Record reviews have never made sense to me. Music is art. How it enters the ears and is absorbed by the senses is an individual experience. My absolute favorite dB’s album, The Sound of Music, is ignored—or worse, panned—by critics. Are they wrong? Absolutely. Had I listened to them instead of the music, I would have missed “Never Say When,” “I Lie,” “Molly Says,” and, to me, an all-time classic: “Never Before and Never Again.” Did these reviewers have a beef with Peter Holsapple? Were they pissed that Chris Stamey left the band? Did the I.R.S. record label cut the advertising budget? It certainly wasn’t because of the music or the songwriting.
The worst offender has to be Rolling Stone. I haven’t read a Rolling Stone record review in years, but when I used to, their gatekeeper mentality and arbitrary star ratings drove me nuts. The Rolling Stone Top 100 Albums of All Time? Could any list be more inane? Yes—the Rolling Stone Top 100 Guitar Solos of All Time. Who ordained this revolving gaggle of music critics as the high priests of rock or rap or country or anything?
REVIEWERS WHO MATTER
There are reviewers whose opinions I admire and respect. Ira Robbins of The Trouser Press is in a league of his own. He doesn’t write reviews so much as he constructs historical vignettes with his keen observations, sharp ear, and a seeming lack of cronyism.
Lester Bangs’s reviews are more fun to read than the albums they cover. He reportedly told filmmaker Cameron Crowe, “You made friends with them. That was your mistake. They make you feel cool. I met you. You are not cool.” Writing honestly about “friends” is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Lester understood that. Get his book, Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung.
Nick Tosches came from a dark place, and his music writing reflected that deep-seated turmoil. His books Unsung Heroes of Rock ’n’ Roll and Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock ’n’ Roll are two must-reads.
Finally, Nick Hornby—better known as a novelist for High Fidelity and Juliet, Naked—released Songbook in 2002. The book explains why 31 songs mean so much to him. You don’t need to agree with Nick’s list. Songbook simply justifies your own personal love and connection to certain songs.
YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS
Jimmy Mac On Two Wheels is not going to write reviews. We are not going to analyze lyrics, talk about past releases, compare one artist to another, speculate on an artist’s influences, or mention what record label released the song. We are not going to get kickbacks from a streaming service. Instead, we are simply going to link to a song that we think you gotta hear.
If it’s not for you, fine. If there’s something in the tune that touches you, then by all means dig deeper. In the immortal words of the Beach Boys’ “Add Some Music to Your Day”: “When day is over, I close my tired eyes, Music is in my soul.” Amen, boys.
