Album of the day (#1240): The Wall by Pink Floyd - Music

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tekin wrote:

No way you can get to the idea of an album being the worst of all time on yourself.

Please help me make sense of this statement. Are you saying that a person can't listen to a record and decide that it's worse than every other record they have ever heard?

Puncture Repair

Mother Nature's Son wrote:

You little contrarian! Laughing

Also, I'd like to know what you mean by uninspired songwriting? Is the songwriting on an album like Trouble Will Find Me inspired for example?

I mean, it really depends how you define 'inspired'. I don't think there's a single filler song Trouble Will Find Me, which means it just feels very confident, whereas The Wall feels bloated. I mean, 'Waiting For The Worms', 'The Show Must Go On', 'Is There Anybody Out There' just feel lazily written, the album doesn't need them, but fans will insist that they're integral to the 'story'. Truth be told, the whole 'I'm so isolated and victimized' narrative is uninspired, and often the dullest songs are ridden with that the most.

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lethalnezzle wrote:

Please help me make sense of this statement. Are you saying that a person can't listen to a record and decide that it's worse than every other record they have ever heard?

Wouldn't make it worst of all-time; would make it least favorite. Lots of difference in the mindset of a person using those decidedly interchangeably or ignorantly so. Their status as such in the tradition mentioned before would put them in the the former category thus influencing most of the instances someone else does that.

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tekin wrote:

Wouldn't make it worst of all-time; would make it least favorite. Lots of difference in the mindset of a person using those decidedly interchangeably or ignorantly so. Their status as such in the tradition mentioned before would put them in the the former category thus influencing most of the instances someone else does that.

It's an issue with semantics. I use "worst" interchangeably with "least favourite" staunchly, not out of ignorance. I understand why somebody would want to separate the two, but I choose not to out of principle. If I were to claim this album to be the "worst ever" (which I didn't do here, but have been known to before), I'm not claiming to have some greater power or knowledge that enables me to decide which albums are or aren't of worth. I'm simply stating an opinion in terms I am comfortable, familiar and happy with. Just as I can say 36 Chambers is the best album ever, I can also say [insert album here, preferably Polly Bradfield's Solo Violin Improvisations] is the worst.

Guest

lethalnezzle wrote:

It's an issue with semantics. I use "worst" interchangeably with "least favourite" staunchly, not out of ignorance. I understand why somebody would want to separate the two, but I choose not to out of principle. If I were to claim this album to be the "worst ever" (which I didn't do here, but have been known to before), I'm not claiming to have some greater power or knowledge that enables me to decide which albums are or aren't of worth. I'm simply stating an opinion in terms I am comfortable, familiar and happy with. Just as I can say 36 Chambers is the best album ever, I can also say [insert album here, preferably Polly Bradfield's Solo Violin Improvisations] is the worst.

Actually I didn't say anyone said that it was worst album of all-time in this thread (no one did) and the post wasn't directed at anyone particular (well maybe my cousin); just an observation. I was just talking about the irony. Also about the semantics, I think "ever" is synonymous with "all-time" and certainly does have a ring of "greater power or knowledge". But then I'm not a native english speaker so that might have something to do with it. The point I tried to make was that when you claim a cliche choice to be the worst album ever, you run the risk of putting yourself in the same class as the people who are always ready to come out from under the rock and comment on how the best album ever is obviously the one which is deemed to be the one by many other ones. In my opinion when you pick a cliche choice among billions of options, chances are you haven't got there by yourself but that you've had some help along the way.

JasonZaia

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Australia

No matter where you stand on this album, you simply cannot make the argument that it isn't one giant MONSTER of an album - absolutely fascinating all the way through.