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fake 5-star reviews on progarchives.com

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Topic: fake 5-star reviews on progarchives.com
Posted By: kirklott
Subject: fake 5-star reviews on progarchives.com
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 20:49
It was bound to happen someday.

For years now on Amazon, etc., you couldn't trust all product reviews because many are 'plants' - i.e. fake 5-star reviews designed to boost the product rating, etc.

Now it's happening here in our beloved community. Case in point, the review for the new album from Cryptic Vision, called 'In a World.' There are 6 reviews: 3 of them are ho-hum 2 or 3 star reviews, the other 3 are glowing 5-star reviews.

I'm not going to spell out how to discern real reviews from fakes, lest I tip off those who post fake reviews, but Cryptic Vision is especially incompetent at this form of corporate propaganda - one of the reviews is written by none other than the band's lead singer, Todd Plant! (he posted the review using his real name!!!).

Anyway, always view 5-star reviews with scepticism, unless from well-known reviewers.

Here's an excerpt from Mr. Plant's review, in which he generously praises his own singing:  The vocals exude all sorts of qualities - from Peter Gabriel to Steve Perry - it's one of the most impassioned performances you'll ever hear. On top of that, the harmony and multi-tracked vocals are finer than anything any of the aforementioned singers could come up with.

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"Progressive rock is the key to the continuance of human evolution." - Charles Darwin



Replies:
Posted By: DarioIndjic
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 21:34
Maybe someone some fanatic fan who love his vocals ?Big%20smile

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Ars longa , vita brevis


Posted By: theBox
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 21:44
shame....real shame...Let's hope this is not a widespread phenomenon and that it limits itself only to reviews of cryptic vision's bandmembers (somehow I doubt it thoughCry)

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Posted By: Uroboros
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 21:47
I doubt the guys from Cryptic Vision would resort to doing anything like that - they probably wouldn't really need it anyway. The only time when things turned suspect was when the Egyptian Kings album was released and was followed by an abundance of praising five star reviews, all written in a similar manner and orbiting around the same ideas, proclaiming the album a masterpiece. I haven't listened to the album so I couldn't tell, but those reviews were definitely "fake" and intended to make some kind of promotion for the band; and I would say the effect was in fact quite the opposite (I actually refused to seek out the album because of this).

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Tous les chemins
qui s’ouvrent à moi
ne mènent à rien si tu n’es plus là


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 21:58
Can we also question 5 star ratings for bands who, er, intake vast quantities of oxygen (I'm not sure if I can use the word "suck"). May Blitz anyone ... 2 decent songs out of what 20. I'm not questioning the reviewer, but strange that an obscure band of such merit would not have more reviews to support or rebut the review.
Add to this the multiple reviews of the "classics". Out of all the groups that compose the Prog scene, is it really possible that 10 of them (see the listing) occupy most of the top positions simply because of their quality or (take a deep breath here), because their works are much, much better known than others that may have equaled or surpassed the masters.
So for the last word on reviews & ratings, before anyone buys an album based on rating(s), compare other ratings by the same reviewer. Check out sites like Amazon.com that may have song samples. If you have a second record store, check the bins out, you might get it cheaply & if it disappoints you, no big hit budgetwise. Heck , yard sales sometimes turn up the strangest treasures.


Posted By: Dieu
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 22:21

It's true that a group's future depends on reviews and ranking from Progarchives. If we make bad reviews, it will certainly ruin an artist. "Don't loose your day-time job until you rank high in progarchives. Don't say I didn't warn you!"

 

And I suspect Steve Wilson to boost his reviews here... I mean, he would not sell that much album unless.



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Only sick music makes money today.
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)


Posted By: kirklott
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 22:55
Well, ok just for fun, here's the full review of Cryptic Visision's 2nd album, as written by the band's lead singer (who apparently thought no one figure it out, even though he posted the review under his real name)

I've bolded a few passages for fun.

CRYPTIC VISION — In A World

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=10063 - Toddzirra (Todd Plant)

5%20stars Although this album has nothing on it that makes it sound like a seventies styled prog-rock album, the fact is undeniable that those influences shine through throughout. Although this album does not sound like anything like what the more contemporary prog bands are doing, it has their influences shining through. Although this album is wholly original, it is unquestionably, successfully and pleasurably an out and out, bona-fide prog-rock classic. Everything about this album reeks of class and quality - the singing, playing, production, writing, arranging - the works. Many of the songs have you recalling Yes and Spocks Beard, while all sorts of glimpses of other influences occur along the way. Although 12 tracks are listed, this plays out as one vast seventy two minute concept epic. The breadth of vision that created this album is positively staggering - it starts out sedately and to say it builds as it goes on, would be an understatement. I don't think I've heard a prog album in recent years with as much of a perfect set of dynamics as this - slowly but surely the intensity is increased so that you get songs mid-way that are really on fire - but then they'll drop back almost organically for the next phase of the process to begin. Throughout the album there are tons of instrumental passages where the lead guitars and synths, mellotron and keys just soar into life and have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, time after time. The vocals exude all sorts of qualities - from Peter Gabriel to Steve Perry - it's one of the most impassioned performances you'll ever hear. The lyrics are excellent - lyrics that you'll listen to as much as any other aspect of the album. On top of that, the harmony and multi-tracked vocals are finer than anything any of the aforementioned bands could come up with. Then the production - perfection, it surely is as it allows you to hear every facet of the music, crystalline and fragile when soft, then every subtlety and nuance of the passages where harmony vocals, guitars, synths and rhythm section are all piled high and wide. Arranged to perfection also, the whole thing flows so naturally, you are totally taken along with it and find yourself enjoying it so much that you're simply unaware that you're spending well over an hour listening to it - the mark of an exceptional album, for sure. This is the sound of prog-rock in the year 2006, taken to a whole new level - the benchmark by which a modern day prog-rock album should be judged.




