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IMHO........ (Reviews)

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Topic: IMHO........ (Reviews)
Posted By: Wilcey
Subject: IMHO........ (Reviews)
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 10:42
I have just wasted an hour or so reading some reviews.......I say wasted, because I should have been doing something else......... not that reading the reviews was a waste of time!
 
It got me thinking though, the majority of 1 star (or indeed 5 star) reviews are guest reviews rather than collabs or admins etc.
Also I find some of these reviews incredible! I started to wonder what do we expect from our musicians? and because we have a pc at our disposal and the ability to "publish" a review of a body of work, does that tempt some folk over the edge with power? Some reviews I have read have been border line libel/defamation of the artists, or the artists work. I guess they remain on the site because they are given the "In my honest opinion" tag........ does IMHO really alow one to get away with really awful/untrue comments about a body of work or about a musician?
Do you think that some folk like to slate something that is successful, just because of the greeneyed devil or spite?  Most of the reported reviews are nonsensical ramblings, but there are a lot of reviews that scrape through because of the over use of "IMHO" as a tool to validate plain old bile.
 
The other thing that I often think about........ is IF an album is truly SO bad, WHY waste your precious (& superior) time writing about it?
 
I am really not "having a go" at any one person here..... and most of the bile laden reviews tend to be by folk who don't spend time here on the forum, I am seriously CURIOUS as to what motivates these reviews.
 
IF you REALLY don't like a band.......... is it necessary to sl*g off EVERY album they make?
Do you think it is fair to make personal (or untrue) comments about a musician?
Do you think that by releasing some music that they should accept this kind of thing... and if so why?
 
P-C



Replies:
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 10:47
I agree about the personal comments thing. No need for it really. I find it a bit distasteful.

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http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 10:49
I do agree 100% with your point of view - I, for one, have never given a 1-star rating to an album. Even when I review something I don't particularly like (for instance, most albums by Dream Theater), I try to be as objective as I can and avoid senseless bashing, which is, to my mind, both immature and unprofessional.

However, immature (not to say downright disturbed) people seem to abound in this sad world - and I think you're perfectly aware of the fact that ,in many cases, so-called 'professional' journalists offer the worst possible example as concerns gratuitous, almost libelous sl*gging off of albums and musicians.


Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 10:53
^^Some "professional" journos are probably the worst!

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http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 10:55
If you are a professional journalist aren't you supposed to write more objectively and stay away from putting your opinions in your work?


Posted By: laplace
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 10:58
if you're reporting the news, yes. but if you're reviewing you're meant to write a load of nebulous crap that no-one can draw any opinions from at all, and invent new genres at the same time.

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FREEDOM OF SPEECH GO TO HELL


Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 10:59
I think that there are some pro- music- journos who can hold a grudge longer than life itself......... and you will never recieve a good review from them.......
 
I was thinking more what motivates us in review writing.........


Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 11:02

If there are any which you think cross the line PC, just put them in the Reviews reporting thread. If you think they are worthy of discussion, the "Reviews discussion" thread is the place.

Alternatively, a PM to Atkingani or myself will get our attention.

While it would be impractical for us to monitor the veracity of all reviews, or to ensure the facts are always 100% correct, we will deal with anything which is abusive, personally offensive, or which makes derogatory statements about musicians which are untrue or irrelevant.

Clearly we all have different opinions, and I know you are not wishing to suppress constructive criticism here, but I do agree that there is a line which should not be crossed.



Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 11:06
Originally posted by prog-chick prog-chick wrote:

I think that there are some pro- music- journos who can hold a grudge longer than life itself......... and you will never recieve a good review from them.......
 
I was thinking more what motivates us in review writing.........


Well I usually write a review when I am listening to an album for the umpteenth time. I rarely give out negative reviews because by me listening to it a lot of times means I like it. Only once have I given a rating below a 3.

I usually warn people sometime in the review (rush reviews) that I am very opinionated about the band and love the music to bits. Well I did at least once.

I can't figure out what would motivate someone to write a totally negative review without seemingly giving the album a few more chances.


Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 11:06
I agree with you Bob, and to be fair I think that the site here is very well run, and always interesting.
 I was wondering more from a psychology point of view what makes some one say  "X can't sing" rather than, "I don't like the sound of X's voice" or "X is a rip off" rather than "X reminds me of something else"  rather than why these things can go unchallenged.
 
