Your one and two star album ratings?

He's not a tough judge, he's a bizarre judge, just look at what he gives 5's

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...)

^ You mean Will's? I had not thought they were being given lightly, or that the 80 or so 2 star ratings were given lightly, or the others. My thing is that I rarely would wish to listen attentively enough, and enough times over time, to want to rate or review significant numbers of one and two star albums. I have been told that I have rated too many albums five stars but then I like to rate favourites which I feel I know very well. The albums that get the most plays are albums I love.

By the way, I am not the reviewing type and what reviews I have written are poor -- I only have 15 reviews here. I started with only making ratings with reviews, then rated a bunch when the quick rating feature came out, and now I will only rate with reviews again.

I too think that we should consider what Steve says, and that goes too for how we talk about albums in the forum too. At least hopefully we can express our views in a considerate, respectful manner, unless we find the artist despicable, or with despicable messages. Also, one should consider being considerate of others with different music opinions and that might affect how one talks about albums. I'm fine with people expressing that they do not enjoy something, but some people are much more free and easy with calling albums and artists bad than I would be comfortable with. But I digress.

^ & ^^ Will think about that. I can be very slow on the uptake, especially these days. I knew where you got the non-essential part from and I find the ratings descriptions problematic. SO even if get the association and context, i take issue with the statement "This isn't essential to anyone's record collection" as I feel it would need verification. I am confident that it is essential to people's collections as it has been essential to mine. It an either true or false statement. And if I agree with him would hopefully be based on both logic and evidence.

Jared wrote: Logan wrote: By the way, I came to this topic wondering especially how many times albums rated one and stars generally had been listened to. Like I said, I (at least usually) would not be comfortable rating an album without having spun it multiple times (and trying it over time ideally). I could have made that aspect clearer. As I put it in the OP, "So what are some of your one and two star ratings, how much did you listen to those albums and why did you choose to listen through those if they do not seem to match your tastes at all?" The albums I have quoted above are mostly ones I had growing up and have been heard on quite a number of occasions... none had less than 6-8 listens and I tried to like them (because I'd spent my hard earned on them and didn't like to give up). I don't think my views will change.  The Sky and VDGG albums, I still have in my collection and get the once in a while spin, because they are part of box sets..

Thanks, Jared. I have only listened to Open Your Eyes once in full, but would feel confident that another spin likely would not change my mind from its one star status I have in my mid for it now. I still would not wish to rate it without spinning it more, but also I do wish to spin it more. There is so much I love to listen to and music to discover that I will love.

I do think some albums are much easier to rate "fairly" than others. The more familiar with the musical idiom/ expression one is, the more one knows of similar acts, and often the more one knows of a discography as I think it often makes sense to compare to other releases by an act, then I think the better for judging the merits of an album.

There are genres of music and art generally that I have not explored much and so I have little to compare the quality of an album to when it comes to music of that ilk (I like comparing like-to-like and I like associating). I'm much more comfortable rating albums that not only do I like, and I am much more likely to properly listen to albums I like (attentive, multiple spins). A rating can just mean I liked it or did not like it and to what extent, but I do prefer the ones that I have more faith in as coming from a place of knowledge and experience, and from someone who seems to be able to "grok" that kind of music.

I tend to think of those one star and two star albums for PA as ones that are not just not to one's, but poor of their ilk and of low quality for the category. In other words, ideally I would want to compare it to other ones in the category, other ones by the artist if applicable, and generally ones which are of similar style for the rating. I could say much the same of giving any rating. There are styles of music that I just would not want to rate due to my lack of familiarity and passion.

Edited by Logan - March 29 2025 at 09:26

Logan wrote: What I dislike and strongly disagree with in your review is this line, "This isn't essential to anyone's record collection." I have no idea how you would come to that conclusion. People enjoy different things, what's essential to me need not be essential to you.

