NEWS PAGE. 11.12.2000. A new feature is now being added on every review page - I 'check' my general band/artist rating by attempting to evaluate their significance in four categories, loosely based on the criteria laid down in my Essay # 4 (don't you admire my consistency? Don't worry, that's just a little schizophrenic disorder). These categories include: a) "listenability" - the overall melodic qualification of the band's output in terms of hooks, catchiness and memorability; b) "resonance" - its impact on your emotions (the 'humane' side of the music - with the 'sincere' approach to art playing a large role); c) "originality"; d) "adequacy". For more info, please revert to the essay in question. The 'sub-ratings' in all the four categories follow the same principle as the band ratings, i. e. they're given out on a 1-5 scale with no intermediate grades. One major exception is the "5+" rating, i. e. when an artist is absolutely exemplary in the given category. Pluses are normally not taken in account unless - and this situation arises from time to time - the overall rating comes out as 1.5 or 2.5 or 3.5, etc. In this case, if the artist has at least one 'plus' in a certain category, the final result is rounded to max (i.e. 1.5 > 2, 3.5 > 4, etc.); otherwise, it is rounded to min (i.e. 1.5 > 1, etc.). The funniest thing is, so far the overall ratings are always coinciding with the ratings I gave out formerly based on pure intuition. Sure, this might involve a wee bit of self-deception... but not THAT much. Note: not all of the pages have been subjected to that treatment yet. The work is in progress.05.12.2000. A very special invitation is made within my newest essay. Please accept it. 29.11.2000. Well, I'm starting to slowly sink back into the usual rhythm - it always takes some time to adjust back and forth, you know. In case somebody needs a reminder, I'm still making re-writes of my older reviews, currently finetuning the reviews of 1976 albums (i.e. the year when rock's golden age ended up, remember?). So keep a grip on that. It's also nice to see that so many older sites - the "dinosaurs" of Web reviewing - have almost simultaneously, as if by some kind of plot, acquired second breath. Prindle is back from retirement; Brian Burks has finally taught the Republic of Taiwan how to use the Internet; and even Bryan B. is apparently rummaging through his backpack, making a desperate effort to revive his site. (Keep it up, Bryan! We're right behind you!). Who knows, perhaps this is not a coincidence? Perhaps all of these guys have just overcome their 'maturation crisis' and realised that all of their reviews were not just inane childish scribbling, but really something worth playing? Web reviewing is not such a silly process as it might appear on the surface, after all.23.11.2000. I'm back! This actually happened even sooner than I appreciated. My little trip ended up happily and without accident, I am deeply grateful to all those who have dared to mail their comments during my absence, and even more to those who were just sending me their good regards. You're all great, people, and all your comments were dutifully saved, cherished, worshipped and - in the long run - uploaded. Now's the time to mail some more! I did manage to write a few reviews in the process, though, all of which are already uploaded as well. I also started writing a couple essays, but never got around to finishing them because I eventually found myself wondering why the hell I bothered to tackle these subjects at all and what exactly it was that I was going to say. As soon as I figure it out, I'll probably complete at least one of them. I have also included a useful page with some personal info - it's been a long time coming, but it's finally here. Perhaps I'll update it later. Perhaps not. You wanted to know something about me? You got it. Glad to see my fellow reviewer colleagues are still around and active. Congrats to Mr Brian Burks, who is now assuming the role of a gap-bridger between the West and the East, and to Herr Prindle, who wrote a blistering page on Neil Young, once again proving himself to be the master of the game, and pretty much to everybody else. Yoohoo, the web reviewing community is well-oiled and as strong as ever. I have also managed to finally make contact with Bryan B., who, cnntrary to suspicions, is still alive and kickin'. Due to that, the 'humble tribute' page has been taken down, as Bryan promised me he'd be restoring his own page pretty soon. 'November', he said, so hopefully we'll see 'Bryan's Reviews' totally kickin' butt some time around the next US presidential elections. Speaking of which, you Yanks really screwed up with your elections. It took you this ridiculous piece of experience to figure out Electoral College voting is far more open to 'equal number of votes' headache than simple popular voting. If the Electoral College had been eliminated years earlier, Gore would be rightful and undisputable president now without no stinking 329-voice difference. Are you really willing to admit it's the will of 300 people that determines the outcome, not the will of 200,000 people? You should be screaming 'power to the people!' on the streets right now, not sitting there frantically counting absentee ballots. What a bummer. And sorry to get you derailed.28.10.2000. Today I'm posting the last reader comments and uploading the last reviews before my trip. I do not know exactly how long I will be gone - approximately 30-35 days. In any case, the deadline is the end of the first week of December. I will probably not be able to write new reviews in the meantime, but I'll have a computer with me, so - mayhaps - expect an essay or two on return, if you're not sick of 'em already. Naturally, I will not be posting any comments throughout November. This does not, however, mean that you cannot mail them - you can, as long as you're willing to tolerate a certain delay in posting. Oh, and within rational measures, of course: I wouldn't want to come back and face the task of uploading three million comments. I might just crack up in the process! Also, I will most probably have some Internet access, so I'll at least have the chance