P-C


Posted By: laplace
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 11:08
well, progismylife, you can't truly loathe what you're not familiar with. but I agree that people should still write with a little civility even if they feel they're reviewing the worst album of all time.

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FREEDOM OF SPEECH GO TO HELL


Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 11:26
While some of my early reviews are still to be bettered, I do not have a qualm writing a good 1* (star) review. One thing you will not see from me is consistent 1* reviews throughout a whole artist's discography. If I was to do that, the artistes would not deserve my attention, since I dislike everything he's ever done.  But in order to be complete, one has the duty to review album he does not like as much as the one he likes.
 
Although with the free downloading, this notion has tendency to disappear, "artistes" have the pretention of selling us their works at a fairly expensive price (hard earned cash in general) inb order to live off it. Fine with me. So they print a book, a movie, a record, a serigraphy, a painting etc.... This means that they want a feedback. If you are afraid of negative feedback, don't publish; keep your art to yourself.
Movie directors get slashed for their works all the time, just open up any local free press cluttering your mail box, reviews are there to entice us or warn us about the dangers of dishing out $£€ for food, music, computer games, clothes, movies , theatres etc...
 
Writing a good 1 star review without getting personal or sarcastic is simply not easy. Finding why you don't like something means analysing the work you don't like. Masochist??? Not me!!! So this is proibably why there are much more 5 stars reviews than 1 star reviews on this site. Yet we know that many of the albums that are not rated in a third of fourth league (as in football categories leagues)  artist are probably the ones ti stay away from.
 
i think a good reviewer should use one star as he does 5 stars: sparingly.


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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword


Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 11:45
Originally posted by Sean Trane Sean Trane wrote:

 So they print a book, a movie, a record, a serigraphy, a painting etc.... This means that they want a feedback. If you are afraid of negative feedback, don't publish; keep your art to yourself.
 
i think a good reviewer should use one star as he does 5 stars: sparingly.
 
I am not really thinking about negative feed back, I think that everyone has a right to dislike something, and to say that they dislike it.  But some reviews go beyond that and rather than state that something is disliked, a review might say that someone is unable which I think is a very different kettle of fish.
This is the point where I start to question the validity of a review. Or look into the credentials of the reviewer........
I believe that all artists are used to criticism and like you say it comes with the territory, however should insults/libel/defamation/out and out lies be accepted under the guise of "opinon"? Should a review be a personal slant against the musician rather than an opinion on the body of work they produce?
 
I don't want it to look like I am getting "bolshy" about this, I am genuinely curious.
I think (because I have been witness to this) that some fans will cultivate more "competition" or "rivalry" between two or more bands where there is none amongst the musicians, and to enhance the profile of their favourite artist will give poor reviews to those they see as a rival. Which I think is poor sport.
 
There is this thing I say to my kids "make yourslf look good by doing good things, not by making others look bad" 
 
P-C


Posted By: Pnoom!
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 12:03
Quotes from Prog Chick's original post:
 
"It got me thinking though, the majority of 1 star (or indeed 5 star) reviews are guest reviews rather than collabs or admins etc."
 
That's because fans with no real attachment to the site think that every album they like is a masterpiece and don't take the time actually read the guidelines.  It reminds me of a "four hundred greatest rock albums" so you'd like to guide on Amazon, which casually remarked that every single one was a masterpiece.  Well, for me to have four hundred masterpieces (I know 6 masterpieces in about 200 albums), I would have to know 13333 albums...
 
"Also I find some of these reviews incredible! I started to wonder what do we expect from our musicians? and because we have a pc at our disposal and the ability to "publish" a review of a body of work, does that tempt some folk over the edge with power? "
 
Yes, it does make them feel they have power.  Lots of guest reviewers openly state that they are giving it a rating only to affect the overall rating of the album on the site.  They think that these rankings actually matter, and they like having the power to change it.
 
"Some reviews I have read have been border line libel/defamation of the artists, or the artists work. I guess they remain on the site because they are given the "In my honest opinion" tag........ does IMHO really alow one to get away with really awful/untrue comments about a body of work or about a musician? "
 
These are indeed a problem... and IMHO should not be an excuse to get away with this crap.  How you like an album is an opinion.  Facts are not opinions.  Facts are hard facts, and they cannot be changed.  Writing an honest one star review in which you explain why think the album is actively BAD is one thing (I do that), but writing hate mail with some insignificant comments added in to fit the guidelines is not.
 
