Critics give Spring Hill Fair a B-Side Breakdown of 83 (B), from 9 reviews at outlets we track. Scores run 70 to 95.
The verdict on Spring Hill Fair
8 of 9 critics liked it, and they mostly agree.
- Highest 95 Robert Christgau and Entertainment Weekly
- Lowest 70 The Rolling Stone Album Guide
- Career Tied for #3 of The Go-Betweens's 8 albums with a Breakdown
- By the numbers The fifth best-reviewed Indie & Alternative album of 1984 we've tracked.
| Robert Christgau via Wikipediaby Robert Christgau | A | 95 | 1996 |
| Entertainment Weekly via Wikipediaby Rob Brunner | A | 95 | 2002 |
| Chicago Tribune via Wikipediaby Rick Reger | 3.5/4 | 88 | 1996 |
| Uncut via Wikipedia | 4/5 | 80 | 2000 |
| Select via Wikipediaby Andrew Male | 4/5 | 80 | 1996 |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide via Wikipediaby Eric Weisbard | 8/10 | 80 | 1995 |
| Q via Wikipedia | 4/5 | 80 | |
| AllMusic via Wikipediaby Ned Raggett | 4/5 | 80 | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide via Wikipediaby Douglas Wolk | 3.5/5 | 70 | 2004 |
Every Sunday: the week's new albums, scored by the critics. Plus our own reviews when we post them. Free, and one click to leave.
Spring Hill Fair in The Go-Betweens's catalog
How these critics usually treat The Go-Betweens
- Uncut Harsher than usual4 points below the other critics here. Usually 9 points above on The Go-Betweens's other albums (6).
- The Rolling Stone Album Guide About usual for them15 points below the other critics here. Usually 22 points below on The Go-Betweens's other albums (3).
- Entertainment Weekly About usual for them13 points above the other critics here. Usually 9 points above on The Go-Betweens's other albums (4).
- AllMusic About usual for them4 points below the other critics here. Usually 1 point above on The Go-Betweens's other albums (7).
- Robert Christgau About usual for them13 points above the other critics here. Usually 9 points above on The Go-Betweens's other albums (6).
- Q About usual for them4 points below the other critics here. Usually 2 points below on The Go-Betweens's other albums (3).
More from The Go-Betweens
← Earlier Before Hollywood (1983)Later → Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express (1986)
More Indie & Alternative from around 1984
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How the Breakdown works
Every outlet’s score is converted to 0–100 (2/5 is 40, 5.9/10 is 59, a B+ is 88) and averaged. Grades follow the B-Side scale: A is 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60. Approval is the share of critics who scored it 75 or higher; the Breakdown shows green at 75 and up, red below. Divisiveness asks a different question: not how many critics liked it, but how close their scores are to each other. Five critics who all give it 50 are Unanimous, even though none of them liked it. The labels run Unanimous, Broad agreement, Some debate, Divided, and Contentious. Replay rate comes from listeners, not critics: yes counts fully, a few tracks counts half, no counts zero. The gist quotes each outlet’s own summary of its review. Published is the date on the review itself, read from the outlet’s page, so you can see whether an album’s reputation came at release or years later. Scores marked est. come from reviews that publish no number. Scores marked via Wikipedia are archive ratings, mostly for older albums, taken from the “Professional ratings” box on the album’s Wikipedia page (published openly through Wikidata); each links to the original review when we can find it online, and to that Wikipedia entry when we can’t. When an outlet reviewed an album twice, years apart (often for a reissue), both scores count, each labeled with its year.
A-Side marks the critics’ top tier. An album earns it automatically, from its numbers alone: a Breakdown of 90 or higher, from at least 5 reviews, with at least 75% approval. Nobody hands it out and nobody can buy it; if new reviews pull an album below the line, it loses the badge.










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