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BrufordFreak View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrufordFreak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2021 at 08:45
Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

http://www.progarchives.com/review.asp?id=2444439#social-comments

"I've just bought this album yesterday"

How can you rate am album 5 stars, "A Masterpiece of Progressive Music" after owning it for less than 24 hours. Lol.

What is it with this album and the endless stream of 5 star reviews? I think its pretty nice and pleasant, but 4.29? No way jose, this a solid 3.8-4.0x. I'll go out on a limb here and put it this way, this album is not on streaming, the only people who are rating and reviewing it are people who are already likely massive fans of the band willing to shell out the 17+ bucks for the CD.

...sometimes you just know. The first time I heard Relayer (when it came out), I just knew. The first time I heard Trick of the Tail (in the record store the day it was released), I just knew. The first time I sat through Crime of the Century, I was changed. The first time I heard Shiny Eyed Babies, I just knew. The first time I heard A Drop of Light, I just knew that I was in the presence of something rare and majestic.

There is something so polished and mature, and pure and ethereal, attractive and welcoming about the musics on Love Over Fear that I can't help but agree that this is a masterpiece of Neo Prog--maybe the definitive album for the sub-genre--bringing full circle the ideas and spirit and sound of Trick of the Tail. It may be filled with tons of (overly-)familiar hooks and sounds, but it's done so smoothly, so effortlessly, as if it's just flowing out of them. (I've also watched the videos.) 

Also, unlike so many half-assed, half-polished albums that were rushed and released in 2020 after February, this one feels as if everyone put in their full time and attention. I've never heard Nick's voice or guitar sound better--ever! (As a matter of fact, it took this album for me to find the motivation to go back and get to know all of their back catalog--and to want to explore the Neo Prog sub-genre! Which is saying a lot!) It just feels as if he's definitely putting his soul into these performances, nothing feels forced or over-the-top (which is one of the things that has often turned me off about both the Neo Prog and RPI subs). Compare this to the soulless prog-by-numbers sh*t that others dusted off the shelf to publish during the aVoid, and I feel grateful as well as respectful. 

Drew Fisher
https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrufordFreak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 12 2021 at 08:22
Originally posted by kenethlevine kenethlevine wrote:

In the last few months I got a few free downloads of new albums by bands I have reviewed favourably in the past.  I thought both were not up to their usual standards and I was torn in a number of ways.  I don't want to upgrade the review to make them happy.  I don't want to express my disappointment to make them unhappy.  And I also wonder if it's just me not being in a space to appreciate new music.  So in the end, orat least up to now, I have not reviewed them  :(  All this to say I would rather not receive these freebies for the above reasons, and luckily, apparently unlike some people here, I receive relatively few of these.

I've had this happen to me too many times! It's kind of embarrassing and definitely awkward--especially if, like you, I just kind of "ghost" them and post nothing. Just happened with NEON HEART! I LOVED their self-titled debut release from earlier in 2020--it was so fresh and inventive--but the new one they sent me curdles my blood! It almost hurts to listen to it! Agghh!
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 10 2021 at 21:04
LOL. I was amused by a comment left on my Pretty Things album review for SF Sorrow. Despite my clear description that it was Beatles inspired and was in the vein of a more psychedelic take on British pop rock of the mid-60s, the comment stated that it sounded just like 60s British pop rock and that my review was misleading or something similar to that. Well, duh! Obviously some don't know how to distinguish nuances within a genre.


Edited by siLLy puPPy - January 10 2021 at 21:05

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kenethlevine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 10 2021 at 20:26
In the last few months I got a few free downloads of new albums by bands I have reviewed favourably in the past.  I thought both were not up to their usual standards and I was torn in a number of ways.  I don't want to upgrade the review to make them happy.  I don't want to express my disappointment to make them unhappy.  And I also wonder if it's just me not being in a space to appreciate new music.  So in the end, orat least up to now, I have not reviewed them  :(  All this to say I would rather not receive these freebies for the above reasons, and luckily, apparently unlike some people here, I receive relatively few of these.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SteveG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 04 2020 at 12:42
Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

http://www.progarchives.com/review.asp?id=2444439#social-comments

"I've just bought this album yesterday"

How can you rate am album 5 stars, "A Masterpiece of Progressive Music" after owning it for less than 24 hours. Lol.

It's fine by me because he used lots of paragraphs. Hint. Hint. ;)


Edited by SteveG - September 04 2020 at 12:43
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 03 2020 at 18:11
http://www.progarchives.com/review.asp?id=2444439#social-comments

"I've just bought this album yesterday"

How can you rate am album 5 stars, "A Masterpiece of Progressive Music" after owning it for less than 24 hours. Lol.

What is it with this album and the endless stream of 5 star reviews? I think its pretty nice and pleasant, but 4.29? No way jose, this a solid 3.8-4.0x. I'll go out on a limb here and put it this way, this album is not on streaming, the only people who are rating and reviewing it are people who are already likely massive fans of the band willing to shell out the 17+ bucks for the CD.


