How much of a chance does a record get?

All of this is of course ignoring the idea that tastes can and will change, and what I might not like today, I will like several years down the line.

Not long enough. I've made a decision four songs in, but usually I try to listen to the whole record twice before saying anything out loud.

Once is frequently enough to convince me that I do like something.
Twice is the absolute minimum to convince me that I don't like something that I expected to like.

I'm with Stewart

Of course if it's something by e.g. Bryan Adams, Phil Collins, Kenny G or Sting, the first note is generally more than enough.

I listen to album tracks about 2 mins each in a shop, longer-whole way through with a particularly good track. With vinyl, it's normally quick skipping in a shop, so usually a minute, longer if I'm properly interested. When I have the luxury of more time, ie mp3s or a quiet day at the record shop, at least twice. Stewart is on the same wavelength, esp. on those sux0r 'artists'.

I'm with Sean, usually about four songs in. It won't be a final unswayable opinion, just a general idea as to whether I should invest more time or not. There are plenty of examples of albums which grew on me over time, but rarely is it something I completely discarded first time around. Usually I'll have an inkling that I need to investigate further.

Well, if it's an album I own or have borrowed from someone etc, I generally get a fairly good idea after one active listen.
I think it's become easier for me to recognize if I'll like or dislike an album quickly. In cases where i'm in doubt I'll hang on to it and give it more chances; this is particularly common when it's a style I'm not used.
But in most cases I'd say that after three listens it's quite clear if I'll dig or dislike an album; there's of course levels of enjoyment that'll be clearer to me later on, but that's a different matter...

Of course, when it comes to in-store listens etc, it's a different matter, as you don't GET that proper listening chance. What I usually do is skip a few songs into the album and listen to a full song or two. I'm not good at listening to just parts of songs, as I find song structures etc to be a very important part of my enjoyment of music. I've mad a lot of dud purchases through this method though, since many albums are dreadfully uneven (or get really boring after a couple of listens)

I find that I'm less patient nowadays than I used to be, but I do think I'm also more apt to quickly recognize if I'll like something; because I know my tastes a bit better (ie no need for as much force-feeding under the hope that I'll suddenly "get it")

I think the only album I ever sold/traded off that I regretted doing so with was Sleep's "Jerusalem". I rebought it later on and realized that it just sucked. I like a lot of that doomy, simple stuff ("Absolutego" for instance), but that album just wasn't for me.

My greatest realization over the years is that the music that really tugs at my heartstrings on first or second listens end up being my favorites after many listens too. I used to say that the best albums are the ones that take lots of listens to get into, but I can't say I hold that opinion any longer.

Of course, there's always exceptions, but I've rambled enough as it is.

Ahh, one note, however: I find that I'm usually much slower in figuring out if I [will] like a bebop/hardbop album or classical piece than I am with various forms of rock, pop, techno etc. I'd assume it's because I'm much more familiar with the latter styles.

All these are great responses -- thanks to everyone. I think I'm most in agreement with Øystein; I tend to like things that appeal to me instantly/with only a couple of repeat listens. The only thing that worried me about this approach is the feeling of it being too easy; that I'm not "getting it", and it's this feeling that makes me, as Øystein said, "force-feed" the music to myself.

The reason I asked the question in the first place is that I can say definately that my tastes are beginning to broaden, and I'm no longer as immediately dismissive (say, for instance, "all pop is sux0r"). However now I'm no longer sure whether I like anything or not, and whether I'm just fighting my old urges to criticise unduly, and I'm really trying to get a handle on my own feelings towards music.

And Stewart is definately OTM!

Apologies for any lack of coherence, I'm trying to get my thoughts down as best I can before I forget them!

depends on how long the song's intro is. Most da time I forward 20-30 seconds to get the main feel for the track. If I still can't get into 3-4 songs down the album, I'm done. Life's too short for second listens.

Hmmm... I dunno, it varies. I gave The Motgolfier Brothers about 4 listens before I realised I didn't like it much, but I knew I liked Niun Niggung by Mouse On Mars after about 20 seconds. Something like The Soft Bulletin took me about 2 years to 'get'.

Great question!

Amon Tobin, the one with Sordid on it, I really loved the first listen.
Radiohead's Kid A, most Portishead stuff, mculsky, Nirvana and Beck are a few off the top of my head who's albums I loved instantly.

Bruce Springstein's Born in the USA I loved, then hated, now like.
I blame this on Nitsuh's taste evolution/indie recovery theory (You say you don't like indie, but.......)

Counting Crows' August and Everything After I hated the first 50 times (my brother played it constantly). Then I fell in love with it and felt bad for hating it and couldn't believe I'd been so close minded.

Bonnie Prince Billy's I see a Darkness I really liked in the beginning but now I think it's pretty boring.

I can never really predict it because my taste is constantly changing. I've listened to all types of music, but I tend to evolve one genre or style at a time, and stuff that's not in my tunnel view at any given time is written off.

other way round with i see a darkness for me. i didnt really get it for a while, and then one day it blew my mind and ive liked it lots since.

as for august and everything after - i don't really like this but mr jones i actually do think is great

It depends on how busy I am and how much I have to listen to at the time - a lot of CDs will come my way while I have a million others to review/lots of work which requires concentration to do/am in the middle of obsessing over one song which I play on loop and refuse to listen to anything else etc, and so they'll get one perfunctory listen then disappear into the black hole of my room until I retrieve them months later. I've done this often enough that I'll rarely dismiss an album on first listen (unless it's really offensively and actively bad, like the Coral), and it's quite nice to be surpirsed by something you had forgotten you owned.

Same as Bob for I See A Darkness - I'd owned it for years and liked it, then one day last year put it on and realised that it was actually one of my favourite albums ever.

I find that the way in which I acquire CDs affects the way I listen to them... if I've paid money for them, especially full price money, I'll make a point of listening to them far more than the ones I get for free/cheap-ass/from the library.

I can see I'm going to have to give I See A Darkness yet another try (it seems to have failed to make any real impression at all so far).

Stewart's original answer is identical to what I would have put, which is quite cool. Alex's last para is also very correct... the tendency of a lot of PRs to send CDs in crappy slipcases has a lot to do with the level of attention I give a record, I'm afraid to say. I know that sounds tight as fuck to anyone who doesn't get stuff for free, but it's true.

Some albums I just don't give a chance to start with, much as I like to project some notion of objectivity. I absolutely hate the albums by The Hiss and Jet (the latter so much I thought about starting a new thread lambasting their disgraceful grey shitness, but they're scarcely even worth that level of attention), but I think I'd pretty well made up my mind on them before the record started. Hey ho.

Jet? As in the band a couple of ex-Sparks members formed? Please tell me you don't mean them? I just heard about them and am all excited about hearing what they might be like.

No, that Jet is new to me... this one is an Australian 'hard rawk' band that write songs about how shit dance music is and women that are bitches, and sound like a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of one of the Stones' worse albums. They have attained a small level of popularity in Britain thanks to the slipstream created by The Vines, who like them.

I have already given them more attention than they deserve, never mind starting a new thread, so pah.