So, exactly how bad is Self Portrait? Well, the thing is, I don’t really know. I’ve been so affected by the legend surrounding this album’s awfulness that I’ve never taken the time to listen to it. Until now, that is.

And I have to say, based on the clips I’ve heard… it’s actually pretty good.

Certainly that conclusion owes a lot to the power of expectations, and you can ask for no lower expectations than those attached to an album that’s famous for sucking. But I also think the negative consensus around Self Portrait has a whole lot to do with how and when it was released.

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