Bad Music Journalism

[WaldoMcFroog]

I'm interested to hear any stories you may have about bad music journalism. Now, I'm not asking for reviews that you disagree with, but examples of live reviews where the journalist has written songs that weren't played, or album reviews where the journalist has proveable not listened to the album etc. I'm not wanted to libel anyone here, so please be careful! You could always use asterisked out names if that's safer!

[andy hughes]

OK, I'll fess up here - even now I'm blushing, and it was years ago! I was the Midlands correspondent for 'Melody Maker' for a couple of years, and I wrote masses of live reviews, sometimes two or three a week. After one particularly frought week, I was typing (shows my age there!)in the wee small hours ready for the print deadline the next day, and I sent my review in, all t's crossed, and i's dotted, and I called the band by the wrong name! I can still hear the Reviews Editor querying if I had seen the band I was suposed to have seen, or was there a change of headline act or the last minute or .....? The silence said it all - yes I had lost the plot! That said, I never ever watched a band from the bar,or left before the end, I said what I thought, based on my experience. There is a wonderful story of respected journalist Richard Williams reviewing the Lennon / Ono 'Two Virgins' album and waxing lyrical for some paragraphs about the 'minimalist' opening soundwave, which Mr Williams decided eventually reached a tonal sense of its own oneness, or some such drivel. He was mortified to find that (remember this is the early days of stero production) the engineers had placed the usual electronic tone at the beginning of the master recording, to establish correct stereo balance, but had forgotten to erase it before the pressing, so the review copies had the engineering tone at the beginning, but it was entirely accidental, and nothing to do with John and Yoko being avant garde at all! Now that makes me feel a whole lot better about confusing one band name with another.

[RCP]

Not very interesting but here goes. Years ago the classical guitarist Sigovia (sp.?) was due to play a concert in Northampton & the day after the concert the review duly appeared in the Northants Post or the Chronicle & Echo (can't remember which). The only problem was that he was ill & the concert had been cancelled. I suppose the generous view would be that the journo had seen him perform elsewhere rather than plagiarising someone else's work!

[WaldoMcFroog]

Andy, what's the truth? My mate was asked to submit reviews for MM and they phoned him and said, 'We like you style, but you're not in line with our way of thinking.' He then found a glowing review of a band he'd said in his review were musically backwards and utterly unenticing.

So, is there editorial policy on which bands get good reviews etc on mags such as MM or are writers really allowed free reign? Interested to hear either way.

[mikewith]

(Hello Andy - haven't seen your name round here for a while)

[andy hughes]

Hi Waldo - in my day - the mid 1980's (my pen name was Simon Scott if you have any back issues - my review of The Smiths at North Staffs Poly is one I'm especially proud of) people were allowed to say what they wanted, with certain exceptions. When Steve Sutherland, who went on to edit the NME took over as reviews editor, he took exception to my literary spanking of The Cocteau Twins, whom he revered as slightly above God in his estimation, and I ranked slightly below rat urine as a live show in mine. My review was pulled, replaced by the glowing one he wrote having travelled to Glasgow, and a cover feature on the band appeared a couple of weeks later. Coincidence? I doubt it. After a few more months of having my material subbed out of all recognition, the Maker and I parted company.

[andy hughes]

Hi Mikewith - I've been away for two weeks - it's very nice to be missed!