I was merely using PA's rating guidelines. If 3 stars is "Good, but non-essential then logically two stars is less than non-essential. That's how I came to that conclusion.

I find Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom both absurd and poignant. It's a very moving album to me and I find it all the more meaningful that it occurred after that serious accident Wyatt had when he fell out a window and broke his spine. I had heard and appreciated the album before I knew the story behind the album, but knowing the background does make it all the more poignant and moving for me.

Similarly, Blackstar comes from a place of change and suffering, and like Rock Bottom, I also find it ultimately triumphant in its way as well as very poignant. That someone would put together such an album while dying I do find admirable, and it is deeply personal. That it became so respected by so many, I love. Like with Rock Bottom, I get an empathetic reaction too with it. To me it is not just the culmination of a career, but a life. I recall that Paul described it as depressing, well yeah, I find the circumstances behind it depressing, and subject matter (e.g. "I'm dying to, I'm dying too") but I also find it life-affirming in its way.

Bowie and Wyatt have been two of my favourite artists for many albums through the years, but Rock Bottom and Blackstar mean the most to me. To hear such things reduced to "bad" saddens me. Of course people can and will like what they like, but I rarely like to call albums bad. Feels heartless to me considering the circumstances too, but then those albums evoke very strong emotional reactions from me that go much deeper than I like them.

With Will's ratings CLICK, I love Swans' The Beggar, but I get that being a marmite album. What I would not have expected nearly so much is two stars for Miles Davis' In a Silent Way, but I respect that you took the time to review that album. To me it is wonderful album and the album that first got me to love Miles Davis. What I dislike and strongly disagree with in your review is this line, "This isn't essential to anyone's record collection." I have no idea how you would come to that conclusion. People enjoy different things, what's essential to me need not be essential to you. And I absolutely would have described that album as essential to my collection as much as anything could be described as essential. If I had to save just one Davis album, that would be it, for two add in Big Fun. I'm not nearly so keen on Kind of Blue, but I have no problem appreciating that other people really love it and would not tell them that this it is inessential to their collections.

By the way, I came to this topic wondering especially how many times albums rated one and stars generally had been listened to. Like I said, I (at least usually) would not be comfortable rating an album without having spun it multiple times (and trying it over time ideally). I could have made that aspect clearer.

As I put it in the OP, "So what are some of your one and two star ratings, how much did you listen to those albums and why did you choose to listen through those if they do not seem to match your tastes at all?"

Edited by Logan - March 29 2025 at 08:27

^ At least we agree on Robert Wyatt and Frank Zappa's albums (I don't know about the others), but I'm astonished that you only gave one star to Anderson/Stolt and Dream Theater's albums, which are both four star albums for me - not that my opinion counts for anything though when I've given Kate Bush's highly-acclaimed Dreaming album a lowly two stars. 

^ On the plus side, I gave the full five stars to Kate's Aerial & Hounds of Love albums, so I'm not completely barking mad. Woof! 

Psychedelic Paul wrote: Generally, it's only godawful Death Metal albums that receive a one-star rating from me, but these are some of my two star album choices that are rated highly by many other PA members, although a two-star rating from me is often seen as a recommendation.   2016: David Bowie - Black Star - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k9zz5HH6wfeoWzK5VnHRd68UrIzKr3frI  1982: Kate Bush - The Dreaming - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lbVVvc21x5VshNYvG3LGhSjaLQzZV-1DI  1973: King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mBMqJoDxm1ZOcV88rz8OaHArNwtIKPDro  1972: Tangerine Dream - Zeit - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kTcPbNmo7mf3Zl3MLlOreONsZNNAEmqL8  1972: Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kOWdkl7AREpLB5vkYkhbv94GHycru9xHY  1974: Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k3KoR5NKhcTHsHH7W5sjsVrqDUbsAL0xg

Lewian wrote: Eloy - Ra. I think I listened at least three times to each, as I have some emotional relation to these bands and want them to do well, but there's no hope.