It would seem that you go through cycles when you listen to music.  You get into the odd band, or somehow suddenly just 'get' an artist and have to listen to everything they've ever done.  I had a great experience after I read a special edition Mojo magazine about Pink Floyd and other prog rock bands.  I delved into a little Rush, a bit of Jethro Tull, a touch of Yes and a little King Crimson...but I devoured Genesis like a hungry prog-starved fool. A fan of their Phil Collins-fronted mainstream hits, I hadn't heard more than two or three songs from the Peter Gabriel era...but I made up for it.  It was great spending time listening to the 26-minute Supper's Ready from 1972's Foxtrot album and finally being able to singalong to almost the whole song.  If you invest a bit of time into an epic song, you get rewarded, that's for sure.  It helps if it's actually good too!

Lately I've discovered a different way of delving, or looking back.  Remember those CD's you bought for one or two songs and never listened to the rest of it?  Or you just heard that a particular album was cool and bought it, but the disc never made it to the stereo? I'm trying to fix those oversights and I've been goin' back...

Most recently, I've been mad about the Beck album Sea Change.  I think I picked up my copy quite cheaply at one of those CD clearance sales at the PCEC. My main reason for buying it was the first song, The Golden Age, which is a real favourite of mine.  I don't remember listening to the rest of the album, until a month or so ago.  The odd tune would come up on my iTunes shuffle, but I never listened to the album as a whole. One day when one of the tracks randomised its way into my ears I thought 'Hey, why not listen to the whole thing from scratch...'  I'm glad I did...since then the CD has resided in my 5CD carousel player.  Such a great album...apparently it was written in the wake of an ended relationship.  Wonderful sombre and mostly acoustic...it's as far from Odelay! as you can get (which is also awesome).

The experience made me realise that a couple of my favourite albums have simmered their way into my mind before being properly appreciated.  Another example is the Eels opus Blinking Lights and Other Revelations.  I had their first three offerings, and I was particularly fond of the Electro-Shock Blues album.  In a CD buying binge a few years ago I bought their second set of three albums, BLAOR being the last of their total number of six.  Most of the albums I bought that day were put to the side and I think there may still be a couple there I haven't given time to...yes, I'm looking at you, Waiting For The Siren's Call (New Order).

It is bizarre to think that listening to an album for the first time can be hard work...or hard to motivate.  Just off the top of my head, here are some recent-ish purchases that I have yet to listen to:
NEIL YOUNG A Fork In The Road
PEARL JAM Backspacer
EELS End Times
ESKIMO JOE Inshalla
U2 No Line On The Horizon
Heck, I didn't even listen to Powderfinger's Golden Rule until I realised the concert was less than a week away.

I guess sometimes it comes down to that old homework feeling. I don't think a read one book when I was 18, after having to read books and chapters and plays and what-have-you.  Nothing worse than being told what to read.  When I realised I could read leisurely, I got stuck into some Stephen King big time.  I'm a notoriously slow reader though.  Takes me age.  I think there are four or five books at the most that I have read in less than a week.  So there you go.

The same can happen with albums.  You feel as though you have to listen to ones you just bought.  I haven't bought many albums lately, which could be the other reason I'm getting a little introspective.  That's what so great about music...you can go back and dig into it whenever you like.  I'm not so fussed about new music, because if its really great, I'm sure I'll discover it or get turned to it later.

How many CDs in your collection have you not yet listened to?