Worst Album in the Symphonic Top 20

crimson87 wrote: Hamburger Concerto is a masterpiece , the only flaw I can find on it is that Pierre Van der Linden's drumming was much better than Collin Allen's. And also the fact that Focus III has more jazzy sections.

Ditto.  It's such a shame that they replaced the jazzy van der Linden for a drummer with a more straight-ahead rock approach.  I actually find Allen's drumming quite irritating, but still think the album wonderful.

I voted in a subjective manner for Kansas' Leftoverture, and it had nothing to do with the band's, or the album's, commercial success.  It's about the music, which, while I can respect it and those who like it of course, does not appeal to me much (I don't have Atlas' or Echolyn's albums).  Incidentally, "Carry on my Wayward Son" (a staple of classic rock radio here) is not a song that I would turn off on the radio.  I do find the album rather too arena-rockish for me.  It's similar to music such as Boston's which I also don't care for.  It's a kind of Americana music that just doesn't do it for me. The vocals sound almost preachy and it's pompous in a way that does not tickle me.

More have voted for Hamburger Concerto, and that's one of my favourite here (even though I would put Focus III and II ahead of it), but to me the contrast between the sublime and ridiculous  is masterful -- the way it shifts from humorous to majestic.

Rocktopus wrote: Epignosis wrote: crimson87 wrote: Epignosis wrote: Rocktopus wrote: [QUOTE=Epignosis] Kansas's album is one of the only ones up there with any real commercial success, and I wonder if that's why it's so frowned upon.  I think Yorkie said it well. Some of you Americans, and your way of looking at the world. So their no. 5 in the US charts (which I had no idea about, until I googled it just now) is why I don't find it exiting? Very few outside of North America ever registered Leftoverture, or Kansas (the band) existance. They're probably as obscure over here as Van Der Graaf Generator is over there. Close to the Edge reached no. 3 in the UK. Nobody seems to have a problem with that. Its just widely regarded as a greater, more progressive yet successful album (and rightly so).  Some of you Americans? *looks around* Surely he doesn't mean me (who listens to music from all over the world). Get real. I know it's Kansas's commercial success that makes them somewhat unpopular here because I've heard people here say so.   I am sure he wasn't talking about Kansas , he was refering to some popular US albums (Mainly AOR) and for non Americans that poll was somewhat irrelevant since those records weren't popular at all. Um...he specifically named Kansas.

There are countless examples that some of you, ecpecially from the US (and UK) seem think that every american (and british) band that was popular in the US (and UK) was just as popular everywhere else, and we all share your american experience.

When you or Yorkie explain Kansas' lack of popularity with their "commercial success", it sounds absurd to most of us. That s not the reason for me, or most people from more or less the rest of the world, because they didn' have any commercial success.

Boston, Journey, Foreigner, Styx, Stevie Miller, Hootie and the Blowfish, Kansas and even Billy Joel are all pretty obscure over here. I linked to the other thread because its based on the same... misunderstanding (to put it gently).

Their relative popularity is not the explaination for why they got their 16 votes in this poll. You will have to find a better excuse, if you need one.

But I think his point was way beyond Kansas , he can explain it much better than I

Easily Snow Goose for me. That entire album bores me to tears with the exception of  "Dunkirk."

Rocktopus wrote: Epignosis wrote: Kansas's album is one of the only ones up there with any real commercial success, and I wonder if that's why it's so frowned upon.  I think Yorkie said it well. Some of you Americans, and your way of looking at the world. So their no. 5 in the US charts (which I had no idea about, until I googled it just now) is why I don't find it exiting? Very few outside of North America ever registered Leftoverture, or Kansas (the band) existance. They're probably as obscure over here as Van Der Graaf Generator is over there. Close to the Edge reached no. 3 in the UK. Nobody seems to have a problem with that. Its just widely regarded as a greater, more progressive yet successful album (and rightly so).

Some of you Americans?

*looks around*

Surely he doesn't mean me (who listens to music from all over the world).

Get real.

I know it's Kansas's commercial success that makes them somewhat unpopular here because I've heard people here say so.

Rocktopus wrote: Epignosis wrote: Kansas's album is one of the only ones up there with any real commercial success, and I wonder if that's why it's so frowned upon.  I think Yorkie said it well. Some of you Americans, and your way of looking at the world. So their no. 5 in the US charts (which I had no idea about, until I googled it just now) is why I don't find it exiting? Very few outside of North America ever registered Leftoverture, or Kansas (the band) existance. They're probably as obscure over here as Van Der Graaf Generator is over there. Close to the Edge reached no. 3 in the UK. Nobody seems to have a problem with that. Its just widely regarded as a greater, more progressive yet successful album (and rightly so).

88melter wrote: 88melter here.    Point taken, but my glowing assessment of CTTE was meant to COUNTER any votes or voters who may believe it to be suitable for inclusion on the 20 worst Symph-prog list. It does not belong there by any stretch of my imagination, at least. I will take it up another notch, and add that, if you are not inclined to put CTTE on the TOP 20, rather than the WORST 20 list, perhaps you are not a symphonic prog fan at all, a position one can hold with integrity, or course, but one that doesn't qualify a person to be voting on what recordings are the worst of a genre that one feels little or no affinity for. 88melter

1. This poll is not about the worst 20 list, the starter acknowledeges this albus are the top 20.
2. The question is which of this top 20 albums you like less.
3. Nobody here said CTTE uiis one of the worst 20 albums.

Now from my perspective, I like CTTE, rated it with 5 stars because I believe is an icon of Progressive Rock, as much as Foxtrot, Thick as a Brick, Trilogy, In the Court of the Crimson King and many more.

I think birdwithteeth said that he liked CTTE. Besides , man If I had to ask for explanations every time someone does not like ELP this would be worst than the Crusades. After all , they are missing it.

I thought that blanket statements like that were just what chatrooms needed to make someone's point of view clear.

  I am much more interested in why you do not care for CTTE, and what seems like worthier music to you, than just the fact that CTTE is not your very favorite. Tell me more, and I'll try and respond to any specifics  with some of my own. Without a point of view that is informed by specifics, our opinions do not matter as much, eh?

88melter