I really like Unknown Pleasures but when I listened to some Smiths I didn't like it at all.

Whoa whoa!! ha ha. It's the Smiths man...the Smiths!

Well it's not just about the guitar. Some of Morrissey's lyrics are really great, if a bit depressing.

I have listened to a couple tracks of theirs but have yet to get interested. They just seem meh, to me. Did they grow on you guys or did you love them right away?

I started with a greatest hits and wasn't impressed at all. There just wasn't anything that interested me in the music. Then I decided since they were so legendary, they deserved a proper studio album listen. I got their debut and have been a huge Smiths fan ever since. There was something about putting those songs in the context of an album that just clicked with me.

That sounds like my reaction so far. I think I will give that a try.
Thanks :thumb:

I usually think listening to greatest hits or a best of, the worst way to get into a group. Listening a few key albums is far better.

That's how I am now. I used to be all about the introductory greatest hits album. I figured it should be their best, so if I would like any of the music I would like it on the greatest hits. I have since learned the error of my ways.

Depressing?

They're funny as hell.

There are certain circumstances where having an artists Greatest Hits album is the best way to go, but it usually doesn't serve as a good introduction to their music.

Artists who are very singles oriented, who tend to put out albums with a handful of good songs surrounded by filler definitely merit a greatest hits album. There are actually some great bands who I prefer to have the greatest hits of. I love Steely Dan, but aside from maybe Aja, I'm not going to sit and listen to any of their albums start to finish. I'd rather just happen to have a playlist of the songs I love. A Decade of Steely Dan pretty much fits that bill.

There's also a lot of music released pre-1960's that was never released in full-length LP format, so singles compilations is almost critical If you want to amass a good amount of an artist's material. A lot of Jazz, blues, and first wave ska is like that.

Plus punk bands & 'REAL' indie acts who put out singles or EPs because they couldn't afford to put out full length albums.

Eh, not necessarily. I just "got" them earlier this summer.

Steely Dan throughout the 1970's, more or less churned out the same well produced jazz infused sound, and their level of consistency never really dropped...........therefore a greatest hits/best of is a good way to listen to them.

Well, there doesn't seem to be a lot of conversation about metal bands on here so maybe I won't get much help with this but:

As a true and genuine metal head I have always found myself apart from the rest on this one subject...

SLAYER.

This isn't really about a particular album but the band in general. I haven't heard all of their albums but that's because the one's I've heard just didn't do it for me. Maybe someone could point me in the direction of a particular album I should definitely check out? Also it would be nice to know why so many people like them so that I know what to look for.

I mean, honestly, the song Angel of Death alone is enough to make me hate them. I can't get over the repeated screaming of the phrase Angel of Death over and over and over and over and over again for long enough to even try listening to the instruments. I just don't think they're that special and on top of that, even if their music were amazing...

THEY ARE F***ING CHRISTIANS!!! How can anyone respect them? I just don't get it.

Slayer play a brand of very heavy and aggressive metal, you either like it or you don`t. There`s not too many metal bands out there, that play with the same intensity, heaviness, musical ability and overall consistency. They`ve been around for some time now, and the consistency level of their albums is pretty amazing, and they`ve never really deviated from their root thrash sound.

Angel of Death is early Slayer, hence basic Slayer but for some their finest moment, personally I prefer their material just after this.

The influence of Slayer is immense in metal. The whole death metal scene is rooted in the Slayer sound, practically all the central European thrash bands have been influenced by Slayer, and a multitude of half baked metal wannabe bands have tried to emmulate them.

I would without hesitation, put them into a top ten of greatest and most influential metal bands of all time.

When I think of the phrase "No Compromise" I think Slayer.

I didn't think much of Slayer until I tried to beat "Raining Blood" on expert in Guitar Hero 3 :-p

So I just went back and listened to some of my slayer albums and I think I put my finger on why I don't like them. Honestly, their instrumentals are amazing. Like... f***in great.

But Tom Araya's vocals just irritate me. They are so horrible. I wish I could describe why I don't like them... i guess it just sounds like he's yelling over and over and over again with the same tone at the same volume level and it pains me to try to listen to a whole album of it. It just overwhelms the bomb instrumentals.

The other reason I can't get into them is I can't get over what utter liars they are. I mean... they are christians. They are genuine, god-fearing, christians.

Slayer is like a metal quick fix for me. Their songs are usually short (especially on Reign In Blood) and as Unknown Soldier has been saying, they are consistently intense. I have to be in the mood for them, but when I am it pumps me the **** up.

So i guess there's no help for me if I just can't stand araya's vocals? I mean... does anyone have anything positive to say about them? They're just not brutal... they're not heavy... they're just.... annoying.

There are quite a few posts where we all had something positive to say...

His vocals work with the music to me. I like them, personally, but I have a high tolerance for weird vocals. And his aren't that weird.

And they are pretty brutal and heavy if you ask me. Just use the baby test. Play it to a baby and it will probably start crying. That's pretty brutal.

You're missing out young man,Countdown To Ecstasy might even be better and Pretzel Logic is great fun.Loads of great tracks that arn't near the Best-Of.

It's hilarious how everyone chooses to ignore it when i mention that they are christian liars ;)

I think there are probably plenty of things which aren't brutal which would make a baby cry...

But so yea... I guess I'm doomed to dislike slayer forever.

Well I pretty much hated them until this year, but now I like them, so you never know. I think they're the type of band to listen to for the badass riffs, and not much else. They're like the AC/DC of Thrash Metal, they only do one thing but they're pretty damn good at it. I only have Reign in Blood but it's just a kickass album to me, nothing more, nothing less. And about the Christian thing does it really matter? As long as the music's good who cares.

