Reviews that Stand Out

I go on holiday for two weeks, and return to find myself late to one of the best debates on the forum for ages!

On balance, I agree with Peter almost word for word (and not just because you mention a review I posted Peter! [Bob McBeath])

The Marillion album specifically discussed contains one of their "legendary" tracks in "Grendel". It's not on any of their official albums, and for that reason alone (assuming you like the track, which the reviewer seems to do), the album would warrant more than one star. Yes, the track is on other compilations, but it is still quite rare. I think the reviewer recognises this, so to that extent I would say that the star rating is at odds with the review.

As for rating compilations in general, I have a bit of a quandry. I reckon reviewers who are familar with the work of the band should consider how well they represent the band's work. Most people reading seeking out reviews of specific compilations will be  be wanting to know if they are a good place to start or not. That said, I agree with Peter that I would usually tend to consider the music in isolation, i.e. do i like what I hear, regardless of whether it is actually "The best of".

Compliations vary greatly of course. Some seek to gather together the band's most accessible work. Some seek to present what the compiler feels is the best of the band, regardless of how successful in commercial terms they were. Others collect rarer tracks not previously on official albums (such as the Marillion one in question). Finally, some merely include what is contractually available to the complier (BJH seem to suffer form this type more than most).

This once again is where I feel the Marillion review was flawed. The compliation was clearly not intended to be a "Best of", so tracks like "Kayleigh" and "Lavender" were rightly omitted.

Finally, while I accept that the star ratings are here to stay, and rightly so, I agree with Peter again that they are not that important. If the review is well considered and presented, the reader should be able to conclude what the star rating will be before they actually see it.

By the way, I like the word completionist. If we use it often enough, it will be included in the Oxford English dictionary!

The Best Of Marillion case proves to me at least that the star system is pointless. Maybe a  or a  would suffice as a general pointer before reading the actual review. An overall reviewers rating at the top of the albums review page would give a quicker guide to the merits of the piece. Ie You would have the Title of The Album followed by a  or followed by a percentage.

Actually I've just realised that idea is already used by "Rotten Tomatoes" Movie site.

For those who havent used this site try:

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shaun_of_the_dead/

Thanx, I feel better now.

^ hahaha, I find it even funnier that he copied your exact review and used it for a different album.

Seriously though, those need to get taken off.