Edited by dougmcauliffe - September 03 2020 at 18:13
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hrychu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 30 2020 at 16:50
If only there was an option to review an album without giving it a star rating. But anyway, to me personally, the amount of stars given is not important when there's a review accompanying it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rivertree Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2020 at 04:08
^someone was annoyed Smile




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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2020 at 03:58
http://www.progarchives.com/review.asp?id=2418317#social-comments

I'm laughing at the social review comment here

"If you don't like it, you clearly didn't listen to it!!!"

This is such a neo-prog fan thing, some fans take negative reviews of their favorite albums as personal attacks and feel the need to justify why they like it. I bet this guy would travel 600 miles through desert and rainforest on foot just to watch Steve Hogarth drink a glass of water. Progarchives and other peoples opinions should have no bearing on how much you enjoy an album. He ends his comment by sh*tting on a bunch of other prog artists, whats that supposed to do? Change Frisos mind? Cringe.

Anyways, nice review and i'm happy to see some other perspectives on the album, finally knocked the thing out of the top 100 as well LOL it was previously rated the same as Pawn Hearts and that just couldn't last.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Dark Elf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 31 2020 at 19:51
Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

1 star for Santanas Caravanserai Cry I mean, I really dig it, maybe it's not for everyone, but a single star :(

One star? Seriously? There's a reviewer with utterly no concept of Santana's clear progression from Abraxas to Santana III to Caravanserai -- from commercial Latin-tinged rock to fusion. The departure from the restraints of rock are pretty clear even on Santana III. Sorry there were no "hits" for you, bad reviewer guy. But that was not the point. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 31 2020 at 19:38
1 star for Santanas Caravanserai Cry I mean, I really dig it, maybe it's not for everyone, but a single star :(

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kenethlevine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2020 at 19:03
Originally posted by TCat TCat wrote:

Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

1 star for Eldorado by ELO Shocked  I thought 1 star ratings were for truly terrible albums, I don't know what's so offensively bad about that album. In fact, I think it's one of their better albums. It's strange to me he says that the tunes are good but still gives it the "Poor, For Completionists only" rating.
 
Yeah I was a little surprised by that one.  Eldorado wasn't that bad, but it makes you wonder how he would rate "Face the Music" which is quite a bit less interesting.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lazland Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2020 at 14:37
I have seen the review, and it strikes me as being honest and well written, with some decent opinions, whether I agree with the rating, or not.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2020 at 11:57
Originally posted by TCat TCat wrote:

Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

1 star for Eldorado by ELO Shocked  I thought 1 star ratings were for truly terrible albums, I don't know what's so offensively bad about that album. In fact, I think it's one of their better albums. It's strange to me he says that the tunes are good but still gives it the "Poor, For Completionists only" rating.
 
Yeah I was a little surprised by that one.  Eldorado wasn't that bad, but it makes you wonder how he would rate "Face the Music" which is quite a bit less interesting.


I wouldn't give it one star but i find El Dorado the LEAST interesting album of the entire 70s run. Part of this is it recycles ideas and seems to drop the ball on many others. My inner musician just finds it unsatisfying. Def better than 1 star though

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zoltanxvamos Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2020 at 10:03
Originally posted by TCat TCat wrote:

Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

1 star for Eldorado by ELO Shocked  I thought 1 star ratings were for truly terrible albums, I don't know what's so offensively bad about that album. In fact, I think it's one of their better albums. It's strange to me he says that the tunes are good but still gives it the "Poor, For Completionists only" rating.

 
Yeah I was a little surprised by that one.  Eldorado wasn't that bad, but it makes you wonder how he would rate "Face the Music" which is quite a bit less interesting.


What? Who gave Eldorado 1 star? That's a pretty good album
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TCat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2020 at 09:29
Originally posted by dougmcauliffe dougmcauliffe wrote:

1 star for Eldorado by ELO Shocked  I thought 1 star ratings were for truly terrible albums, I don't know what's so offensively bad about that album. In fact, I think it's one of their better albums. It's strange to me he says that the tunes are good but still gives it the "Poor, For Completionists only" rating.
 
Yeah I was a little surprised by that one.  Eldorado wasn't that bad, but it makes you wonder how he would rate "Face the Music" which is quite a bit less interesting.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2020 at 08:48
1 star for Eldorado by ELO Shocked  I thought 1 star ratings were for truly terrible albums, I don't know what's so offensively bad about that album. In fact, I think it's one of their better albums. It's strange to me he says that the tunes are good but still gives it the "Poor, For Completionists only" rating.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2020 at 22:38
Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

I for the life of me cannot understand why someone reviews a prog related album and then hammers on it for not being prog. All i can think is, well duh! IT'S PROG RELATED!!!!
Maybe they don't understand the PA definition of Prog-Related. Neither did I when I first joined PA, but I do now. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dougmcauliffe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2020 at 19:34
Facepalm* Review the music for what it is, not wether it fits in a certain genre or not. Wait till this guy finds out about Kind of Blue. I noticed he edited the all traps on earth review, its about double the length but says just as much. "Rabble rabble Anglagard clone rabble rabble boring rabble rabble I have nothing to say about the actual songs or the instrumentation rabble rabble"

Edited by dougmcauliffe - May 08 2020 at 19:42
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2020 at 19:27
I for the life of me cannot understand why someone reviews a prog related album and then hammers on it for not being prog. All i can think is, well duh! IT'S PROG RELATED!!!!

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