1981: top 25 prog albums at RYM

jamesbaldwin wrote: As I've already said, I dont consider RYM's rankings valid in any way. Every time I read one, I feel like crying. One reason, you say it yourself: their charts reflect the popularity of the records (or bands), not their quality, and the two things are often inversely proportional. I say often, not always, sometimes you can make very good records with great sales.

I'm the opposite. This list represent the tastes and preferences of internet's biggest music (geek) community. That's exactly why I find it to be interesting. Regardless of what I think about the albums or artists that are on it. It's validity lies in the collected data from thousands of people who are deeply into music. You don't have to like it. But you don't get to decide whether the result is valid or not. It is what it is.

-And you're wrong: RYM's most popular albums obviously shows that the community is A LOT more concerned with quality over sales. Come on, just take another look at the artists and titles in the poll. There's maybe four or five albums there that was anywhere near a sales chart at the year of it's release. The lion's share of these went under most everyone's radar 42 years ago. They've been rediscovered because of places such as PA and RYM. Music sites like these are a true blessing for forgotten and overlooked music that has proven to have a lasting quality. The fact that I find these charts better than any specialist/music journalist list, doesn't make me want to cry. It makes me smile. Amateur music lovers combined tastes' comes up with something both better and more open minded than Pitchfork, Prog Magazine, Allmusic, The Rolling Stone Magazine etc... All of them. Every time. That's wonderful. We don't need "professionals" to guide us anymore. We're better off without them. I also find RYM's general top 100 Progressive albums of a higher quality than your own attemnt here last year - or maybe two years ago. I don't find your subjective interpretation of what is quality very agreeable or convincing. Among other things you are too heavily colored by your political views and your nationality.

jamesbaldwin wrote: I consider the site much interesting for how it ranks records, in this matter it's surely better than Progarchives.

But still you feel like crying?