Critics - your thoughts please

[CapMan]

I was reading the critic's review of a jazz album I was streaming from Roon and I think he used the somewhat dismissive phrase - 'they play quite well'. We are taking about greats at the height of their game. I felt a little cross - I mean, it's likely the person writing this couldn't get a bar out of a saxophone. It got me wondering - how do you all feel about critics (art, music, food etc )..

Are there any that particularly wind you up and why..

 

[Keith_W]

A critic or commentator should ideally be able to do what they are criticising, so that they have some level of hands-on expertise. But these guys are often chosen for their ability create an entertaining turn of phrase. In other words, many of them are writers, not critics.

Our own hobby of hi-fi is full of these critics who have no idea that their senses are fooling them and they dream up all sorts of things they heard. But I will give them credit where it is due - they can write much better than I can, and they have a more active imagination. Where I will say "it sounds OK", they will talk about cherubs in heaven and how the sound reminded them of a very specific Swiss chocolate from a very specific village.

 

[MCH]

To me, it depends on critic and subject. When it comes to music, i wouldn't care too much if they disappear all together. Young people get to know music not based on critic opinions but they are exposed to it, if interested, they build up their own opinion and i think it is relatively easy to navigate from there. Songs are short and listening to a piece of crap at the bar doesn't hurt too much. Radio, friends, etc. are a good source of information to discover new things.

Now when it comes to films..... the ration rubbish to decent movies is so high that i don't start watching anything that is not at least 70% in rotten tomatoes. Here critics are a necessary tool for me, i don't want to waste 30 minutes of my life (ok, sometimes 5 minutes is enough) trying random movies, and then, oh, it got too late to start watching a new one :-/ But are individual film critics mostly right? i guess they aren't, but that's why aggregators are the best invention since sliced bread.

PS: when i was a kid one used to read their favorite critics, that is, the ones that liked mostly what you liked, and that was enjoyable and useful, but i guess that reading a random critic out of roon or whatever other tool must be a different experience

 

[CapMan]

Now when it comes to films..... the ration rubbish to decent movies is so high that i don't start watching anything that is not at least 70% in rotten tomatoes

I tend to look at the viewer scores in RT - I find it correlates much better to an enjoyable 2 hours of movie watching than some of the artsy nonsense from the critics.

I think 70% is also around my threshold !

 

[CapMan]

But I will give them credit where it is due - they can write much better than I can, and they have a more active imagination

Gen AI will make that skill redundant

If you're a creative person taking risks, putting your time and money into something it must be soul destroying to have that effort diminished by a less skilful person with an outlet for their opinions !

 

[CapMan]

I was listening to a favorite Oscar Peterson LP today which a reviewer called Scott Yannow deems worthy of 2/5.

His obnoxious commentary is pasted below. I imagine Mr Yannow has no artistic talent of his own, perhaps he was passed over at band camp? He clearly has no appreciation of Ed Thigpen's brush work on "You Look Good To Me". What a total twat.

 

[Doodski]

I give reviewers very little weight in my decisions unless they are objective reviewers or IMDb the movie website.

 

[CapMan]

I give reviewers very little weight in my decisions unless they are objective reviewers or IMDb the movie website.

This review really got my back up - so obnoxious I actually wonder if he understands anything about what he is hearing !

 

[Doodski]

This review really got my back up - so obnoxious I actually wonder if he understands anything about what he is hearing !

He was trying to use a filter (Smoother English.) in his commentary but he blew that with his sly rationale.

 

[Robin L]

David Hurwitz in print isn't so bad. David Hurwitz on You Tube is quite obnoxious. Although many of his opinions regarding standard repertoire are useful, he's really a dinosaur as regards Historically Informed Performance. Also, he has nothing useful to say about historical performances. At the same time, a lot of his favored performances come from the dawn of stereo. It's kind of like "Oldies" - for some "Oldies" are from the fifties, for others they're from the eighties.

Kalman Rubinson is one of the few (maybe the only) sane reviewers I know of in the subjective audio press. It certainly doesn't hurt that he's knowledgeable as regards Classical music. He probably should do some music reviews along with his occasional audio reviews.

 

[VMAT4]

Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one. Take it with a grain of salt.

 

[CapMan]

Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one. Take it with a grain of salt.

I will sleep well thinking on that

 

[DMill]

Many great albums received negative reviews. If you like Prog Rock, Yes did Tales from Topographic Oceans. Critics call it the band geeking out. Many Yes fans consider it their best. This is not a Prog Rock thing only. I know many who consider Bruce’s Nebraska his best. Today reviewers are too many. They clog artists from making truly great work based on what everyone thinks they should do. Pretty lucky to have many artists who could give a shit.

 

[CapMan]

Same reviewer (Mr Yannow) determines that Oscar Peterson's Night Train (same trio) is worthy of 4/5 . He doesn't mention Ed's particularly badly recorded ride cymbal. It's just another type of snake oil... just hate it . Sorry

 

[Brian Hall]

I give reviewers very little weight in my decisions unless they are objective reviewers or IMDb the movie website.

I mainly use reviewers in the opposite of what they intend. An example would be IGN's game "reviewers". If they like a game, I am pretty sure I won't and vice versa. So they are at least slightly useful.