See now I think that when you have a band as consistently good as Steely Dan any sort of compilation doesn't do it justice. There's really no filler in their entire discography and they're not a singles band. They're an albums band. They make excellent albums. You should listen to them.

Of course, I don't like compilations very much anyway.

I'm unclear on how that would make them liars.

I agree.., Steely Dan can lay claim to their own genre of music, some of the best produced (recorded) music Ive ever heard.

Its like most groups, if you can`t stand the voice or the singing style of the main man you`re never really going to get into them. As for Tom Araya yelling over the music, it compliments perfectly given that its probably the only way he`s ever going to be heard.

Why are they utter liars? And why do you keep bringing up the christian issue all the time?

I'm curious too, especially considering Araya's Catholic.

I can see their frustration though, Sam Dunn brought up this issue in the 2005 documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey when he was asking about the title of their album God Hates Us All. Araya stated that God doesn't hate, but "it's a fucking good album title", or something along those lines. I know he used that interview as a segue for going to Norway and interviewing some of the '90's black metal bands as well as a preacher who worked at one of the churches that was burned down.

I love that documentary. Best part was when they interviewed Mayhem. "We are the best fooking metal band in the world...if you don't like it...fook you". Classic.

I know this documentary well, and I`d agree with Tom Araya`s assessment in that it was chosen as a great sounding album title. It also rates as one of my all time favourite Slayer albums to boot as well.

As for true anti-christian values, I only really think of the Norwegian black metal bands as violently expressing these opinions.

I even remember the interviewer being nervous about interviewing Mayhem:laughing:

Yea I'll keep listening to them every once in a while and see if I start to like them. It's the same thing i do with bell peppers! (except with eating... not listening...)

Ultimately I am of the school that music is separate from the life of the musician. But the fact that i know they are christians makes it hard for me to swallow all their anti-christian bull****. I'd way rather listen to bands like mayhem and burzum who's member(s) actually practice what they preach (even if it isn't something I agree with).

Liars is actually a bad choice of words on my part, sorry. I'd say they are fakes.

Their logo is a pentagram... a satanist symbol. They're album covers feature such images as a bloodied bible with nails in it. And here is a sample of their lyrics:
Satan our master in evil mayhem
Guides us with every first step
Our axes are growing with power and fury
Soon there'll be nothingness left
Midnight has come and the leathers strapped on
Evil is at our command
We clash with God's angel and conquer new souls
Consuming all that we can

satan our master??

I do understand that they can present all of these images without necessarily claiming that they agree with them and that they are just presenting them for effect... but I think the image they made for themselves was intended to seem real and for some reason it just bothers me to know, when i listen, that they are just kidding.

Now I am, in a way, contradicting myself because I listen to death metal and I'm pretty sure that the members of the bands don't actually skull rape virgins... but... it is so extreme that it is obvious that its not true. It's a part of the nature of metal to be extreme.
But the subject matter of slayer's lyrics and images isn't that extreme, it's just anti-christian... it just seems weird to me to be a deeply religious person who dedicates his entire musical career to an anti-christian message...

and perhaps I'm just biased against religious folks.

Could someone who knows more than i do about slayer tell me if they have always been open about their religious beliefs? Because I am under the impression that they didn't really start talking about that until way later in their career.

In which case... aren't they the epitome of sellouts? Going against their ideals to make money? Cuz you can make great metal without the anti-christian message if metal is really what it's about for you. It just seems to me that they put forth that image to look cool, and that for a long time they weren't very open about the fact that they don't actually believe in what they are saying.

I admit though that I know way less about slayer than most of you guys and I was born in the 80's so I wasn't exactly there to experience it...

But for instance... If a band sang about the same things that amon amarth does, but they were from ohio and not descended from any scandinavian blood... i probably wouldn't be able to take them seriously. If their music was amazing, I would probably listen to them. But if I couldn't stand their singer... there would be no way. So i guess it's the combination of those things.

I think I love slayer minus tom araya. that's probably blasphemy but... i do love their instrumentals.

They make stories out of their songs. It is entertainment. It doesn't have to be serious. If you don't like Slayer, you don't like Slayer. While I was surprised to find out they were all Christians, it didn't really affect my enjoyment of their music.

I'm not trying to convince anyone that it isn't ok to like slayer. i was just exploring the various reasons for liking/disliking slayer. It's different for people who find different things to be important. Plus their being religious isn't why I dislike them. I mostly dislike them cuz I don't like the vocals. I could overcome the catholic thing if i was totally in love with their band. And I agree that instrumentally (excluding the instrument of the voice) they are really great.
Just discussing... that's all... wasn't that the point of this thread? Not to convince anyone of anything but just to discuss the various reasons why we like or dislike things?

i think i would be scared to interview them too!

I thought we were discussing. I was discussing why I still like them despite them being Christians. So, no worries...discuss away.

Am I the only one that can tune out vocals if I really don't like them? I'll admit there are a few bands out there where the music is top notch but the vocals get to me. I usually just focus on the music and ignore the vocals...I'd say 90% of the time I end up getting used to the vocals and actually enjoy them.

I'm a vocalist so it's the first thing I hear and the hardest thing for me to ignore :(

Personally I can`t see the issue here. Whether they`re christians or not I find quite unimportant. If they`re christians and want to sing about satan or anything else for that matter, its just their topic of choice and nothing more! Metal has always had a shock value and Slayer are just part of that image.

Music is entertainment for the listener, and whether those making that entertainment practice what they preach is quite irrelevant really.

I'm not a vocalist but I'm the same way, it's very hard to look past a singer that puts me off, no matter how good the music. I can ignore lyrics no problem, but I can't ignore vocals.