how long do you persevere?

The only bands that seem to have mounted up (The Telescopes, Leonard Cohen & Kreidler, from a cursory glance) have been ones that I've bought retrospectively. I was only about 13 when the Telescopes split up, so I had plenty of time to ransack the back catalogue. I think Mr Cohen may have had something to do with being plentiful in the 2nd hand shops...

Kreidler, hmm, I have no idea. The albums I have were bought after the fact, but I have no idea why I chose them over anything else of that ilk. Ah well.

Oh, and needless to say, I _will_ be buying the new Telescopes album. This has more to do with the fact that I am expecting it to be very good, rather than any sense of loyalty to favourite band regardless of quality.

x0x0

Steven Telescope, however, is busting a move and creating New! Fresh! Telescopes material. Go to Double Agent and there should be some info there.

I have a loosely adhered-to rule that something 'new' and possibly slightly 'risky' should win out over a safe 'loyal' choice when I'm trying to decide between a couple of albums to buy. (I don't always stick to this - if I've got the cash I'll get both, or positive comments from friends/ILM/the press might swing it in favour of the so-called safe choice).

Anyway, for me this question can mainly applies to currently active artists. I tend to buy back catalogue in a random order anyway, or in chunks, so it's not really possible to say whether or not I'm 'persevering'. I rarely rush out and buy things right away, in the knowledge that everything is available second-hand or in a sale sooner or later. That introduces a third element - price. I'll get, say the last Orbital album for 5 or 6 quid, solely as a solid, rather than potentially exciting new buy.

Some artists?

Tindersticks - haven't evolved despite the addition of a hardly detectable 'soul' element and slightly more lush production. Yet somehow I know I'll get the new album sooner or later.

Stereolab, High Llamas - (aren't they the same now anyway?) - I've given up. With the former I stupidly bought the one after the wretched Dots and Loops in case it was a blip. It wasn't. With the High Llamas I bought Gideon Gaye - hated it, persevered, thought I liked one or two tracks, bought Hawaii, and realised that I was right all along - dull,dull, dull.

XTC - tried to like Mummer, Big Express and Oranges and Lemons. Should've given up for good after English Settlement, Skylarking excepted.

A Certain Ratio - the only one you need after To Each... and Sextet is Force, but I bought the bloody lot up to Change the Station or something.

Afghan Whigs - bought Gentlemen. Didn't like it much, but ended up with Black Love and 1965 too. They've all gone now!

Recently, Skylarking: good O&L: bad Nonsuch: good AV1: good Wasp Star: bad

The problem is, I never know when they'll pop out a really good one, so I have to buy all of them.

Bought "Scary Monsters" when it was released (one of my first LP purchases, btw), and have since bought everything before and since... but nothing he's done since "Let's Dance" has really jazzed me that much. Oh yeah, I tried to like Tin Machine, and "...hours" has its moments, but I've watched my boyhood hero devolve into mediocrity for some time now. Of course, I'll still buy every goddam thing he puts out.