GATHERING MOSS
I thought this might be a good time to vent my own feelings toward Rolling Stone magazine.
Essentially, I think it's an out of touch, meaningless rag that has no place in any music fan's world. Tony Alva's dissapointment with their lack of consistency and complete disregard for anything they don't "get" is spot on.
As an example, their "Top 500 albums of all time" (another meaningless list, I know) contains some of the following....
"Elton John's Greatest Hits" (#135) Nothing against Elton, but I didn't think a greatest hits repackage really qualifies as an album. Then again....
"40 Greatest Hits" (Hank Williams, #129) RS tries to justify this by stating that the album format was in its infancy when Williams was at his peak. Well, tough.
"Sam Cooke-Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964" This collection was released shortly after Cooke was murdered. A record label cashing in on a star's death ain't an album. Sorry.
There are lots more repackages, greatest hits collections, etc. on the list.
I know this is all meaningless, but any opportunity to be a smartass at Rolling Stone's expense is worth it. And don't even get me started on Spin!
4 Comments:
I have never considered Greatest Hits packages worthy of consideration in these matters. Some Live records make the cut for me if they deliver some sort of vibe or essence that the studio records do not, but if it's just a GH package with an audience track, well...I do remeber when Elton's GH came out, and everybody bought it, it was on everybody's turntable in 75/76, so I can see why some would want to include it, but it's cheating I feel.
I agree with you on the GH's packages. In Elton's case, as I've said before, there are some truly great Elton records that are worthy of the spot given to GH's. Madman, Yellow Brick, Honky Chat, etc...
It must be interesting hanging out at RS mag in San Fran. I envision all these know it all pompous aging hippies who think nothing good has been recorded since Jimi died, other than The Dead, and then there's the young whipper snappers who think nothing good has been recorded before yesterday. Jan Wenner seems like all he does now as far a music goes is to keep everybody happy by tell us that it's all great.
They lost me during the 80's when they gave Black Sabbath's Vol. 4, Paranoid, and Masters of Reality two stars or less in that stupid record guide.
Tony,
Rolling Stone moved to NYC in the seventies, some say that was the end of credibility.
It beggars belief that Rolling Stone still exists. It wasn't worth reading when I was in college, and that was during the Reagan Administration. It's only gotten worse since then.
The scarier question is, "Who the hell buys it?"
Dave C
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