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Topic ClosedHow does the prog factor affect your rating in PA?

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frippism View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: How does the prog factor affect your rating in PA?
    Posted: April 04 2012 at 13:44
I really have no idea what section this is supposed to be in.

I'm wondering...

If you decide to review a certain album here on PA, and you consider the music as unrelated to progressive, does it factor into your rating?

For me, personally, not really. The rating is really just my enjoyment of the album. 

What about you guys?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:02
I put progressiveness or originality into the rating, i think it should have consideration. 

I don't think a masterpiece can be a stale, familiar, rehash of old ideas and bands. At least an obvious case of the situations told. 

Though i do understand that there are wonderful albums here that have a strong accessible flavor. Doesn't mean it deserves a lowered rating.  
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:05
It says to do so in the guide to what stars mean. So yes. Otherwise it is a false rating not true to the site.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:07
I don't think you get my question, my wording is probably confusing. Not progressive as a verb, but more as "does the music fit to be on PA?"
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:08
well actually Snowdog got my point, Horizons didn't, but yeah...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:12
Originally posted by frippism frippism wrote:

well actually Snowdog got my point, Horizons didn't, but yeah...

In wish the wording was changed for the star rating system. For instance i really like....say....Invisible Touch....but even I have to admit that it is not an essentall prog album. So I must rate it lower. Well I don't "must" but you get my point I tghink.

I probabvly could have thought oif a better example.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:17
I will reply with a quote of my review of Chris Squier & Billy Sherwood's Conspiracy album: 
 
As for the rating, we are faced with the problem of having to rate in a prog site an album
which is not meant to be a prog album. Judged as prog this would hardly deserve 1 or 2
stars, but it would be unfair to give it a rating suggesting that it is crap, because it is not. It is
simply not meant to be a prog album, it is a crossover pop album and as that it's a pretty
decent one. Squire himself made it clear that people should not take this album as a
follower to "Fish Out of Water". I find it justified to give a low rating to albums such as
Yes "Open Your Eyes" because after all Yes is supposed to be a prog band, but released
as a side project and free from the Yes name things can take on a different perspective. At
least this is quality pop-rock which does not insult the intelligence of the listener, and in the
21st century this is already quite something. So I prefer to give the necessary warning in the
review and give it at least a dignifying 3 stars.
 
So the conclusion is: yes the fact that this is a prog site must be taken into consideration but to a limited degree, if an album is good but not too prog, I probably deduct 1 star from what I would rate in a "non-prog-environment".
 
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:42
Originally posted by frippism frippism wrote:

I really have no idea what section this is supposed to be in.


That is also a good question. LOL It's not a discussion on prog music but about our activity on the site, hence the section where I moved the thread. Smile

As for the issue, IMO the rating has to reflect the quality of the music exclusively, while discussions about the stylistical aspects of the music should have their place in the review.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:42
If it's on PA why question if it should? Tongue


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 14:56
I dislike the ratings criteria and would rather just rate an album on how much I like it.  Prog genre qualities, plus being progressive in an adjectival sense, are to a considerable extent subjective measures.

I don't like it when I see someone reviewing an album and saying it deserves a low score because it's not Prog or progressive -- and I might disagree with that Prog or progressive quotient evaluation, but I'm fine with people not liking it and thus rating it low, even if I love it, because of taste.

I've suggested other ratings descriptions. 

I like something like, while recognising that it's subjective:

5 stars: Yowza! Sublime, mind-blowing, revelatory... 

4 stars: Boner-fied sizzlin!

3 stars: Good.

2 stars: Not that good, but not that bad either.

1 star: Bogus! Horrible. Crappola.

Or better, something like:

5 stars: adoration!
4 stars: love it
3. like to really like
2. don't like
1. hate

Anyway, such a Prog question wouldn't affect my rating, even for albums that I know aren't Prog by the standards of the categories here.  Prog is to an extent in the ear of the behearer, and some purists will come down harder on music that doesn't fit the classic Prog rules, but is considered Prog by the standards of its category.  And I would want to rate a pre-JRF Davis album lower just because it's not JRF -- still may be progressive, but not progressive jazz rock.

Sorry if I'm going off on an aside, but I just have such problems with this:

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(39%)
39%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(44%)
44%
Good, but non-essential (17%)
17%
Collectors/fans only (0%)
0%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)

What is an excellent addition for any prog rock collection?  I would prefer it if it said to any well-rounded collection, since there are going to be Prog umbrella styles that do no appeal to everyone.  I would rather, if they have to keep it, to alter it to a masterpiece of its category, but that's still so subjective and depends on how familiar one is with the category.  Some have said that Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock should not be in PA and are not Prog (I rate Prog for this site by how well specific, most representative albums of an artists fits the category, not the artist as a whole), so should those people rate Get Up With It and Crossings or other albums by them lowly because of their notions?  No, they should rate the albums lower if they just don't like them. I would rather personal notions of what is Prog not factor in, as it does too much, I think, but I would extend that to not worrying at all if it is Prog when it comes to my rating (even if I know it's not Prog at all).  Then there are all of the levels of progressiveness/ Prog by degree quotients to consider with an album....


Edited by Logan - April 04 2012 at 15:30
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 15:48
Well yes but this is a prog site after all.
 
Newcomers to PA probably expect that by looking at PA's ratings and Top x Albums lists they can learn what are the greatest prog albums (that is, considered to be so by the rules of the voting of course).
 
Most of us may agree that albums such as Deep Purple's Made In Japan or Bowie's Ziggy Stardust are masterpieces, they are both in PA and unquestionably historical masterpiece albums with a huge number of us who know them and appreciate them, but if we all rate them as masterpieces in PA they may well get into the Top x Progressive Rock Albums ranking and that might be misleading to people who do not know much about music and simply want to learn about the best albums of really prog-rock.
 
