Contemporary Reviews - where to find them?

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Like, what I want to read a review of Star Wars from 1977? Or sgt pepper from 1967? Or that kind of thing? Is there a good central resource for this kinda stuff? Or is it all very hard to find?

― The Wayward Johnny B, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 14:55 (seventeen years ago) link

I wonder if the reviews were as flowery and pompous back then as many of them are now.

Interesting, I'd also like to read old, time relevant reviews.

― *rumpie*, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 15:16 (seventeen years ago) link

libraries

― That one guy that quit, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 15:17 (seventeen years ago) link

a lot of music fansites reproduce reviews from the time.

― That one guy that quit, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 15:17 (seventeen years ago) link

[i]I wonder if the reviews were as flowery and pompous back then as many of them are now.[i]

infinitely moreso, by my reckoning.

― stevie, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 15:35 (seventeen years ago) link

for coverage of late 60s pop, go to the underground press. 'it' and 'oz'.

― That one guy that quit, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 15:37 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/sgt-pepper/features/reactions-to-sergeant-pepper

some 'reactions' to pepper from the time.

there was an NME fabs special about 5 years ago with all the sixties era reviews of the albums in.

― pisces, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 18:10 (seventeen years ago) link

I think Rolling Stone has a bunch of their old reviews up online. Don't know how far back they go, though.

― bernard snowy, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 18:34 (seventeen years ago) link

Roger Ebert has a pretty vast archive on his website.

― Dr. Superman, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 18:36 (seventeen years ago) link

(xpost to self) okay I am now reading Lester Bangs's Led Zeppelin III review on their site so I am going to say: pretty far back.

― bernard snowy, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 18:37 (seventeen years ago) link

Kenneth Tynan, theatre critic of the Times, declared that the release [of 'Sgt Pepper'] represented "a decisive moment in the history of Western civilization".

Bit over the top innit.

― braveclub, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 18:43 (seventeen years ago) link

ken used that line about everything srsly.

― That one guy that quit, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 19:32 (seventeen years ago) link

this book reprints a lot of good ones for film - "Love and Hisses"

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Hisses-National-Society-Controversies/dp/1562790315

― dmr, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 19:37 (seventeen years ago) link

It's usually pretty easy to internet search if you want a specific critic's review

― Hurting 2, Thursday, 3 May 2007 03:35 (seventeen years ago) link

The Complete New Yorker on DVD is pretty cool. I didn't realize that Pauline Kael's first review was for Bonnie & Clyde.

― Rock Hardy, Thursday, 3 May 2007 03:39 (seventeen years ago) link

yes, every one of her insane overratings of brian depalma can be enjoyed by a whole new generation

― gershy, Thursday, 3 May 2007 04:14 (seventeen years ago) link

for movies, mrqe.com has links to some archival stuff (whatever's available for linking).

― tipsy mothra, Thursday, 3 May 2007 04:28 (seventeen years ago) link

what about print reviews of electronic pop records from 1979? What library actually archives old copies of Melody Maker, Sounds and the NME? (serious question)

― Drew Daniel, Thursday, 3 May 2007 05:20 (seventeen years ago) link

in britain the british library has those; the uni libraries at oxford, cambridge, edinburgh, and st andrews also -- maybe some others.

I didn't realize that Pauline Kael's first review was for Bonnie & Clyde.

-- Rock Hardy, Thursday, 3 May 2007 03:39 (3 hours ago)

her first in the new yorker was, according to legend. but it was no way her first review.

― That one guy that quit, Thursday, 3 May 2007 06:54 (seventeen years ago) link

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