MOG

An educated guess. Hmmm....

What a-holes! Not funny. Disgraceful. (And trust me. I'm no fan of the Crowes, but they deserve the respect that should be afforded to any artist whose work is being reviewed in a legitimate forum. Maybe that's the point. So much for Maxim's legitimacy.)

One of the perks of my last job was that I would occasionally get to go to press screenings for upcoming movies. I once heard a couple of well respected critics - one was probably the most famous and well-respected film critic in this country at the time - discussing the following day's screening - 'Beerfest' I believe was the movie. "Are you going tomorrow?" asked the first. "No," the second (and more famous and well respected) critic replied. "I'm sure it's going to be terrible. I'm taking a morning off and I'm just going to slate it."

I'm no Black Crowes fan (and I haven't yet seen 'Beerfest') but I agree - this is incredibly disrespectful. And exactly what was 'educated' about the guess?

Reviews of cds are tricky beasts. So often written by company hacks and reprinted verbatim in slick bundles of advertisements. Honest critics abound here on the MOG, though quite often we get hymns to idols, we also get the acerbic witticisms of a dermahrk, the incredible observations of a Spike or Ivylander. The delightfully retro ROCKNROLLPIMP, and a host of others who can be trusted to give an honest opinion. Scottfree can slice n dice with the best of 'em, and if CodyB or I_AM don't like a track, they'll tell you, and explain why. There really are way too many to name, Maxim? never touch the stuff.

What a bunch of wankers. I don't know the journalists, just my educated guess.

They could've accomplished the same thing,saved face, and dissed the Crowes by simply saying,"What could it mean if they wouldn't release review copies?" Hmmm..maybe there will be some openings at Maxim soon..:) I hope they need a guy for obscure funk re-issue reviews. Thanks for the props DM²....You aren't much of a punch puller either. To your extreme credit.

Well, The Black Crowes really brought that one on themselves by not making preview copies available to be heard for review. Wtf were they thinking? They must have an inferior album if they aren't willing to let the media hear it to review it. Granted, I'm not condoning what Maxim did but The Black Crowes & their management seem to be the real a-holes here. If they want decent press then get the music out there ahead of time & not put the media in the position to release half assed reviews! Geezus!

Let's just say that (due to the way a friend who was involved with an Atlanta-area band called "Mr Crowe's Garden" on a handshake deal got treated when The Black Crowes suddenly got a major-label contract) i don't mind seeing the Black Crowes setting themselves up for that kind of treatments.

I've only heard the Crowes live once or twice (and i don't bother to listen to their CDs), but i remember asking a musician fan, after i heard TBC at New Orleans JazzFest, "What must it be like to be a member of a band and know that someone else did everything you do, better, years ago?"

(I love this line from Wikipedia:

In 1989, the rockers, who have been heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, The Faces, The Band, Little Feat, Humble Pie, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Southern rock, made a demo cassette tape that got them signed with American Recordings.

I'm with Dale, I'm guessing this happens a lot and they're just not caught.

Let me hasten to point out, lest i sound as if i approve of what MAXIM's "reviewer" did, that that was the sort of crummy ethics and reportage i would expect form that rag.

Manymany years ago - like about sixty, i think, as i heard the story - the music reviewer for one of Cleveland's papers (i sort of think it was the Plain Dealer)had a trip planned and wanted to head out of town but was faced with having to review a performance by the Cleveland Symphony.

Checking the announced program and determining that it was 100% made up of warhorses that the orchestra had been performing for years, he wrote a "review", and instructed the copyboy to hand it in the day after the concert.

But, as you might guess because i'm telling this story, it wound up in the paper the day of the concert.

And, before the performance, the conductor stepped up to the podium holding a newspaper and said "I wouild like to read you areview of the performance you are about to hear..." and did so, paying particular attention to phrases like "...the usual problem with the vibrato in the second movement..." or whatever.

