I enjoy rating albums on RYM, but I sometimes find that I'm hesitant to rate an album poorly--which on my scale usu means a 2.5 or 3--thinking I just haven't given it the proper chance. But, I think I'm going to adopt the rule that if I listen to an album all the way through 4 times and nothing grabs me, then I've given it a fair shake. My question is--how mnay times do you listen to an album before you feel you've given it a fair shake. Obviously, if there's something that draws you in, you're going to be listening to it alot of times. I'm talking about the albums that you don't find you care for.

Usually 2 or 3.

In some rare cases, such as Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown, 1.

I only rate albums which I've listened to so many times that when one song ends, I automatically know what's coming up next. (That's not a hard and fast rule). Invariably this means that I mainly rate albums 4/5 stars and don't actually rate weaker albums.

This is a great question that has ate at me for years. This is also why I trust music reviews more than movie reviews, because music critics invariably listen to an album several times before writing their review, while movie critics usually watch a film only once. This is also why I trust end of year lists more than reviews.

Anyway, my own answer: First of all, I see if I WANT to listen to it again. Even albums that don't immediately grab me on the first spin may have that "pull" where later that night or the next day I feel like hearing it again. If I feel that pull, that means the potential's there, then I listen to that particular album again and again until my opinion changes. By that I mean either positively or negatively, just as long as it changes. I will either get tired of the album without finding anything new in it, or "see the light" so to speak. But as I said, I only give an album additional chances if it naturally pulls me back. I will not force myself to re-hear something I absolutely didn't care for.

Back in the day it used to happen really often: i'm listening to an album for the very first time and by track number 5 i felt exhausted, kinda like"it's too much". Then when i listen for the second time in the same day, i kinda liked the first 5 tracks, but i just couldn't get through the rest cause i only wanted to listen the tracks that i already did. Third time in a row... nothing. It used to take weeks before i had finally embraced the whole work... it sucked.

These days i get the album, listen one time a day during 3 consecutive days. Much better, cause i give time to some tracks to grow and i don't feel exhausted, cause normally after i listen to album A, i go to album B, i just never got sick. And obviously i gotta pick what i feel like i want to listen. If i'm feeling garage rock today why review a Laura Nyro album? I'm going to listen to Fever To Tell-ish albums. This month i was kinda in "singer/songwriters" phase, i've been embracing the work of many artists of this kind, especially folk. I was so into that stuff that i listened to the whole Joni Mitchell discography in two days (her 80s and 90s work = underrated). But since the beginning of the week i've been more into works that are sonically challenging, a lot of different instruments in a song and an album... so maybe i wouldn't embrace Beth Orton's Comfort of Strangers this month like i did the last one.

So that's what i do now: 3 listenings in 3 days to build an opinion, then further spins will reveal more stuff. I also find weird that i usually don't dislike albums very much, maybe it's because the big majority of them received fine reviews, so the chances of hating it the whole thing - 2 stars or 1.5 star area - or disliking it - 2.5 or 3 stars area - are very low.

I listen to all albums a purchase a minimum of 5 times regardless of what I think of them. Even after that many listens I often find that I'm not as familiar with a particular album as I would like.

To me it depends on the album. If it's an album that universally panned and most people (obviously) don't like very much I think I can safely say after 1 listen if I really don't like it either. I'm not gonna torture myself and listen to it again. Some highly acclaimed albums, however, I keep coming back to even though I may not like them very much; I figure there has to be 'something'. Sometimes I find myself liking the album in the end (happened to Endtroducing.....) but usually it only grows to average appreciation (Nevermind, OK Computer, etc.) Everything in between panning and high acclaim.. not sure, really just depends on the album and if I think I could start to love it.

at least 5 times before rating.

If I can't get that far, it doesn't deserve a ranking.

I always try to listen to acclaimed albums at least 10 times (usually try to balance it out between 5 times where it's just on in the background and 5 where I am really listening). By that point, I know where I stand on it. There have been several albums that literally took all 10 listens before they clicked with me.

It took me at least 10 plays to like what is now my favorite Who album, Who's Next.

Then there's always the natural drift in tastes that comes from time and from expanding your musical comfort zone. It's probably moreso when you're young than when you're older.

I know if I never gave another chance to everything I hated when I was first discovering classic rock, I'd be depriving myself.

Honestly, usually twice is enough. But like said earlier, some albums have that "pull" that make you want to listen to it more. For me, "OK Computer" exemplifies this attitude.

The tendencies of critics also tend to change my judgment - if a album is critically acclaimed and I don't get it, I'll tend to give it a few more spins than normal.

I am going to use my experience as The Post-Modern Music Coordinator at a college radio station in 1994. Most of the time when a group of CD's came in through the mail, I had one listen to form an opinion on whether to put something on the playlist or just file it away. It's hard to form an opinion on just one listen. For example, I counted 7 CD's on the AM list for top records of the year in 1994 that I completely dismissed as garbage. Had I taken the time to listen more than once, perhaps I could have caught what others did and vice versa. I can remember being all over some acts (April's Motel Room, A Month Of Sundays, Sand Rubies, Echobelly etc...) that are completely lost in the shuffle years later.

Now after all this time, I think you have to listen to a record at least twice to form an opinion. At this point if I am not happy with it (Weezer/Raditude for example) it will never be listened to again. If after two listens you want to hear it again, than it is good and you can rate a record accordingly.