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MikeEnRegalia 
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 Topic: "Overrated" ... a contradiction in terms?
Posted: November 14 2006 at 06:26 |
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Inspired by the recent Pink Floyd discussion (DSoTM vs. WYWH) I ask: How can any album be "overrated" ... or "underrated"?
Most people simple mean by "overrated" that *in their opinion* the album should have a lower average rating. That's quite presumptuous, as - especially for albums with many reviews/ratings - they're essentially saying that they know better than all the others. They're saying "hey guys, you all submitted wrong ratings!".
Edited by MikeEnRegalia - November 14 2006 at 07:32
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Ounamahl
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Joined: November 13 2005
Location: Finland
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 07:01 |
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None can be over- or underrated, both words are just derived from people's opinion to express it stronger with one word.
Well of course it pisses someone who doesn't like SEPTB or CTTE to see it in the top, but you just have to face the facts...
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This is an electrified fairytale
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andu
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Location: Romania
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 07:04 |
 MikeEnRegalia wrote:
Most people simple mean by "overrated" that *in their opinion* the album should have a higher average rating. |
i think you meant to say the exact opposite. on the rest, i basically agree with you; still, i think this kind of rejection is much more personal and less of an evaluation. most of those saying X is overrated actually don't LIKE it, and sometimes others liking and playing X a lot makes them anxious and angry. that's just bad character.
Edited by andu - November 14 2006 at 07:05
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MikeEnRegalia
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 07:31 |
^ some might say "overrated" because they don't like it, true. But I also think that some think that it's objectively bad, and that those who submitted a higher rating made a mistake and should reconsider their opinion. And that's what I consider to be presumptuous. It's also possible that those who don't agree with the average are wrong.  Edit: I fixed my mistake in the first post - thanks for pointing it out!
Edited by MikeEnRegalia - November 14 2006 at 07:33
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sleeper
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Joined: October 09 2005
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 07:36 |
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I think most people use the terms overrated and underrated as a simple way to say "I disagree with the majority", though of course, sometimes it does come across as people saying "your all wrong".
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Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Paradox
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 07:49 |
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andu
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 07:49 |
this should be clear: you can DIASAGREE with one's OPINION, but you can't DISAGREE with one's TASTE. you can SHARE one's TASTE, or you may not, but that doesn't imply AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT. one should always look for that before reacting to some other's statement. it would make life much easier. unfair presumptions could thus be avoided.
Edited by andu - November 14 2006 at 07:50
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Masque
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 08:33 |
Though some bands do sell a million copies before the first note is even heard, those bands you will usualy find being sold in stores like Kmart as far as overrated goes I do feel this term is acceptable in some cases. The Big Machine has already rated much of what comes out Tools 10,000 days is a good example of that. 
Edited by Masque - November 14 2006 at 08:38
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OpethGuitarist
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 09:23 |
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everything that anyone ever types or says is some kind of a formation of their own opinion
mostly we deal with euphemisms(spelling?) to tell others how we feel about music we dislike.
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back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums
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ResidentAlien
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 09:38 |
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Well, since I'm one of the ones who expressed the belief that DSotM is over-rated, I think I should defend the statement.
Dark Side is a fantastic album, I love it. I don't think it deserves to be awarded a lower rating than it has. What I do feel is that other albums by the band certainly deserve equal, if not greater distinction. Dark Side is a great album that is as culturally significant as it is musically significant. But there are other Floyd albums (i.e. Meddle) that are more musically diverse and just as good if not better than DSotM.
So yes, I feel it's quite easy to make a case that an album, or anything else is over-rated.
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Trickster F.
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 10:06 |
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I never use the word 'overrated', it is extremely overrated, I think.
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sig
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UtUmNo1
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 11:02 |
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'Overated' and 'pretentious' are loaded words which are better of un-used in forums such as this.
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tdbark
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 11:39 |
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Agreed, Over-rated is a term that is only based on opinion... and I would like to see the word pretentious stricken from the English language because of its misuse when critics write about prog rock.
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Twenty men crossing a bridge into a village,
are twenty men
crossing twenty bridges
into twenty villages.
Wallace Stevens
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jalas
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Joined: September 07 2006
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Points: 283
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 11:41 |
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Right on! you're right. I have to stop using those terms. we are just here to help each other appreciate the music. Some people see things others can't and that's what reviews are for. They are so that we can all learn to find something to appreciate in the music.
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Sean Trane
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 11:50 |
Personally when I use the words overrated (overated or over-rated  ), I generally think that the album is generally considered a bit too highly by the masses (who tend to want to reach a large consensus by adopting one oeuvre and highlighting it as a universal chef d'oeuvre) who are not aware enough of other oeuvres around the same genre that might be much better. Not necessarily used negatively, I automatically think that in general this means: yes, it is good but XXXX is better
Under-rated generally is easier to pinpoint as overlooked and often-ignored. Generally it is used positively
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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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OpethGuitarist
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 11:54 |
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Sean Trane laying down the law
I agree with you Hughes
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back from the dead, i will begin posting reviews again and musing through the forums
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Philéas
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 11:58 |
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What's overrated in one person's opinion can very well be underrated in
another person's opinion. We can't escape opinions, but does that
really matter?
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el böthy
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Location: Argentina
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Points: 6336
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 12:25 |
Trickster F. wrote:
I never use the word 'overrated', it is extremely overrated, I think. |
Thanks for telling that joke before I did...you piece of  !!!
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"You want me to play what, Robert?"
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el böthy
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Location: Argentina
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Points: 6336
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 12:26 |
Sean Trane wrote:
Personally when I use the words overrated (overated or over-rated), I generally think that the album is generally considered a bit too highly by the masses (who tend to want to reach a large consensus by adopting one oeuvre and highlighting it as a universal chef d'oeuvre) who are not aware enough of other oeuvres around the same genre that might be much better. Not necessarily used negatively, I automatically think that in general this means: yes, it is good but XXXX is better
Under-rated generally is easier to pinpoint as overlooked and often-ignored. Generally it is used positively |
Well said
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"You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Asphalt
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Joined: July 07 2006
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Points: 456
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Posted: November 14 2006 at 12:56 |
As Sean put it, it might just be that overrated means that album gets TOO MUCH ATTENTION, and the public will not move forward [or backward] in that band's catalogue, although there are other albums that deserve as much, if not more, attention. Underrated works in pretty much the same way.
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"Overrated" ... a contradiction in terms?
