Why is Tull's "A Passion Play" rated so low?

The Hare is hilarious and quite catchy. Great stuff

This is hard to evaluate, for us, I think.

The reason why would be that since you are wanting to express something or other with the music, you decide that this is better than what would ... (otherwise in commercial music!!!) ... be done with lyrics. Ian understands this very well, and it shows in his work. But I kinda think that what he wanted to say, could not be done with lyrics, since the words backed by cardboard/simplified beats, would not help the work stand up for being different and valuable as a composition.

That is is rated "low", doesn't bother me ... if you are the artist, and you worry about everyone's ratings, then you are in the wrong business ... and you won't last long playing music, or saying anything ... and this is the part that many folks here don't like ... that at the time, most artists said ... I want to do this, and the audience was not an issue ... but it became an issue, when things got more commercialized ... like the radio stations owned by corporate interests and no longer playing music that is not to their "liking" or listed within a top ten context.

Sometimes, for me, I prefer the things that are "low" in ratings ... you know why? The vast majority of them are different and something that takes an extra ear to get used to and not everyone is attuned to the "third ear" as it were ... which is the biggest issue here in discussing anything, and something that no one can change me on ... I am with the art ... not the ratings or anyone else's opinions ... but then I came from a place where the arts were valuable and important in keeping people aware and strong against a politically corrupt and over controlling state. In America, this is kind of a joke, since there is not only variety (differences in each part of the country) but also any kind of control is a serious issue ... what works in NY does not work in LA and so on. And, of course, vice versa.