The emergence of Dylan and The Beatles led to the emergence of pop music criticism as a serious discipline, and a wave of thinkers that would put classic rock on a pedestal and cement “rockism” as the dominant critical mode for decades. There were few poptimists in the 60s and 70s who could sincerely appreciate the craftsmanship of ABBA, the charm of The Osmonds, or the utter strangeness of The Association. A loss for the critics, and a win for the era’s AM radio listeners.