In praise of Uncut's 'Ultimate Music Guide'

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Yovra, Mar 2, 2016.

  1. greelywinger

    greelywinger Osmondia

    Location:
    Dayton, Ohio USA
    This one looks interesting...

    [​IMG]

    Darryl
     
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  2. onionmaster

    onionmaster Tropical new waver from the future

    Love them. I have R.E.M. , Depeche Mode, The Cure, Beach Boys, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and probably some others lying around as well. In the future, I would like to see them do a Bob Marley And The Wailers one since Bob's interviews are legendary and there is a long discography which would benefit from being organised in this way.

    I think what sets these magazines apart from your average biographies as they give you the facts and discographical info and the interviews in the band's words from the time provide the context. A lot of biographies are so heavy in the author bogging you down with useless (and sometimes incorrect) information or his opinion, whereas you can just flick to whatever you want to see with these.

    I have this one, it is pretty well done. One thing that is a bit cheap of them is that they cover all the early albums as twofers in order to save space. I must admit that, due to the fact I've read a lot of Beach Boys stuff already, I didn't really learn anything new from it, but it would be great for anyone getting into them. Nice to see some attention in the press given to something other than Pet Sounds or Smile.

    That one is so good that even several years later I refer back to it. It really changed my perception of what a music magazine could be. You get to see the band evolve from their initial cult following in the UK to one of the biggest bands in the world by the Out Of Time period.
     
  3. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    I picked this up yesterday. First off...$15? Yikes. Anyway, I know I'm biased but still, I have to say some of these star ratings for the songs are really lame. One star for "The Times They Are A Changin'"? I mean, is it really 100% worthless? Two stars for "Salt Lake City", "Only With You", "Mess of Help to Stand Alone"? Two stars for "No Go Showboat", are you insane? A mere three stars for "Surfin' USA"? Since this mag is aimed at Beach Boy fans you'd think they'd find people a little more sympathetic to hand out the ratings. Is "Be Still" really the only five-star song on "Friends", aside from the title cut? And poor Bruce getting slapped with a one star rating for his somewhat bland yet quite harmless "Nearest Faraway Place"? Is it really worse than the songs on "Summer in Paradise"? Worse than "Hey Little Tomboy"? I would tend to disagree. But to each his own, I guess. I maybe have to provide my own song ratings as a public service.
     
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  4. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    I mean, they give" Surfin' USA" and "Little Deuce Coupe" three stars. They give "Noble Surfer" four. What gives?

    Meanwhile, "Surfer Girl" gets four stars. Even if it isn't a personal favorite of yours you, as a reviewer, have to acknowledge it's a cornerstone of the Beach Boys catalog and give it a five. But no. You know what gets a five? "Johnny Carson" and "Here She Comes". These rankings are whack. It's distracting me from enjoying the articles they are so whack.
     
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  5. jpmosu

    jpmosu a.k.a. Mr. Jones

    Location:
    Ohio, USA
    I just ignore the individual song ratings--they've always seemed so arbitrary. I suspect that some editor assigns them, as opposed to the person writing the review.
     
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  6. Bowieboy

    Bowieboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville
    oh, I agree with the song ratings. Bowie was the first one I bought and my friend who also bought it and I were talking about how it just looked like people decided if they liked the song title or not and just assigned ratings on that... and same for the other ones I have (U2, Bruce, Fleetwood, Who.... plan to get others). I did notice the Beach Boys one seemed to be on cheaper paper stock compared to the U2 and Bowie ones I own, hope that isn't a sign of things to come.

    Any idea who is next? they usually announce the next one early/middle of a month and it's been over a month since the Beach Boys one.
     
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  7. jsayers

    jsayers Just Drifting....

    Location:
    Horse Shoe, NC
  8. DEAN OF ROCK

    DEAN OF ROCK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hoover, AL
    Wait...looks like Louie the Beagle got airbrushed out of the photo????
     
  9. jsayers

    jsayers Just Drifting....

