Your one and two star album ratings?

I have only just caught up with this interesting discussion, and well remember that great discussion with Jared at The Acapela (we must do it again some time).

^ Paul has not seemed reluctant or shy about proclaiming what he likes and doesn't like, what he thinks good and bad, be it in music or politics (before), no matter how much it goes against the grain with most. I'm fine with people liking what they like as long as it does not seem to be harmful to others or themselves. I accept that people have different tastes. And I like to have discussions with people where we have different tastes to try to figure what we like and/or don't like about the music. To dig down on that. I also am wont to try to engage in discussion and argument/ debate when someone makes claims with which I take issue. This is a discussion forum and it is to be expected, seeking justification is expected.

I have had my tastes called bizarre at this forum (i.e. very unusual, far from the norm) especially for my tastes when I was most into very experimental and dissonant music. My ears had become trained to it, and I have returned to some of that music in recent years and while it sounded normal to my ears then, it sounds bizarre to me now. I have had what I like called bad, or just noise, and in various cases I have tried to engage with those people in good faith to actually have a fruitful discussion one what constitutes noise, defines bad etc. but said people were commonly glib and not willing to try to explain their claims. Insults are easy, sarcasm is easy, actually trying to justify claims that one presents can be much harder. I wish I was better at explaining my thinking.

Jared wrote: Valdez wrote: I cannot argue with that. The WALL being my least favorite PF album still gets a 3.5 from me... Even a great bands worst album is usually a halfway decent album. I haven't looked at your ratings, but you surely can't rate The Wall below The Final Cut? I can't imagine that's possible? Putting it below AMLOR would also be quite surprising, but that's another story...

I forgot about ‘The final cut’ and I honestly don’t even consider it to be a real PF album , but you are right… it’s much worse. I probably should have said the Wall is ONE OF my least favorites, along with Endless River as well. My obsession with PF really ended after Animals. But I can tolerate ‘Momentary Lapse of reason’ somewhat.

Just because I personally don’t like an album does not mean it’s necessarily a ‘Bad’ album. There are many many ‘great’ 4 and 5 star albums that I don’t like much.

Edited by Valdez - March 30 2025 at 08:41

^I was trying to make a point. Paul gets a lot of negative and sometimes hateful comments about his musical tastes. It is not bizarre what he likes, and PA forum members don't need to attack him because of it.

Psychedelic Paul wrote:  1973: King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic  4.5 Stars  1972: Tangerine Dream - Zeit 4 Stars (at least)  1972: Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts 5 Stars all day long

Valdez wrote: I cannot argue with that. The WALL being my least favorite PF album still gets a 3.5 from me... Even a great bands worst album is usually a halfway decent album.

Edited by Jared - March 30 2025 at 03:40

Valdez wrote: Logan wrote: Mirakaze wrote: I may be a little too liberal with my two-star ratings; albums I've given that rating to range anywhere from "I don't like this at all" to "this is slightly less than mediocre". One-star ratings I definitely try not to give out at all unless an album is actively offensive or aggravating for me to listen to (though looking back at some of my older ratings I can see I haven't always adhered to that principle either...) (I can understand people taking issue with that), PINK FLOYD"S The Wall, which is the same rating as ELP's In the Hot Seat) I cannot argue with that. The WALL being my least favorite PF album still gets a 3.5 from me... Even a great bands worst album is usually a halfway decent album.

I love The Wall and the Pink Floyd albums that came before it. It's an album that I feel helped my through some tough times, especially when I would feel one of my turns coming on. It's post The Wall that I lose interest in Pink Floyd.

Grumpyprogfan wrote: Nogbad_The_Bad wrote: He's not a tough judge, he's a bizarre judge, just look at what he gives 5's Bizzare is rating Metal Fatigue one star. We all have different tastes.

To pull a Paul, one might say that the answer is In the Mystery





Edited by Logan - March 29 2025 at 12:24

I did a few short reviews long ago that are still up. I should probably revisit and revise... My tastes change every ten years or so.

Logan wrote: Mirakaze wrote: I may be a little too liberal with my two-star ratings; albums I've given that rating to range anywhere from "I don't like this at all" to "this is slightly less than mediocre". One-star ratings I definitely try not to give out at all unless an album is actively offensive or aggravating for me to listen to (though looking back at some of my older ratings I can see I haven't always adhered to that principle either...) (I cna understand people taking issue with that), PINK FLOYD"S The Wall, which is the same rating as ELP's In the Hot Seat)

Mirakaze wrote: I may be a little too liberal with my two-star ratings; albums I've given that rating to range anywhere from "I don't like this at all" to "this is slightly less than mediocre". One-star ratings I definitely try not to give out at all unless an album is actively offensive or aggravating for me to listen to (though looking back at some of my older ratings I can see I haven't always adhered to that principle either...)

That sounds pretty fine to me. It's a range when it comes to those two, three, and four star ratings: a spectrum within the numbers. One star for me would not only be bad but also aggravating and/or abhorrent. The Shagg's Philopsophy of the World is bad by certain metrics but I love it and would score it higher. Can't wait to review it when it finally gets added to RIO/Avant Prog. ;)

Looking through your list, your one star list looks sensible from my perspective. But 2 stars for VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other, ART ZOYD's Musique Pour L'Odyssée, AMON DÜÜL II's Phallus Dei (I cna understand people taking issue with that), PINK FLOYD"S The Wall, which is the same rating as ELP's In the Hot Seat, TRIUMVIRAT's Russian Roulette, CAMEL"s The Single Factor etc.? Houston, we have a problem! (lol)

Your list A very wide range of quality in your two stars list from my perspective, many albums there I would rank higher, and ones I would rank lower, but to each their own of course, variety is the spice of life etc. And if the listing leave me scratching my head, maybe that's due to dry scalp, bad shampoo, fungus, lice or some other factor.