10 Great Albums You Didn't Understand The First Time
You may need to play these on repeat and study the lyrics.
Over the years, there have been many perfect albums to come out of every genre of music. Most of the time, the genius behind these tracks are so immediate that the record is lauded with universal praise almost instantaneously. While most perfect records make you fall in love with them from the word go, others need more time to sit with you before you discover their beauty.
These are the types of albums that you might not have seen the greatness in the first time you sat down with them. Whether it be a shift in tone, a different sonic experiment, or just a lack of hooky material, these albums have been dismissed and even hated by some fans upon their first release.
However, hindsight is 20/20 when it comes to these kinds of things. The more you listen to these albums, the more sonic touches jump out at you as something fantastic. You find yourself spinning these albums more and more before you realize that what you thought was just a passable record is one of the greatest records you have ever heard. It may take a little bit to settle into their groove, but these albums are more than worth the breaking-in period.
10. Nimrod - Green Day
By the mid-90's, Green Day were known as the poster children for the pop punk genre. The band's meteoric rise with the release of their 1994 blockbuster Dookie brought the brighter side of punk rock to the mainstream world. With the band's followup Insomniac being even more angry than its predecessor, fans were ready for yet another punk juggernaut from these guys.
Once those fans popped in Nimrod, it was certainly a shock to hear the directions the group decided to take. The first single "Hitchin a Ride" had a much more subdued guitar riff and even a violin and jazzy guitar chord to both open and close the song. In fact, the entire album tended to take risks from more metallic cuts like "Take Back" to country tunes on "Walking Alone" and even a full-blown instrumental track on "Last Ride In." And let's not forget the biggest ballad of the era "Good Riddance."
While most fans tore into to the delectable tunes, many fans left this record feeling a bit cold. For many fans, Green Day were always at their best as a lean mean pop punk machine, which was not the MO of this record. Over time though, Nimrod has stood up as one of the more adventurous outings Green Day have ever attempted.