    Location:
    Horse Shoe, NC
    Another example of political correctness - they were worried cat owners would be offended. :nyah:
     
  10. Bowieboy

    Bowieboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville
  11. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    Gotta set the record straight:

    Surfin' Safari ****
    County Fair **
    Ten Little Indians ***
    Chug-A-Lug **
    Little Miss America ***
    409 ****
    Surfin' ***
    Heads You Win - Tails I Lose ***
    Summertime Blues **
    Cuckoo Clock ****
    Moon Dawg **
    The Shift ***


    Surfin' U.S.A. *****
    Farmer's Daughter ***
    Misirlou **
    Stoked ***
    Lonely Sea *****
    Shut Down *****
    Noble Surfer ***
    Honky Tonk ***
    Lana ***
    Surf Jam **
    Let's Go Trippin' ***
    Finders Keepers **


    Surfer Girl *****
    Catch A Wave *****
    The Surfer Moon *****
    South Bay Surfer ***
    The Rocking Surfer ***
    Little Deuce Coupe *****
    In My Room *****
    Hawaii ****
    Surfer's Rule ****
    Our Car Club ****
    Your Summer Dream *****
    Boogie Woodie ***


    Little Deuce Coupe *****
    Ballad Of Ole' Betsy *****
    Be True To Your School *****
    Car Crazy Cutie ***
    Cherry, Cherry Coupe ****
    409 ****
    Shut Down *****
    Spirit Of America ****
    Our Car Club ****
    No-Go Showboat *****
    A Young Man Is Gone ***
    Custom Machine *****


    Fun, Fun, Fun *****
    Don’t Worry Baby *****
    In The Parkin' Lot ***
    "Cassius" Love Vs. "Sonny" Wilson **
    The Warmth Of The Sun *****
    This Car Of Mine ****
    Why Do Fools Fall In Love ****
    Pom Pom Play Girl ***
    Keep An Eye On Summer ****
    Shut Down, Part II ****
    Louie Louie ***
    Denny's Drums *


    I Get Around *****
    All Summer Long *****
    Hushabye *****
    Little Honda *****
    We'll Run Away *****
    Carl's Big Chance **
    Wendy *****
    Do You Remember? ***
    Girls On The Beach ****
    Drive-In ****
    Our Favorite Recording Sessions **
    Don't Back Down *****


    Do You Wanna Dance? *****
    Good To My Baby ****
    Don't Hurt My Little Sister ****
    When I Grow Up *****
    Help Me, Ronda ***
    Dance, Dance, Dance ****
    Please Let Me Wonder *****
    I'm So Young *****
    Kiss Me, Baby *****
    She Knows Me Too Well *****
    In The Back Of My Mind *****
    Bull Session With The "Big Daddy" *


    The Girl From New York City *****
    Amusement Parks U.S.A. ****
    Then I Kissed Her ****
    Salt Lake City *****
    Girl Don't Tell Me ****
    Help Me, Rhonda *****
    California Girls *****
    Let Him Run Wild *****
    You're So Good To Me *****
    Summer Means New Love *****
    I'm Bugged At My Ol' Man **
    And Your Dream Comes True ****


    Hully Gully ****
    I Should Have Known Better ****
    Tell Me Why ****
    Papa-Oom-Mow-Wow ****
    Mountain Of Love ****
    You've Got To Hide Your Love Away ****
    Devoted To You *****
    Alley Oop ***
    There's No Other (Like My Baby) *****
    Medley: Coupe / Get Around ****
    The Times They Are A-Changin' ****
    Barbara Ann *****


    Wouldn't It Be Nice *****
    You Still Believe In Me *****
    That's Not Me *****
    Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) *****
    I'm Waiting For The Day *****
    Let's Go Away For Awhile *****
    Sloop John B *****
    God Only Knows*****
    I Know There's An Answer *****
    Here Today *****
    I Just Wasn't Made For These Times *****
    Pet Sounds *****
    Caroline No *****


    Heroes And Villains *****
    Vegetables ****
    Fall Breaks Back To Winter (W. Woodpecker Symphony) *****
    She's Goin' Bald ****
    Little Pad *****
    Good Vibrations *****
    With Me Tonight *****
    Wind Chimes *****
    Gettin' Hungry ***
    Wonderful *****
    Whistle In ***


    Wild Honey ****
    Aren't You Glad *****
    I Was Made To Love Her ****
    Country Air *****
    A Thing Or Two ****
    Darlin' *****
    I'd Love Just To See You *****
    Here Comes The Night ****
    Let The Wind Blow ****
    How She Boogalooed It **
    Mama Says ****


    Meant For You *****
    Friends *****
    Wake The World *****
    Be Here In The Mornin' *****
    When A Man Needs A Woman ****
    Passing By ****
    Anna Lee, The Healer ****
    Little Bird *****
    Be Still ****
    Busy Doin' Nothin' *****
    Diamond Head ***
    Transcendental Meditation ****