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"Progressive rock is the key to the continuance of human evolution." - Charles Darwin


Posted By: kirklott
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 23:03
Here's a one way to try to filter real reviews from fakes: whether on Amazon or progarchives, etc., always check how many other reviews have been written by the reviewer. I never trust a review if it's the only one that person has ever written. If it's an anonymous review, don't trust it.

If they've only written a few other reviews, are they substantial - i.e. more than a few words each?

Originally posted by pantacruelgruel pantacruelgruel wrote:

Check out sites like Amazon.com that may have song samples.


www.allmusic.com is also rapidly increasing its library of sound samples, although it can be hard to find some obscure prog bands.

I also find that googling a band name and/or album name + MP3, you'll find a hit or two, no matter how obscure the band is.


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"Progressive rock is the key to the continuance of human evolution." - Charles Darwin


Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: February 03 2007 at 23:08
Let´s hope I dont do the same thing ones our albums is released and gets into the archives...Embarrassed
Na, you can count on it, I would never do such thing...well...maybe...


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"You want me to play what, Robert?"


Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 00:29
mmm...he joined September 1/06,and his last visit was September i/06,to do this one review.It's just embarrasing really.For him that is.

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"The wind is slowly tearing her apart"

"Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN


Posted By: rileydog22
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 00:42
If the band is so desperate they have to post fake reviews on a prog rock website, the record probably isn't that good.  

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Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 01:15
The other reviewer who gave it 5 stars also joined the same day he gave the review, and that was also his last visit.So good work kirklott for noticing that,they both should really be deleted in my opinion.

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"The wind is slowly tearing her apart"

"Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN


Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 01:44
Gosh, that's sad...the band's frontman is desperately pushing his own little product...
 
But enough about that, let's talk about the Moody Noobs' upcoming EP! I hear it's gonna be killer!


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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: rileydog22
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 02:00
Originally posted by The Whistler The Whistler wrote:

Gosh, that's sad...the band's frontman is desperately pushing his own little product...
 
But enough about that, let's talk about the Moody Noobs' upcoming EP! I hear it's gonna be killer!


What makes you think that?


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Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 02:07
Originally posted by rileydog22 rileydog22 wrote:

Originally posted by The Whistler The Whistler wrote:

Gosh, that's sad...the band's frontman is desperately pushing his own little product...
 
But enough about that, let's talk about the Moody Noobs' upcoming EP! I hear it's gonna be killer!


What makes you think that?
 
Well, think about it; when was the last time the Noobies released a bad album?


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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: rileydog22
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 02:14
Originally posted by kirklott kirklott wrote:


CRYPTIC VISION — In A World

Review by ../Collaborators.asp?id=10063 - Toddzirra (Todd Plant)

5%20stars Although this album has nothing on it that makes it sound like a seventies styled prog-rock album, the fact is undeniable that those influences shine through throughout. Although this album does not sound like anything like what the more contemporary prog bands are doing, it has their influences shining through. Although this album is wholly original, it is unquestionably, successfully and pleasurably an out and out, bona-fide prog-rock classic. Everything about this album reeks of class and quality - the singing, playing, production, writing, arranging - the works. Many of the songs have you recalling Yes and Spocks Beard, while all sorts of glimpses of other influences occur along the way. Although 12 tracks are listed, this plays out as one vast seventy two minute concept epic. The breadth of vision that created this album is positively staggering - it starts out sedately and to say it builds as it goes on, would be an understatement. I don't think I've heard a prog album in recent years with as much of a perfect set of dynamics as this - slowly but surely the intensity is increased so that you get songs mid-way that are really on fire - but then they'll drop back almost organically for the next phase of the process to begin. Throughout the album there are tons of instrumental passages where the lead guitars and synths, mellotron and keys just soar into life and have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, time after time. The vocals exude all sorts of qualities - from Peter Gabriel to Steve Perry - it's one of the most impassioned performances you'll ever hear. The lyrics are excellent - lyrics that you'll listen to as much as any other aspect of the album. On top of that, the harmony and multi-tracked vocals are finer than anything any of the aforementioned bands could come up with. Then the production - perfection, it surely is as it allows you to hear every facet of the music, crystalline and fragile when soft, then every subtlety and nuance of the passages where harmony vocals, guitars, synths and rhythm section are all piled high and wide. Arranged to perfection also, the whole thing flows so naturally, you are totally taken along with it and find yourself enjoying it so much that you're simply unaware that you're spending well over an hour listening to it - the mark of an exceptional album, for sure. This is the sound of prog-rock in the year 2006, taken to a whole new level - the benchmark by which a modern day prog-rock album should be judged.