He then said "We shall atempt to live up to the praises bestowed upon us, and to correct the deficiencies pointed out," and turned to the orchestra to begin the concert.

Similarly, a friend who used to write for Atlant'a Creative Loafing's "Music Menu" column (capsule reviews of music events coming up that week) made some remarks (in about 1988) about Richard Thompson's often dark material but added that it didn't seem to put his fans off.

That happened to be my first RT show; he came on about forty-five minutes late, and, stepping up to the mike said "I'd truly like to apologies; I do like to be on time, but we were soemwhat delayed coming from the airport." Pause. "And may I say how devastatngly clever it is of you to have forty-seven streets named 'Peachtree'."

Then, holding up a copy of CL, he said "However, I did get chance to read a preview of tonight's performance. He says I'm a moody bastard, and he doesn't quite see the appeal.

"He may even be right."

And began the set.

Ummm, that should be "...a musician friend..." in my first comment.

I think of Steve Martin's character in "L.A. Story". He is a TV weatherman who decides to take the weekend off and pre-films all of his segments (sunny, sunny, sunny...), and of course it pours....

You can't blame the Black Crowes for being heavily influenced by 70 Southern Rock, though. They are a legitimate, and often good, band, and they stand on their own laurels.

I couldn't tell you the reason that they didn't offer preview copies of the album. For what it's worth, it doesn't look like it's leaked yet......so maybe that's reason enough not to offer them. On the other hand, (and many of you MOVIE reviewers can attest), if no advanced screening is available for a movie, then the studio is trying to get a bad film to squeak into the box office with as little press as possible.....

The comment that made me laugh the hardest was Mike the Knife's "there goes Maxim's legitimacy". A men's T&A mag may have a lot of things I find attractive in it (if I actually looked at it) but "legitimacy" would not be on that short list.

if no advanced screening is available for a movie, then the studio is trying to get a bad film to squeak into the box office with as little press as possible . . .

Or maybe, just maybe, they don't feel like playing the press game, and want the music to speak for itself instead of being spoken for by critics. Seriously, guys, the idea that not releasing advanced copies means the music MUST suck? Seems like a bit of an unfounded assumption.

But think about it Groon. A group as big as The Black Crowes are very much into the press game. Certainly, they could have a change of heart & decide they don't want to play the game but as long as they've been around it seems that they could use the press to their full advantage to get as much attention for their album. The competition is tough out there & they could use the good press.

Generally speaking, it's been rather transparent when a band won't forward copies of their new music to the press that it ends up the music isn't all that good. If you're proud of your work, you WANT to show it off. I'm not a TBC fan so most of their music I don't care for as far as I'm concerned. I'm just interested in this topic & discussion.

I agree that you could be correct though, there are exceptions.

Yeah, I do think you might have a point, and it's probably a fair assumption to make. however, TBC are one of those bands that delight in sort of not playing by the rules. And this is supposed to be their big come back, from what I hear. I'd hope that they'd have a little more faith in it than that! (Of course, if it is supposed to get them back on the map, you would think the publicity of reviews would help).

TBC may "delight in sort of not playing by the rules", but they are quite a mainstream group as much as they'd like to not be considered as such. I haven't followed them so I didn't know this was a comeback for them, so I think you're right that "you would think the publicity of reviews would help" & be quite necessary to sell their cds in this day & age. Perhaps they are trying to follow a band like Radiohead's lead to a smaller extent. But to me, it just doesn't make sense at all. So it will be interesting to see how things turn out for them w/this album.

very true on all points.

Sorry, dermahrk. Forgot the ironic quotes around "legitimacy." But, since that was my intent, glad you laughed. I mean, really. Who reads Maxim for the arts coverage? Of course, I read Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler for the articles, but that's me...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7266431.stm

so did the Maxim article just blatantly say they hadn't actually heard the album or was that leaked somehow?

That's it no wi'm only trust reiviews from free alternative weeklies and hipster zines. oh wait, those are the only reviews i see anyway....