to use my mailbox. In the unlikely event of something happening to the site - a sudden crash, perchance, and me not there to help! - I have performed the grandiose task of zipping up the entire contents of the site (bar album covers - to hell with 'em, they don't even get zipped properly) and placing it on what used to be the mirror site at GeoCities. Well, it still is - only the files there are all in two big archives that take time to download (not to mention upload!). On the other hand, who'd resist a chance to download the entire Reviews Of Classic Rock And Pop albums? Eh? All in one go! Compact, systematic and 100% waterproof! Written in finest HTML! Supplied with the richest in links, cross-links and named anchors! Infested with the newest in system-crashing viruses (okay, that one was going too far...). You name it, we've got it! Anyway, here are the links. This one is the main archive, and this one is the MP3 archive. If you want everything to function perfectly, you have to unpack the MP3 archive in the "MP3" subdirectory within the main one. Oh, and a few of the background images have corrupted long names. Heh heh, you'll have to be able to rename them. This task ain't for Kiss fans!22.10.2000. Prior to my month-long departure, I have decided to completely reshape the index page. It was getting too long and clumsy, and besides, who needed these full album lists anyway? The old index page is now renamed to 'index2.htm' and can act now as an expanded version of the 'main stuff' section in the new table of contents. I hope that the new look index page will be easier to navigate and more accessible. Oh, and my MP3 section finally goes completely public, too, announced on the index page. It's still light years far from even relative completion, but at least now it looks like a start rather than a scrap. Be sure to check out my little essay on the true nature of AC/DC. If you find yourself agreeing with me on that issue, the world will definitely be a safe and cheerful place. 14.10.2000. Congratulate me! Finally, this site has reached the 1000 reviewed albums mark (not counting the MP3 reviews, too). Never thought I'd live that long! Now let's hope I'll live long enough to review another 1000 and not become a technological robot in the process... 12.10.2000. You already know how my reviewing process goes - in chronological order. In three chronological orders, actually, because at the same time I'm a) re-writing my older reviews, b) adding new audio CD reviews and c) adding new MP3 album reviews. All in chronological order, which is only interrupted by my acquiring something new (like, for instance, a freshly bought 1965 Pretty Things album makes me return to that epoch even if I'm normally already arriving at 1977 or so). Same with the MP3 reviews - I'm adding so many pages with just one or two reviews on them because it's more fun to follow the chronological principle (not to mention that it really gives you a perspective on things). Anyway, what was I about? Ah, yes. Well, as regards audio CD reviews, I'm now arriving at the "Silver Age" of rock (the 1977-82/3 years), and there comes the moment many of you have been waiting for - I'm currently setting up a second odds page, dedicated to reviews of post-1975 artists. Since I don't have a lot of these on audio CD (apart from the entire Dire Straits catalog, of course), it's bound to be relatively small at first, but as my collection expands, they will eventually be earning separate pages, like the ones on my regular odds page. Feel free to check it out - currently featuring two Clash records and an Elvis Costello one. And the Dire Straits' debut is on the way!21.09.2000. The "Music: Where The Hell..." essay is now closed for reader comments, and I have written a very pretentious and self-obsessive conclusion to it. Go read it in order to satisfy my enormous ambitions! Also, I have almost finished re-writing all the "old" reviews from 1974. We're getting something there...25.08.2000. Important news here - I am uncovering my new MP3 review section. It is actually just starting, but I decided that if there are any readers hungry for new material around, it would be more fair from me to publish all reviews as soon as they're written, not wait until I have a truckload of them (you wouldn't be able to read all of them in one sitting anyway, heh heh). As a compromise, for some time the MP3 section won't be linked to the index page - it will only be available from this spot, as some kind of "back door". Just as I was (and still am) re-writing my older reviews in chronological order (just finished revising all the stuff from 1973 and moving on to 1974), I am also reviewing all my MP3s in chronological order. I far prefer absorbing albums in that order rather than on a steady band-after-band basis, because after a bit of time you just get sick working on one artist only. Therefore, don't be surprised that most of the pages uncovered for your eyes today only contain one or two reviews - they are bound to grow very fast. If you're impatient, you may even mail your comments on the already reviewed albums - just please read the introduction to the MP3 section before you do that. Have fun!06.08.2000. As you may have noticed, the basic index page has been re-designed. The bands and artists are now classified according to certain "categories". I confess that I do love pigeonholing poor innocent musicians, but let's face it: pigeonholing does a good job when you're actually analyzing something and helps get your priorities, tastes and opinions in order. Want some details? The principles of categorization are briefly explained here. Don't worry, though: for those who detest pigeonholing, I have left the new look index page, designed for me by Mr Petr Matejka a few months ago, in its former intact state. Also, if you feel you're baffled and don't want to browse through my stars/categories classifications at all, here's a short list of all artists reviewed on this site in the good old alphabetical order. See how much I care about the customer? Oh, and, by the way, I have just finished re-writing the older reviews from 1972. Just twenty-eight more years to go, and then we'll be