Blue Lines is a superb album. And the reason it's underrated at RYM is simple. RYM is very rock and jazz oriented and other genres don't do very well there. And by no means should it be assumed that it represents the consensus of "educated music fans". I would say people who visit AM are educated music fans as well (and often RYM users as well) and look how different our forum list is from the one at RYM. All but two of the albums you listed as "overrated in the views of RYM users" were in our top 100, whereas RYM classics like Reign in Blood or Close to the Edge got barely any votes at all.
Well, RYM is so entrenched in its own trends and anti-trends that I wouldn't consider it too legitimate. I got involved there for awhile but the community will turn your stomach with its elitism.