"The other thing that I often think about........ is IF an album is truly SO bad, WHY waste your precious (& superior) time writing about it?"
 
Here, I have to disagree.  Writing one star reviews is important, because you don't want other people to stumble on a bad album.  If all reviews were 4 and 5 stars, it would be impossible to use the ratings to determine if an album is good or not.
 
"IF you REALLY don't like a band.......... is it necessary to sl*g off EVERY album they make?"
 
If you REALLY don't like a band... why do you have more than two of their albums.  Are you a masochist?
 
 
 
 
For the most part, I agree with you (except the one time otherwise noted).  That's why we should do away with guest reviews and ratings without reviews.  If you really want to make your opinion known on an album, you can take five minutes to create an account, and you can scrape 50 words together that express how you feel (without being rude or untruthful).  IMHOWink.


Posted By: Chicapah
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 12:24
I give considerable thought to the number of stars I will give a recording and probably feel a whole lot more pressure to justify my reasoning when I'm giving a 1 star rating.  It's nothing personal about the artist(s) because I sincerely feel they probably did the best they could on a particular project but if an album is a total waste of $15 or $20 bucks then I feel just as compelled to warn others who might be tempted to buy it.

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"Literature is well enough, as a time-passer, and for the improvement and general elevation and purification of mankind, but it has no practical value" - Mark Twain


Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 13:55
Guest reviews will soon be stopped. All reviewers will need to have registered with the forum before they can post a review.


Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 14:25
Originally posted by Easy Livin Easy Livin wrote:

Guest reviews will soon be stopped. All reviewers will need to have registered with the forum before they can post a review.
 
By "guest" you mean guests guests (?) or just review-guests? I mean, I'm a guest, many others are guest... Would that mean all our reviews are no more? I can't write reviews no more? I'm a forum member but in the review site I'm listed only as guest. I may fall for sentimentalism form time to time, but hey, IT'S MUSIC, it's not an exact science, so I think we can put some feeling into our reviews. Some people put so much "effort" into their reviews but as they limit themselves to say "x is good" then nobody has a problem with those. I really can't see guest reviewers going out. ON the other hand, if you say "guest" meaning a forum guest, then I agree completely, we would get rid of a lot of poorly written reviews. Smile


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Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 14:30
Teo, don't panic, please... By 'guest' we mean people who are not forum members, and you are. As to now, reviews by people who have no forum ID can still be posted - in the future, they won't be any longer. 


Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 14:32
Originally posted by prog-chick prog-chick wrote:

I
 
The other thing that I often think about........ is IF an album is truly SO bad, WHY waste your precious (& superior) time writing about it?
 
So we only have to review album we like??ConfusedConfusedConfused
 
Man I would guess in that case is even more correct to write a review, a respectful, well-written review of course. I mean, you could help some people save some money if they choose to follow your comments.
 
I think the important is to make yourslef clear, put arguments for your position, no matter what it is. If people here want only praise-filled reviews, well, what's the point? What's the point about writing anything, about art criticism? Man, I say all of these because some people think "journalism" is something bad or anything.... I guess then everybody should write for newspapers and in good books... well, the internet will take care of that in a few decades, anyway. I feel attacked because I study journalism and I would like, please, if you (not you Prog-chick but everybodyBig%20smile) can refer to any profession with more respect.
 
Peace on earth. And let T's rain from heaven.
 
Big%20smileBig%20smile


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Posted By: Chris H
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 14:32
Originally posted by Easy Livin Easy Livin wrote:

Guest reviews will soon be stopped. All reviewers will need to have registered with the forum before they can post a review.
 
Thats a good idea, even though the reviews reporting thread will almost cease to exist after thatWink


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Beauty will save the world.


Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 14:34
Originally posted by Ghost Rider Ghost Rider wrote:

Teo, don't panic, please... By 'guest' we mean people who are not forum members, and you are. As to now, reviews by people who have no forum ID can still be posted - in the future, they won't be any longer. 
 
in that case, my dearest Dream Theater worshipper, I would say: 
 
ClapClapClapClapClapClap
 
 
I have a paranoia problem from time to time.... It manifests once a month.
 
