I’m sure everybody here knows this situation: You find a really nice song from a band or somebody is telling you about a great band he/she discovered.
So you start some research about the band just to discover that the band is excisting since 20 years, released 15 albums, 100 singles and 4 compilations.
In times when I had much amount of free time this was no problem for me. My standard procedure was to work through the discography chronologically. First the single and associated album and then to get them in my head I watched (if available) the live performances.
For me that was an effectively method which also gave me the chance to live through the history of the band as if I were an fan from day 1.
But nowadays I simply have no time for doing so anymore.
And I’m really struggling to get into bigger discographies. I’m trying it with listening to a best of album to learn the “important” songs and then - if I liked it - start to slowly listen to the rest. But that’s not as satisfying as back in the days.
So what are your tactics? And which bands made you struggle the most?
I have a digital music collection of over 13000 non-visual-kei bands and around 350 visual kei ones now. I have specific sites for release info and download and trade. it’s up to the quality of the whole discography whether I get it or not totally despite the reason of personal affection. if there’s only mp3 resource remained, I’ll just skipped it tbh, cuz there’ll be greater ones I believe without pity. am I just too optimistic or merciless?
my biggest struggle is bands like Dir en Grey, MUCC, Vidoll, Diaura, The Gazette, ever cuz they’ve released too freakin’ many stuffs and hard to get the whole discography in lossless back in the days lol these are total exceptions in my “lossless and QAAC theory”. for non-visual-kei bands? torrent sites always welcome you and give you huge convenience.
Usually I will first focused in completing the albums, then next the maxi an EP. Singles usually come last if I really like that band and the single contains original B-sides. Otherwise I will just leave it alone.
Last PITA band was Unlucky Morpheus. They released so much in less than 10 years and not all of them has Fuki in the vocals which was what I was looking for.
My plan for large discogs has always been DL all of the albums first, from newest to oldest and give a listen to 1 or 2 albums while doing something on the net. Once I completely feel like the music is worth listening to again, then I DL the singles but only if they contain tracks that aren’t already in the albums. If the discog is really good but isn’t in lossless format, I buy them if available.
With regards to time, it is part of a hobby. Pretty much all hobbies is a time sink. I recommend to be a stickler for the music so you don’t waste your time with crap music.
Eh, I’m really not a completionist with anything (I’d say I haven’t even finished most of the video games I own), so I go the basic route and get a compilation or greatest hits release or something, then pick out tracks I like and listen to the releases they’re from. Then I’ll target the other albums close to those chronologically and just kind of fill in the gaps as I get interested in other tracks.
Usually I start with full albums and from there if I’d like the band/artist I look further.
But if you happen to know someone who has been following the artist/band from the very beginning I’d just ask for recommendations, I’m sure they’ll pick out best of the best to keep you interested.
Aw man… It took me a while to complete MUCC and Plastic Tree’s discographies. For MUCC, I would gradually listen to an album here and there before I ended up listening to almost all of it (still haven’t heard Antique or Shion sadly) after a year or two. After I stopped sleeping on Pura last year, I hit the ground running but 25 years of ground is a lot to cover (can’t miss those demo tapes ). I began with a bunch of much-beloved singles and after that, I started with the first few albums and gradually worked my way up. Loose ends like features, compilation albums, and demotapes came afterwards. It took me like… 4-6 months to listen to almost everything. That was just because I had quarantine time, though.
BUCK-TICK has been with me every step of my VK journey so I can’t even really remember how, what, when and where with their stuff but I swear that I have heard most of it, at least.
I also go with the Album>EP>Singles formula. But sometimes I just ignore B-Sides. Like all the early MUCC’s singles with different versions and 2nd Press with different songs it’s too much for me.
Right now I’m trying to complete BUCK-TICK’s but I’m stuck in the Tenshi no revolver era. I usually need to listen to the album more than two times so rather than advancing I need to relisten some stuff.
Regardless of genre, I have to be really into a group to start going through every single thing they’ve ever put out. Usually when I find a new band I go on youtube, look up a playlist of the music videos they have and listen to those on loop until I decide whether or not I want to invest more time in them.
I only recently got Spotify so I think it’ll be easier to find b-sides from there (haven’t tested this yet, but I’ll probably start with singles/albums that have songs I already know and like. If not I’ll pick the one with the best cover art lol)
I simply buy the stuff I like. If I like a track, I listen to the album/single/demo. If I like more than just a couple tracks, I generally buy the entire release. If I like everything, I go for everything. I generally piece things out so that I can afford them.
If i really like a band i would take time to listen to all of their discography from begin to end. Even if it’s a period i dont have much free time, i’ll do it, slowly but surely
For a band I’m just trying that already has an extensive one, I’ll try their latest release along with their very first (or as early as is easily found). Best case scenario, one of these two will make me appreciate the other more and I end up at least appreciating them as I meet in the middle!
Well this is my suggestion. Some people in the music community weather vk or non-vk tend to over look compilation albums but I find them to be a perfect start for any beginner to get into a band. I would start looking for a compilation or best album if the band has one. Then from there, branch out to whatever songs that catch your interest in that album by looking for the release that song is from. Take a listen to that particular release and see if you like it. Some vkei bands have a pattern like: R-shitei, Sick’2, 12012 etc. Where they just release a bunch of singles then a complication album with maybe 2-3 new songs. To me when bands do that its helpful. Overall every band is different in how they release their music there isn’t a specific order.
For bands that dont have compilations. I usually start with their lastest album or mini album mostly because depending on the vocalist, 50% of the time the first release has worst vocals compared to the latest release. Single’s i usually do last unless the pv catches my attention.
I scrape up every track or B-side and album I can find, put it all into a folder, then go through each song 1 by 1 previewing around 20 seconds, 50 seconds and the chorus, in an initial screening of either “this will be sexy” or “I would never put this on repeat” and delete anything that doesn’t pass. Then I go through again and actually listen to each song, by then probably only 2 or 3 more get deleted, but nothing is better than a playlist full of only songs that are top tier to you not needing to ever skip.
Whenever I download a disco of someone I to through each album and put it on and any time I have to stop what I’m doing to change it I get rid of it, it should be enjoyable for active listening and work as background music as well or I get rid of it.
Mad late, but it really depends. When I get into any artist, I go digging for mixtapes/demo tapes and work my way up to their latest material. But that’s if I’m really into what I’m hearing. There’s quite a few bands that I’ve listened up to a certain point and just stopped, i.e. MERRY, Angelo
How do you even begin with a band like the Raid. who have 145 releases on just itunes alone, not to mention their being a band that releases three to four versions of every release (not on itunes) which would as much as quadruple the amount of releases, so…580 different releases give or take a hundred?!
Its simple. I dont.
Most bands whose discography i know complete dont have a small discography.
Huge discographies can even turn me away from a band. Because listening to a huge discography will end up giving me the feeling of doing a chore and thats not fun anymore.
There are tons of bands where i know mainly just the songs with musicvideo
). I began with a bunch of much-beloved singles and after that, I started with the first few albums and gradually worked my way up. Loose ends like features, compilation albums, and demotapes came afterwards. It took me like… 4-6 months to listen to almost everything. That was just because I had quarantine time, though.
