Wow, thank you everybody for the support and the kind wishes. Hopefully the post was more informative than pleading, but I guess I was still subconsciously fishing for compliments, and got my fair share anyway :)) I do feel sometimes, too, like "I'm the last of the good old fashioned steam-powered trains", and thefeeling is both sad and inspiring at the same time.
Some specific answers to some points in the comments:
AubertC - I'm not sure how to write about Brassens without essentially turning into a translator from the French, but I'm still tempted to give it a try.
Jose - I have actually already reviewed the debut album by Los Brincos earlier on, and I plan to continue, though it is not a high priority. It was surprisingly good for an early effort on the 1960s' "continental" stage!
MrMojoRisin - I'm still disappointed that Prindle has frozen his reviewing career. He still has an active presence on his Facebook page, but he's mostly just playing the part of a retired Florida pensioneer, sipping cocktails on the veranda and reminiscing about the good old days. Then again, it's also quite impossible to see how somebody with that kind of style could survive in the modern climate anyway.
Jason - great to hear from a veteran! I'm still on that journey of discovery, hopefully we still have a few years left at least.
Charly: I'd like to believe in the "the good stuff is still out there, you just have to dig for it" adage, but even if it's true, it's only true on the personal level. Like, for me somebody like Aimee Mann is one of the greatest songwriters of the past 30 years, but good luck trying to make that opinion matter. Most people who have their current indie/underground/little-known favorites feel like they're married to them. They might even be willing to share, but nobody gives a damn. :))
“it's also quite impossible to see how somebody with that kind of style could survive in the modern climate anyway.”
Sums it up. I am pretty sure Prindle just did not want to keep with the times and realized the old days of the WRC were finally over. I think a lot of people these days would probably get a heart attack reading something from Prindle or Cap’n Marvel, especially the latter (that guy back in the day was not to be messed with!), so there is not really much room for them in our new world sadly. Prindle still wrote so much on his site that he graciously keeps going, there’s so much to dig through still.
Still a bummer about Cap’n’s disappearance though, what were your thoughts on the guy?
I don't remember Cap'n Marvel much; he arrived "on the scene" after me, by which time I was already more interested in writing than reading, so I never read him as extensively as I did Mark (or even Brian Burks, for that matter). But we did correspond for a while, and I remember us being on much the same wave about a lot of things. He certainly left some good memories behind, wherever he may be.
God bless you. Try not to be too discouraged. I was never a big commenter, but you should know that your writing about music has meant more in my life than all but a handful of authors (and you are certainly my most read of anyone excepting maybe Shakespeare). I will continue to look forward to whatever you are able/motivated to produce in the next year. Thank you!
Thank you, George. Twenty or so years ago (wheeze!) I was searching online, trying to find some sort of repository of reviews for older rock music and stumbled across your website. We were roughly the same age, and it was refreshing to find someone trying to make sense of the legacy of that genre who wasn't one of the old gods, almost dead (Christgau et. al.). It was wonderful watching someone else discover the discographies of artists in near real time, instead of ossified opinions from old record guides - talismans though they were to me then - and I've been enjoying this journey with you ever since; even your detours into video games were a delight for me, because I grew up on a steady diet of Sierra titles in the DOS era.
No doubt these are dark times, and certain world events portend darker ones still to come, but the joy of discovery remains, at least for now, a beautifully human experience, and I'm glad to still be on this journey with you.
George, take as much time as you need. Your reviews are always a joy to read, no matter how long we have to wait for them. Your legacy is bigger than you know (your name is always mentioned with deep respect when I see it online), so there is no pressure to keep pumping out reviews at the pace you used to.
Moreover, since most of the Bangs/Christgau/Renyolds/etc. generation of writers are either dead or at the end of their relevancy, you’re the last beacon of integrity left in serious music criticism these days. You’re even the last of the web reviewing community greats who is even still with us (which I believe were you, Cap’n Marvel, and Prindle for the ones whose writing and/or insights can stand up to the best professionals), so you have to also know that every review you still give us is a great privilege. Of course, there is no pressure by what I am saying: most music critics have not even written as much as you have, let alone of such quality. We have a great body of your work left to cherish. So just know, anything you still give us is of enormous value.
Thank you for everything George, seriously. We all look forward to anything new you have to say.
