Rollingstone gave it 4 stars and has good praise for the album. They also give Bob Dylan albums five stars so I’m right back to not knowing anything.
You’re right, that Dylan guy is a hack.
Great songwriter and lyricist no doubt. Horrible voice later into his career and the absolute worst concert I have ever seen. I know, I just don’t get Dylan is the response I usually get. But lord knows I’ve tried. And tried and tried. I should have worded it better, it should have said but they also give every Bob Dylan album five stars.
I’m not trying to change your mind, but love and theft, modern times, and tempest were all great albums. The recent sinatra esque american standard albums like triplicate have sucked majorly though, I will give you that.
Honest question........who/what gives anyone the right to review an album? Or food? Or movies? Or books? Do you have to have certain qualifications? People's taste are different. Sometimes I like greasy, sloppy food that a critic would shit all over. Or a silly, fun movie that a critic would give 1 star. I understand wanting people to like the album, but ultimately all that matters is how it makes you feel. Much as I'll try and dismiss a negative review (which there doesn't appear to be yet) I would also not put too much into a glowing review.
Honest question........who/what gives anyone the right to review an album? Or food? Or movies? Or books? Do you have to have certain qualifications? People's taste are different. Sometimes I like greasy, sloppy food that a critic would shit all over. Or a silly, fun movie that a critic would give 1 star. I understand wanting people to like the album, but ultimately all that matters is how it makes you feel. Much as I'll try and dismiss a negative review (which there doesn't appear to be yet) I would also not put too much into a glowing review.
I think anyone has the right to review an album because it is an opinion but I think your question is basically saying what makes someone a professional reviewer whose opinions are read by a large audience and can in turn impact the public perception of a piece of art, music, food... My best guess is somewhere along the line the person either went to school for a particular type of journalism or other subject related to their type of reviews or worked their way up the ladder at a company and gained experience or a combination of both. Does this make their opinions any more valid than anyone else's? Not really, but some people do tend to pay a lot of attention to what these people have to say and there is nothing inherently "wrong" with that but I agree that it is weird that some will see a negative review from someone they don't know and then not go see a movie or listen to an album. I agree that it is all about your personal relationship with the album, song, food, art... you will either like it or not so why not decide for yourself? That being said, I do like looking at the lists some of these publications release just to ask "wtf were they thinking?"
Post edited by pjpjpaul on
Virginia Beach 2000 DC 2003 DC 2004 (VFC) DC 2006 Pittsburgh 2006 Bonnaroo 2008 Virginia Beach 2008 DC 2008 Philly (Spectrum) 10/31/2009 DC 2010 (Jiffy Lube Live) PJ 20 night 1 PJ 20 night 2 Phoenix 2013 LA 1 2013 Memphis 2014 Jacksonville 2016 Greenville 2016 Hampton 2016 Columbia 2016 Fenway 1 2016 Fenway 2 2016 Wrigley 1 2018 Wrigley 2 2018 Fenway 1 2018 Fenway 2 2018 Sea Hear Now 2021 Nashville 2022 Louisville 2022
Honest question........who/what gives anyone the right to review an album? Or food? Or movies? Or books? Do you have to have certain qualifications? People's taste are different. Sometimes I like greasy, sloppy food that a critic would shit all over. Or a silly, fun movie that a critic would give 1 star. I understand wanting people to like the album, but ultimately all that matters is how it makes you feel. Much as I'll try and dismiss a negative review (which there doesn't appear to be yet) I would also not put too much into a glowing review.
People find their way into these jobs through a variety of means. Lester Bangs got his first review at Rolling Stone published just by sending it in, and asking them to either publish it or explain to him why they refused. They published it, and he ultimately became famous in his own right. These days folks can just start publishing reviews on a personal blog, and if a publication likes it they can work to sign the author on. While not specifically related to reviews, that’s how Bill Simmons launched his journalism career. Sometimes it’s just a matter of whether a writer’s style is a good fit for the publication.
I like reading reviews. They give me information about things that I’ve never experienced and help me decide whether I should give it a try. That said, no matter how many 4 star reviews her albums get, I’m not going to start listening to Ariana Grande. So of course personal taste trumps reviews. Take for example the band Big Thief. Reading reviews of the 2 albums they put out last year you’d think they were the greatest band ever. But I don’t like Adrienne Lenker’s voice, so I’m not listening.
Honest question........who/what gives anyone the right to review an album? Or food? Or movies? Or books? Do you have to have certain qualifications? People's taste are different. Sometimes I like greasy, sloppy food that a critic would shit all over. Or a silly, fun movie that a critic would give 1 star. I understand wanting people to like the album, but ultimately all that matters is how it makes you feel. Much as I'll try and dismiss a negative review (which there doesn't appear to be yet) I would also not put too much into a glowing review.
People find their way into these jobs through a variety of means. Lester Bangs got his first review at Rolling Stone published just by sending it in, and asking them to either publish it or explain to him why they refused. They published it, and he ultimately became famous in his own right. These days folks can just start publishing reviews on a personal blog, and if a publication likes it they can work to sign the author on. While not specifically related to reviews, that’s how Bill Simmons launched his journalism career. Sometimes it’s just a matter of whether a writer’s style is a good fit for the publication.