 
Big%20smileBig%20smileBig%20smileBig%20smile


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Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 14:35
Originally posted by Zappa88 Zappa88 wrote:

Originally posted by Easy Livin Easy Livin wrote:

Guest reviews will soon be stopped. All reviewers will need to have registered with the forum before they can post a review.
 
Thats a good idea, even though the reviews reporting thread will almost cease to exist after thatWink
 
yeah.... wait a minute.... some under-paid cop will lose his job....
 
If I were you, I'd defend guest-reviews with my life.... it's your job man!!!
 
Big%20smile


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Posted By: Chris H
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 14:38
Originally posted by The T The T wrote:

Originally posted by Zappa88 Zappa88 wrote:

Originally posted by Easy Livin Easy Livin wrote:

Guest reviews will soon be stopped. All reviewers will need to have registered with the forum before they can post a review.
 
Thats a good idea, even though the reviews reporting thread will almost cease to exist after thatWink
 
yeah.... wait a minute.... some under-paid cop will lose his job....
 
If I were you, I'd defend guest-reviews with my life.... it's your job man!!!
 
Big%20smile
 
Yup, my only importance on this site is bashing poorly written n00b-reviews! Oh man, when you put it that way, if guest reviews go then I'll be out of a jobShocked
 
I'll end up like that homeless guy that impersonated Peter Criss and lived under a bridge while he pan-handled for nickelsLOL


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Beauty will save the world.


Posted By: soundsweird
Date Posted: February 05 2007 at 23:36

In the beginning, all I did here was read album reviews.   Now, I pay far less attention to them, and I haven't written a review in a long time.  

Some reasons:    
                                  The honeymoon's over.... (been here awhile now)
                                  Too much Progressive Metal and other stuff I abhor
                                  Too many reviewers with no command of the English language
                                  The forums are much more interesting
                                    


Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 03:31
Hi Chaps.........
 
I think maybe I didn't make myself clear back in the begining....... I didn't mean I only wanted to see positive reviews. But I felf it a little unjust to see some one-star reviews that were down right rude and written with spite and based on lies and malice......... that surely can not be good for an objective overview of an album?
The lines between fact and opinion are easily blurred and never more so than in a "this is truly awful, they can't write, they can't sing, they can't play" type of review.
 
I enjoy the reviews here, I like to search out different artists or albums.... but I don't like to see lies and opinon dressed up as hard fact. it stinks.  I seem to have caused more foroar by saying that though than if I wrote a bunch of nonsense about some hard working band. Ermm


Posted By: kazansky
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 03:39
I agree with that. I don't have problem with people who dislike some works by some bands. However, i don't think that calling an album rubbish, junk, etc. just because you don't like what you hear is a very good move.

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The devil we blame our atrocities on is really just each one of us.


Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 03:41
What if you said: "To be perfectly fair, in a word, this album...uh, sucks. Luckily, we have room for more than one word in a review, but my thesaurus is kinda long, so grab a soda."

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"There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson


Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 03:45
There is a way to write something disapproving without it being ugly or purely subjective. I once wrote a bad review for a Bill Bruford album but I started it with how much I love and respect Bill Bruford.






Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 05:18
You've provoked a lively debate PC, and that must be a good thing!Thumbs%20Up


Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 05:20
Originally posted by prog-chick prog-chick wrote:

Hi Chaps.........
 
I think maybe I didn't make myself clear back in the begining....... I didn't mean I only wanted to see positive reviews. But I felf it a little unjust to see some one-star reviews that were down right rude and written with spite and based on lies and malice......... that surely can not be good for an objective overview of an album?
The lines between fact and opinion are easily blurred and never more so than in a "this is truly awful, they can't write, they can't sing, they can't play" type of review.
 
I enjoy the reviews here, I like to search out different artists or albums.... but I don't like to see lies and opinon dressed up as hard fact. it stinks.  I seem to have caused more foroar by saying that though than if I wrote a bunch of nonsense about some hard working band. Ermm


You made yourself perfectly clear.