Indeed George, this is "Gimme Shelter Planet" forever now. I tend to be on the "optimistic pessimistic" trend where I believe humans are a failed experiment but "Oh see what we idiots have achieved" from time to time. Yeah, the Top 10 won't help as Rick Beano keeps obstinately repeating, it gets worse. There is some good stuff but must dig up, I try sometimes.
Nationalism is on the rise here too. Or something like that, a badly cloned version added with a (big) pinch of adolescent vulgarity and footballesque-level (non-)discussion.
As an IT guy your perception of AI is terrifying, because you nailed it: "Dead stuff". I use AI a lot to write me repetitive code and such but for art, though not always bad, even intriguing as inspiration sometimes, it's just meaningless. How could they let us programmers conceive paintings by mangling zeros and ones?
I'm not a gamer, but the Music plan seems solid. I love music history and I appreciate it when you can connect dots. It's so eye-opening. I want more of the Four Greats (same ones for me) write-ups of course :D Yeah maybe tackle the most interesting older artists/releases would be great.
And definitely survival mode, always. I plan to do some tech shorts in youtube. Or keep watching old shows, whatever quirk keeps our spirit a bit alive, away from the gory hands of AI! :)
Know of a surety that many of us (such as myself) out here in cyberland appreciate and respect what you've done all these years. I would rate you higher and more authentic than the gatekeepers at Rolling Stone et al., whose self-righteous snobbery is the same as that surrounding classical music. Thanks!
I second what others have already said here: in short, continuously revisiting your body of work means a great deal to me as my own method of de-stressing and examining my own taste, and that catalogue is by now a rare and valuable resource of meaningful 20th century music criticism. I certainly sympathize with all the setbacks of the modern civilized world, but any further output you have will be most welcome!
Thanks a lot George for your excellent reviews and interesting insights. I really enjoy your comments and reviews and consider them a sort of "final word" on many records. May I suggest you listen to a couple of Spanish 1960-70s records? First would be a 1968 (former LP now significantly expanded) record from Los Brincos. It's called "Contrabando" and has many great songs and what I consider one of the top moments of Spanish pop-rock in the sixties: El Pasaporte (particularly from 1:47). Another great record, this time from the seventies is "Señora Azul" from Canovas, Addolfo, Rodrigo y Guzman (our own CSN&Y). Also let me say I applaud your intention to concentrate of the big four - Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks (may I suggest also Small Faces in the UK and Beach Boys and Byrds in the US?). Again thanks a lot for your wonderful work and all the best for 2025!
Hi there, Movida had also great moments. In hindsight Movida may have been a bit overhyped vs. the vintage 1960-70 (Brincos, Juan y Junior, Bravos, Canarios, etc). But many really good works in the 1980s in any case: I have a soft spot for records like El Eterno Femenino (La Mode 1982), the Greatest Hits compilation from Mamá (main output was from 1980-81 with Nada Mas being a peak of Spanish pop), the first LP from Los Secretos (1981), Canciones Profanas from Alaska & Dinarama (1983), El Ritmo del Garaje (Loquillo y Los Trogloditas, 1983); Musica Moderna from Radio Futura (1980), of course Nacha Pop (the first record from 1980) and last but no least the great Gabinete Caligari (best ones in my opinion Cuatro Rosas from 1984 and Camino Soria from 1987), the latter cosidered by many the best record made by any band in Spain in the 1980s. Hope it helps.
There is something a bit weird about "modern advances in music production". I recall being at a party once where we took turns taking over the background music. And my brother and his friends kept putting on some sort of music called "nederhop" (Dutch HipHop) with booming beats and loud choruses, and from my perspective this was a really infantile and disgusting genre. But you could hear the music. And I kept searching for songs that would be appreciated by the crowd, but that would be music I thought was good. I figured I might try something like the Clash or Roxy Music, but basically none of the music I picked was even audible over the party noise, you couldn't even notice it.
Maybe it's as simple as that. If you listen to Charli xcx or Chappell Roan or Taylor Swift, who are considered good modern artists, then their music is really punchy and sharp. It does contain hooks and obviously a lot of effort went into the production and even songwriting. But for me personally it sounds fake and sterile and it gives me a headache. But perhaps these same qualities make it suited to a mainstream audience, makes these songs and artists stand out. And the music I prefer would literally not be noticed by a crowd with contemporary sensibilities.
