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robg 
Forum Newbie
Joined: July 05 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 4
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 Topic: Why bother reviewing all-time classics?
Posted: June 20 2009 at 15:38 |
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I'm just wondering why people bother reviewing hugely popular albums e.g. Yes' "Fragile", Genesis' "Selling England" or Pink Floyd's "DSOTM"?
It seems there isn't a day goes by without one of these, or other, massive-selling all-time classics getting yet another 5 star review or the odd 3 star dissent by someone trying to look clever or different.
What's the point, seriously? Today in a review of "Wish You Were Here" the reviewer actually says "Probably everyone on this site already has this album memorized" - so really, why bother? Why not review something that hasn't been reviewed 1,464 times before?
If you're on this site and you don't know that "Thick as a Brick" is pretty well regarded, you've surely come here by mistake right?
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Slartibartfast
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam
Joined: April 29 2006
Location: Atlantais
Status: Offline
Points: 29630
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 15:56 |
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I prefer to focus on the stuff that doesn't get many reviews or hasn't been reviewed before, but sometimes you gotta go back to old classics because you know them so well.
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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NotAProghead
Special Collaborator
Errors & Omissions Team
Joined: October 22 2005
Location: Russia
Status: Offline
Points: 8015
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 16:00 |
Robg, it was discussed many times in many threads. Personally I agree with you - it's crazy. 
Only few reasons I've read when I asked the same question: 1. The site policy is: everybody can review any album from PA database, the number of reviews is not restricted. 2. New people, just discovering prog music and knowing only these albums, come to the site and it is their right to review familiar albums. 3. Many visitors want to know what some prolific reviewers think of popular albums.
I think it's enough to accept things as they are. 
Anyway everyone of us decides which albums to review.
Edited by NotAProghead - June 20 2009 at 16:01
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32566
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 16:12 |
*sigh*...
1. Only by rating and reviewing "classics" do the charts ever change.
2. I like reading the reviews of the classics, especially my favorite albums.
3. I especially like reading the reviews of the occasional person who thinks In the Court of the Crimson King and Wish You Were Here are three star albums (like me).
4. I write reviews on everything I have. That includes Close to the Edge.
5. Selling England by the Pound doesn't have 800+ reviews. It has 800+ ratings and reviews.
Can we move on to a fresh subject now? 
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Ricochet
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: February 27 2005
Location: Nauru
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Points: 46301
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 16:12 |
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It's been discussed before, indeed.
It's plain simple.
Every person has the right to review an(y) album. It doesn't matter which album.
Edited by Ricochet - June 20 2009 at 16:14
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The T
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 16 2006
Location: FL, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 17493
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 16:24 |
 robg wrote:
I'm just wondering why people bother reviewing hugely popular albums e.g. Yes' "Fragile", Genesis' "Selling England" or Pink Floyd's "DSOTM"? Because not everybody that wants to review them has had a chance yet. Because some people are just discovering some of the classics. Because those are the albums that got more people into progressive rock, much more than your "only 3 living persons know this band" albums...
It seems there isn't a day goes by without one of these, or other, massive-selling all-time classics getting yet another 5 star review or the odd 3 star dissent by someone trying to look clever or different.So anybody writing a review of these albums is either trying to look clever or fdifferent? isn't this exactly what you're doing by coming up with this "why do people do this again" topic?
What's the point, seriously? Reviewing. Giving your own impression of an album. Today in a review of "Wish You Were Here" the reviewer actually says "Probably everyone on this site already has this album memorized" - so really, why bother? Because he felt his opinion deserved to be on the website as much as the other ones. Why not review something that hasn't been reviewed 1,464 times before?I personally don't give a damn about artists just because they're "obscure".. I like what i like and review what I want...
If you're on this site and you don't know that "Thick as a Brick" is pretty well regarded, you've surely come here by mistake right?No.... you;re wrong. MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT YOU AND DON'T HAVE TO BE LIKE YOU came here BEFORE knowing about that album (I am one of them...and frankly, can't care less about that record).... Many people DISCOVER THOSE CLASSICS HERE.....
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King Crimson776
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 12 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2779
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 16:27 |
Because these albums do this thing called "existing". Because they "exist", I can listen to them, and then formulate my opinion on them, and write it down in review form.
Also, it is "fun".
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rpe9p
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 31 2008
Location: Charlottesville
Status: Offline
Points: 485
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 16:29 |
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I'm just wondering why people bother making threads that criticize people for reviewing the albums they want to. It
seems there isn't a week that goes by without one of these threads by someone trying to look clever or different. What's
the point, seriously?
If you're on this site
and you don't know that "Thick as a Brick" is pretty well regarded,
you've surely come to the right place to start your prog journey.
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32566
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 16:33 |
rpe9p wrote:
I'm just wondering why people bother making threads that criticize people for reviewing the albums they want to. It
seems there isn't a week that goes by without one of these threads by someone trying to look clever or different. What's
the point, seriously?
If you're on this site
and you don't know that "Thick as a Brick" is pretty well regarded,
you've surely come to the right place to start your prog journey.
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Absolutely. Before I came to this site years ago, I didn't even know Jethro Tull or Genesis played prog. I thought the former was folk rock and the latter was crap pop.
