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M@X
Forum & Site Admin Group Co-founder, Admin & Webmaster Joined: January 29 2004 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 4028 |
Posted: May 21 2009 at 20:13 |
@epignosis: I just came across the weird page you screen shot and will fix it
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Prog On !
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: December 30 2007 Location: Raeford, NC Status: Offline Points: 32524 |
Posted: May 22 2009 at 05:19 |
Here are the two reviews:
This album was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia with a relatively small crowd; I remember living in Georgia at the time and that I was wanting to go (it was around the time of my birthday), but I couldn’t afford to do so. I consider it a lost opportunity. The music is clear and loud (especially on the low end, which I appreciate). Everyone who has heard any recent Kansas knows the deal with Steve Walsh’s voice, and while this album is no exception, he still sounds great, albeit a bit muddy. The set list is indicative of the fact that many in the audience were diehard fans willing to shell out the cash to attend such a monumental event- the concert kicks off with “Belexis,” a treasure from the very first album. It is a crisp rendition, full of new instrumental breaks and an exciting arrangement. The band goes from the first album all the way to most recent studio release with the breathtaking masterpiece “Icarus II.” Quite naturally, the original “Icarus” comes in on the tail end of its successor, and is a heavier and energized performance. “Song for America,” one of Kansas’s best works, follows, and it’s a solid rendition (if perhaps a tad slower in some parts), and of course I miss the synthesizer solo that begins the middle instrumental section, but this progressive rock greatness either way. Some say it’s too bad “Magnum Opus” isn’t played in its entirety anymore, but I really don’t mind- if one wishes to hear a live version of it, there is one on Kansas’s first live album. “The Wall” is a song that really can’t be done wrong by this band, and this is no exception- the execution is full of its drama and power. “The Preacher,” the first non-Livgren composition, is infused with power from Richard Williams’s heavy guitar and grace from the New Advent choir. “Journey from Mariabronn” gets a facelift here, beginning with the instrumental section instead (I almost wish Robby Steinhardt hadn’t introduced it), and Billy Greer is fantastic keeping it down on bass. Instead of a synthesizer following the violin solo, there’s a heated guitar solo from the powerful Williams. One can understand Walsh’s toying around with the vocal melody of a song like “Dust in the Wind,” having played it show after show, and fortunately, he keeps those deviations to a minimum here. Also, there’s a small orchestra to play the second violin part (instead of a silly synthesizer), and to my ears, that gives it a slight Spanish flavor. “Cheyenne Anthem,” a song Steve Walsh has commented on as goofy (for the instrumental middle section) gets a fantastic heavier arrangement. Steinhardt’s voice sounds warm and aged, like a grandfather speaking of the old ways to his descendants. The music overall (particularly the ending) is full of grandeur, and I feel blessed having been able to hear this piece live. Every Kansas live album features songs that don’t get to go on the road often (if ever), and here we get a hard-hitting rendition of “Child of Innocence.” Steinhardt is no longer sensitive and gentle; his vocals are gritty and appropriate for a song about the ravages of death. No Kansas live album would be complete without what is undoubtedly one of their greatest songs ever, “Miracles Out of Nowhere.” Each version of this mesmerizing song takes on a life of its own, as various subtleties and nuances are introduced. This time, the organ solo is replaced by a dark, but ever-brightening synthesizer pad. The guitar solo is, as always, amazing. Point of Know Return” is rushed through, perhaps because it’s another of those obligatory tracks, but it’s still very good. “Portrait” is also faster, particularly toward the end, and not much is changed from the original, except that it jumps right into the end of “The Pinnacle.” While the entirety of “The Pinnacle” would have been perfect for this event, I really cannot complain- this two-disc set is a fantastic offering to true fans who have long since tired of seeing the seemingly endless string of “greatest hits” compilations. Despite Steinhardt’s “good night,” fans know that the show isn’t over- “Carry on Wayward Son” hasn’t been played yet! So of course there is an encore, but what’s that? Is that music from Drastic Measure and Vinyl Confessions? Walsh sounds unbelievably good singing “Fight Fire with Fire” (Greer really helps out in the vocal department), and there’s an exciting new instrumental arrangement that bridges right into “Play the Game Tonight,” which itself is nothing special, but