NME vs Melody Maker

i couldn't really...tell between them?

SOUNDS

I could. Melody Maker for me all the way.
Both got shit towards the end of 90s though.

NME.
I lived through the hip hop wars and loved it.
That and the fact that ON-U worshipper Dele Fadele was always in there.

Unfortunately, so were Close Lobsters and the Motorcycle Boy.

Dele Fadele, who slagged off Loveless for irrelevance to struggle in South Africa 18 months after Mandela's release.

Motorcycle boy weren't around long enough for any kind of 'always'...

Is there where the Manics got their "Slowdive are worse than Hitler" schtik from? xpost

http://www.mybloodyvalentine.net/press/nme-9nov91-2.html

Well, apart from that (xpost to DBod)

Oh yeah, black on black struggles, that was a good excuse to sneak it in.

That whole "The Scene That Celebrates Itself" always seemed a really bizarre criticism to me, I mean, what "scene" didn't feature bands going to each others' gigs, it's kind of not a scene otherwise?

Still, Reynolds in MM also slagged off Loveless for not all being like track 3.

Music critics really were crap back then, weren't they?

Well, they wouldn't do that now, anyroad.

That whole "The Scene That Celebrates Itself" always seemed a really bizarre criticism to me, I mean, what "scene" didn't feature bands going to each others' gigs, it's kind of not a scene otherwise?

Didn't think it was a criticism so much as mildly (self)-deprecating?

But in times when children of conscientious objectors are forced to wear burning rubber tyres in black-on-black struggles in South Africa, when unionisation - which was hard-sweated and fought for - is being outlawed in humane Britain, My Bloody Valentine are vaguely saying f---all and encouraging others to follow suit. They maybe supreme poets of sound, the most inspired venturers beyond the precipice since Sonic Youth, but they still make you feel the same apprehension most people feel when their plane takes off, the same emptiness.

Not saying this is a useful line of argument he's putting forward there, but writers have these crises of morality in print all the time do they not? Maybe not so much these days

imagine a 'politically conscious' version of Loveless

That'll be the last Roots album, then.

Didn't think it was a criticism so much as mildly (self)-deprecating?

Any 'scene' worth it's salt starts up without a handy decription to group themselves together...

Punk, New Romantics, Shoegaze, all started as [bl ank] kids before a handy epithet was applied.

Whereas "Acid Jazz" was coined, and the groups signed up or created themselves to fit.

what about New Wave Of New Wave and Shroomadelica?

damn marcello - you sure do recall the important stuff and shame those of us who missed out.
i probably never read that review to be honest, in my youthful ignorance i would have scanned it and moved on.
shameful i know, but hey.

NWONW was barely a label.

The NME created Shroomadelica and no-one stood up and said 'yeah that's what we are'.

Nu-Rave?

Romo?

Melody Makers "Yob Rock" cover with 60ft Dolls

I think the idea that they're always deadly stony-faced serious when they come up with these names is a bit wrongheaded or naive

Well the way I remember it is...at least in the 90's MM would take more of a risk with what they would put on their cover. They made no attempt to be the crowd pleaser the way NME were, they were just a bunch of (admittedly cocksure) journalists determined to seek out bands you hadn't heard before and make them household names. Which was alright at the time, I mean...I really didn't prefer one magazine over the other at all, I felt I needed both. And I subscribed to both, which cost me about 200 US dollars - a lot of money but to me, worth it. I fucking miss those days I really do.

But yeah...NWONW...that was the beginning of the end when they started going down that road. Does anyone remember a band called Nancy Boy? Nah, I didn't think so. I also vaguely remember "shroomadelica" but I can't be sure.

I suppose MM lost a credibility with their readers with the whole Romo thing. Many say that was the beginning of the end.

I also vaguely remember "shroomadelica" but I can't be sure.

It was only a few years ago but I cant even remember any of the bands that got lumped in with it.

Bimble NWONW was definitely an NME thing.

I think Romo was two people's idea of a joke that got slightly out of hand.

NME although MM were great for the last few years.

Geir Hongro, big fan of Kittie and The Dum Dums.

No, but Embrace were at least considerably better than most of the stuff that dominated the late 90s hitlists.

My God, are we going to see Geir and Nick agree on something here?

It cant happen!

Yeah, their opinions are so far apart normally.

My head will explode Jim if you ever agree with Geir.

Getting Hongroed (agreeing with Geir) does happen. It's embarrassing, like accidentally shitting yourself in public.

I think NV would prefer that option.

revive 4 nick..

He's in denial

Me and Geir agree on lots of stuff! When he's talking about stuff he likes he's generally cock on.

Does that happen often?

NME gave us the Strokes' Is This It, one of my all-time favorite rock records, so I gotta vote for that. I really wish they'd get up off their arses and hype something so I could have some new music to listen to. I haven't seen an "Oh no!! The NME are at it again!!" ILX thread since the Libertines' second album, and that was four years ago. Was the NME into Lily Allen? M.I.A.?

Another reason to vote NME: Their website, www.nme.com, which was fucking AWESOME!! They had just tons and tons of old reviews that I would spend hours reading. Melody Maker had no website, for some inexplicable reason.

