I frequently buy stuff well after the 'hype' phase is over (usually because my birthday and Christmas are close together at the end of the year and I use end-of-year lists to steer my buying habits). As a result, I almost always read (but ignore) the hype around specific artists. In some cases I completely miss them til years later.

What bands or albums have you got into 'after the event' and do you think they stand up to the hyperbole they received at the time.

Listening to Is This It? by the Strokes (NYC Cops version) I appreciate that it is decent and catchy record, but not perhaps as 'all that' as it might have been viewed at the time. Also I seem to remember a lot of people whinging about the production. Seems fine to me.

Anyway, over to you...