I've heard it said that a person's taste in music tells a lot about them. Out of idle curiosity, I thought I'd list out my CD's (not my vinyls, cassettes, or MP3's though. God, we'd be here all week!) and see what residents of the Music & More forum see my music saying for me. For a bit of background I'm 21, female, bi, and Canadian. And yes, I am massively bored right now.

[music collection]

twister6 -you emoted all over my music! Does that mean we're engagaed?

meow85 said:

I think you have a pretty good collection. I just saw that you have Metric! I like them alot. One of my best friends lives in Oakland and she got me into them. Maybe they're from out there. Not sure.

I don't understand these people who are against greatest hits cds. There have been so many people who I've gotten into initally because of their hits. Prince, in particular. The first 3 Prince cds I ever bought were The Hits 1 & 2 and The Gold Experience. The Hits helped me figure out which albums to pick up first.

I had no knowledge about the Purple Rain album. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's true. I had never even heard of Sign O the Times. Because of the Hits, I knew that I absolutely needed to have these two albums, and then all of the others followed.

Also, I know some older people get down on kids for having no musical history knowledge, but how exactly are you supposed to know about Dirty Mind if you were born in 1985? Not everyone reads up on music as much as some of us do. Hits collections let people get their feet wet and figure out how much they actually like an artist.
[Edited 4/16/06 16:18pm]

meow85 said:

exactly. As a Prince fan, if someone asked you what Prince album to buy first, you wouldn't tell them to buy the greatest hits. It would be PR, SOTT, a definitive album in the catalog, not a record company cash in. If I was with you her at the store I would have given her Plastic Ono Band not Legend, that album needs to be experienced. Same with the Who. I think there's usually an album or two that can take the place of a greatest hits package. With someone like Dylan who has two phases that would have been harder.

lilgish said:

If we're speaking about Lennon, the Who, Prince, people of that ilk, then I wouldn't disagree with you. You're almost better off going with a classic album, though that doesn't always hold true. Some compilations have become classics on their own - Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncey is probably the best example of that.

Personally I still buy budget-priced compilations all the time. Just this past weekend I picked up dirt-cheap Jefferson Airplane and Gregory Isaacs comps - they serve as great summaries when you're fairly certain you only need a taste of a performer or genre.

You do know that the Backstreet Boys are awful, right? Where's the jazz and classical, or more eclectic music, like Zappa or punk? No Van Halen or Elton John. No Elvis or more Ray Charles. No Stevie Wonder or James Brown or The Isley Brothers. No Debarge or Public Enemy or Rahsaan Patterson or Digable Planets. No Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix or Culture Club. No Gary Numan or Flock Of Seagulls or XTC. No PM Dawn or LL Cool J or Living Colour or The Beastie Boys or....Shall I go on?

You do know that the Backstreet Boys are awful, right? Where's the jazz and classical, or more eclectic music, like Zappa or punk? No Van Halen or Elton John. No Elvis or more Ray Charles. No Stevie Wonder or James Brown or The Isley Brothers. No Debarge or Public Enemy or Rahsaan Patterson or Digable Planets. No Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix or Culture Club. No Gary Numan or Flock Of Seagulls or XTC. No PM Dawn or LL Cool J or Living Colour or The Beastie Boys or....Shall I go on?

sextonseven said:

I think it's trial and error, The Hits/The B-Sides gives little if any context of the era in which those tracks were made or how they appear on the album itself.

Does one understand the context of the intro to Let's Go Crazy if they don't hear it at the begining of Purple Rain or Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough at the begining of Off The Wall.

It's always best to hear an artists work chronoligically or at least the album that defined their carrer. An artists like Grace Jones, who imo had alotta weak tracks, a good collection might suffice. A good comp like Original Musiquarium still doesn't fit the bill for someone like Stevie Wonder though. To me it's like a book, I wanna read the entire book even if some parts might suck rather then selected great chapters in one anthology.
[Edited 4/16/06 17:30pm]

damosuzuki said:

yea, it depends on the artist and sometimes the availability of the Lp. I'm not gonna go digging for the original Question Mark & The Mysterians album for just for one song. Itunes would suffice. Some acts don't require more research (even though I've heard a bunch ? stuff) than a greatest hits comp. The last comps I bought were Tones on Tail and Fad Gadget, only because their Lp's and singles are out of print. Though I would buy them if the cash and oppurtunity availed itself. But there's also buyer beware with comps, theres alotta shabby comps with awful selections and inferior sound.

You do know that the Backstreet Boys are awful, right? Where's the jazz and classical, or more eclectic music, like Zappa or punk? No Van Halen or Elton John. No Elvis or more Ray Charles. No Stevie Wonder or James Brown or The Isley Brothers. No Debarge or Public Enemy or Rahsaan Patterson or Digable Planets. No Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix or Culture Club. No Gary Numan or Flock Of Seagulls or XTC. No PM Dawn or LL Cool J or Living Colour or The Beastie Boys or....Shall I go on?

2freaky4church1 said:

Some of the stuff you mentioned isn't necessarily must have. You might like a song or two by PM Dawn, but probably don't need an album. And I used to own a couple of theirs. I mean, she didn't say this is the only music she'll ever have for the rest of her life. It's a work in progress. Also, it doesn't count mp3s. For some of us, that's quite a bit.

With the notion that you are female, your list just screams "bisexual".

Novabreaker said:

Explain...?

meow85 said:

Janis Joplin, Flaming Lips! Scissor Sisters!

My apologies! I scanned your list quickly, saw John Lennon-Legend and thought I saw John Legend. Good thing I'm not a witness in a murder trial. I'd probably get the wrong man convicted.