it’s still great to know that the Walsh wasn’t so prideful as to swear off any songs he didn’t have a part in originally. The final song is “Carry on Wayward Son,” and the acoustic introduction is an interesting way to begin it, if a bit indulgent. Walsh at this point doesn’t even bother with the high notes in the chorus, wisely leaving those to Greer (Walsh sounds great on the low end anyway). One riff is played over and over at the end, increasing in speed until Phil Ehart can hit every drum on his kit at least a hundred times it seems, and with that, a phenomenal live set comes to an end. In the words of Robby, “Who says you can’t rock when you’re fifty-two-years-old?” And the second one: Here is a band that is completely derivative and therefore not derivative at all! Each section of each song really reminds me of a different symphonic progressive rock act, but the pieces flow together so naturally, the band really has a life of its own. The Mellotron is a constant companion throughout the album, and the organ is almost as steadfast. The vocals are admittedly weak throughout, with the singer in “hush mode” throughout. There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but the dish is nothing less than delicious. “Serenade for 1652” A swirling and beautiful Mellotron begins the album. “Hinterland” The first thing that came to mind the first time I played this was “Tarkus” from ELP, but I wasn’t thinking that for long, as the music completely shape-shifted into something else. After a time, a King Crimson wave of Mellotron blasts by, bringing in gentle acoustic guitar and more substandard vocals. Then there’s the lead guitar, which sounds very much like Gary Green from Gentle Giant, and the complex vocal sections- can I really be sure I’m not actually hearing Derek Shulman and Kerry Minnear? There’s also a heavier section with a synthesizer solo that is quite reminiscent of Yes. It is an outstanding piece of music (and outstandingly long) that will take most quite some time to digest because there’s an awful lot of variety here and very lengthy instrumental passages; but it is no way boring! “Rubato Industry” The introduction to this song has a Gentle Giant-like beginning, but it soon becomes heavier, leaning on the electric guitar, organ, bass, drums, and Mellotron. It’s a frantic bit of music that just stays exciting. Things eventually calm down, though. The vocal section reminds me a bit of The Flower Kings (with Roine Stolt on lead vocals), the flute segment thereafter is closer to Genesis (the interlude of “Cinema Show” comes to mind), and the instrumental section after that is very similar to Spock’s Beard (“The Light” is a good comparison). “Clair Obscure” Mellotrons in both string and flute mode begin this initially somber closer. A lone piano takes over, painting a frosty yet adventurous mood. Gradually, the music becomes heavier and more menacing. The guitar throughout is closer to the electric work of Steve Howe of Yes, which weaves its way in and around (not the lake!) the organ and other instruments. It’s easy to get lost in this spiraling instrumental, but the return to piano at the end is like waking up from a slightly disturbing dream. |
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harmonium.ro
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: August 18 2008 Location: Anna Calvi Status: Offline Points: 22989 |
Posted: May 22 2009 at 07:20 |
^ with all those question marks, they look like longer Mandrakeroot reviews
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Vibrationbaby
Forum Senior Member Joined: February 13 2004 Status: Offline Points: 6898 |
Posted: May 22 2009 at 10:00 |
I just sit down and write them out of my head when listening to the album. Occasionally I`ll take abreak to look things up such as dates and correct spelling. What`s with this copy and pasting?
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: December 30 2007 Location: Raeford, NC Status: Offline Points: 32524 |
Posted: May 22 2009 at 10:02 |
I can't save a review and come back to it later online. Some reviews get written over the course of months. |
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Finnforest
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 03 2007 Location: The Heartland Status: Offline Points: 16913 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 14:00 |
I am also having the "question mark" problem (?). Every quotation mark (" or') turns to a questions mark, whether I copy from Word or Notepad programs. Never had this problem before this review.
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=217790 |
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M@X
Forum & Site Admin Group Co-founder, Admin & Webmaster Joined: January 29 2004 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 4028 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 15:16 |
I'll to look deeper to fix this....
Some reviewer don't have that problem though ... |
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Prog On !