LOLLOLLOL

That's so bad it's funny!

LOLLOL

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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 04:03
I want all the fake 5 star reviews of DSOTM deleted.Must be tons of the things.Wink


Posted By: andu
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 04:13
You got me: I must confess. All my reviews are such fakes. Shocked I suck giant money balls. Shocked

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"PA's own GI Joe!"



Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 04:21
It's impossible to separate corrupt 5 star reviews from sincere 5 star reviews case by case, but I think it would be good to remove all reviews without ratings and restrict such be given in the future. They do not bring anykind of informational extra content to the site IMO.


Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 04:27
BTW: If the review was really written by Todd Plant then it's not a fake. It's simply out of place, and will harm the reputation of the band ... if that's what they want, why stop them?

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https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to:


Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 09:21
There's nothing to stop a member of a band reviewing his own album. There is no reason to call such a review a "fake".
 
In any event, the fact that the reviewer has chosen to use the name of one of the band members by no means guarantees that it is indeed that person.
 
We should not be too precious about the reviews, this site is open to all. As long as the reviews comply with the guidelines, they are as valid as any other. 


Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 13:17
I have seen some nicknames with names of legandary band members or something related... does that mean that those persons are indeed those represented in the nickname? Man! There's a guy called Dream Theater! Maybe it's the whole band that decided to post in PA as just one member! I think this is ridiculous. If there are persons out there who write such 5-star "fake" reviews, well, shame on them but in order to do that they at least had to support their arguments somehow, so the review, if it is coherent, isn't that FAKE after all. And if it's a band member, is is so preposterous? I really don't think any band will see PA as the one-and-only medium to get to sell thousands, if not millions of records. Besides, if the review was by a band member and it was well-written, do we lose anything with that? I prefer that review to those hate-driven reviews with no arguments and so poorly written that it seems a 8-year old was the author.

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Posted By: laplace
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 13:19
it was well-written? it's just a list of superlatives that a script could generate.

but I agree that there's no need to remove it.


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FREEDOM OF SPEECH GO TO HELL


Posted By: The T
Date Posted: February 04 2007 at 13:22
Originally posted by laplace laplace wrote:

it was well-written? it's just a list of superlatives that a script could generate.

but I agree that there's no need to remove it.
 
Haven't read it really, I'm just giving my opinion based on the topic creator's original post. That's why I say "if it was a well-written review".... If it's just superlatives, it's a bad review and then it would't hurt to erase it, but because of the quality, not of the name of the writer.
 
 
EDIT: Now I have read it. Yes, it's a superlative-filled review, no question about that. But it IS decently written. It has coherence, good syntax, it doesn't look like the work of someone who failed the english course (many reviews do look like that). It has some rhythm, I think it's not a great review, but a competent one. I see the nickname is not Todd Plant but the original name. Maybe it IS him after all. But what's the crime? At least he wrote a good-sized review. He could've very well written a 51 word review and got away with it. And at least he's decent enough as to show his name in the review, so everybody that knows this band (like me) knows maybe it's the singer who's writing. I actually find that decent. What if there's more band-member reviews in PA, but we don't have a clue because the nicknames and original names are concealed? I actually applaud him for putting his name in front.


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Posted By: kirklott
Date Posted: March 24 2007 at 23:39
Originally posted by Easy Livin Easy Livin wrote:

There's nothing to stop a member of a band reviewing his own album. There is no reason to call such a review a "fake".
 
In any event, the fact that the reviewer has chosen to use the name of one of the band members by no means guarantees that it is indeed that person.
 
We should not be too precious about the reviews, this site is open to all. As long as the reviews comply with the guidelines, they are as valid as any other. 


Well, yes and no.

The only reason we know he's the lead singer is because I pointed it out. It's not like he's Jon Anderson or Peter Gabriel and everyone knows his name.

And he did not state who he is, so it's clearly a conflict of interests

And as pointed out by others, there were other fake reviews under other names.



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"Progressive rock is the key to the continuance of human evolution." - Charles Darwin


Posted By: Chris H
Date Posted: March 24 2007 at 23:44
Who says its the same Todd Plant? Plant isnt really an uncommon surname in English speaking countries and Todd is quite a popular first name. And as long as the review meets the guidelines there should be no question about whether or not it should stay in the archives.
 
I think this discussion should be over now, right?


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Beauty will save the world.



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