Re: more 1R1R in ND
Babs writes: But I think the majority of readers know the reviewers' tastes well enough, to have something right there instead of having to read the whole dang review... if someone gave every record 5 stars, then you'd take it with a grain of salt. Or at least, I think twang fans are that smart. That's one of the problems with ND. There are so many reviewers it's kinda hard to judge anyone's taste, except maybe Claire O. g You have much higher regard for twang fans intelligence than I do. Boy am I surprised. Jim, sleepin'
RE: more 1R1R in ND
Neal Weiss: All I know is, I'm *thrilled* about several releases that have come my way already. At least one, the new Sparklehorse, I've already penciled in for several years worth of enjoyment. Neal, please tell us (me) what else is ringing your bell. As far as Sparklehorse goes, I saw the video on 120 minutes the other night and was wondering...are the rest of the songs sung with distortion used on the vocals? I have read quite a bit about this band here and elsewhere and was pretty excited to hear what they sounded like. Gotta say the song didn't do much for me and that distorted vocal thing is kinda tired. Not saying I'm giving up, just wondering. thanks, rebecca
Re: more 1R1R in ND
Neal, please tell us (me) what else is ringing your bell. Off the top of my head (and again, this is only six weeks into the year): Wilco, Summerteeth -- *really* something special. That boy Tweedy can do whatever he pleases and impress the hell out of me. Sonic, orchestral pop while no less worn than Wilco's earlier albums. (Maybe a bit too long tho.) Damnations TX, Half Mad Moon -- the finest thing to happen to ND/alt-country in recent memory. Just when I was getting bored with the concept. Olivia Tremor Control, Black Foliage -- an epic lo-fi pop-acid trip of the Sgt. Pepper-ish kind. Supplemental chemical enhancers not necessary. Paul Westerberg, Suicaine Gratifaction -- somber and folky, this is the first Westerberg release since the Replacements' Tim that I'm finding I'm not pretending is something special... at least not yet. Joe Henry, Fuse -- maybe a bit of a disappointment after Trampoline but still plenty interesting. Eddie Hinton, Hard Luck Guy -- Stax soul of the most righteous kind. Buck, Buck -- girl pop-punk from LA, CA. Fans of LA homegirls the Muffs, the Go Gos and L7 might wanna check it out. Lone Justice -- The World Is Not My Home: Even if just for the first seven songs, previously unreleased demos of cow-punk greatness that explain maybe for the first time what all the fuss was about a decade-plus ago. As far as Sparklehorse goes, I saw the video on 120 minutes the other night and was wondering...are the rest of the songs sung with distortion used on the vocals? I have read quite a bit about this band here and elsewhere and was pretty excited to hear what they sounded like. Gotta say the song didn't do much for me and that distorted vocal thing is kinda tired. Not saying I'm giving up, just wondering. No doubt, Sparklehorse is weird, tweaked and warts and all, definitely not for everyone. But below all the (IMHO) glorious noise and cut-and-paste-iness are songs as poppy, folky and emotional as I could ever hope for. That's what makes Sparklehorse so wonderful is that it works on so many levels for me. I've yet to get tired of hearing their last album, nor have I ceased extracting something new from it. Good Morning Spider is the same way. Now that I've babbled, I'm successfully burned the get-ahead time I earned by getting up early today. Damn you P2, damn you. Neal Weiss
1R1R in ND
Okay, nobody's said anything about this, and I feel the need coming on.. I thought the "review" of One Riot One Ranger's "Side Tracks" in the latest No Depression was unreasonably dismissive, especially in that parting shot... (I could use stronger language--but I'm known to like these guys from the list and otherwise! So I'll contain myself.) Okay, the review notes that these guys can sing... and even wrote a good song or two, but I don't think that the damned with faint praise tone, that " well OK, they are pleasant, aren't they? " tone is fair to a disc that pulls off some difficult stuff in a more than listenable way--and played even better. (I might even agree that it's still proving tough on the new disc to get the essence of this act we've seen live and kickin' on a recording--but that's true also, I'd say, of Riders in the Sky, for instance--and a whole lot of alt.country and roots rock.) That crack "Ralph Stanley or the Bad Livers have nothing to fear from One Riot One Ranger"..is mainly beside the point even if (and I wouldn't bet on it) it intends to mean "traditional and punked bluegrass acts" ...since I doubt very much that's the sweepstakes 1R1R entered...if any. (or that the Bad Livers play bluegrass punked or otherwise.) But mostly, the crack is simply a bit of wiseass reviewer-ese and to heck with it. Barry M.
Re: 1R1R in ND
Well, it was clear the reviewer hadn't heard "Face made For Radio" cos then maybe he would have noticed the Pere Ubu cover, proof of their eclectic record collections, a point the reviewer sat on for awhile. He also didn't notice that they cover a Great Plains (the OH Garage-"punk" band) tune on the new one, if he needed more proof of eclectism. And way back, they covered Duke Ellington. Who are y'all talking about here? I know Clawhammer has done Pere Ubu and Ellington covers, but I'm pretty certain that isn't the group under discussion. Lance . . .
