Reviews discussion

GuyM wrote: Look Steve, IMO all this name calling and accusations of deceit are making me look bad.   I am an honest musicIan. I work hard all day and record at night/weekends. I make f**k all out of the album sales but I do like to write songs. That's it. That's all there is.   Some folks may have got carried away..thats the way it is too..I did not put them up to it. I don't think it warrants 5* either but if they do, then they do...what happened here was more like witchhunting and libel as far as I can see.  But actually they were not alone...on some of the best prog reviews sites IMO, the album scored highly (using their own authoriised staff) on the DPRP it got (3 man Round table reviews = 2 x 10/10 and an 8.5/10), in Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine (8/10) - highly thought of highstreet magazine, Sea of tranquility site 5/5 review) Got a couple of stinkers too though on some other sites...so...some great, some crap Just because it gets a 5* rerview does not mean they are ALL fanboys or that they are being coerced...OK? that's all I can say on the subject really   and YES. I can take bad reviews (based on opinion of content, performance etc etc)...just not badly written inaccurate reviews...there is a difference.

The Classic Rock Presents Prog was a good review, and I will get your album based upon it. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I also agree that not all five star reviews are from fanboys, although I would point out that the admins here are pretty well versed in spotting such people and any orchestrated campaigns (again, I am not implying orchestrated by you personally). When I joined the site, my first review was Marillion's Happiness Is The Road (I am, BTW, an unashamed fan). I gave it five stars. If I were to revisit it now, I would downgrade it to four stars. It's excellent, but not a masterpiece. So, yes, there are first time visitors and fans who get slightly carried away with themselves. I've done it myself, but, as I say, the admins know the difference.

Lastly, I absolutely take on board your last point. The clear lesson is that reviews, both good and bad, should be well written, accurate, and should support honestly that viewpoint. You will get no argument from me there.

 

Easy Money wrote:   I've worked in the music business for 30 years,

(Almost) ditto here. That's why I taken the opposite view of you. 

The law governing this website mean we have to prove things beyond doubts before we can go public with this. And so did the laws and common sense governing the music business you served for 30 years. 

This is a public website. Not a closed session at Ljubljanka. 

Edited by toroddfuglesteg - December 23 2010 at 09:26

"I  think in extreme cases a warning should be sent to the artists telling them we think something suspicious is going on. "

Well if it IS phony..then it IS phony!!....I think that is your call, that is you roles after all...where I would stop though is to NOT go on and then accuse it all of being part of some conspiritorial plot by the Artist etc to pro-actively manipulate the site with no proof of such being available

So Jodie Foster was tried and found guilty for the assassination of Ronald Reagan, then ?

Was the five guys in Judas Priest jailed for murder back in 1990 ? 

Frankly, no artist can control every actions by their fans and with 30 years experience, you know that.  Do I need to sign a legal paper absolving myself for any blame for the kicked cats and gross verbal abuse of wives my writing in PA is creating ?  

You should also have known that you cannot accuse anyone of anything unless you can prove it. I have worked far too hard for this place to let this website go over things like this.

Edit: Post hastily amended after reading the post above.

Edited by toroddfuglesteg - December 23 2010 at 09:53

Here's an idea...how about if the admins are worried about ratings manipulation, just PM some of us reviewers that tend to give reasonable reviews and request an honest listen and an honest review. The weighting system should even things out. I'd be willing to do this.

"Here's an idea...how about if the admins are worried about ratings manipulation, just PM some of us reviewers that tend to give reasonable reviews and request an honest listen and an honest review. The weighting system should even things out. I'd be willing to do this."

I think some people may just be too cynical Guy. There is a lot of it about.

GuyM wrote: "Here's an idea...how about if the admins are worried about ratings manipulation, just PM some of us reviewers that tend to give reasonable reviews and request an honest listen and an honest review. The weighting system should even things out. I'd be willing to do this."   Fine by me..but please make them factually accurate, OK!

snobb wrote: Snow Dog wrote: I think some people may just be too cynical Guy. There is a lot of it about. There are enough of them, believe me   If cynical means not naive ...