Here's a thought. Are we being trained to accept an album as a good buy when it is maybe only 80-90% sound ? (Much in the same way that we accept that computer software will crash even though it cost us a fortune.) I hate it when an artist puts 'make-weight' or 'experimental' tracks on their album, and at worse case a single grotty track will cause me to rarely play that CD. I agree that Cara's The Lark In The Clear Air is out of place and should have been spotted as such, but fortunately it is an innocuous track and in my opinion doesn't spoil the album.

In support of my thesis I would cite Eliza Carthy (and even Nancy Kerr) for diluting albums with very samey-sounding fiddle instrumentals, the well-documented case of Maddy Prior's latest offering having make-weights tacked on to a Arthurian-themed beginning, and Kate Rusby's latest with some very weird happenings on the last track (including 2 minutes of silence.)

What do 'catters think?. (oh dear, I think maybe I have creeped my own thread [?] )