I like reading reviews. They give me information about things that I’ve never experienced and help me decide whether I should give it a try. That said, no matter how many 4 star reviews her albums get, I’m not going to start listening to Ariana Grande. So of course personal taste trumps reviews. Take for example the band Big Thief. Reading reviews of the 2 albums they put out last year you’d think they were the greatest band ever. But I don’t like Adrienne Lenker’s voice, so I’m not listening.
Leeds 2006, London 2007, Hartford 2008, London Shepherds Bush 2009, London O2 2009, Dublin 2010, London Hyde Park 2010, Amsterdam 1 2012, Amsterdam 2 2012, Berlin 1 2012, EV solo London 30/7/2012, Berlin 2014, Stockholm 2014, Milton Keynes 2014, Amsterdam 1 2018, London 1 2018, London 2 2018, EV solo Dublin 2019, London 1 2022, London 2 2022, New York City 2022
Going to see them this summer at The National in RVA. Can't wait. Hopefully the public health scenario is better by then.
Saw them a couple of weeks ago in London. They were phenomenal.
Leeds 2006, London 2007, Hartford 2008, London Shepherds Bush 2009, London O2 2009, Dublin 2010, London Hyde Park 2010, Amsterdam 1 2012, Amsterdam 2 2012, Berlin 1 2012, EV solo London 30/7/2012, Berlin 2014, Stockholm 2014, Milton Keynes 2014, Amsterdam 1 2018, London 1 2018, London 2 2018, EV solo Dublin 2019, London 1 2022, London 2 2022, New York City 2022
“Quick Escape” might be the best of the bunch. Penned by Jeff Ament and relying on his rumbling basslines, the song rides a grinding, uncomfortable groove underpinning talk of fleeing to far-flung lands to seek refuge from the headlines of the day, before rupturing into a chorus that, no joke, feels like it could’ve been on one of Pearl Jam’s early ’90s releases.
Yes! That issue. Post it if you can. Great two page spread. EW does not always cover PJ much and they are not given to giving great reviews to them (I tend to ignore them). So this one has me excited!
Yes! That issue. Post it if you can. Great two page spread. EW does not always cover PJ much and they are not given to giving great reviews to them (I tend to ignore them). So this one has me excited!
Hey just take a pic with your phone and then click on this to browse to it
Comments
I cannot wait
DC 2003
DC 2004 (VFC)
DC 2006
Pittsburgh 2006
Bonnaroo 2008
Virginia Beach 2008
DC 2008
Philly (Spectrum) 10/31/2009
DC 2010 (Jiffy Lube Live)
PJ 20 night 1
PJ 20 night 2
Phoenix 2013
LA 1 2013
Memphis 2014
Jacksonville 2016
Greenville 2016
Hampton 2016
Columbia 2016
Fenway 1 2016
Fenway 2 2016
Wrigley 1 2018
Wrigley 2 2018
Fenway 1 2018
Fenway 2 2018
Sea Hear Now 2021
Nashville 2022
Louisville 2022
Leeds 2006, London 2007, Hartford 2008, London Shepherds Bush 2009, London O2 2009, Dublin 2010, London Hyde Park 2010, Amsterdam 1 2012, Amsterdam 2 2012, Berlin 1 2012, EV solo London 30/7/2012, Berlin 2014, Stockholm 2014, Milton Keynes 2014, Amsterdam 1 2018, London 1 2018, London 2 2018, EV solo Dublin 2019, London 1 2022, London 2 2022, New York City 2022
DC 2003
DC 2004 (VFC)
DC 2006
Pittsburgh 2006
Bonnaroo 2008
Virginia Beach 2008
DC 2008
Philly (Spectrum) 10/31/2009
DC 2010 (Jiffy Lube Live)
PJ 20 night 1
PJ 20 night 2
Phoenix 2013
LA 1 2013
Memphis 2014
Jacksonville 2016
Greenville 2016
Hampton 2016
Columbia 2016
Fenway 1 2016
Fenway 2 2016
Wrigley 1 2018
Wrigley 2 2018
Fenway 1 2018
Fenway 2 2018
Sea Hear Now 2021
Nashville 2022
Louisville 2022
Leeds 2006, London 2007, Hartford 2008, London Shepherds Bush 2009, London O2 2009, Dublin 2010, London Hyde Park 2010, Amsterdam 1 2012, Amsterdam 2 2012, Berlin 1 2012, EV solo London 30/7/2012, Berlin 2014, Stockholm 2014, Milton Keynes 2014, Amsterdam 1 2018, London 1 2018, London 2 2018, EV solo Dublin 2019, London 1 2022, London 2 2022, New York City 2022
Well they went in out of order, but read bottom to top.
There was a side bar about their best studio covers: Crazy Mary, Love, Reign O’er Me, and Last Kiss.