I've always heard of how horrible it was reviewed when the album was first released, but can't find any of said reviews to read. I want to see what they said! Any help?
Fluck's right. Out of the 20 or so original Pinkerton reviews I've seen only 4 were really negative (it's of interest to note that they were probably the most poorly written, amateur reviews of the bunch). The "immense critical failure" story is just hyperbole that helps create a more interesting legend.