Overrated?

Do music's "sacred cows" need butchering or will they outlive all hapless toreros? For our 30 March session, some stabs from the NME blog:

The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
Full album:

Bob Dylan
(This is an artist profile rather than a record review, but HERE you can test the statement that his songs are better when covered)


Nirvana 'Nevermind'
Full album:

Radiohead 'OK Computer'
Full album:

He bangs (UPDATED)

Let's read this Rolling Stone selection of Lester Bangs reviews for our 23 March session (note that there are two pages and it's best to start from the bottom of page 2, with the earliest ones), plus this encore from the Village Voice.

Observe his judgments, comparisons, tone and values - and of course, take time to listen to some of the music he reviews. And if you haven't seen it yet, you might want to check out his portrayal in "Almost Famous" - too long to show in class but viewable here (it takes a few clicks on the arrow in the middle, and ignore the popup ads).

And hear him banging on:

Blind test tracklist, 9 March

1) unknown performer(s), Track 1, Kmart tape, October 1989

2) Ratkiller, Reflection on Class, Odor Orienting 2016

3) Viru Trio, Uue maailma ma loon, 1987 (available on Tahan olla veel moes 2014; backing track programmed by Stanislav Rubintsik on Yamaha CX5M)

4) J Geils Band, Detroit Breakdown, Nightmares...and Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle 1974

5) The Space Lady, Born To Be Wild, 1990 (available on The Space Lady's Greatest Hits 2013) NB! In Tartu this Sunday!

6) Louis Philippe, Yuri Gagarin, Yuri Gagarin 1989

...and a bonus track which I didn't have time to play but which would have made pretty much of a full circle back where we started from: Sweet People, Et les oiseaux chantaient 1978. By an obscure Swiss group, it became UK Top 5 hit in October, two years later. Imagine that in the current charts?

...or does it just smell funny?

An intriguing essay on the demise of the album review: let's scan it for this week and read more closely for the next.