Your Ratings
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=28976
Printed Date: November 25 2024 at 01:41
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Your Ratings
Posted By: Australian
Subject: Your Ratings
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 01:19
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I have a question for everyone. Do you decide by your ratings of albums influenced by personal experience, or on the significance of an album? For example you might give “Big Generator” 5 stars while you’d give “Close to the Edge” 2 stars because you like “Big Generator” more. I’m basically asking is your opinion, your own opinion or are just agreeing with the mass? ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 01:22
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well it's definately my view, however I don't just rely on mood or on how it simply sounds in my ear.
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Posted By: ClemofNazareth
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 02:10
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Well, IMHO -
The difference between a 4 and a 5 is purely subjective. I wrote once "an album only deserves five stars if at the end of hearing it you are either setting in stunned silence, or are ready to make a major life change." A 1 has no redeeming qualities whatsoever and was probably only released to fulfill a recording contract, or because the artist didn't have friends who were honest enough to save him/her some embarrasement. A 2 is almost as bad but may have some sort of historical or technical interest to fans. So that leaves a 3, which is a pretty good album. ------------- "Peace is the only battle worth waging." Albert Camus |
Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 02:50
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I don't like the idea of "combined ratings" ... like making your rating a combination of how much you like an album, how prog you think it is, how good it is "objectively", where it should be in the charts etc. The problem is: In the end even if you write a lengthy explanation of how to interpret your rating in the review, there will always be (many) people who base their decisions on that rating without reading the description. Personally I would recommend people to just rate albums according to how much they like an album. 5 = best album ever, 1 = worst album ever. Simple is good!  ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to: 
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Posted By: limeyrob
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 05:27
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Although I haven't given many ratings (I don't think I am ready yet as I am expanding my prog appreciation - especially albums from after the 90's) any rating I give will be on the pleasure it gives me. I couldn't give two hoots about whether it is prog or not - although having said that it just so happens that my musical taste is very heavily prog labelled and there is some fantastic prog music out there. I certainly wouldn't give any extra ratings just because it is prog labelled. Perhaps the ratings should change to a scale between Hairs rising on back of the neck to headache. I have a CD storage system (I'll only buy CDs ie not downloads) that takes up to about 440 albums. There is room for another 30 or so. After it's filled I'll rank them by enjoyment and if I get a new one that I like one will have to drop off the bottom. |
Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 05:36
That's interesting ... I have also decided to limit my collection. As soon as I don't have any room left in my shelves (capacity: approx. 1000 CDs) I sell those that I like the least. ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to:
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limeyrob wrote:Posted By: limeyrob
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 05:45
1000 CDs - I'll have to get a new wall for that many. But if I stay looking at this site I may well have to. I consider that I've only scratched the surface of prog music. Anyway I'm into the garden now to do some weeding in the veg plot. With my walkman of course. I don't select the album I listen to. I have it sorted by album title and just press the on and off buttons. What you might say on a 5 month loop round. Back this evening |
Posted By: Dragon Phoenix
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 06:30
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I don't give ratings without review, and I have not written many
reviews. When I do, I rate the albums ourely subjectively with the
proviso that I take into account its prog content - e.g. Peter Gabriels
soundtrack The long walk home is a four star album for me, but there is
little prog in it, so I took it down to two stars.
------------- Blog this: http://artrock2006.blogspot.com |
Posted By: toolis
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 06:38
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i rate albums based on how i like them and nothing more... BUT... i respect all albums that are generally accepted as masterpieces (even if i don't consider them to be ones, my self...) and always try to understand why, by listening to them over and over again... ------------- -music is like pornography... sometimes amateurs turn us on, even more... -sometimes you are the pigeon and sometimes you are the statue... |
Posted By: mystic fred
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 06:48
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when rating an album i base my judgement on personal opinion, but will take historical and other reviewers opinions into account.
i'm working in my loft today, clearing it out ready for insulation to be installed - i won't take my walkman up there though, if i don't concentrate on what i'm doing i'll be writing my next post from the hospital!!!
