What do critics know?

[Shenlong]

Ok, first of all, I don't really listen to critics. I don't care what they have to say, whether it's good or bad. It's up to my own desition to deside personally if it's a good album or not. Fuck 'em...

But to people that do depend on critics, what gives? Usually critics don't know a damn thing that goes on, and are just handed an album to listen to and review, and usually they also review stuff that are from other genres of totally different opposites. How can you have someone rate a heavy metal album when they also rate pop and blues albums? Either that, or they just don't have a general interest in the genre of music/band. Again; How can you tell someone who doesn't like rock music/a certain band to rate an album from that genre/band? If you want a truthful rating on an album, and not a half-assed or clueless rating on an album, shouldn't those regular critics just be replaced by people who are actually fans of that genre of music or that band?

In shorter words, what should we do with critics; Would it be better off the way it is, or let the public fans take control instead?

[NJK]

people who never made it as an artist become critics because they think they know it all-regardless of whatever they write on music or artists i believe you should always follow your own feeling about what you like or not -example when released the hotel califonia album by the eagles was burned down to the ground-yet today it's an all time classic that almost everybody own or has heared of

[LollipopLustKil]

Depends on the type of "public" person they bring in. You wouldn't want a 13 year old Good Charolette fan reviewing G.C's album, because his/her review would be "THIS IS DA BEST PUNK ALBUM EVA! U SHULD DEF. GO BUY DIZ ALBUM SINCE IT RULZ!!"

I do agree with your first statement though, bringing in a fan of a specific genre and having him/her review albums only of that genre.

[Rovastar]

I agree that critics *can* be apain but only when they do not know what they are talking about and spreadthemselves too thinly. Yopu can only *Really* know about 1 or 2 genres at any one time.

I myself have been a 'critic' for small fanazines/magazines/record companies of many years ago now must have been 10 or so when at university.

The genre of Death Metal of all things. I know (and still know) a LOt about that music from 88-92.

The more you know about a genre the more annoying bad critic become I remember getting really annoyed with the 'metal' magazines at the time like Krang (however it is spelt) and Raw as they know nothing/little in real terms about that 'heaviest' style of music.

Now not at all quailified to talk about such things now just into the more chilled sounds of downbeat. :)

[Cylob]

If I was running a journal (such as NME) I'd say "Okay guys, if an album's crap then we just won't give it much cover. We will not piss all over it in public, we'll give the week's good releases the attention".

I can only attribute critics as being bad for the industry. They flag-up the crap and shoot down a good band on a whim. Everyone's a critic (including me) in a personal capacity - that's where it should stay. Keep it in places like this.