When somebody invariably laments about why Big Star wasn't more popular, there is a very strong justification for a few lobbed verbal hand grenades.
Criticism is so special it takes you out of your bubble that space you have created, it can be a bit shocking when you find that not everyone is in your world. It can also be liberating.
I've been accused of being a snob about a lot of things. I find it a little disingenuous at times, as I'll listen to any rational counterpoint and participate in like fashion. But, if you just want to gaslight the situation, I'll disengage completely. Then the name calling usually starts and I'm saddled with that label. Some people just want to be right all the time, and nobody is right all the time.
I agree comments can get snarky. On the other hand: Billy Joel. I'm exposed to his irritating songs in almost every public place that plays music. I need to vent like the 3rd story room in the Tupelo Hotel in mid July.
When you create a thread, someone pop up to say "this has already been discussed". Or else "do you need to open threads every week?" That's the negative attitude here. Not just to say "do you think X album is overrated?"
Well, it is a good point for stories, ie, books, movies, plays, etc... But stories aren't real. Life doesn't need an antagonist and protagonist. Civil life requires a level of cooperation, but antagonists exist in our lives and we choose how to deal with them. Do you want to argue, fight, ignore, or coexist? It depends.
It absolutely makes sense to be unhappy about having no choice but to listen to music one does not like. But it makes no sense to disparage the music. I don't mean that you did necessarily, but rather than state that Joe's music is irritating, I would have said, "..that I find irritating". But minor point and I totally get where you're coming from. I would be super unhappy if I had to listen to Joel every day. He's a fine musician, no doubt, just not my thing!
This is my everyday life, unfortunately. I have to listen to current pop music against my will. Horrible, sheer pain
I think posting a link to an old thread that took up the topic at hand, and discussed it at great length, is more of a help than anything else. You can glean good information from some of those old threads. I usually just post the link.
That's what I don't get about this place. If you don't like something, fine, nobody likes everything. But why start a thread only to disparage it? A critical assessment of an artist's work is fine, but those such and such sucks threads are a drag.
It's more of a bigger issue within the pop-rock form: "positive" narratives are dull and cyclical -- the artist maintained their lifestyle, developed new ways of exploiting their fanbase while releasing progressively worse albums that the faithful invariably trumpeted as a return to form. There's little of artistic interest to speak of because it was never about the music to begin with; the periods of quality output -- usually occurring early in their career and never repeated -- are incidental. The negative aspects of music life are at least interesting.
Some of the threads about poorly mastered recordings can actually be helpful, IMO, while the various forms of "this band/recording artist sucks" are markedly less so, though people can enjoy the kvetching. Why? While it is all subjective, the artist preferences are almost purely so. Some of the negative threads about particular CDs or LPs can potentially keep you from buying a poor pressing or mastering.