Albums you once thought were brilliant, then realised were shit, then realised were brilliant.

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In 1997, I lived “Casanova” by the Divine Comedy. I played this Godlike concept album every day. There wasn’t a duff track. Such a full, bombastic, confident sound. Every song spoke to me, showed me the mistakes I’d made, and the ridiculous things I could achieve. Elegance against ignorance. Difference against indifference. Wit against shit. Neil Hannon as hero - geek made love god. Oscar Wilde meets Michael Caine as Alfie.

Then, the fall from grace. By 2001, I loathed “Casanova”. I played it one day and, by God, what a duff album. Such a hollow, pretentious, dishonest concept. Every song shamed me, reminded me of the mistakes I’d made, and the ridiculous things I’d told people I was going to achieve. Neil Hannon was a twerp – as much a love god as I was. The picture of Dorian Grey meets Michael Caine in Goldmember.

This year, I love “Casanova”

― davidsim (davidsim), Friday, 8 April 2005 04:48 (twenty years ago)

Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 8 April 2005 04:53 (twenty years ago)

Manic Street Preachers - Gold Against the Soul. Hearing the Holy Bible made me hate this album, but i guess its not all that bad after all.

Iron Maiden, as a whole. In my teens i loved them, then when a bit older discarded them as metal tripe. Now i've gone through the whole back catalogue again and i'm looking forward to seeing them at Leeds!!

― dmun, Friday, 8 April 2005 07:24 (twenty years ago)

Any Eighties music I liked turned crummy when I was eleven, and two years later I got around to liking it again. I blame this on my mother's then-boyfriend, who always made fun of us for listening to new wave records. For Chrissakes, this guy had an Insane Clown Posse album! We should've revolted!

― What we want? Sex with T.V. stars! What you want? Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Ma, Friday, 8 April 2005 09:10 (twenty years ago)

Three posts in, and my answer's been stolen already (Gold Against the Soul) - though I think Generation Terrorists is more the answer, since Gold Against The Soul is not really "brilliant" in any way.

Also, all Dire Straits, Queen and Abba ever. I don't think I thought they were shit, just embarrassing to admit to.

― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:31 (twenty years ago)

I don't know if I'd ever has gone as far as to call them shit, but the Bauhaus live album 'Press the eject . .' went away to the 'we will never speak of this' end of the collection mid-eighties, under severe peer pressure.

Picked up a CD reissue last year. Wow. What a band.

17-year-old self was right, after all.

― Soukesian, Friday, 8 April 2005 09:37 (twenty years ago)

Dire Straits - I've been listening to 'dire straits' and 'brothers in arms' recently as I used to love them when I was about 13. Bits are genuinely appaling and at times quite hilarious (e.g 'walk of life') other bits are, of course, genius ('Money for nothing', 'Down to the waterline'). Not so much albums, which is why I'm only mentioning it as someone else brought them up, but individual tracks in this case.

I think I am going through the 'shit' phase of this with Nevermind at the moment.

― hmmm (hmmm), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:44 (twenty years ago)

Rage Against The Machine S/T. i am older and wiser enough to have overcome my late-teens shame at having loved this record, and now it has returned to its rightful place between on the shelf between Toxicity and Relationship Of Command.

― Lee F# (fsharp), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:55 (twenty years ago)

Rumours

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 8 April 2005 10:32 (twenty years ago)

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