This is the way with threads though, they soon become what others want it to be!Ermm


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http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: salmacis
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 07:15
I agree that endless band bashing is very tedious. I think I've given very few 1 star reviews and some of those I wonder whether I've been harsh afterwards. But I don't think there any prog bands I hate enough to trash, certainly not on personal issues- even ones I wouldn't go out of my way for, like Dream Theater, I have given various 3/4 star reviews to their albums, because they are enjoyable albums by anyone's standards (Awake and SFAM) even when there are elements I dislike about the band (and they've grown on me recently anyway).
 
Likewise, I've been rewriting a few of my older, over-zealous reviews where I had perhaps been over generous. I try to keep away from the fanboy track (some of my older reviews sail perilously closeBig%20smile) as I too now find gushing 5 star reviews without much justification, and come off like blind praise of a band, to be just as damaging to a band as 1 star reviews. Remember the Octavarium debacle around 2 years ago? I think that created even more hostility/suspicion towards DT. I've seen the same thing happen with new Tool and Mars Volta albums as well.


Posted By: laplace
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 07:24
I don't think there's any merit in marking an album with more stars than you personally feel it's worth based on how much you enjoyed it. If you're over-generous because you think most people will like it, then let THOSE PEOPLE grade it and allow yourself the luxury of giving it the low score you wanted to. ;)

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FREEDOM OF SPEECH GO TO HELL


Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 07:29
^^^ You see Prog Chick? Carrying on regardless of anything you or I say.

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http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: laplace
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 07:36
please don't stifle the thread, snowy, you can see we're discussing review etiquette =P

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FREEDOM OF SPEECH GO TO HELL


Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 07:40
Originally posted by laplace laplace wrote:

please don't stifle the thread, snowy, you can see we're discussing review etiquette =P


You are discussing whatever you wish, regardless of the thread subject.Confused


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http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 10:47
Threads, like conversations, often drift from the original subject. No problem with that if the discussion is constructive.


Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 14:17
I don't know the exact data, but when you have thousands of reviews, it's only normal that some will lack quality. Many are written by near-children and others by adults that write like children... but I've seen a few written by young people that are very well-written... it's just bound to happen: you can't have only good reviews if you allow thousands of them, it's just pure logic. But as I say, alongside the crap also good essays come. I would rather forbid the no-review ratings than the no-member reviews.... at least when you take to time to write something, even if it's not good, you are trying to justify your position, however "full of lies and with no facts" (how can a subjective opinion be either a lie or a fact I don't know - it can be based upon lies or facts, that could happen, but in itself can't) it is filled with.

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Posted By: Chris H
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 14:29
Originally posted by The T The T wrote:

Many are written by near-children 
 
Hey man I'm only 14 but that doesnt mean I dont work as hard on my reviews as everyone else on this site does. Keep that in mind please


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Beauty will save the world.


Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 14:36
Many of our finest reviewers are young!


Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 14:41
Originally posted by Easy Livin Easy Livin wrote:

Threads, like conversations, often drift from the original subject. No problem with that if the discussion is constructive.


Yes Bob, I realise this, but the point of the thread has had to be reiterated several times by the thread originator. I sometimes find it frustrating that posters can't or refuse to talk about what the threads topic is.

Look at this thread of Dick Heaths as another example of not one person addressing the original post!

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33946 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33946








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http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 14:50
Coincidentally, Dick said a similar thing a long time ago.
 
http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2014 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2014


Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 14:58
Originally posted by Easy Livin Easy Livin wrote:

Coincidentally, Dick said a similar thing a long time ago.
 
http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2014 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2014


Dick started quite a classic there.LOL


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http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 20:44
Originally posted by Zappa88 Zappa88 wrote:

Originally posted by The T The T wrote:

Many are written by near-children 
 
Hey man I'm only 14 but that doesnt mean I dont work as hard on my reviews as everyone else on this site does. Keep that in mind please
 
my dear cop, check my post... I say it clearly... some reviews by young people are outstanding and some by old fellows are atrocious. Yours are an example of the good side. You are young and write well, great! Clap I was more aiming at the inmaturity side of being young which is reflected in a lot of reviews, but again, I never meant that there aren't good young reviewers (like you dear sargeant)... check please, don't think I discard young reviewers, man, I'm always for being young all life, and at that age I used to write a lot of stuff (in spanish of course). I have to make this clear because I don't want the prog-version of robocop to be thinking I don't think he works as hard as anybody else. I repeat, many old reviewers write atrocious reviews, sometimes because they don't have any idea about how to write down ideas and put them in paper so that they sound coherent, something that many young reviewers dominate. So please, sorry If you thought I meant what I didn't. Smile
 
By the way, I have never asked yours nor anybody's age, have I? I don't have age in mind when I talk to people or read reviews. I only get interested in that when I read some atrocious badly-written reviews that appear to be the work of fifth-graders... and sometimes it turnos out they are the work of "fifth-decaders"...Big%20smile
 
Now go back to your duties low-life scum-catcher!
 
