Yeah, I agree that both bands took music someplace new. But, my argument is not that this is why you should like the Beatles. I enjoy the songs and the music first and foremost, but then when you realize how they created that music given their limitations it becomes that much more impressive. Lets say you really love this painting: When you find out that it was made by a man with no hands it becomes even more impressive imo. First and foremost the art has to speak to you, but when you are a true fan of art you start to learn how it's made, what amps they use, what gauge of guitar strings etc. You start to hear "sounds" that are unique to them. A specific percussive sound etc. My guess is as a writer you are in tune with the writing process of some of your favorites. Right? That's context.
This is the sentiment I share with people when II point out that I can from listening to Jimi Hendrix to Rich Homie Quan or Tech N9ne. I look at the songs for the... Quality (I think you could say) of the lyrics... Nothing like Lil Wayne, even though they discuss the same things in their lyrics (mostly). Then I look at how catchy they are, or how worthy they are of keeping around (in my music collection). I enjoy the songs and the music first
I know what you're saying. That's a bit outside of the public consciousness though, in my opinion, as the guy on the street might not know about strings and amps, and all the small things that go into making a piece of music sound the way it does. I was just arguing that context is extremely important the other day, albeit from another angle. I just think that people experience things at different levels, often due to their exposure to something. I wasn't saying that your argument was based solely on the coincidence of time and the Beatles, just that I see a parallel between both bands along one particular line that I think is a good place to start from.
Context with music is an interesting thing. I will often be turned on to a band that is new to me, but has been making music for a long time. I'll ask a friend that likes them to recommend a starting point on which album to listen to first. There are several different answers: 1. Start at the beginning, this gives you context to appreciate the artists journey and full body of work. 2. Start at with an album that shows them maturing, a turning point album. -Many would pick Rubber Soul for the Beatles. 3. Or... pick the best album they've made in your opinion. Which do you recommend? How important is context to the appreciation of the band in question? Interesting stuff and the answer varies based on the band and the friend asking.
I was thinking about this earlier, too. Used to be I'd trawl the web for album recommendations (honestly, I'd trawl 4chan's /mu/. The recommendations there were mostly always interesting at least and often good) and start with that one album. For a while (and to some extent, still now) I'd grab a discography and start with the very first album. But that has potential issues, too, I think - I haven't moved past Astronautalis' first album, because I love it so much, but the first track I heard from him - the one that made me go get his stuff - was on his latest. I think the hesitance is partly because I don't enjoy his 2nd too much, but I'm reluctant to move on so quickly. What I'm doing more often now, though, especially when I'm looking for stuff for one of the radio shows, is just grab whatever's free (usually from bandcamp). That stuff, depending on the band, can be singles, EPs, really old stuff, stuff the band doesn't really like or think is their best - or maybe it is their best and they're using it to draw in the crowd - or absolutely everything. I can't decide which approach to new-to-me artists I prefer, and I'm determined to eventually settle on a particular approach - even though it'll take ages and a few months after that I'm likely to change my mind.
Oh, that's a tough question. And a good one. I was actually thinking about that tonight while listening to Portugal. The Man. I got their albums all at once and listened to them chronologically, but I got bored and just kind of bore it until I got to the latest album, which got me interested in them in the first place. Then, tonight I started listening backward through the discography and it made a lot more sense to me and was a lot more interesting. Conversely, with Weezer, I liked them until Pinkerton and then decided I'd had enough. I have the other albums, but rarely listen to them. Every once in a while I'll listen through and discover that I like a particular song, or section of an album. Maybe someday I'll like or at least appreciate them all. I guess this is why I so often ask where to start when getting recommendations on hubski. That way I can do it the way I want and then try it the other way too.