Sometimes, a record a lot of people think is good is a record you will think is good too.

I have found it helpful to think of every record you own as selling one copy. Michael Jackson didn't sell 42 million copies of Thriller, he just sold yours. Feedtime didn't sell 500 copies of Shovel, they just sold yours. (Admittedly, New Order sold me three copies of "Blue Monday".)

Listening to music can in fact be a social activity - music is most frequently a social activity - but it doesn't actually have to be.