I also think you could easily remove about half of the spells in the game with little noticeable impact, once you consider how many spells are minor variations or just seldom taken. Possibly three quarters.
And I know that, whatever spell you mention, you will get folks on a forum like this claiming that it is the best spell ever because reasons. I see a LOT of character sheets, though, and the reality is that a relative handful of spells see 90% of the action.
An interesting exercise is to make a list of just the vital spells for each class, the ones that are must-haves.