Reviews from the Past: could we get some?

Being a progger in Brazil back in the 70's/80's was a though task: I remember that my first prog listen was Genesis' "Mama" back in the 80's... from then until the internet era, me and my fellow Brazilian proggers struggled through record stores trying to find some prog, and all we could get were scattered albums and completely out of order releases: for instance, Rush's "Grace Under Pressure" was released here 2 years after "Power Windows", we had Marillion's "Fugazi" and "Misplaced Childhood" long before "Script for a Jester's Tear", and so on. We needed to rely on some rich people that could travel abroad to bring us some good prog, and we lived in a place where there was no 'prog-scene' (not even a Rock'n'Roll scene existed)... No information, no pictures, no shows, nothing... The prog bands were echoes coming from Europe and USA, untouchable... The albums were released without any marketing approach, without enclosures or lyrics, so we have been lost for a good while...

So this is why I love PROGARCHIVES: I can read reviews and be well guided before spending my money in lame albuns, I love this forum, where people discuss about our 'heroes', etc., but I have been searching and couldn't find nothing similar to what I want to request now, so let's 'cut to the chase':

Is there a possibility for Progarchives to establish a "REVIEWS FROM THE PAST" area, where our fellow researchers and collectors could post the reviews that were actually written on the newspapers and magazines at the time of the release of the greatest prog albums?

I'm asking this because some (maybe most, please correct me if I'm wrong) of the reviews here are written by people who weren't even born at the time of the release, or were written nowadays, for instance: If I write a review of Genesis' "Foxtrot" today, I already know that they did "Selling England" and "The Lamb" afterwards, then Peter left the band, they stayed prog for a few more albuns before succumbing to the 80's pop music. So this review will be full of pre-concepts that could impair the real experience. On the other hand, when people write about "Octavarium", I know that the review was written with the full context, as the band is still alive and we do not know where they will go next.

Well, I think I made my point and I want to hear your feedback, for which I thank in advance.

regards,

Mumakil

    I REALLY like the idea of this. Many of us (*well, not me but some others) have saved or collected old reviews and they are interesting.   Let's do it!

I've found the too Dick, it's not impossible. I think the advantage would be having them in a central repository location. Makes it easier to peruse.

I'm not sure if copyright is an issue, as long as we give the complete information (publication, date, author, etc.) Since we're not making money on the information, simple bibliogrpahical notation should suffice.

Writing reviews takes just as much or more time so I think that those of us with the inclinations would drop a few items in the box now and then.

As far as space is concerned, I don't know.

I do know that I would be equally (if not more) interested in those reviews compared to the ones written by members. I don't often find them useful as they are so often cheerleading exercises or total bitch fests. They might also come in handy for settling questions of fact from time to time.
    

Edited by composer - August 18 2006 at 13:52

It would be great to read them again, that's for sure. I wish I had kept my copies of Melody Maker, NME, Sounds etc. from the 70's.

I have some Sounds, Melody Makers and Musical Expresses I bought in the late Seventies and  early Eighties when Marillion became famous, including some interviews with Fish. I have also Dutch music magazines from the Seventies with reviews from ELP, Genesis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Yes. If this thread leads to something constructive I will translate some for this site or deliver parts of the UK music papers.

Edited by erik neuteboom - August 18 2006 at 14:17

OK, Mumakil...