There also have always been a ton of people who basically think that the first good band is Radiohead and that music has increased in quality over time, such that with the modern advances in production and the higher number of artists we should be awash in amazing soundscapes with virtuoso ability and so on. I think that when I voice a certain opinion (influenced by G.S.) on reddit, along the lines of: "music not only peaked in 1968, but it's been going downhill since at least the 90's" I might get only hostile reaction and the overwhelming attitude is bewilderment at such a denial and dismissal of human potential of the contemporary scene etc.
Mr. Starotsin, I’ve enjoyed and admired your work for decades safely ensconced here in Wisconsin USA. I tend to think regionally, in my case the upper Midwestern USA. There is (or was) a strong old Europe/Germanic even Scandinavian undercurrent among the people here that has given me the ability to view American culture as an outsider. I have traveled as far as Turkey, and realized I could easily go native, subsuming myself in the local and losing my fundamental Americanness. However I chose to stay closer to my roots and raise a family, watching a new world rise alongside my old golden world. For the time being, the heartland is still a place where one can easily live like the 80s, the 70s, even 40s and 50s while enjoying modern conveniences. Many do. While the larger American project has always had baffling elements, it has given the world Elvis. I always remind myself this. Ultimately, I have faith in the fundamental America. Even in these comparatively dark times.
Nice to hear from you, George. It’s always a pleasure to read your reviews. Even if the artist I have never heard of). I’ve been more or less constantly following your reviews since 2004-2005 which helped me a lot to form my musical tastes.
God bless you, George! I love reading your work, which has led me to try out so many artists I never would have listened to otherwise. Thank you for putting so much thought and time into your writing. I wish you the best as we all keep pushing into the future
Wow, thank you everybody for the support and the kind wishes. Hopefully the post was more informative than pleading, but I guess I was still subconsciously fishing for compliments, and got my fair share anyway :)) I do feel sometimes, too, like "I'm the last of the good old fashioned steam-powered trains", and thefeeling is both sad and inspiring at the same time.
Some specific answers to some points in the comments:
AubertC - I'm not sure how to write about Brassens without essentially turning into a translator from the French, but I'm still tempted to give it a try.
Jose - I have actually already reviewed the debut album by Los Brincos earlier on, and I plan to continue, though it is not a high priority. It was surprisingly good for an early effort on the 1960s' "continental" stage!
MrMojoRisin - I'm still disappointed that Prindle has frozen his reviewing career. He still has an active presence on his Facebook page, but he's mostly just playing the part of a retired Florida pensioneer, sipping cocktails on the veranda and reminiscing about the good old days. Then again, it's also quite impossible to see how somebody with that kind of style could survive in the modern climate anyway.
Jason - great to hear from a veteran! I'm still on that journey of discovery, hopefully we still have a few years left at least.
Charly: I'd like to believe in the "the good stuff is still out there, you just have to dig for it" adage, but even if it's true, it's only true on the personal level. Like, for me somebody like Aimee Mann is one of the greatest songwriters of the past 30 years, but good luck trying to make that opinion matter. Most people who have their current indie/underground/little-known favorites feel like they're married to them. They might even be willing to share, but nobody gives a damn. :))
“it's also quite impossible to see how somebody with that kind of style could survive in the modern climate anyway.”
Sums it up. I am pretty sure Prindle just did not want to keep with the times and realized the old days of the WRC were finally over. I think a lot of people these days would probably get a heart attack reading something from Prindle or Cap’n Marvel, especially the latter (that guy back in the day was not to be messed with!), so there is not really much room for them in our new world sadly. Prindle still wrote so much on his site that he graciously keeps going, there’s so much to dig through still.
Still a bummer about Cap’n’s disappearance though, what were your thoughts on the guy?
I don't remember Cap'n Marvel much; he arrived "on the scene" after me, by which time I was already more interested in writing than reading, so I never read him as extensively as I did Mark (or even Brian Burks, for that matter). But we did correspond for a while, and I remember us being on much the same wave about a lot of things. He certainly left some good memories behind, wherever he may be.
