Divisive Prog Albums

I had a look at this from a mathematical angle. Rating any album 3 or 4 stars is pretty normal, so a "divisive" album should have many 5 and 2 or 1 while having a good number of ratings. Looking at typical percentages I'd say that a divisive album should at least have 20% 5 star ratings and at least 10% 2 or 1 star (people come here for the music they like, so there's more going on at the upper end; an album with less than 20% 5 star just isn't very appreciated).

Let's have a look at some albums discussed here. Tales from Topographic Oceans just has 7% negative, Brain Salad Surgery has 5%, The Wall has 6% (Final Cut only 14% 5 stars on the other hand, against 28% negative ratings; Ummagumma has 14:18, kind of divisive but not very many who appreciate it highly though I'm one of them), A Passion Play just 5%, Tago Mago 7%, Awake 5%, Frances the Mute 8%. So all these are not super divisive as there are not that many who rate them 1 or 2. ALT on the other hand has only 7% 5 stars against 53% 1 or 2; other well known VDGG don't make 10% 1 or 2 stars, neither most of King Crimson, though Beat with 9:20 looks very negative (I'm one of the 9% to rate it at 5 stars!).

The most divisive album I have found is Trout Mask Replica, which collects 40% 5 stars against 20% 1/2 stars. That's quite something. Dream Theater's The Astonishing clocks in at 22% 5 stars, 32% 1 or 2 - in fact 22% 5 stars is quite astonishing with 32% negatives. A View From the Top of The World scores 31:12 (but doesn't have that many ratings), Octavarium 26:11. Dream Theater are pretty divisive indeed, if not Awake.

Later Mars Volta's Bedlam in Goliath qualifies with 24:15. Amarok just about makes the cut with 42:11. Zeit is indeed pretty divisive with 30:12. Not quite up there but still in is one of my favourites, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (30:10).

Looking at Zappa, Jazz From Hell misses by an inch with 19:11, other than that I didn't find any that came close to qualifying (occasionally 8% negative for generally appreciated albums). Neither get Gentle Giant in, nor Genesis (far too few negatives up to Wind and Wuthering, far too few 5 stars after), nor Camel (I think of Breathless as divisive, but just 10% 5 stars are not enough for this game).

  

Rush has Power Windows at 22:13 (I don't know that one), otherwise they are not quite as divisive. Let's look at Swans, The Seer has 36:13, To Be Kind 33:15, very divisive! There are more, but they have fewer than 100 ratings; even The Seer and To Be Kind have quite a bit fewer ratings than most other albums I mention here.

Just seen: Tangerine Dream Cyclone seemed to be a good candidate to me, but I'm surprised that it only has 8% 1 or 2 stars (personally I like it a lot).

I say it is divisive ,based on what I've seen here on PA and a couple other sites I've visited. People either praise it or totally dislike it. 

Ash Ra Tempel's debut is one of my favorite all time albums, BTW.

^ in Chris H's defence I didn't post the full review (which is why I wrote "from"). I guess there's minimal improvement, but here's the rest:

...Maybe you need to be on shrooms to get everything out of them? Just a thought...

Well anyways, "Bring Me Coffee Or Tea" is the only listenable track on this album, even the so called "epic" "Halleluwah", which is once again, pointless. It's just a shame "Bring Me Coffee Or Tea" was the first song I heard, because it cost me $2.50. 1 star, DO NOT BUY!...

Yes: 90125

Genesis: Abacab

(I happen to love'em both!)

Steve Wilson - The Future Bites - 10:40 - not divisive, not enough 5 stars

Yes - 90215 - 13:25 - not divisive, not enough 5 stars

Genesis - Abacab - 6:36 - not divisive just disliked broadly.

But it's of course still quite a question how exactly define "divisive".

And now I discovered that so does PA. 

To begin with, I would juxtapose 4-5 stars against 1-2 stars.