Both had chatrooms. NME site was awesome then went utter shit. Why? It was a brilliant site. Arseholes.

Hmm...yeah now that it's been mentioned, I do seem to recall them having cool website that they changed for the worse.

To save money IIRC.

Both had chatrooms. NME site was awesome then went utter shit. Why? It was a brilliant site. Arseholes.

-- Herman G. Neuname, Monday, May 26, 2008

i remember reading the nme forums yeeeears ago (like, 99/2000?)
no registered user names, so a lot of it was people ripping on each other for hours, posting as other posters saying things like "I AM GAY I LISTEN TO O-GAY-SIS" x 10000000

don't remember any actual music discussion

i can't wait until ilm devolves into that

but yeah, the archived reviews section was great.

I never read the forums actually as it was full of tossers. NMECHAT was great night time in 2000 though as it had loads of people into different music. (daytime was of course kids into whatever NME covered) but I remember lots of great chat about pfunk,krautrock,jazz,dance music,hip hop,metal - pretty much anything.

Funnily enough they closed the chat down when everyone was bitching about how shite NME was and how bad the bands they covered were.

Which it was.

weren't feeling terris, then?

No

NME suck hardcore. I'm really offended by their (now) unashamed descent into a salacious, sleazy lurid tabloid style hype humping waste of music journalism space. I'm so tired of it but then Melody Maker is unbelivably dull. If I could I'd vote no on both of them. Plus NME writers are adjective whoring hacks.

"salacious, sleazy lurid tabloid style hype"

there's been an element of that for years, tbh.

Since britpop anyway i'd bet

i'll revive it for nick this time..

No, but Embrace were at least considerably better than most of the stuff that dominated the late 90s hitlists.

-- Geir Hongro, Saturday, 24 May 2008 11:00 (3 days ago) Bookmark Link

This could be the start of a beautiful friendship

I'm sure in the past that Geir's said Embrace aren't as good as Stereophonics because they're "not melodic enough" or some such bollocks.

Me and Geir agree on lots of stuff! When he's talking about stuff he likes he's generally cock on.

-- Noodle Vague, Sunday, May 25, 2008 2:28 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

But yeah, this.

In fact, Stereophonics are the ones who, well, I am sure they are trying to write good melodies, but they never succeeded much. And I also strongly dislike the way their singer sounds.

Well I'm definitely in agreement with Geir on that one!

me too!!

ILM comes to agreement. STEREOPHONICS ARE SHITE!

http://www.haringey.gov.uk/tr/three_people_smiling.jpg

"It is an historic moment."

http://www.nancarrow-webdesk.com/warehouse/storage2/2008-w18/img.213382_t.jpg

That looks like Jim Royle.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Bump!

YEAH WE KNOW THIS IS SOME BULLSHIT TITTWIS BORING ACADEMICS FULL OF WHINEY PUSSIES RANT REMOVED

o ahi

so... is that a vote for nme or melody maker?

melody maker clearly

It might have been the stray Sounds demographic.

Awesome metal show - surely Kerrang.

pffft dont be silly,Kerrang doesn't cover metal anymore;)

get your votes in, not long left.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I have never read a single issue of Melody Maker.

It was great at one time.

it was great from about 1986 to 1992.

Proustian rush ahoy:

http://archivedmusicpress.wordpress.com/

Maconie on the La's, 2008:
"The La's, eh? Eh? What was that all about? Five years to make an album? And what's he done since then, that Lee Majors? Eh? Eh? Has he perchance been hiding in the gents in the Bury branch of Morrison's, sneaking out at the dead of the night to sup on stray KP peanuts and spilt grains of Kenco Colombian, these last 18 years? Not exactly the key to an active social life, is it? I mean, does he perchance go up to a winsome dashing lady at a dinner party and tell her he's been living in the attic since 1990, rewriting his debut album two hundred times a week? It's not exactly Raef out of the Apprentice, is it? If only he'd tried a Cheeky Ovaltine with added Bailey's, eh? Eh?"

http://archivedmusicpress.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/wonderstuff-cover-5th-may-1990.jpg?w=410&h=582

Scans from NME and Melody Maker
http://archivedmusicpress.wordpress.com/category/nme
http://archivedmusicpress.wordpress.com/category/melody-maker/

Stuffies on the cover? That might actually be the moment NME jumped the shark for me, after sticking with it through all sorts of nonsense through the 80's. Grebo was certainly the last straw.

I didn't read it back then. I didnt start reading it til 91/92. I preferred Melody Maker though.

http://archivedmusicpress.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/loop-on-the-cover-of-melody-maker-12th-november-1988.jpg?w=418&h=563

It's not just scans from front covers though, there's actual articles scanned too.

Oh my fucking god, I love that cover, man. I honestly don't understand how that one slipped me by all these years. Never thought of that dude as sexy, but yowza. Gotta love the Fall & World Domination Enterprises in the corner as well. Really don't understand how I missed this one, but then I guess being in the US, we couldn't catch every single damn one of those things.

damn things

That is some Mike Score levels of perversion.

i always really hated that style of melody maker cover.

i think that style could be known as katebait