RE: 1R1R in ND
One Riot One Ranger, or 1R1R, in p2 lingo.. Matt -Original Message- From: lance davis [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 1999 10:53 AM To: passenger side Subject: Re: 1R1R in ND Well, it was clear the reviewer hadn't heard "Face made For Radio" cos then maybe he would have noticed the Pere Ubu cover, proof of their eclectic record collections, a point the reviewer sat on for awhile. He also didn't notice that they cover a Great Plains (the OH Garage-"punk" band) tune on the new one, if he needed more proof of eclectism. And way back, they covered Duke Ellington. Who are y'all talking about here? I know Clawhammer has done Pere Ubu and Ellington covers, but I'm pretty certain that isn't the group under discussion. Lance . . .
RE: 1R1R in ND
On Wed, 10 Feb 1999, Jon Weisberger wrote: Who are y'all talking about here? I know Clawhammer has done Pere Ubu and Ellington covers, but I'm pretty certain that isn't the group under discussion. It's One Riot One Ranger, known to intimates as 1R1R. BTW, add my voice to the "poor reviewing" chorus. Whoever it was that wrote it (I don't feel like looking right now) seems to have allowed what he read of the liner notes to shape his attitude toward the whole album, and seems also not to have actually read what he read very carefully. It makes for a bad combination... Agreed. I wonder if he's heard the first record. A more informed opinion would have behooved the dude. Kip Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
RE: 1R1R in ND
they still suck. they're a damned entertaining band, especially since they suck. Just because they have more nubile teenaged groupies than Hanson doesn't mean that they still ain't no part of nothin. they suck. but at least they suck with style. Jeff Wall http://www.twangzine.com The Webs least sucky music magazine 3421 Daisy Crescent - Va Beach, Va - 23456
Re: more 1R1R in ND
On Wed, 10 Feb 1999, Chad wrote: So I guess - in short - what I'm trying to say is... Quit Whining! g and I think ND should incorporate 5-star scale or something. Yeah, maybe the ND scale could be something like *, *!, *!*!*!*!*! --don
RE: more 1R1R in ND
Wow - I sure do hate to take on Chad, especially since he's been pretty sour lately, but Sure, the review isn't 100% negative, but it wouldn't be a backhanded review if it was, which I think is the main contention here. If reviewer said it sucks bad, and here's why I think so, we could only grumble, but he basically sez "well, they claim to be adventuresome, but they're not really, in fact, they're kind of tame, and yeh, they're ok, competant and all, nice harmonies, but don't bother if you like the Bad Livers or Ralph Stanley.." which more or less means "don't anyone bother." Finally, it was more of a review of the liner notes than the music, doncha think? But a rating system of some kind would help these reviews cut to the chase. -Original Message- From: Chad [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 1999 2:56 PM To: passenger side Subject: more 1R1R in ND
RE: more 1R1R in ND
IMO-A rating system igenerally useless, since almost everything is mediocre, everything tends to get three stars and tells you nothing. Jim, smilin' and wondering what Babs has to smile about
Re: more 1R1R in ND
Well... 1) I think over half the revie talks about the music and not the liner notes in a decent enough manner. 2) 5 star scale - I think it would help. Sure, everything's generic, especially this year. But I think the majority of readers know the reviewers' tastes well enough, to have something right there instead of having to read the whole dang review... if someone gave every record 5 stars, then you'd take it with a grain of salt. Or at least, I think twang fans are that smart. chad
Re: more 1R1R in ND
2) 5 star scale - I think it would help. Sure, everything's generic, especially this year. But I think the majority of readers know the reviewers' tastes well enough, to have something right there instead of having to read the whole dang review... if someone gave every record 5 stars, then you'd take it with a grain of salt. Or at least, I think twang fans are that smart. Speaking as a writer, I tend to dislike rating systems. It seems it's the ultimate dumbing down, as they ultimately discourage people from reading in afvor of a quick scan. Why not eliminate the text altogether and just have a huge list of albums and ratings? Also, as Jim C. noted, ratings systems are severely flawed. Systems with 1-5 choices tend to end up as a three and 1-10s tend to be 6-8. I remember when allstarmang.com first launched and we were all doing reviews. The editor had to ask all of us to try and reconsider giving every album a seven. But it just seemed a natural. Six, it seemed, was a bit too unkind for a decent effort and eight too lavish. So what's the point? And while I have you, I just gotta wonder what's bugging Chad about this year in music? I think it's ridiculous to delare it mediocre or generic or what have you, especially 40 days into it. All I know is, I'm *thrilled* about several releases that have come my way already. At least one, the new Sparklehorse, I've already penciled in for several years worth of enjoyment. Point is, there's waaay too much music out there to ever claim the artform is devoid of something fresh and engaging. Sometimes you just have to look harder than usual, or just expand your horizons. Back to the grind. Neal Weiss np - Westerberg's new one
