A few of you have noticed that I've been on a Stones bender today. For whatever the reason I decided to throw on Aftermath and then just go in order from there. So far, this is what I've covered:

• Aftermath (1966)
• Between the Buttons (1967)
• Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
• Beggars Banquet (1968)
• Let It Bleed (1969)
• Sticky Fingers (1971)
• Exile on Main Street (1972)
• Goat's Head Soup (1973)
• It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (1974)

I'm gonna keep going as long as I'm up tonight working, or until I finally decide I've gotten enough of Mick and Keef. Tomorrow, I think I'm gonna do the same thing with Neil Young, starting with Buffalo Springfield.

Anyone else ever tool out to this degree?

I did last month when The Dragons broke up. But I REALLY went overboard - started with a CDR of demos that predate their first album.

i've done things like that, but I don't think I've ever covered that much by one artist in a single day. I should try.

Don't call me until you listen to Undercover. Twice.

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll draws a feeble "Uncle" from me. I'm jumping to Ike Reilly now.

I'll see your tooling out and raise you single-artist A-to-Zs.

Up until about 7 or 8 years ago--until I got a car with a CD player instead of cassette--I used to put together single-artist all-songs A-to-Z on 90 minute cassettes to force myself to listen to a whole body of work, or just to hear everything in a new context. I would listen to them for a few months, then A-to-Z somebody else and record over them.

I would usually do this once I'd collected somebody's complete discography. I can remember doing the complete Dylan (it took up 18 tapes, if I remember correctly), Neil Young (that was probably about 12 tapes without Buffalo Springfield or CSNY), R.E.M., Richard Thompson, John Cale, XTC, Sonic Youth, Elton John (the first 10 years, before he sucked), Squeeze, Cocteau Twins, They Might Be Giants, Patti Smith, Prince, David Bowie, and probably a few others.

I'm quite the dork.

--Obsessive-Compulsive Lump

thats pretty weird, i did the exact same thing last night while playing halo, but i stopped at beggars banquet, first time i'd ever listened to any of them, and loved them. on a related not, what year was flowers released in?

Topics like these are especially great because only HERE am I not made to feel weird for my listening eccentricities.

Generally, I'm always "spending some time" with 3 CD's.

1.Something completely new. A first time listen

2.Something that I just grabbed because I'm in the mood for it

3.The 3rd CD is whatever I happen to be up to as I make my way alphabetically through my collection.

So, yes, I am almost always listening to some artist sequentially.

Steve

i like when box sets are organized sequentially.
i'm currently listening to the Gamble and Huff box set.

disk one makes me so happy.

Space Oddity (1969)
The Man Who Sold The World (1970)
Hunky Dory (1971)
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
Aladdin Sane (1973)
Pin Ups (1973)
Diamond Dogs (1974)
David Live (1974)
Young Americans (1975)
Station to Station (1976)
Low (1977)
Heroes (1977)
Stage (1978)
Lodger (1979)
Scary Monsters (1980)

In the early nineties Rykodisc was reissuing Bowie's back catalogue, releasing them sequentially, one album every couple of months. (although it seemed like a much longer wait...) As each new album came out, I'd listen to the ones I had so far, in order... Towards the end, it took a while!

This is one of my all-time favorite musical moments. Until I bought these albums, I'd only been familiar with Bowie's hits, so each album was mostly new music to me. It was like a decade of experementation and artistic growth condensed into a year or two.

Flowers was a US only compilation, I believe.

This was exactly my experience. I started when Diamond Dogs was released, backtracked, and then began the long wait forward. Scary Monsters took fucking forever.....but the wait was worth it!

1967, but I skipped it. One, because it has crossover from Aftermath and Between the Buttons, but also because I was listening on Rhapsody and they didn't have it.

I used to do that with Ben Harper a lot during the summer.

I've done it Public Enemy too.

And others, of course...but yeah.

when i'm done with the stones i'm going to be doing this with the beastie boys. i just watched an hour long bio of them and it made me want to go from the beginning, their only album i've listened to is ill communication, which was the soundtrack, along with tragically hip's day for night to my drug feuled 8th grade year

Oh shoot, I do it with Elliott Smith quite often too.

I never bought Flowers because I thought it was all available elsewhere, but my Launchcast station hit me with a song called Please Go Home that I'd never heard before. What a gem! The Stones' first try at psychedelia? Not as heavy on the psych as We Love You, but it seriously rocks.

Turns out, yeah, it's on the UK version of Between the Buttons, so now I'm going to have to figure out whether Flowers or Buttons UK has more tracks I'm missing. Stupid US/UK record label bullshit!

*

I did the same thing with Bowie just recently (after the Virgin reissues were somewhat complete), spread across various media (cassettes, vinyl, Cd, and burned CD) : I'm still missing the starred ones above, but I continued through the following.

including: (1967) David Bowie [Deram UK]
1983 Let's Dance
1984 Tonight
1987 Never Let Me Down
1993 Black Tie White Noise
1995 Outside
1995 The Buddha of Suburbia
1997 Earthling
1999 Hours
2000 All Saints: Collected Instrumentals 1977-1999
2002 Heathen
2003 Reality

Oh yeah I did the Tin Machine records too. Plus a Live Tin Machine IMPORT tape that I found in a cut out bin at a department store. (Shudder)

Whenever doing the artist overview listening - I'm amazed at how different the good and the bad are.

I have all of those on the Cactus, if you want them.

D'Oh! That sounds great.

I have to get hooked up at home. I have a bunch of stuff to share too, but I'm firewalled at work. It won't show anyone online - even if I know that they are.

I think nexttime, I could avoid the completely sequential thing- or at least Tin Machine...

i just did this with Wire over the weekend. lots of "wow" moments.

"wow" as in good.

KPH

just he first three wire albums or further on into the discography? - i've always wondered what the later albums were like but i heard there not so good.

everything, except that live album from 79. it depends on your expectation and taste, i suppose, but it is pretty remarkable to see a band go from 12XU to Kidney Bongos.

KPH

I decided to do this with Wilco today, as I'm seeing them in concert tomorrow. I hadn't listened to A.M. or Being There in quite awhile, and forgot how good they are---I still prefer newer Wilco more, but all their stuff is solid.

Have any of you seen this current tour? What's the breakdown on the set list? Mostly AGIB and YHF? How much older stuff are they playing?

I just found this setlist from last night's show in AZ. If I get anything near this setlist tomorrow, I'll be more than pleased:

Setlist
Be Not So Fearful
Hummingbird
Muzzle of Bees
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
A Shot in the Arm
At Least that’s What You Said
Company in My Back
War on War
Via Chicago
Jesus, Etc.
Handshake Drugs
Ashes of American Flags
Theologians
Late Greats
Poor Places
Less than You Think
Spiders (Kidsmoke)



Encore one (with Calexico horns):
California Stars
I’m the Man Who Loves You
Monday



Encore two:
Misunderstood
Kingpin
I’m a Wheel
Don’t Fear the Reaper