In any case, The Magazine Formerly Known as Stereo Review has published its last on-the-newstand issue after more than six decades.
As you can imagine, this is a very weird moment for me.
I wrote uninterrupted -- I mean like in every issue -- for TMFKAS from late 1972 till 1998 (and off and on for another ten years or so), which is a pretty amazing run. With the exception of Robert Christgau at The Village Voice, I don't think there's anybody else in the rock crit biz who's pulled off a trick like that.
And some of MY stuff was actually good. (Heh.)
On the other hand, as today's youngsters are doubtless asking --
Magazine? What's a magazine?
Now excuse me, I need to take a nap.
25 comments:
1 - Congratulations on a great run!
2- When you wake up from your nap get to work on tomorrow's column.
:-)
Captain Al
Oh, they know what a magazine is - it's what goes in their AR-15s.
Heh.
Gummo:
Best comment of the week, by far. And it’s only Monday morning.
Captain Al
Congrats on a fine run. I'm always suprised that Stereophile and The Absolute Sound are still doing it.
Cleveland Jeff - Well, The Absolute Sound just had a facelift and Stereophile still has a really big woofer :-)
This is the sort of occasion when I pull out my habitual remark "I'm a time traveler from the 20th century [which also applies to everyone reading this, or at least nearly so]." I always know this - sometimes I really feel it.
It was a dark and stormy day when my mom threw out my stack of Stereo Reviews (and Playboys). I could never afford the high-end gear but I could buy records- and for your excellent guidance, I thank you, sir.
I've seen several good magazines go away in the last few years, shame. I suppose the youngsters are following the influencers, ugh.
The latest casualty is GUITAR PLAYER. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Player
If it wasn't for your reviews (and others) in SR I would have missed out on a lot of excellent music over those decades. Thanks!
I am a subscriber and that is news to me!
And I was there with you for ALL of it (and those issues will leave me when they pry them from my cold, dead hands). Thanks, Steve! I'm glad I found you several years ago on this here blog. I just received the last issue, too. It's a pretty bittersweet feeling. SR was a great magazine in its heyday; i.e, when you were gracing its pages.
Now, how's that volume of greatest hits coming along?
wth? i just waited for 5 months after paying in full to renew my subscription and just got first issue recently and now this!
can always read good old back issues of SR i guess as i never have discarded any. was better then anyways with the Simels report and great equipment reviews. death to lofi bluetooth!
rs
As I recall, every review gad a separate grade for the music and for the recording quality. Did you have anything to do with either grade?
I still have a copy of your Simels Report in Stereo Review titled "My Front Pages / Things I Like". Good stuff.
testing
Had a subscription 1970's - 1980's. When the mag arrived in the mail, I'd go straight to The Simels Report, then Best of the Month, then Popular Discs and Tapes for reviews. The stereo gear egghead shit could wait.
Generally, you were in the ballpark with your reviews and recommendations. It was usually in line with my tastes. You extolled the virtues of the artists that most of the rock critic community also enthused about. With some, like Marshall Chapman, receiving more attention than the rest of the pack gave her. And you did a good job of hipping people to Patti Smith.
VR
My first recollection of hearing about Patti Smith was from Sandy on a long-distance phone call in late 1974. She was in L.A. and I was doing a semester in Michigan. She told me that she met some guy who worked for CBS News in New York. He was a video editor. He was in L.A. for business and pleasure - Diggin' the nightlife and looking out for better job opportunities. They met at the Roxy where the Rocky Horror Show was on its long run. Sandy and I loved it. We went countless times. But that's another story.
After Rocky Horror, Sandy and the tape editor, Bill, went to the hotel where he was staying, the Sunset Tower. The guy was nervously hyperactive, neurotic and deeply cynical. He chain-smoked and spoke as if wired to the gills. He had some interesting life experiences, like going to the same school as Steven Talarico, but Sandy elected not to bed him. The vibe wasn’t sexual. At least for Sandy.
During their conversations, Bill told her about some clubs in New York. Specifically, Kenny’s Castaways, CBGB’s and Max’s. He also mentioned a lot of acts that Sandy never heard of before. Two of them were Patti Smith and Television.
VR
testing
technical difficulties. blogosphere is broken. i give up
VR
I still think about your review of the Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot out the Lights LP. I'm not going to say it changed my life, but it did introduce me to a whole new world of music. Also, it probably did change my life a bit.
Jim
testing
continued from VR above -
The next day Bill invited Sandy out to dinner. She said she could only do it if it was an early dinner. This was because she was going to a Bob Seger concert at the Starwood with her friend Gina later.
I subscribed to SR / S&V from mid-1972 until now, so I’m also quite nostalgic about seeing the print edition end. I certainly remember your 1970s SR writing - acts you turned me on to included Procol Harum, Mott the Hoople and Bruce Springsteen. Never understood your enthusiasm for Tonio K though!
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