Big%20smile 


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Posted By: bluetailfly
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 21:02

Maturity is over-rated...Wink



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"The red polygon's only desire / is to get to the blue triangle."


Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 21:08
Originally posted by bluetailfly bluetailfly wrote:

Maturity is over-rated...Wink

 
I won't disagree.. at all... people get so boring with the excuse of maturity... so dream-less.... I'm as inmature as they come, but I think for writing purposes, it helps to be able to set your anger or hate apart. If you let a little of your feelings get in a review, well, OK, but one of those "what a junk, sh*t, crap, can't play, ignorant b*****ds" reviews shouldn't be tolerable. And as I said, nothing to do with age. But with a writing-maturity (not to confuse it with plain maturity)


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Posted By: Chris H
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 21:10
Originally posted by The T The T wrote:

Originally posted by Zappa88 Zappa88 wrote:

Originally posted by The T The T wrote:

Many are written by near-children 
 
Hey man I'm only 14 but that doesnt mean I dont work as hard on my reviews as everyone else on this site does. Keep that in mind please
 
my dear cop, check my post... I say it clearly... some reviews by young people are outstanding and some by old fellows are atrocious. Yours are an example of the good side. You are young and write well, great! Clap I was more aiming at the inmaturity side of being young which is reflected in a lot of reviews, but again, I never meant that there aren't good young reviewers (like you dear sargeant)... check please, don't think I discard young reviewers, man, I'm always for being young all life, and at that age I used to write a lot of stuff (in spanish of course). I have to make this clear because I don't want the prog-version of robocop to be thinking I don't think he works as hard as anybody else. I repeat, many old reviewers write atrocious reviews, sometimes because they don't have any idea about how to write down ideas and put them in paper so that they sound coherent, something that many young reviewers dominate. So please, sorry If you thought I meant what I didn't. Smile
 
By the way, I have never asked yours nor anybody's age, have I? I don't have age in mind when I talk to people or read reviews. I only get interested in that when I read some atrocious badly-written reviews that appear to be the work of fifth-graders... and sometimes it turnos out they are the work of "fifth-decaders"...Big%20smile
 
Now go back to your duties low-life scum-catcher!
 
Big%20smile 
 
Alright T, I guess I must not have read your post carefully enough. Glad you like my reviews thoughBig%20smile


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Beauty will save the world.


Posted By: bluetailfly
Date Posted: February 06 2007 at 21:13
Originally posted by The T The T wrote:

Originally posted by bluetailfly bluetailfly wrote:

Maturity is over-rated...Wink

 
I won't disagree.. at all... people get so boring with the excuse of maturity... so dream-less.... I'm as inmature as they come, but I think for writing purposes, it helps to be able to set your anger or hate apart. If you let a little of your feelings get in a review, well, OK, but one of those "what a junk, sh*t, crap, can't play, ignorant b*****ds" reviews shouldn't be tolerable. And as I said, nothing to do with age. But with a writing-maturity (not to confuse it with plain maturity)
 
I totally agree, there's nothing worse than reading an idiot's review of a CD... I too draw the line at written communication. If you're going to write, you better show that you've put some thought into it.  Smile


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"The red polygon's only desire / is to get to the blue triangle."


Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: February 08 2007 at 10:07
Is this an example of abusing a band (not just one band) in a review?