I have no doubt calling Ziggy Stardust a masterpiece but I would have trouble seeing it within the Top 10 prog-rock albums of all time (I picked Ziggy just as an example but there are so many other masterpiece albums who do not belong to the title of "prog-rock masterpiece"). We should distinghish between "musical masterpiece" and "prog-rock masterpiece".
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 15:56
^ Proto Prog and Prog Related can't get into the general chart. ;)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 16:08
Good point, Gerinski even though Prog Related artists albums and Proto Prog ones are not included in the top chart.  I thought Bowie was in Crossover Prog -- I think he should be for his Berlin trilogy albums in particular, but for other music as well.

We could have had a variation on what Mike does at progfreak and have separate ratings for how good one find the music, the progressive approach, and Prog by style.  An algorithm weighing these factors together would help to determine the placement on the charts.  Bit late for that though.

Ziggy Stardust is a masterpiece in my opinion, and I would have a problem with not rating it 5 stars if it was in Crossover.  Perhaps certain albums could be kept off the top 100 list for  the benefit of more casual visitors who don't know how things work -- Kind of Blue is a prime example of an album that does not belong there.  Perhaps M@X could just change ithe title from being Top Prog Albums, to Most Popular Albums by Artists in Prog Categories, with an explanation that it is merely a popularity list and albums may be included that may not be Prog even though the artists do have prog category-worthy albums.


Edited by Logan - April 04 2012 at 16:11
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 17:29
I think it is very stupid to consider how progressive an album is and ignore the music. And that's what many people do.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 19:13
Personally I would prefer reviews without ratings. My ratings are based on the site's guidelines. I gave some of my favourite albums only 2 stars precisely because I feel they do not deserve any more on a site dedicated to "progressive rock." I'm also in the camp that thinks some throw around their 5-stars too liberally.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 19:31
Originally posted by Snow Dog Snow Dog wrote:

It says to do so in the guide to what stars mean. So yes. Otherwise it is a false rating not true to the site.
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 19:43

Not much really, except when giving an album a 5-star rating, and I don't give very many of those.  That said, I think there are always exceptions to the rule and have given a few 5-star ratings to albums that probably aren't progressive by most definitions of the term, but at the time I figured all of them were about as close to perfect as an album could be:

Black Sabbath - Paranoid
The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
Dixie Dregs - Bring 'Em Back Alive
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Supertramp - Famous Last Words
Wishbone Ash - Argus


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 19:44
Originally posted by Junges Junges wrote:

I think it is very stupid to consider how progressive an album is and ignore the music. And that's what many people do.

It would be stiupid to do it in a site like Rateyourmusic, where you judge ań}lbums exclusively for their musical qualities.

I love Rumors by Fleetwood Mac, in Rateyourmusic I nwould give 500 stars to that album, but in a ProgArchives full genre, we have other requirements.

If Rumors was in ProgArchives I would have to go with 3 stars, because

  1. Rumors is not an  "essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music" and I would be lying
  2. Neithe it is an "Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection" because I don't need a NON-PROG album for my PROG COLLECTION
So it's simple, adding non prog bands to FULL PROG GENRES forces me to rate it with les stars than what they deserve only for musical reasons, because being Prog is a requisite for a rating

Luckily we have Prog related and Proto Prog that are not Prog categories and the requirements are different, that's why i could rate The Grand Illusion with 5 solid stars, because in my opinion it's an essential: non Prog album.
            
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 20:41
Read the reviews.  The End.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 04 2012 at 21:55
Originally posted by Ivan_Melgar_M Ivan_Melgar_M wrote:

Originally posted by Junges Junges wrote:

I think it is very stupid to consider how progressive an album is and ignore the music. And that's what many people do.

It would be stiupid to do it in a site like Rateyourmusic, where you judge ań}lbums exclusively for their musical qualities.

I love Rumors by Fleetwood Mac, in Rateyourmusic I nwould give 500 stars to that album, but in a ProgArchives full genre, we have other requirements.

If Rumors was in ProgArchives I would have to go with 3 stars, because

  1. Rumors is not an  "essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music" and I would be lying
  2. Neithe it is an "Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection" because I don't need a NON-PROG album for my PROG COLLECTION
So it's simple, adding non prog bands to FULL PROG GENRES forces me to rate it with les stars than what they deserve only for musical reasons, because being Prog is a requisite for a rating

Luckily we have Prog related and Proto Prog that are not Prog categories and the requirements are different, that's why i could rate The Grand Illusion with 5 solid stars, because in my opinion it's an essential: non Prog album.
Well, maybe people should stop thinking about "oh this is prog, oh this is not prog". This is an infinite discussion. Some albums are prog for some people, some not for other people. Period. If the albums are here in progarchives, well, review them for their music quality. There are zillions "progressive" albums that I think they shouldn't be here and I am sure everyone can also list zillions of albums they don't think they should be here. Well, what can we do? Just say "this album is not prog but I love it, 5 stars".

f**k if it says "masterpiece of PROGRESSIVE ROCK". Being more prog doesn't make an album better. It is like saying "oh I prefer this album over this one because it is more prog, so it deserves a better rating (even if the music quality isn't better)." Or: "oh I won't give it 5 stars because I don't agree this is symphonic, I think it is crossover or whatever". Doesn't it seem stupid? That's why I say: f**k the classification and rate the quality of music.

But... that's just my opinion. Let people do whatever they think it is right.


Edited by Junges - April 04 2012 at 21:58
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