've discovered that David Bowie presents a bit of a puzzle for me.

Before beginning, I thought I knew Bowie. I knew the hits. I knew the image. I knew the cultural importance. I knew the reputation.

I've completed my first listens of Bowie's early albums, and so far I've found myself respecting Bowie more than enjoying Bowie. I keep waiting for the moment when everything clicks and I suddenly understand why so many people consider him one of the greatest artists of all time.

So my question to longtime Bowie fans is this:

Was there a specific album, song, era, or even repeated exposure that made Bowie finally click for you?

Why aren't Supertramp's first two albums on Spotify?

I'm currently listening through the Supertramp catalog as part of a personal project and working my way through the albums in chronological order.

Before starting, I was already very familiar with Even in the Quietest Moments, Breakfast in America, Paris, and Brother Where You Bound. But I had never really spent time with the other albums.

The debut didn't connect with me nearly as much as the second album. After finally hearing it (on YouTube), I found it historically interesting, but not something I expect to revisit.

What surprised me was Indelibly Stamped. I actually thought it was a good album. That made me wonder why it seems to have disappeared from streaming services.

Does anyone know the actual reason these albums aren't on Spotify?

I’m 61 years old and recently decided to start listening to the Rolling Stones’ catalog from the beginning.

Like a lot of people my age, I’ve spent my entire life hearing the Rolling Stones on the radio. They’ve been part of the soundtrack of my life, but I never actually sat down and listened to all the albums in chronological order.

I’m currently up to The Rolling Stones, Now! and one thing has really surprised me. So far, the vast majority of the songs from the early catalog seem to be R&B and blues covers.

I guess I expected a band of their stature to have been writing more of their own material right from the start.

Why was the band intentionally focused on interpreting American blues and R&B material in those early years? Was there pressure from managers or record labels to record covers? Or had Jagger and Richards simply not developed as songwriters yet?

First there was ‘our love was untouchable.’ Now we’ve moved into the evidence phase.