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What have you bought/seen/read on the strength of a brilliant review alone? And were they any good?

― Tom, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I typed that question listening to "The Visitors" by Abba, from an album I bought solely because of Taylor Parkes' essay on it in that Melody Maker giveaway book on underrated albums. It is brilliant, and reinvigorated my interest in one of my favourite childhood bands.

― Tom, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

the new tool album. take a bow, nedward. (i'm feeling relatively ambivalent towards it.)

amnesiac based on the last plane to jakarta thingees. it's brill of course.

astral weeks...eh. these days anyway.

― jess, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Who, me? Astounding! I do thank you. It will take you over. ;-)

Bought plenty of things based on reviews, can't really count them all these days. Most were worthy enough. :-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

This doesn't really answer your question, but I base all of my movie habits on the reviewers in "the globe and mail". Their taste parallels mine exactly.

― tucal, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

'The Age Of Wire & String' by Ben Marcus. I'm starting to feel that this is my literary Nedism (ie MBV MBV MBV).

On a different tip, I hunted down B.S. Johnson's 'The Unfortunates' purely because Mr Blair (er, Sandy, not the other one) showed me the packaging.

Can't think of anything bad I've been made to endure by believing the hype, but I'm sure there is lots...

― emil.y, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

my literary Nedism

Lord, first I'm given a formal title thanks to Nitsuh, now there's a philosophical movement or something. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

St Etienne's Sound of Water LP on the strength or hyperbole of Penman's liner notes. Listened to it all of 3 times before selling it back...

― turner, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Don't Stand Me Down by Dexys Midnight Runners. BECAUSE OF EVERETT TRUE! AND HE WAS RITE!!!! Oh me oh my!

― Sarah, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Ah, 'that' MM book. I bought Curtis Mayfield and Gene Clark albums on the back of this. Out of 5, I'd say 4 or 4+half stars for the former, 3 or 3+half stars for latter, depending on what mood I'm in.

The best line in the book is the sign off in the 'Don't Stand Me Down' review (that was Chris Roberts, no?)

― Jeff W, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

the most brilliantest things that i bought on the strength of reviews are: So TOnight That I Might See - Mazzy Star, Mercury - American Music Club and the new Ladytron album which i am listening to right now and I LOVE IT!!!! but once i bought a Geneva record on the strength of a review. that was wrong.

― katie, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Jess, did you buy Astral Weeks on the stregth of Lester Bangs's essay? Cos that's what I did. I haven't quite got into it yet, but "The Way Young Lovers Do", with all the crazy horns, is cool.

― Sam, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

music is not something i can buy from reviews. i will buy stuff on spec if people i have "callibrated" as having similar likes/tastes have reviewed it positively -- but not for the actual content/words used. with apologies to all you out there pouring your heart into music journalism -- i do find it pointless. why then do i find book reviews to be useful. it's probably cos i over analyse books myself anyway, and music is something i rarely analyse until i like a song so well that i start to listen to how it's put together. so far this has only happened with some new order songs (Perfect Kiss).

― Alan Trewartha, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

And here's the review! Don't Stand Me Down by Mr. True. What's happened to his tawdry music rag anyway? I didn't have high hopes. But that articles reminded me that there might have been something good in it, ah, hope my faraway fwend.

― Sarah, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Ta Starry. I bought DSMD based on Roberts' thing in 'that book' - reading ET's (fine) article spurs me to actually try and go somewhere with my piece on how "Come On Eileen" is Dexy's strongest track.

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Dexys', sorry.

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

you will NEVER convince me that Come On Eileen is their strongest track!

― katie, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Actually it's not about that really. But I do think it's one of their best.

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

lyrically maybe it's one of their strongest. although i love Dexy's i do tend to get all the songs mixed up though, cos basically it's all great big brass riffs and Kevin Rowland yelping and SOUL, MAN!

― katie, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

sam:

yes, the bangs review, which i am now firmly convinced is one of the greatest pieces of music writing evah, but could have been about or gore beyond necropsy and it would have been just as brill. (okay, maybe not abba.)

― jess, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

goddamn greenspun posting my message before i could alter my OH SO FUNNY JOKE to jim croce (as i like abba.)

― jess, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

thirteen years pass...

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill had a massive spread in the Voice when it came out, and it felt like such an event - for the Voice to have dedicated that much room to a review of an RnB record - that I had to hear it right away. I can't remember who the review was by, but the level of respect and seriousness accorded to that record was stirring.

― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 1 September 2015 00:37 (eight years ago) link

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