 -------------  Prog Archives Tour Van 
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 07:12
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Well I cannot help taking into considering the album's importance (historical, musical or artistic and the influence it had on others), but this is hardly the only criterias for my ratings. The enjoyment of an album is of course the main one. ------------- 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 |
Posted By: Anthony
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 07:16
Well, then there's one thing we both do agree on.  ------------- Future prosperity lies in the way you heal the world with love (Introitus - The hand that feeds you) |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 07:42
Sumthin's wrong here ------------- 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 |
Posted By: bhikkhu
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 10:18
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It goes mainly by how good I think it is, but I also take other factors into consideration. I abide by the parameters of the rating system here. I rate according to how it fits into a prog collection. I also take into account how important it is for other people to have. It may be a great album to me, but objectivity is impotant. ------------- a.k.a. H.T. http://riekels.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow - http://riekels.wordpress.com |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 10:51
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My ratings are mainly subjective, based on the overall impact the album in question has had on me. However, there are other factors I take into consideration as well - such as historic value for a given subgenre (for instance, the four stars I gave to "Images and Words" are based more on that than on actual personal enjoyment of the album), or particularly good musicianship or singing. My reviews see a prevalence of four stars, because many of the albums I have reviewed (97 so far) are in my eyes very good, though not perfect. However, I gave five stars to albums which I consider imperfect but essential for the development of prog (like SEbtP or BSS). I know some people consider very personal ratings a negative thing, but I think it is practically impossible to be really objective when reviewing a work of art (be it music, literature, or any of the visual arts). Professional critics never are, which is clearly evident, especially when they pan something: I've seen reviews so virulent, that one could have been forgiven for believing that the artist in question had actually harmed the reviewer in some way. |
Posted By: Fitzcarraldo
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 17:09
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Australian,
I decide on my album ratings predominantly by how much I enjoy the music, and would have no hesitation giving a low rating to an album rated highly by others if that was how I felt about the album. Conversely, I would have no hesitation rating highly an album that others do not. A sliver of my rating might take other factors into account, such as the historical context of the album.
By "significance", do you mean its historical significance, i.e. an album that was revolutionary or otherwise special at the time of its release? If yes, I may take fact that into account when rating the album, but only as a secondary factor. For example, if I rate the music somewhere between 3 stars and 4 stars and the album was revolutionary for its time then I might round it up to 4 stars. But I would not look at what "the masses" have awarded it and try to follow suite, if that's what you mean.
How I, and I alone, enjoy the music dictates my rating, not how I think others rate it. In fact, if everyone rated albums "just agreeing with the masses" as you put it, then charts would not be of any interest to me at all. Even if one does not like ratings charts, they at least give some inkling of popularity and thus some indication as to what many people like. Quality in the case of music is *entirely* subjective. One man's meat is another man's poison. Although some may not agree with me, I do regard popularity as a (rough) measure of the 'goodness' in music. And, yes, that goes for pop too in my opinion, although I still treat popularity as a very rough guideline only. If a lot of Progressive Rock fans rate an album highly, then I would certainly be interested in checking it out to see if I find it good too. Often that is the case, but not always, as some of my reviews indicate. In summary, my advice would be to ignore what others say and rate an album based on how much you enjoy it. That's the opinion I want to know from other Prog Rock fans.
------------- http://www.progarchives.com/Collaborators.asp?id=326" rel="nofollow - Read reviews by Fitzcarraldo |
Posted By: johnobvious
Date Posted: September 24 2006 at 17:32
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When I love an album and want to give it 5 stars, I ask myself, "Sure I love it. But will others like it as much as I do?" If you want to give something 5 stars, you better be able to convince yourself that a lot of others would feel the same way. If you give Big Generator 5 stars, anything else you review from then on will have very little validity to anyone else after that. The other four ratings are fair game for (just about) any album in my mind. Personal taste varies so widely that about anything could fall between one and four. ------------- Biggles was in rehab last Saturday |
Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: September 25 2006 at 03:01
| My ratings are objective, but I try to be civilized while givin' the stars. |
Posted By: chamberry
Date Posted: September 25 2006 at 21:09
That's pretty much my way of reviewing or at least that's what I'm trying to do. The only difference is that the 4 stars aren't as important as 5 star albums. If 3 stars is a pretty good album then a 4 star, on my book, is a pretty great album. ------------- 
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: September 27 2006 at 02:24
I always rate based on personal opinion ,but I do take account of the relative merits of albums within a bands disography as well.For instance if Yes had only made The Yes Album then I might well consider it a five star album.But as they made Fragile and Close To The Edge I feel they didn't reach their pinnacle until after The Yes Album so marked it accordingly (4 stars).I approach all bands this way.
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Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: September 27 2006 at 02:45
^  I think that this is what matters the most - consistency of the ratings within the scope of the reviewer.
------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to:
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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: September 28 2006 at 00:32
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I do a bit of both honestly. Mostly because i do not want to deny an album that should be in every prog collection not get the five stars because I personally dont find it to be a five star album. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |