five star review in AMG; or, is Thom Jurek losing it?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Alp4uak3kam3b

don't get me wrong
Jurek and I agree TONS
about music stuff

but this year he's just
going NUTS with long-ass screeds,
wild superlatives

and now this review.
anyone know this band's stuff?
heard the album yet?

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Jurek OTM
about Over the Rhine and
Shelby Lynne this year

and both those reviews
were quite long and intricate
(but out of control)

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not trying to criticize Thom on the word count front but I much prefer shorter reviews these days in my own writing. More seems like overwriting.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:36 (twenty-two years ago)

my own reviews are
way longer than these for sure
(popmatters, y'know)

but on AMG
these big monster trucks stick out
like...um...well, something

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:38 (twenty-two years ago)

plus john p. barlow
is a pretentious dingbat
(loooooooong airplane ride once)

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 10 October 2003 04:42 (twenty-two years ago)

It's actually weird about those longer reviews, I've always been told that 300 is the max and I try to keep it that way (my only monster huge-ass forever review is for the first Cult box set (and yes, I reviewed the second one as well!)). But I figure that it might be a difference between the freelancers and the staff on site, can't say for sure though.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 10 October 2003 05:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmm. As for the band, the only String Cheese Incident I ever heard was at an all-day musicfest where the highlights were Lucinda Williams and Marc Ribot, and the lowlight was the String Cheese Incident. On that day anyway, they were the worst sort of hippie-drippy self-important look-at-me-twiddle jam-groove gunk. They have a loyal cult, and some of my friends like 'em, but nothing I know about music or the universe allows me to imagine a 5-star String Cheese Incident record.

But, you know, accounting for taste, etc.

― JesseFox (JesseFox), Friday, 10 October 2003 05:58 (twenty-two years ago)

One problem with AMG (and other) reviews is you have fans of a particular style or band seemingly just reviewing that band or style, which in most cases probably makes a lot of sense, especially when the reviewer can impart their knowledge and postulate interesting theories etc. But the downside is that so many albums are rated 4.5 - 5 stars that the rating system loses it's value as a guide to essential recordings. I mean just look at all the high ratings for String Cheese Incident - if I was interested just what album should I start with? I'm not interested btw, that's a rhetorical question.

― mentalist (mentalist), Friday, 10 October 2003 07:03 (twenty-two years ago)

I know this has come up before, but as I understand it the star ratings on AMG are supposed to be relative to the band's output - not absolute ratings of quality as compared to everything out there. So if this is SCI's best record, then it should qualify for the five stars. (I've never heard them myself.)

― o. nate (onate), Friday, 10 October 2003 13:58 (twenty-two years ago)

but so many bands
never get five stars until
their greatest hits disc

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 10 October 2003 14:08 (twenty-two years ago)

At AMG, I think 5-star ratings are reserved for records that most people would agree were classic, regardless of the band's other output. Otherwise, the 4.5 star rating is given to a band's best record(s).

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 10 October 2003 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Thom is a rebel!

The rating was adjusted in the database before Haikunym started the thread.

― Andy K (Andy K), Friday, 10 October 2003 15:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah I tend to interpret the star ratings based on the artists output as a whole or a within-the-genre type of rating. Usually if a band doesnt have a 4+ star album on AMG, they tend to be pretty crappy (with a few exceptions).

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Friday, 10 October 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

but it still reads 5
on the review page itself
mr. andy sir

point of all of this
is that I and Thom agree
on most records, so:

Has Anyone Heard
This Record Or Any From
String Cheese Incident?

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 10 October 2003 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I should've been more clear. The adjustment has been made in the database and will not appear on the site for another few days. (Thousands of changes to the database occur throughout the day; it would be impossible to update the site so frequently.)

― Andy K (Andy K), Friday, 10 October 2003 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I've seen String Cheese Incident. I did not like.

I think there's a line of distinction in the jam band camp: you've got the "we're gonna play this song then all of us are gonna take turns soloing/solo all at the same time" side of it (STI, from my experience with their live shows, is part of it)(this is the side I don't like), and then you've got the "we're gonna play some songs then we're gonna voyage deep down into the depths of music and come back up in a new place and from that new place we'll find where we're going next" side of it (this is the side I like).

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 10 October 2003 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

jamband aethetixxx
are changing (jason crosby,
scrap-o-matic too),

somewhere there's a group
that will bust a prog/punk move
and make me love them

I was hoping that
maybe this SCI disc
was that holy grail,

(due to this hype from
my reliable guide thom)
but I'm guessing not.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 10 October 2003 17:04 (twenty-two years ago)

somewhere there's a group
that will bust a prog/punk move
and make me love them
---

mars volta?

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Friday, 10 October 2003 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I was referring
to the jamband thing, bill--
haven't heard mars volta

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 10 October 2003 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Haikunym, if you
decide to go see them live,
get your booster shot.

(http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/03-10/08.shtml#story5)

― BrianB, Friday, 10 October 2003 17:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Hahahhahahha!!! I was about to start this same thread right now after reading the String Cheese Incident review out of curiosity (I like the alb. title!). I've also noted Thom has gotten into that strange habit as well, praising records by really pedestrian bands, notably adult alternative muzak. The gushing bombastic declamations come off eerie when referring to Train and Counting Crows, among other usual suspects. Everybody's entitled to their guilty pleasures, but I still can't help but wonder...maybe he's unda da gun... Furthermore, I've read that this particular SCI effort is a change in direction and more akin to space-funk than their typical jam schlock, but it's still SCI! I admit I haven't listened to the reckohd, but who knows...I guess I'll have to now.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 10 October 2003 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

But yes, the first thing I thought when reading the review: WTF? The new Grateful Dead?!!

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 10 October 2003 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

oh my god francis:
I never saw train or crows
reviews before now!

damn I have to go
and rescind my allegiance
to Mr. Jurek.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 10 October 2003 18:18 (twenty-two years ago)

to be honest, S.T. Erlewine's also been writing longer, broader reviews these days. I much preferred the clearer, shorter, less argumentative approach they used to have.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 10 October 2003 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Tom Erlewine likes Pink AND Sheryl Crow! Oh, it's true, people!

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 10 October 2003 23:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Thom Jurek Has Lost Control Again, he's lost control

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Saturday, 11 October 2003 08:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Tom Erlewine also loves Menswe@r = he is a hero.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 12 October 2003 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

wait.

String Cheese Incident are Psychedelic and Neo-Psychedelia? what?

And why is Katatonia 'Acid Rock'.

I will never trust him again.

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Saturday, 18 October 2003 23:55 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CASS805132220&sql=Bvxoibks96akv

Oh, no, he didn't! JUREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!
NEVAR fock with my head like that!!!

He's done it again...

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I think you mean this:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CASS70310211744&sql=A11se4jn76wae

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 14:26 (twenty-two years ago)

how many albums
will be on this man's top 10?
about fifty-four!

(I should fuckin' talk,
I've been doing the same thing!
see: kettle/black/pot)

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

No, Ned, what I meant to point out was that he gave it yet another five-star review, boyo!

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

A four and a half star review for the new Rush live album. I find the review a bit puzzling; I haven't heard the album, so I can't comment on how it compares to the other Rush live sets, but the bit near the end--"For those for whom Rush is a secret and guilty pleasure, it's time to indulge it openly by playing this for friends who erroneously insist that Sonic Youth or Strokes concert bootlegs are the epitome of "big-label live rock"--well, that's just a weird thing to say.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Thursday, 23 October 2003 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmmm, it would be nice if the Joe Strummer record was in fact that good (is it out yet? I don't even know).

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 23 October 2003 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.