God bless you. Try not to be too discouraged. I was never a big commenter, but you should know that your writing about music has meant more in my life than all but a handful of authors (and you are certainly my most read of anyone excepting maybe Shakespeare). I will continue to look forward to whatever you are able/motivated to produce in the next year. Thank you!
Thank you, George. Twenty or so years ago (wheeze!) I was searching online, trying to find some sort of repository of reviews for older rock music and stumbled across your website. We were roughly the same age, and it was refreshing to find someone trying to make sense of the legacy of that genre who wasn't one of the old gods, almost dead (Christgau et. al.). It was wonderful watching someone else discover the discographies of artists in near real time, instead of ossified opinions from old record guides - talismans though they were to me then - and I've been enjoying this journey with you ever since; even your detours into video games were a delight for me, because I grew up on a steady diet of Sierra titles in the DOS era.
No doubt these are dark times, and certain world events portend darker ones still to come, but the joy of discovery remains, at least for now, a beautifully human experience, and I'm glad to still be on this journey with you.
George, take as much time as you need. Your reviews are always a joy to read, no matter how long we have to wait for them. Your legacy is bigger than you know (your name is always mentioned with deep respect when I see it online), so there is no pressure to keep pumping out reviews at the pace you used to.
Moreover, since most of the Bangs/Christgau/Renyolds/etc. generation of writers are either dead or at the end of their relevancy, you’re the last beacon of integrity left in serious music criticism these days. You’re even the last of the web reviewing community greats who is even still with us (which I believe were you, Cap’n Marvel, and Prindle for the ones whose writing and/or insights can stand up to the best professionals), so you have to also know that every review you still give us is a great privilege. Of course, there is no pressure by what I am saying: most music critics have not even written as much as you have, let alone of such quality. We have a great body of your work left to cherish. So just know, anything you still give us is of enormous value.
Thank you for everything George, seriously. We all look forward to anything new you have to say.
I'm always pleased to see one of your pieces in my inbox. "Only Solitaire" is secure in my bookmarks. Very grateful for your work.
Indeed George, this is "Gimme Shelter Planet" forever now. I tend to be on the "optimistic pessimistic" trend where I believe humans are a failed experiment but "Oh see what we idiots have achieved" from time to time. Yeah, the Top 10 won't help as Rick Beano keeps obstinately repeating, it gets worse. There is some good stuff but must dig up, I try sometimes.
Nationalism is on the rise here too. Or something like that, a badly cloned version added with a (big) pinch of adolescent vulgarity and footballesque-level (non-)discussion.
As an IT guy your perception of AI is terrifying, because you nailed it: "Dead stuff". I use AI a lot to write me repetitive code and such but for art, though not always bad, even intriguing as inspiration sometimes, it's just meaningless. How could they let us programmers conceive paintings by mangling zeros and ones?
I'm not a gamer, but the Music plan seems solid. I love music history and I appreciate it when you can connect dots. It's so eye-opening. I want more of the Four Greats (same ones for me) write-ups of course :D Yeah maybe tackle the most interesting older artists/releases would be great.
And definitely survival mode, always. I plan to do some tech shorts in youtube. Or keep watching old shows, whatever quirk keeps our spirit a bit alive, away from the gory hands of AI! :)
Thanks George for your publications and keep on keeping on !!!
PS : A little bit of "French chanson" reviews would be appreciated, indeed.
Keep up the fine work on those record reviews. Love 'em.
Hey George,
Know of a surety that many of us (such as myself) out here in cyberland appreciate and respect what you've done all these years. I would rate you higher and more authentic than the gatekeepers at Rolling Stone et al., whose self-righteous snobbery is the same as that surrounding classical music. Thanks!
I second what others have already said here: in short, continuously revisiting your body of work means a great deal to me as my own method of de-stressing and examining my own taste, and that catalogue is by now a rare and valuable resource of meaningful 20th century music criticism. I certainly sympathize with all the setbacks of the modern civilized world, but any further output you have will be most welcome!
Thanks a lot George for your excellent reviews and interesting insights. I really enjoy your comments and reviews and consider them a sort of "final word" on many records. May I suggest you listen to a couple of Spanish 1960-70s records? First would be a 1968 (former LP now significantly expanded) record from Los Brincos. It's called "Contrabando" and has many great songs and what I consider one of the top moments of Spanish pop-rock in the sixties: El Pasaporte (particularly from 1:47). Another great record, this time from the seventies is "Señora Azul" from Canovas, Addolfo, Rodrigo y Guzman (our own CSN&Y). Also let me say I applaud your intention to concentrate of the big four - Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks (may I suggest also Small Faces in the UK and Beach Boys and Byrds in the US?). Again thanks a lot for your wonderful work and all the best for 2025!