ENGLAND — Garden Shed

Review by bristolstc

1%20stars I know a lot of people who either claim this to be a masterwork of early Genesis meets Yes or who think it is a blatantly poor opportunistic venture by talentless hacks. I would go with the latter, but give it even more of a slamming than that. To this prog rock lover this is THE WORST EXPLOITATION OF PROGRESSIVE MUSIC EVER RECORDED AND STRICTLY TO AVOID! I had this album, and taped it. More and more times going back I am so horrified by the lyrics and "music" that I can't even get through the first track anymore. So what makes England so bad? For one thing, their name is a rude backstab against the country they came from, if there is one thing they don't represent it is the country of England. For another, you don't have to listen close to the lyrics of opening track "Midnight Madness" or the painful, agony inducing closer "Poisoned Youth" to know these are really sick people with a kniving obsession! Both tracks end with the main character stabbing himself to death in the most sick. violent, morbid, and horrifying manner. Add to the disgusting grotesque lyrics a drummer who can't keep time and who overcompensates by banging his fists into the drum kit like a bad Hollywood movie score, horrendously screeching tone deaf vocals, and useless screwing around on the keyboards and guitars in a blatantly awful imitiation of Genesis, and the only other band as awful as this is Barclay James Harvest. The tracks are too long, the influences merely a swipe and a copy, and the production horrific. I would expect this album to appeal to those who like BJH or Marillion, but whereas Marillion actually weren't horrible musicians I am strongly reminded of my most hated "symphonic" group BJH again, but with an even more unoriginal sound. BJH couldn't sing or play at all, and England can't either. Is there anything to redeem one moment of this album, even one good passage? No, there is not. This album is beyond bad, it is offensive and disgraceful. I have never heard another band from England who play and sing and write as horribly as this band does, and for the price an original goes for this is something to avoid at all costs. I may be a huge admirer of progressive music, but I know when I'm being taken for a ride and so should you. That's about all I have to say about this most horrendous album. They deserve to be denounced, brought before a court, and put in the dungeon of worst insults ever to music. BAD!




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http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 08 2007 at 10:21
^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
Well maybe the attecks on BJH are slightly out of order, but personally, I don't see why this review should be altered
 
I agree a fair bit with his advice (even if I would've said it differently) especially with hid opinion of BJH. And you can't say the man has only skimmed the album. It seems he's heard it enough.
 
This album is one of those very over-rated "lost gems".


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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword


Posted By: Wilcey
Date Posted: February 08 2007 at 10:44
Originally posted by Snow Dog Snow Dog wrote:

Is this an example of abusing a band (not just one band) in a review?
    

horrendously screeching tone deaf vocals, and useless screwing around on the keyboards and
guitars in a blatantly awful imitiation of Genesis, and the only other band as awful as this is Barclay James
Harvest.


Sheesh! Well, yes, I don't know this album, but yes this is the kind of thing that I don't think does either the reviewer, the band or the site any justice.

The guy obviously does not find this album to his taste ( ) but is this kind of thing necessary? Do we think this kind of talk does us any justice, does it make the album look bad or make the reviewer sound like he is acting like a jerk? Are we so sort of language in the 21st century that we have to resort to insults? Is there no other way to say that he does not like it..... is the keyboard player REALLY "screwing around" ??? Is the vocalist REALLY tone deaf or is he singing in a way that does not please the reviewer... is the reviewer qualified to say?

Sad.



Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 08 2007 at 23:49
Well, that was insulting. In that case I agree. But saying "this is bad music" it's, for me, perfecly correct.

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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: February 11 2007 at 00:07
I simply think that all of his friends hang out in the (out)house pictured on his postWink. Which is probably where his best stuff comes out Tongue
But then, I'd like to ask him if he means the group(s) are not able to play, oh I don't know, chords, or does he mean, like, a sport ;  or if he means some notes aren't really notes, they're not in the "note book", or if I'm in a raucous mood, ask him if he has an actual list that he's taken the time to put together while he's in his (out)house to come to the point of determining that this is the worst of all time. You know, like, what's # 2, 3 & so on ...
Mind you, if he finds it such a torture, it says  something about the time he has on his hands (not going to mention what he might have in his hands, apart from cheesies)  that he took all that time to compose his tirade.Big%20smile

P.S. note , maybe he's just showing why he's considered a "special" carburator. LOL

P.P.S. I don't want to give him the bum's (hint) rush here, but I think he's also mispelt the website's name on the bottom (hint hint) of his post; shouldn't that first "g" be a "c". Not that I would understand one's need to share such info, but ...

P.P.P.S. I have to go now, I'm lucky my plumbing is indoors. My mind, however, is all over the place.

And the lights went out all over the world (darn, forgot to pay the electric bill again, note to self, make note to myself  to remind self where I put my reminder).Smile



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