I'm gunna take it upon myself to assume that the majority of the readers in this forum have heard the fallowing albums. I'm just wondering what everyones thoughts on the following were after there first listen.

The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Beatles - Sgt Peppers lonely hearts club band
Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
The Beach Boy's - Pet Sounds
Radiohead - Ok Computer

lol...OK I Guess I'll start.

The Velvet Underground & Nico - A Buddy from a local Record store recommended to me after I had shown some interest in THE MODERN LOVERS. I Took his advice and needless to say I was in awe of it's scope. It had both light hearted songs and some of the most deeply tragic songs I'd ever written side by side. After I had listened I looked up some info and was amazed to find out that it was released in 1967. I found it hard to believe that something so diverse had been made so long ago. Favourite Tracks: Herion, All Tomorrow's Parties

The Beatles - sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band - I was 16 years old when I had my first deep listen at sgt peppers. Initially I found it to be quite cluttered. The production just had to many elements for my mind to absord. Because of this the album was abandoned by me for a couple of years. I revisted it after long enjoyable listens to other Beatles greats. It now one of my favourite records of all time. Not better then Abby or rubber, but close.

Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde - It was literally all I played when I was 17. I just couldnt wrap my head around it being possible to write songs like these. I remember reading the lyrics to every song as I enjoyed my first listen. I felt stoned by the end. The feeling was both tragic and magestical. I felt like I was a 30 year old man in a 17 year olds body.

The Beach Boys - Pet sounds - My mother's favourite album, so needless to say I have a very emotional connection to the album. The first time I truely sat down to listen to it was when I was 19. I however had made a batch of magic brownies and was too tempted to not listen without them. I remember feeling everything opening up. A 15 by 15 room felt like an arena. brain wilson's voice could warm an entire building. Normally I feel very confined while on pot, but this was truely unique and its like that every time I do it.

RADIOHEAD - OK Computer - I remember hearing Karma Police on BIG SHINY TUNES 3 and I knew I just had to have it. From my very first listen I knew that this album was my favourite. It's complexities, and lyrics just fit me to a T. The sound was big and full and I felt like maybe music was actually gunna pick back up for the first time since Kobains death. Radiohead have been my favourite abnd since. Sadly the album has taken second seat to ARCADE FIRES FUNERAL in recent years.

Sorry for the grammer mistakes.

Feel free to leave a new addition to "UPON YOUR FISRT LISTEN"

They all floored me except Sgt. Peppers which disappointed me...

I've only heard the first two in their entirety.

I had already heard the jarring White Light/White Heat and adored it, so The Velvet Underground & Nico actually came across as a little "soft" on first listen. I did, however, immediately pick up on the greater sense of melody and Nico's fantastic additions to the album. It has since become my favorite VU album, with WL/WH a close second.

As many are aware, I'm not a Beatles fan. However, someone brought in Sgt. Pepper to the computer lab at school one day and played the whole thing. As I didn't have a choice to leave, I heard the whole thing. Predictably, I hated it, and it augmented my distaste for the band.

Interesting question. I don't have time to reply in full right now--and actually, it's been so long ago for most of the albums, I'm not sure I'll be able to remember what my first reaction to them was--but I was interested to note Moonbeam's comment on the Velevet Underground. I, too, had heard and fallen in love with White Light/White Heat before hearing the Velvet's first. But the next VU album I heard was the even "softer" third album. So that help prepare me for their first, which when I finally heard it blew me away.

Personally I think the are all 5/5 star albums. But I agree, it is a good starting point to go in chronigical order.

FWIW, I was not impressed by Pet Sounds the first time I heard it. I expected so much more based on the hype. I already knew and liked the big songs (Wouldn't It Be Nice, Sloop John B, and God Only Knows), and expected more of the same from the rest. Long story short: Too much hype ruined my expectations.

Aftermath: It didn't take long to grow on me, but I did have to overcome a bit of the initial is-this-all-there-is feeling. Years later I think the whole thing is genius and I love it.

First time I heard Blonde On Blonde was the opposite. I was just a teenager and not really expecting anything. It blew me away. I got Sgt. Peppers around the same time, but don't have a distinct memory of the first listen.

Lets see..

The Velvet Underground & Nico: I didn't hear anything else from VU before this, and I only discovered them when I discovered this website. Obviously the all-time #4 was quickly acquired and I loved it straight away.

Sgt. Pepper's: My father is somewhat of a Beatles fan, so I heard this album a few years ago. As one of the first older albums I ever heard, although it didn't leave a big impression, it did make me realize there was more music than what was shown on MTV.

Blonde On Blonde: Second album I heard from Bobby D, it blew me away. As more of a songs-person I couldn't believe an album that long could be so good throughout, and I find myself confronted with the awful truth almost every time I play an album of the same length: it's almost impossible. There's a few exceptions of course, such as London Calling, but they are very few in numbers.

Pet Sounds: Although I liked a few songs immediately, most of them had to grow on me, you have to start appreciating these complex layers of music, but once you do.. almost every single person on this planet will love it. That's why it's #1 I guess, a place it deserves.

OK Computer: First time I hated it, I've since come to appreciate it a lot more, but I still don't think it's very good.

Short but sweet:

The Velvet Underground & Nico: Hated it, love it now
The Beatles - Sgt Peppers lonely hearts club band: Amazing, now think it's the 3rd or 4th best Beatles album but still great.
Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde: Liked it and still feel that way.
The Beach Boy's - Pet Sounds: Just okay, like it a lot now.
Radiohead - Ok Computer: Absolutely loved it, still love it but don't listen to it that much anymore.

All those first listens were probably when I was 15-16, 11-12 years ago.

Except Radiohead I suppose. I bought that the day it came out. Sorry for the triple post.

The Velvet Underground & Nico - Didn't get it and I still don't completely. It's in my Top 100 (somewhere in the 60s I think), but I personally enjoy the fun of Loaded more.

The Beatles - Sgt Peppers lonely hearts club band - Didn't get it, still don't. This album has some of my least favorite Beatles songs and a few favorites, but I've only listened to it all the way through once.

Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde - Instant enjoyment. I had heard Highway 61 and Blood on the Tracks prior to this, so I wasn't that surprised to be so enamored. Now, I don't care for it as much as I prefer Highway 61 as being more precise and Blood on the Tracks as more emotional.

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds - My expectations were really high when I finally got this and it kinda let them down (on account of being consistently ranked the #1 or #2 album of all time). It has a warm spot in my heart (23 on my albums list), but I never had that listen that absolutely floored me. It just kept growing and growing on me.

Radiohead - Ok Computer - I bought it on hype and it took me about 4 years to finally "get" it. I don't even think I listened to the whole album the first time I tried to listen to it. Now it sits at 15 on my albums list, but I don't see it rising any farther.