Quote:
Originally Posted by swt61 
Does it still work? Not at all IMO. Why? Because I highly doubt that in 25 years anyone will be seriously debating this albums merits. I certainly don't see this album as breaking any new ground (on the contrary I find it stomping all over well used ground), and it certainly hasn't enjoyed the same critical acclaim.
|
it doesn't work because it's an absurd comparison. it's like pitting John Coltrane against Kenny G. the only thing Pink Floyd and Ashlee Simpson have in common is that they both need oxygen to not die.
Quote:
| I think the real question here is does an artist or group that helped pioneer a new direction lose merit simply because of the passage of time? IMO no. The fact that the album may seem more mainstream today, and less groundbreaking simply means that that new direction had so much appeal that is has become more familiar. |
you're making the assumption that it's universally agreed that Pink Floyd pioneered a new direction. granted, they did a lot of interesting things... much of which were simultaneously being explored by other groups.
plenty of other prog-rock concept albums had already populated store shelves. in fact, by 1973 CAN had already made three albums that pushed the compositional boundaries of rock. Jethro Tull had made
Aqualung and
Thick as a Brick, Yes had
Fragile and
Close to the Edge, and Genesis had
Selling England by the Pound.
and then there was Zappa... who was churning out genre-defying, compositionally groundbreaking music on an annual basis.
DSOTM just happens to be the album that hit number one on the Billboard charts... so in fact, it was mainstream from the get go, and less groundbreaking than may appear on the surface.
i'm not saying it's a bad album, i'm just suggesting that perhaps the descriptor of "overrated" could have some basis in truth, depending on one's perspective... such as my own.