# A paradoxal question can a bad review stimulated interest in purchasing a cd?



## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

I order two cd like i told you guys on small labels, im taking chance but i know i will rejoice, here the things whit the cd Jacques Arcadelt Sacred work on cpo, the reviewer on amazon said it's sounded has it were record in a cave well to this i says hmm sounded interresting rustic charm whit echo, jeez how can it be that bad, i take for granted not all who write on amazon are skilled lisenier in vocal music has i...per se

Than the same thing happen whit La Bataille d'amour /marria ferre, this cd a rendition of franco -flemish trought acoustic classic guitar and lute whit familliar name of the franco-flemish exponent...
So no mather what they says to bash a cd, my little finger tell me they seem rad both of them.

What about you guys did you ever read a review and said pfff this can't be that bad, this guys dosen't know what he talking about nor he has the passion for vocal music or this era.

What about it did you guys buy an album critic said it's terrible and this motivated you in buying it instead ofhorrifying you?

:tiphat:


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

> What about you guys did you ever read a review and said pfff this can't be that bad, this guys dosen't know what he talking about nor he has the passion for vocal music or this era.


I do think that is for all recordings deprofundis, sometimes people seeing / hearing it very different or they just not in the right mood.
Or worst, they are just a bully.


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## Ralphus (Nov 13, 2016)

You bring up an interesting question. For me it often depends on WHO the reviewer is. I tend to read Amazon reviews, Presto Classical, MusicWeb, and Classics Today (I'm not an 'insider') to get an indication of what a disc is like. (But I'm not wedded to their comments.) Sometimes opinions vary widely. A well-known Classics Today reviewer will sometimes pan a disc which is heavily praised on MusicWeb.

As far as sound quality is concerned, there is usually more unanimity. Nonetheless, you do get the odd churlish character (esp. on Amazon) who fulminates about how bad the sonics are on a particular disc when, in fact, they're just fine. These people are either very very picky or have top end audio gear and won't tolerate anything less than audiophile quality. Perhaps they should be more reasonable when writing their reviews and include clear caveats. And sometimes they do.

Another thing to bear in mind is the tastes of the reviewer in question. There are reviewers who just LOATHE anything HIPP or close to it and will reflexively lambaste anything approaching it. There are those who grew up with Karajan or Furtwangler and can't hear anything different without being disappointed. There are also the 'amateur' reviews on Amazon by people who don't really know alternative performances. I don't mean to damn any of the people included in the above, but it is a reality of the world of CD reviews and is what a prospective buyer must navigate.

Some examples from my experience: The recent Alisa Weilerstein Shostakovich disc was highly praised across the board by reviewers, professional and enthusiast alike, and to my ears it most certainly DOES deserve the wide praise. It's exceptionally good. The Virgin Classics complete Faure chamber music set was heavily criticized for sound quality. But only a few performances are affected and even those aren't TOO bad. The set is quite listenable and still represents excellent performances and value for money. The recent Nagano/Montreal Danse Macabre disc is pretty widely criticized. Perhaps deservedly. But a lot of the criticism is for audience noise, but actually it's fairly minimal and not particularly intrusive, at least to my ears. The performances are disappointingly dull and surprisingly low-energy for being live performances, but audience noise is not the big problem.

At the end of the day, each listener must form their own opinions. There are some who like to research every purchase and good luck to them. Sometimes it's easy: You want the Debussy Cello Sonata? Rostropovich/Britten is a safe choice. You want a Beethoven symphony set? Well, opinions vary widely and may well be influenced by some of the things I mentioned above. Personally, I take reviews as indicators and try to read a variety of them (if i can be bothered at all). I have my own opinions, too, which others won't agree with.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

<<A paradoxal question can a bad review stimulated interest in purchasing a cd?>>

sure. I've had it happen, more than a few times. 
it depends upon the reviewer...if it's someone who consistently puts down my favorite musicians, or constantly applauds those I feel to be less than great, then that review may definitely affect my purchase of a CD.

for example, I remember one reviewer of a Solti recording, who complained bitterly that the brass was too loud, the approach too aggressive, the orchestra too brilliant....I figured it had to be a great recording, so I went out and bought it...still one of my favorites...
it works the other way, also - if a reviewer heaps praise on a recording by a performer I don't esp care for, then I'll probably steer clear. 
It's kind of nice, that recently, FANFARE has been having two or more reviewers review a new releases, with the reviews published right next to each other...you can get a broader picture of the performance in question.


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## jailhouse (Sep 2, 2016)

Nothing can stimulate my interest in purchasing a cd because i dont buy digital media printed on plastic anymore xD


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