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Negoba
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 24 2008
Location: Big Muddy
Status: Offline
Points: 5210
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 16:36 |
I have my share of reviews on albums with no other reviews at all. And yes I just moved WYWH over CTTE for #1. Even though I don't think that album belongs at #1 or probably even #10, I think to rate it lower that 5 stars is insanity.
As I review more albums, I see glaring omissions so I choose to fill them in. I personally like to go to reviewers profiles and see what they rate highly. So I return the favor.
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You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all.
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fuxi
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 08 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 2478
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 16:48 |
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With highly well-known albums like the ones you mention, most reviews are probably getting repetitive BUT I always keep bumping into reviews that are entertaining in themselves or which tell me things about the music I hadn't realised before.
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A Person
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 10 2008
Location: __
Status: Offline
Points: 65760
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 17:11 |
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I don't mind people reviewing albums that have been reviewed a bazillion times, it is interesting to see people rate the "classics", especially the ones where people think that some well known ones, like WYWH or TAAB are "teh suxxorz".
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Hercules
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Near York UK
Status: Offline
Points: 7024
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 17:20 |
robg wrote:
It seems there isn't a day goes by without one of these, or other, massive-selling all-time classics getting yet another 5 star review or the odd 3 star dissent by someone trying to look clever or different.
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So we're not allowed dissent, aren't we? I have occasionally reviewed albums very differently from the majority and it certainly isn't to look "clever" or "different". It's because I don't share their opinions and wish to offer a differing perspective. For example, I think that, with the exception of Roundabout, Fragile is quite a poor album, the 5 "solo" tracks in particular being utterly forgettable. OK, I'm in the minority, but I still think my view is valid.
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A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life.
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harmonium.ro
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
Joined: August 18 2008
Location: Anna Calvi
Status: Offline
Points: 22989
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 18:38 |
Epignosis wrote:
rpe9p wrote:
I'm just wondering why people bother making threads that criticize people for reviewing the albums they want to. It
seems there isn't a week that goes by without one of these threads by someone trying to look clever or different. What's
the point, seriously?
If you're on this site
and you don't know that "Thick as a Brick" is pretty well regarded,
you've surely come to the right place to start your prog journey.
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Absolutely. Before I came to this site years ago, I didn't even know Jethro Tull or Genesis played prog. I thought the former was folk rock and the latter was crap pop.
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I concur with both posts. Also, I'm getting quite tired of this question...
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debrewguy
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: April 30 2007
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 3596
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 18:39 |
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so how would us old folks remember what old albums to go back and listen to ?
you obviously missed the 816th review of Selling England by the Pound by Vibration Baby. And LSDisease covered a few classics that prompted me to pull them out for the first listen in a long time.
Of course, I can be snarky and just tell you to skip these overabundant reviews. It's really quite easy. Just make believe it looks like this
See, if only you imagine the possibility
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"Here I am talking to some of the smartest people in the world and I didn't even notice,” Lieutenant Columbo, episode The Bye-Bye Sky-High I.Q. Murder Case.
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Isa
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 26 2009
Location: California
Status: Offline
Points: 152
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Posted: June 20 2009 at 19:26 |
Sounds like communism in the form of progressive album reviews.   Actually I do try to give just as much attention to the less known albums as the prominent ones so that more people will hopefully know more about "this amazing band that people should hear." For example, I really enjoy reviewing Enslaved albums because they're such an amazing band that so few have heard of, and now lately people seem to be giving them more attention. It's almost like I'm promoting a band I love, which is kind of cool, I think. But the classics are classics for a reason, and like many others I hadn't even heard of Jethro Tull until coming to this site, and Thick as a Brick was love at first listen.  It's for young people like me who are just discovering prog and want to know what albums are quintessential to the genre. I've digested most of it quite well now, and hold many of those classic as prized possessions.
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Jozef
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 17 2008
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 2204
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Posted: June 21 2009 at 02:27 |
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I know I reviewed "Selling England by the Pound" and King Crimson's "Red" but that was basically because I knew the albums so well and wanted to share my thoughts on why I enjoyed them so much. It doesn't bother me that there are so many reviews of these albums, they're held in high regard everyone is free to discuss them however they see fit.
I actually would like to read some negative reviews of the "classics", that would be fun and a good source of debate.
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Queen By-Tor
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: September 13 2006
Location: Xanadu
Status: Offline
Points: 16111
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Posted: June 21 2009 at 02:36 |
Because it's fun
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Toaster Mantis
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 12 2008
Location: Denmark
Status: Offline
Points: 5898
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Posted: June 21 2009 at 03:27 |
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If you have an unpopular opinion on a well-known album, of course. Let's face it, every fan of a specific genre has a handful of "classics" he or she doesn't think are as great as everyone says.
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"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook
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friso
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 24 2007
Location: Netherlands
Status: Offline
Points: 2506
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Posted: June 21 2009 at 06:23 |
Muhatma Ghandi:
"Even if you are in the minority of one, the thruth is still the truth."
This justifies all. Even 'clever and different' guys like me.
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Why bother reviewing all-time classics?
