Hey Alex,

Lots of good stuff again. Bravo.

Can't agree more that there has been some incredibly lousy critiquing of albums emerging over the years. I recall listening to a pair of dj's in St Louis, a local, highly esteemed rock station pan a new Led Zep album and then several weeks later the same with a new Stones album.

Incredible. And as you say, so many of these guys are snooty and haughty, no question about it. When it comes right down to it, its just clear that these critics just don't have the reach, the 'horizon' required to properly appreciate what often become 'off the charts' albums. There are so many cases in fact where the rock arbiters got it so miserably wrong.

Quite frankly it has become more a thing of 'just how wrong' the critic is going to be about such and such an album. Then to sit by and be blown away by their shoddy reporting. Why do I even listen, or read these critics?

It's in the hope of discovering something new, that's why. Every once in a while you can stumble over a critic that has the juice, whose insight can add to your collected knowledge of a given band.

The comment re: Harrison, 'mediocrity incarnate' was the one that most ruined my coffee this morning. The follow up would be Pet Sounds, each just confirming that we must be sure to take these guys with a truck full of salt...

Great piece, thanks.

Tom