POPPED CRITICS

Robert Hilburn--the man who has great esteem for such “music” figures as Bruce Springsteen and Prince (“Springsteen, Prince Lead List of Best LPs,” Dec. 30)--has herewith added his title of “Rock Critic” to the growing list of popular oxymorons (e.g., military intelligence, a Bob Hope special, radical Republicans, etc.).

The responsibilities of a critic of the art of any sort of music have to include understanding the meaning of both the terms “art” and “music”; and if the critic in question knew said meanings, how could he believe the work of Prince (with his juvenile eroticism, crassly redundant chords and illusive melodies) or Springsteen (the harsh-voiced singer and crude composer who was born in the U.S.A.--where else?) to even approach either term?

Is rock criticism (if indeed it is criticism) then simply the job of raising mediocrity to excellence?

MAURICE DOUGLAS Los Angeles