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lazland
Prog Reviewer Joined: October 28 2008 Location: Wales Status: Offline Points: 13627 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 15:48 |
I'm getting this:
< ="-" ="text/; =utf-8">< name="ProgId" ="Word.">< name="Generator" ="Microsoft Word 11">< name="Originator" ="Microsoft Word 11"> Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server error '80040e14' Incorrect syntax near 's'. /post_rateit.asp, line 73 Don't know what it means, but I've saved my review for tomorrow, or when M@x fixes it. |
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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org
Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
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M@X
Forum & Site Admin Group Co-founder, Admin & Webmaster Joined: January 29 2004 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 4028 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 15:55 |
I guess for now it's time to use the real WEB SYSTEM quotation marks : " and apostrophe '
Since the Word quotation marks “ and apostrophe ’ does not exist in the ascii html characters and for now I don't know how to handle this... maybe later |
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Prog On !
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M@X
Forum & Site Admin Group Co-founder, Admin & Webmaster Joined: January 29 2004 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 4028 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 15:56 |
You guys will need to edit your reviews to fix it manually
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Prog On !
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Finnforest
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 03 2007 Location: The Heartland Status: Offline Points: 16913 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 16:02 |
Do you mean we'll need to go through every future review and manually take out all the question marks?
Or just re-post the review? |
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M@X
Forum & Site Admin Group Co-founder, Admin & Webmaster Joined: January 29 2004 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 4028 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 16:26 |
juste use WORD : Find and Replace tool before posting new reviews
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Prog On !
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Mr ProgFreak
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 08 2008 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 5195 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 17:01 |
Write reviews in Notepad rather than Word ... that way you won't introduce any special characters to start with.
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maani
Special Collaborator Founding Moderator Joined: January 30 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2632 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 17:38 |
I wrote an entire review in MSW first - making sure to avoid quotation marks (though I did not know about the apostrophe issue) - and pasted it into the review box. Yet not only did it replace the apostrophes with question marks, but also some - but not all - of the hyphens, as well as the ellipses. The whole thing seems strangely inconsistent and arbitrary. There MUST be a way to solve this: I have never had this problem in any other forum to which I contribute - and I contribute to literally dozens. Peace. |
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Epignosis
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: December 30 2007 Location: Raeford, NC Status: Offline Points: 32524 |
Posted: May 23 2009 at 18:05 |
Thanks for your help [email protected]'ve just never had a problem with this before, and I've done over 150 reviews in Word, copying and pasting them.
It's an inconvenience, and one I hope there will be a solution for, but at least I can still post reviews. |
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ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer Joined: April 19 2005 Location: Siem Reap Status: Offline Points: 311 |
Posted: May 24 2009 at 05:48 |
I also have problems with ". Since it is recommend to use Word to create our reviews (for the use of the spell checker: remember we aren't all English native speakers), I started to to see that only ' showed up. For several months, I spent a huge amount of time in performing the corrections after the posting.
What I do now is to use two apostrophes instead, and it works pretty well. So " = '' . Since I use so many " to introduce a title or a band, it is more convenient now...
Cheers.
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ZowieZiggy
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M@X
Forum & Site Admin Group Co-founder, Admin & Webmaster Joined: January 29 2004 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 4028 |
Posted: May 24 2009 at 18:53 |
I think I found a fix.... well keep posted
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Prog On !
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b_olariu
Prog Reviewer Joined: March 02 2007 Location: Romania Status: Offline Points: 5532 |
Posted: May 25 2009 at 03:27 |
I don't have any problems with posting reviews , I already posting 4 yesterday and today without problems , instead the main page look quite funny, I mean the words are very tight together like somebody squeeze them. The whole PA looks strange, better was before . I think M@x works really hard to fix this. This version of PA , at least from my side is rather strange. Even the style of the every band is no more.
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Vibrationbaby
Forum Senior Member Joined: February 13 2004 Status: Offline Points: 6898 |
Posted: May 25 2009 at 09:24 |
THE FUTURE IS A DANGEROUS PLACE
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M@X
Forum & Site Admin Group Co-founder, Admin & Webmaster Joined: January 29 2004 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 4028 |
Posted: May 25 2009 at 09:40 |
I was not able to tweak it yet ...
Thoses quotation marks are not supported by the XHTML 1.0 standards and I need to tweak it in the system |
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Prog On !
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