    Do It Again *****
    I Can Hear Music *****
    Bluebirds Over The Mountains ***
    Be With Me ****
    All I Want To Do ***
    The Nearest Faraway Place **
    Cotton Fields ****
    I Went To Sleep ****
    Time To Get Alone *****
    Never Learn Not To Love ****
    Our Prayer *****
    Cabinessence *****


    Slip On Through ****
    This Whole World *****
    Add Some Music To Your Day *****
    Got To Know The Woman ****
    Deirdre ****
    It's About Time ***
    Tears In The Morning ****
    All I Wanna Do *****
    Forever *****
    Our Sweet Love *****
    At My Window *****
    Cool, Cool Water *****


    Don't Go Near The Water ****
    Long Promised Road *****
    Take A Load Off Your Feet ***
    Disney Girls (1957) *****
    Student Demonstration Time **
    Feel Flows *****
    Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) ***
    A Day In The Life Of A Tree *****
    'Til I Die *****
    Surf's Up *****


    You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone *****
    Here She Comes ***
    He Come Down ***
    Marcella *****
    Hold On Dear Brother ****
    Make It Good ***
    All This Is That *****
    Cuddle Up ***


    Sail On Sailor *****
    Steamboat *****
    California Saga / Big Sur *****
    California Saga / The Beaks Of Eagles ***
    California Saga / California *****
    The Trader *****
    Leaving This Town *****
    Only With You *****
    Funky Pretty *****


    That's more like it.
     
  12. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I actually almost 100% agree!
     
  13. Bullis

    Bullis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Niagara County
    eBay here I come for a purchase
     
  14. Bowieboy

    Bowieboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville
    The next one is a reissue "Deluxe edition" of the Stones one, I'll pick it up being I like the Stones enough to get it and plus that I don't have the original. But I hope they don't just keep rehashing ones that have already been done when there's still dozens of artists to go who haven't been anthologized in such a way that deserve it. Above somewhere I listed a handful offhand that are worthy of one.


    Re: Song ratings. I don't take them seriously myself. For instance on the Fleetwood Mac one, "Never Going Back Again", which is a good song mind you, gets ***** while "Landslide" had ****. Landslide may be Stevie Nicks' most popular and certainly most covered composition, and yet it isn't a 5 star song?
     
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  15. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    The Kinks one gives 'Waterloo Sunset' 4/5. It's been about 2 years since that one and I still can't work out why the reviewer found something so wrong with it, he knocked 20% off!
     
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  16. Bowieboy

    Bowieboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville
    oh jeez... I'm not a huge Kinks fan (well, I like what I know, but never went beyond a Greatest Hits, though always wanted to go further) but I know Waterloo Sunset is a 5/5 song.

    I can see the Stones one giving Sympathy and Gimme Shelter 3/5 and then giving Too Much Blood *****
     
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  17. adm62

    adm62 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    It should get 6!
     
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  18. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    The worst I've seen is Death of a Disco Dancer by The Smiths getting 2/5. I've never met a Smiths fan who doesn't love this track, Johnny Marr has named it as his favourite Smiths song, Morrissey has played it live a lot and it's possibly the highlight of the Strangeways... album. It's the joint lowest mark they give any Smiths song!
     
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  19. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Definatley get the Stones and Kinks if their's a reissue,ditto Small Faces.
    Did get Mojo's latest 60s issue with David Bowie on the cover.
     
  20. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Rolling Stones one has been reissued this week. I have it and it's excellent. Great cover photo too. I now have all the Uncut guides including the History of Rock ones and they are consistently strong.
     
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  21. jsayers

    jsayers Just Drifting....

    Location:
    Horse Shoe, NC
    I'm glad because I never got the original <which was the 1st one of these> but I wish they hadn't changed the cover photo - I liked the original Sticky Fingers inner sleeve photo session shot a LOT more myself. Oh well.

    Did you find out about this someplace other than the Uncut page I linked you to <that you knew about already>?
     
  22. adm62

    adm62 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    A tad generous
     
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  23. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    [QUOTE="Man at C&A, post: 14147033, member: 64138" I now have all the Uncut guides including the History of Rock ones and they are consistently strong.[/QUOTE]
    HOR' stopped at 1970.
    Ran out of pennies.
     
  24. jjhunsecker

    jjhunsecker Senior Member

    Location:
    New York city
    I am still surprised that they haven't done ones for Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, or Jeff Beck. And Van Morrison would seem to be a likely candidate as well (along with Marley as someone as mentioned above)
     
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  25. Bowieboy

    Bowieboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville
    It showed up on my Facebook feed since I "liked" the Uncut page, they also break the History Of Rock's as well on there
     
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