David writes: If what most of the general public ignores is how we
determine rock crit
snobbery, then it seems to me that the Jimmie Dale pick would be more
populist, less elitist, than the Alvin you propose, since I'm betting that
Gilmore has outsold him by a long shot. The same may be true of Earle too,
though that's also just a guess--more likely, at least in in terms of
appreciation by the general public, Earle and Gilmore are equally snobby
picks.
My point here, and maybe I wasn't explicit enough, is that like most rock
critics, Kot probably has listened to Gilmore (and probably only that one
record cause it was hip at the time) but not Earle (or he's doesn't like
him) and almost definitely not Alvin because he's on an uncool (to rock
critics) label . The rock-crit snobbery I was referring to sometimes has
more to so with what label a record is on and what other critics think is
good, more than the music that's involved. BAAAAH!
JIm, smilin'
