The Critics Were Wrong.
We celebrate great examples of just how lame, inaccurate and mutton-headed some (rock) critics can be.
The reason the critics all like Elvis Costello better than me is because they all look like Elvis Costello. — David Lee Roth
We thought it would be fun to detail some of the most glaring examples of Rock Criticism gone wrong. And to prove it takes one, or maybe two, to know one…we enlisted Rob Tannenbaum (ex-Rolling Stone) and Craig Marks (ex-Spin) to host the proceedings.
So, here you have it. A Slacker Radio countdown of 50 great artists and songs, from Kanye West and Taylor Swift to Paul McCartney and Led Zeppelin that the critics got totally and completely wrong.
When The Critics Were Wrong — The Countdown.
Highlights include:
“She’s no Ashanti” — The NY Times upon the release of Beyonce’s first solo album.
“Jimmy Page is a very limited producer and a writer of weak, unimaginative songs” — Rolling Stone on Led Zeppelin’s debut.
“Deserves the conniving self-pitying voice that is his curse” — Robert Christgau and The Village Voice on James Taylor.
“Oozes lumpy sincerity” — NY Times on Macklemore.
“Kanye isn’t quite MC-enough to hold down the entire disc” — Rolling Stone on Kanye West’s College Dropout.
“Deeply irritating; sub-Fergie” — Slate on Kesha.
“The most insufferable band of the decade” — Jon Pareles and the NY Times on Coldplay.
“Queen may be the first truly fascist rock band” — Dave Marsh and Rolling Stone on Queen.
“Incredibly inconsequential and monumentally irrelevant” — Rolling Stone on Paul McCartney’s RAM album.
Happy listening.
www.slacker.com/station/when-critics-were-wrong-the-countdown
Originally published at www.digitalmusicinsider.com on November 23, 2015.
