What about a new rating method?
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40617
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Topic: What about a new rating method?
Posted By: scandosch
Subject: What about a new rating method?
Date Posted: August 06 2007 at 08:16
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Hi everybody, I was wondering about the rating system on this site... I find more and more evident a distortion in the ratings, because of two different aspects of evaluating music... The original 5 stars rating was probably ment for historical records, as the site, in the beginning, was about prog music, which was originally a late sixties and first half seventies kind of music...Then the british revived it in the 80's, then prog metal appeared in the nineties...and so on. What's my point? Well, I find more and more difficult to give ratings because of the two aspects: historical importance (the original 5 star method and description attached to it) and quality of the record itself ! An exemple: in my opinion the last Dream Theater output is an excellent record for the music, but absolutely NOT from an historical point of view! (no improvements) So, it's a 1 star, meaning just for completists of prog, or a 5 star as good production of today's prog ??? My proposition: 2 different ratings, 1 for quality, 1 for prog-related importance. Alternate proposition: 2 main historical sections, f.e. split at 1980 And your ideas? Maybe we can find a better way together... |
Replies:
Posted By: coleio
Date Posted: August 06 2007 at 08:35
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Might be over complicating things, but hey I wouldn't mind that. Good Thinkin' Batman!  ------------- Eat heartily at breakfast, for tonight, we dine in Hell!! |
Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: August 06 2007 at 08:36
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I dissaprove with: - the idea that 5 stars go for historical records; they go for the music, which a reviewer think it's marvellous; there's lesser impact regarding the period of progressive rock and its strength in recognized value, though you can admit, from time to time, that the 70s were a bit center for valorous prog - the idea that historical importance can't blend with the quality of the record; moreover, the sheer idea of giving an album a rate only because of its place in prog rock is very risky and un-recommended - the two main historical sections, by which the classic progressive rock movement gets monumentally recognized (or rather disjointed); if we're talking progressive rock, we should consider everything that's been adopted as progressive rock, to this day, without focusing much on encouraging a best period; or, anyway, without having major "period slices" in mind (alone "style slices", which result in genres and orientations) I would like for a review to think of how good and how prog quintessential an album is, but I wouldn't force a separate perception for them. ------------- 
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Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: August 06 2007 at 09:15
| The only problem I see with the current rating system is that 5-star records are "masterpieces of progressive music", which seems to imply that you shouldn't give 5 stars to a prog-related or proto-prog album unless you think it's proggy enough to be called a prog masterpiece. How much, if at all, should progressiveness affect the rating? |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: August 06 2007 at 10:01
This is exactly why I only gave WHO'S NEXT four stars, even though it's one of my favourite albums and better (in my view) than (the still wonderful) QUADROPHENIA which got five stars, just because it's proggier. 
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Vompatti wrote:Posted By: ClassicRocker
Date Posted: August 06 2007 at 10:21
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...and there's always the option of adding half-star ratings as well
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Posted By: LeInsomniac
Date Posted: August 06 2007 at 11:20
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I believe an half -star system would be enough, or we could let it be as it is. There will be allways someone who wont like the rating system, because its not perfect enough. I think its useful as it is now. Let it be... like John Lennon use to say.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/LeInsomniac/?chartstyle=volta">  Happy Family One Hand Clap, Four Went On But None Came Back |
Posted By: The T
Date Posted: August 06 2007 at 14:25
I so much agree with this.... It should be a 10-point system... it gives you more options.... and the descriptions, they are outdated.... sorry but "a masterpiece of progressive music" is no longer a parameter people (including me) use to give a star rating to albums... My personal example: Muse's ABSOLUTION. I just couldn't give it less than 5, I think it's a perfect almost-prog record... I won't give it 4 stars, the same as albums that, while proggier, may not be as good.
Let's change the descrptions.. ------------- 
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Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: August 06 2007 at 16:24
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This reminds me of something I've been thinking about. It would be cool if users could not only rate an album ("how good is it?") but also to assess its relevance ("how important is it?"). Most artists which have been active for a long time have phases which they're not really proud of ... and those albums are clearly not as important as those which the artist recorded at his/her/their peak of creativity. ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to: 
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Posted By: scandosch
Date Posted: August 07 2007 at 03:00
That's exactly what I'm talking about...I just could'nt find the way to express it!! Moreover, I realize reading all posts that what bothers me most is not the rating system, but the description attached, and the relative message displayed averytime a choose to give a record 5 stars... |
Posted By: limeyrob
Date Posted: August 07 2007 at 14:23
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There is a thread running about why you listen to prog. My answer was along the lines of 'I like this music and it just happens to be called Prog' or words to that effect. A view shared by a few others.
Don't get me wrong but I couldn't desribe what is meant by Prog and what it means. So if you don't mind I'll leave, for the time being at least, the relevance and what makes a band/album progressive to those more qualified to speak on the issue.
I haven't made many reviews as I am trying to formulate how I should approach the system. Put simply I wouldn't know a prog masterpiece if it jumped out and bit me. However I do know what I like and if, after a good number of plays, I still like it then I think it deserves a high rating - without taking into account it's prog value. I have seen other sites which have a dual rating system. One for their likes/dislikes of the album and a second for technical content (sounds like I am describing the ice-skating scoring system - artistic impression and technical content)
It's probably too big a task to introduce such a system for everyone to have their say, perhaps the technical content could be decided by a knowledgeable panel.
Anyway I think I have decided that when I come to entering reviews that I'll base my star rating on
5 stars - I really like this album, full on goose bumps and a high feel good factor
4 stars - A good album but let down slightly by a couple of minor irritations/iffy tracks
3 stars - still a good album, but not necessarily my first choice
2 stars - a couple of good points about it and will play it from time to time
1 star - definitely not my cup of tea, one that got through my research
0 stars - no, really this is not my cup of tea, what was I thinking of!! Presumably this won't be used as I won't have it in my collection and I don't believe one should comment on something that you are not prepared to keep.
Hopefully this rating system description does not have any defamatory implications and is purely on personal taste. I am almost certain that some of the albums I will give 5 stars to aren't necessarily a prog masterpiece and similarly something I give two stars to could be.
Also I think that as my collection gets ever larger that a 10 point rating system is necessary as too many albums fall into one category and a distinction needs to be drawn between those at the top of a particular rating and those at the bottom (of the same rating). On the other hand perhaps 5 is all you need because what will happen if my collection gets to epidemic proportions and I have to convert the kitchen to storage and live on take outs.
That's my HO
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