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Author: zoo
Date: 03-07-12 09:01
Over the years, I've noticed so many contradictions and poorly-written reviews on All-Music that I'm considering giving up on it. I don't really put too much stock in the opinion of the reviewers, I mainly read for general information about a particular release, such as the songs included, personnel, and a feel for the sound of the album.
The one today that has me riled up is the review for Peter Murphy's Holy Smoke album, which I'm listening to on Spotify for the first time:
"...released in the initial craze of the grunge/alternative mega-crossover, Smoke's elegant ballads and angular, arty rockers simply didn't fit in. Taken on its own merits, though, Smoke is quite a strong release, avoiding any cloning of Deep or "Cuts You Up" in favor of a different approach meant to bring out the band's live power more directly." (Emphasis mine).
OK, then why only 2.5 stars (out of 5)? Also, the bit about "Taken on its own merits" kills me. Shouldn't EVERY album be considered on its own merits?
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Author: Michael Toland
Date: 03-07-12 09:18
Yes, you should judge an album on its own merits, but I think context - the time and circumstances in which it was made - can be helpful as well, especially for an older release.
That said, I too have noticed the disconnect between the star ratings and the actual content of the review. I've seen 4 stars applied to reviews that do nothing but trash the music. Someone in the editing dept. is sleeping on the job.
I also use it mainly for biographical and liner note info, but there are a lot of inaccuracies there, too.
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Author: HollowbodyKay
Date: 03-07-12 10:47
Quote:
the bit about "Taken on its own merits" kills me. Shouldn't EVERY album be considered on its own merits?
There are entire careers ...
...that cannot be taken on their own merits.
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Author: ira
Date: 03-07-12 17:32
And don't start me on the plagiarist goober who was hijacking TP reviews and publishing them with small alterations under his own byline on All Music a few years ago. To be fair, the powers that be there were very responsive and responsible about taking care of it.
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Author: dj45rpm
Date: 03-07-12 19:22
For discography, etc. info I just use Discogs and don't even bother with Allmusic anymore.
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Author: thegoldenyear
Date: 03-09-12 02:48
No question AMG's star rating was the proverbial head Photoshopped onto another body, especially back when they were publishing books. Things seem better organized now.
In its print days, I interpreted AMG's star rating as a judgement of an album's value in two areas: 1) a representative example of the artist's output and, 2) a representative example of the genre. That's why nearly every damn artist seemed to have a four-star record, no matter how bad they were. It's like they were saying, If you have to own a Rick Astley record, this is the one. Once I made that leap, AMG was of some value to me.
(That said, AMG's auxiliary empty/filled bullet/star theme was supposed to indicate extra value, i.e., historical import, but it probably confused matters even more.)
The text reviews in the '90s books were often horribly disconnected. One writer might contribute three lines on a artist's biggest/best work, while another might have submitted 15-20 lines on a late-career contract filler. Time's allowed AMG to overcome some of this.
AMG's also followed the Pitchfork/Stylus/blog model in the past half-dozen years or so: longer, more thoughtful reviews. Mileage varies, but I do think AMG's a better resource today than it was a dozen years ago.
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Author: Delvin
Date: 03-09-12 13:23
> If you have to own a Rick Astley record, this is the one.
Has any soul on this board ever imagined we'd see that sentence here, in any context?
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Author: STEVE
Date: 03-09-12 19:35
great thread initiated by one of fla's finest. besides, ira finally got off 'is arse.
people need an outlet. they HAVE to share (preferably with proper citation).
anyway, good on ya zooey.
Post Edited (03-09-12 19:41)
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Author: STEVE
Date: 03-09-12 19:45
i love soul music. i play big mama thorton, sam cooke & the bonzo dog band all the time.
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