Most overrated album No. 1

 

For example, I don't think those who find DSOTM brilliant abhorrent in any way. I would merely hope they are articulate enough to explain to me why they think so, because I actually would like to know.

An that makes two of us.

 

I'm not condemning either DSOTM or the people who think it's a fantastic album. I'm just saying, I like it, but have never quite managed to see what all the fuss is about. I find WYWH to be a much more interesting and emotionally satisfying album.

So by using the word correctly you are being critical of the people who rate the album "too highly"and not of the album itself. That is an arrogance I cannot condone.

As long as we understand were we stand on this we are done here.

An album does not need to be a masterpiece to be widely acclaimed. One trait that all four albums share is they have passed the test of time such that they are still held in high regard by many some 40 years after they were released. This is something that latter-day reappraisals cannot take away. 

It cannot be denied that all of these albums have flaws that can be picked over and there is no reason to shield them from criticism. All albums are equal when it comes to criticism, none are beyond reproach and none should be placed upon pedestal to be revered from afar. I have criticised each of these at one time or another and will continue to do so, (some more than others, such is the nature of personal opinion and myopic fandom); I will continue to regard CttE title track as a bit of a mess, "Talk to the Wind" as a plodding ballad, the production on Foxtrot to be dreadful and DSotM is musically too restrained. Only one of these albums would make it onto my personal all-time top 10 of Progressive Rock, but that does not mean that other people who would include one or more of the other three on theirs are wrong.

Because to call them "overrated" is not a criticism of the albums themselves, but of the people who do rate them. Whether my objection to that is seen as "PC trolling" is immaterial, the English language has a largest vocabulary of all modern languages so, as Raff implies, there is no reason to use a word that means one thing when you mean something else.

That's what it means to me, but to "something I don't like" I'd add "as much as most others, and don't get what others see (hear) in it that is so great".

So I voted for DSotM here, but could've gone with CttE or ItCotCK as well. Hell, I think none of these four are the perfect masterpieces they're made out to be. Same goes for TaaB, btw.