Just for curiosity, how do you compare Spanish 1960-70s rock with the Movida Madrileña bands?
Hi there, Movida had also great moments. In hindsight Movida may have been a bit overhyped vs. the vintage 1960-70 (Brincos, Juan y Junior, Bravos, Canarios, etc). But many really good works in the 1980s in any case: I have a soft spot for records like El Eterno Femenino (La Mode 1982), the Greatest Hits compilation from Mamá (main output was from 1980-81 with Nada Mas being a peak of Spanish pop), the first LP from Los Secretos (1981), Canciones Profanas from Alaska & Dinarama (1983), El Ritmo del Garaje (Loquillo y Los Trogloditas, 1983); Musica Moderna from Radio Futura (1980), of course Nacha Pop (the first record from 1980) and last but no least the great Gabinete Caligari (best ones in my opinion Cuatro Rosas from 1984 and Camino Soria from 1987), the latter cosidered by many the best record made by any band in Spain in the 1980s. Hope it helps.
" I listened to a couple tracks from the latter and understood that we are really fucked —"
Yeah, it's not a good way to start the year being pretty sure modern music will continue to suck.
But keep up the great reviews! You're my favorite read!!
There is something a bit weird about "modern advances in music production". I recall being at a party once where we took turns taking over the background music. And my brother and his friends kept putting on some sort of music called "nederhop" (Dutch HipHop) with booming beats and loud choruses, and from my perspective this was a really infantile and disgusting genre. But you could hear the music. And I kept searching for songs that would be appreciated by the crowd, but that would be music I thought was good. I figured I might try something like the Clash or Roxy Music, but basically none of the music I picked was even audible over the party noise, you couldn't even notice it.
Maybe it's as simple as that. If you listen to Charli xcx or Chappell Roan or Taylor Swift, who are considered good modern artists, then their music is really punchy and sharp. It does contain hooks and obviously a lot of effort went into the production and even songwriting. But for me personally it sounds fake and sterile and it gives me a headache. But perhaps these same qualities make it suited to a mainstream audience, makes these songs and artists stand out. And the music I prefer would literally not be noticed by a crowd with contemporary sensibilities.
There also have always been a ton of people who basically think that the first good band is Radiohead and that music has increased in quality over time, such that with the modern advances in production and the higher number of artists we should be awash in amazing soundscapes with virtuoso ability and so on. I think that when I voice a certain opinion (influenced by G.S.) on reddit, along the lines of: "music not only peaked in 1968, but it's been going downhill since at least the 90's" I might get only hostile reaction and the overwhelming attitude is bewilderment at such a denial and dismissal of human potential of the contemporary scene etc.
Mr. Starotsin, I’ve enjoyed and admired your work for decades safely ensconced here in Wisconsin USA. I tend to think regionally, in my case the upper Midwestern USA. There is (or was) a strong old Europe/Germanic even Scandinavian undercurrent among the people here that has given me the ability to view American culture as an outsider. I have traveled as far as Turkey, and realized I could easily go native, subsuming myself in the local and losing my fundamental Americanness. However I chose to stay closer to my roots and raise a family, watching a new world rise alongside my old golden world. For the time being, the heartland is still a place where one can easily live like the 80s, the 70s, even 40s and 50s while enjoying modern conveniences. Many do. While the larger American project has always had baffling elements, it has given the world Elvis. I always remind myself this. Ultimately, I have faith in the fundamental America. Even in these comparatively dark times.
Hey George, great write up as usual keep on the good work and amaze us more with your prose and musical culture!
Nice to hear from you, George. It’s always a pleasure to read your reviews. Even if the artist I have never heard of). I’ve been more or less constantly following your reviews since 2004-2005 which helped me a lot to form my musical tastes.
God bless you, George! I love reading your work, which has led me to try out so many artists I never would have listened to otherwise. Thank you for putting so much thought and time into your writing. I wish you the best as we all keep pushing into the future