even.14.07.2000. John Barleycorn Must Die has been rewritten. And - oh great marvel - I have upped its rating to an overall 10!! REJOICE, YE TRAFFIC FANS! 09.07.2000. No new reviews, no new reviews... patience, I'll eventually get to these. In the meantime, I'm doing lots of 1970 re-writes. I'm particularly proud of the 'new look' of the reviews for Jethro Tull's Benefit, the Kinks' Lola, and Led Zep's III - by the way, all of them got promoted by one rating point, so fans rejoice. What the heck was I thinking when I gave out all these extremely low ratings? None of these albums rule 'mercylessly', but they're all significantly better than I thought them to be. Well, I guess everything's relative - I've gone through such loads of crap in the past year-and-a-half that I'm no longer holding them up against the Beatles (my standard criterion of yore) but rather holding them up against, ahem, Rod Stewart and Phil Collins. [Keep it up, George!] Anyway, expect some more promotion in the near future. 02.07.2000. Well, I finally updated all the Sixties' albums reviews - that's one big step. Funny thing is, I have so many more albums from the Seventies... even if I usually ramble all about the Sixties being the greatest period in music history, turns out that the most prolific years for rock music were somewhere around 1969-1973. Well, actually, I define the 'golden period' as 1966-1975, so that's somewhat natural. 13.06.2000. I'm now heavily into rewriting my old reviews - that's why new reviews are being added only sporadically. Going through a Major Chronological Revision - now steadily re-writing and modifying reviews of albums from 1968 (all the earlier period album reviews have already been revised). So, just for fun, you might as well visit my older pages from time to time. For instance, the review of the Doors' Waiting For The Sun has been completely re-written. One more note: breaking out some older albums with a new perspective also makes certain changes in the ratings. For instance, re-listening to Wheels Of Fire I thought it was kinda unfair to leave it with a record rating of 7, so I've upgraded it to an 8. Traffic's Mr Fantasy rating has also went up one point - hey, the title track is not as bad as it seems. Not that it makes a hell of a difference, of course, but still... isn't that nice? And my apologies for those reader comments that can now seem outdated because of the re-writes and rating changes. If you wish, you may change them as well - I'm perfectly ready to alter anything.12.06.2000. Well... I suppose this time I'm finally back. Seriously. I have successfully defended my thesis (speaking Russian, I am now a "candidate of philological studies" - that's not quite a Ph. D., but somewhat close), gotten rid of all the conference matters, etc., etc., etc. I'm not promising anything - but, anyway, during these months I have acquired about 50 or 60 new records, and they're all bound to end up on the site, aren't they? Even in case EVERY SINGLE ONE of them turns out to be complete shite. 31.05.2000. Sorry for the lack of recent updates. Business again - this time, in the form of a Conference on Long Range Comparison which I have the (un)luck of being a member and the secretary of the Steering Committee at the same time. Yeah. I'll post everybody's comments at the end of the week, but then I also have to defend my thesis and win my PhD on June 7, so I'm not sure if there'll be any new reviews till the middle of next week. This gotta be the craziest and fiercest year of my life, man. Beware the three zeros! 19.05.2000. Finally got around to more or less updating the GeoCities mirror site - it had to have about nine megabytes pumped in, but it's finally over. Hey hey, I saved the world today. Good old Annie. 13.05.2000. My "comeback" from the scientific break has already been officially announced, but I'm finding it hard to get back into the usual rhythm. So I'll probably be fully back only in summer - I'm not willing to brag about how everything will be fine in a couple of days and then not show up until a couple of months. The delays also have to do with my being busy on new pages. In a little time, I'll finally be able to present some graphomany on The Soft Machine (no other band alive or dead is harder to get into, but perversely enough, I have almost their complete catalog at the ready, including albums long out of print); on the Bee Gees (no, no, I don't mean the disco period - I mean mostly the cool early pop period); on the Eagles ('Hotel California' is still a great song no matter what anybody else says about it); and - yeah yeah yeah - on Queen. No comments here. I've also reconsidered the fate of the MP3 page. I don't seem to be getting too much feedback about it, and since this is the only part of the site which I'm doing entirely for the visitors and not at all for my own pleasure, I'll probably cancel the experiment for now. Either the time's not ripe yet (slow Internet connection, eh?) or the time's long gone already (maybe everybody just rips off the entire albums from the MP3 sites and I just sit there with my mouth wide open looking like an idiot). Of course, if lots of people ask me very nicely, I may reopen the page, but somehow I doubt this is going to happen. That's the way my life goes... Anyway, speaking of MP3s: here's a cool thing you'd probably be interested in hearing. In about two or three months time, I'll be opening a 'second part' of the site. It'll be called 'MP3 reviews' or something like that and it will feature reviews of, well, just about any music I can lay my hands on in MP3 format (which is indeed a lot). I mean, I'm not too well-off to be spending money on music I'm not particularly fond of or which I don't particularly respect, but when it comes to MP3s which you can get for free (plus the 'adorable Russian pirates', as someone recently called them, are marketing those cool little CD-ROMs which include an artist's complete catalog), it's another story. I don't even mind reviewing AC/DC or Billy Joel under these conditions, heh heh. Wait for it. That's about it now. Oh well. Gotta go back to the Soft Machine records...
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