Music writing that has increased your enjoyment of music.

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There's much talk on ILM of the necessity of music writing to music.

I'd like you to tell us about some writing about music that has actually made music more enjoyable after you've read it.

(Writing that has encouraged you to buy or hear particular music for the first time doesn't count, because you haven't had a time listening to the music before reading about it.)

― mei (mei), Saturday, 14 June 2003 07:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't think of any examples myself, which is one of the reasons for this thread.

However, I think films often benefit from explanation and discussion after the fact. I watched American Psycho for the first time a few days ago and subsequently read this piece:

http://www.cinephiles.net/American_Psycho/Cinephiles-Gate.html

which, by explaining some things that _might_ have happened in the film, certainly increased my appreciation and enjoyment of the movie.

― mei (mei), Saturday, 14 June 2003 08:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Very little music writing actually increases my enjoyment of the album, which is a shame. It can be done, I know it can. Music critics need to put down their tattered copies of "Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung" and pick up something by Pauline Kael.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 14 June 2003 08:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't think of a time that has occurred, though it's happened many times in film. I've read music writing that shed light on the creative process, and I find that fairly interesting, and of course critical pieces are of merit in some cases. But the former has nothing to do with the music itself, and the latter has never had an influence on me. Maybe I'm just stubborn? Or maybe the written word cannot possibly compete with the visceral impact of a piece of music?

― ham on rye (ham on rye), Saturday, 14 June 2003 09:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I should rephrase that....the creative process of course has something to do with the music, but I don't find that knowing about the process itself increases my enjoyment of the music.

― ham on rye (ham on rye), Saturday, 14 June 2003 09:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Definitely Invisible Republic made listening to The Basement Tapes more fun.

― Mark (MarkR), Saturday, 14 June 2003 11:54 (twenty-two years ago)

While I think Kenan's right to mention Kael, the review of Fun House in Psychotic Reactions certainly adds another layer of yee-ha to that album.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 14 June 2003 12:01 (twenty-two years ago)

>Music critics need to put down their tattered copies of "Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung" and pick up something by Pauline Kael.

I can't think of a single movie improved by a review in the New Yorker, but my enjoyment of rock was severely enhanced by Creem circa 1972-76.

― Chris Clark (Chris Clark), Saturday, 14 June 2003 12:06 (twenty-two years ago)

All of it.

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 14 June 2003 12:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Can you be a bit more specific please. How? Why?

― mei (mei), Saturday, 14 June 2003 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

i dont' write music and sure the fuck don't want to start.

the fag-

― faggotry, Saturday, 14 June 2003 12:28 (twenty-two years ago)

the music industry needs more people like you

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Saturday, 14 June 2003 12:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Mike Ovitz would disagree.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 14 June 2003 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)

i recommend "this is uncool" worth it for some of the singles covers scanned in. also the virgin encyclopaedia of punk / new wave or whatever it's called. essential toilet reading. you get the odd pub quiz trivia gem in there such as the foo foghters drummer being a member of alanis morisette's tour band.

― frenchbloke (frenchbloke), Saturday, 14 June 2003 12:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Are we talking published writing, or say, internet writing on music? As examples of both have very much inspired me... of course, Robin Carmody's "Elidor" (though it's hardly exclusively a musical remit) and Marcello Carlin's "Church of Me"; these really have inspired me to investigate many records. These writers are passionate and not afraid to be go completely against music-writing convention in their frames of reference and opinions.
Also, Freaky Trigger has often been very useful and enjoyable reading; Penman's blog is very curious and fascinating also...
In terms of published books, less in recent years have grabbed me, but then i don't tend to buy many books on music. I do wish there was a musical equivalent tome to David Thomson's magnificent "New Autobiographical Dictionary of Film"... he is possibly my favourite critical writer on the arts. Things like the 'Church of Me' really appeal as they are more in Thomson's style of writing; i.e. beatuifully crafted use of words and an idiosyncratic & personal take on things.

― Tom May (Tom May), Saturday, 14 June 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

music writing has inspired me to buy some records, but it has never really changed how much i enjoy a record

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Saturday, 14 June 2003 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

My own writing increases my own enjoyment of music

― Jerry (Jerry), Saturday, 14 June 2003 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

a lot of writing but esp. keith cameron, steven wells in the NME, ben watson's, philip clark, david keenan, biba kopf and edwin pouncey in the wire and some of sinker's/penman's stuff in there too (though when i started reading both were minor contributors). post-ILM many of you, from one liners to 'full-blown' posts.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 14 June 2003 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

The liner notes to "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" by Mingus has an essay he wrote after being released from Bellevue that is the most ferocious dismissal of critics. The first time I heard the album I thought it was great, maybe even masterpiece; but once I read the essay, it was confirmed.

― Rem Lezar, Saturday, 14 June 2003 20:14 (twenty-two years ago)

What Jerry said. Only sometimes inverted.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 14 June 2003 21:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Invisible Republic didn't lesson my love for the Basement Tapes, but it certainly made me swear off Greil Marcus for life.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Sunday, 15 June 2003 00:52 (twenty-two years ago)

It's an oral history rather than criticism, and as such I don't know whether it meets the criteria for "music writing," but Please Kill Me definitely sent me scurrying back to my Television and Richard Hell albums (as well as inspiring plenty of other purchases).

― Sean Thomas (sgthomas), Sunday, 15 June 2003 01:24 (twenty-two years ago)

100 Reasons Why "Ignition - Remix" Is So Damned Great

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Sunday, 15 June 2003 04:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Ian Penman made an offhand comment about Sly Stone's Riot in his Tricky review that I found intriguing enough to make me go back to the album, which I hadn't initially liked. It's now one of my favorites. I'm still not completely sure what Penman's comment meant - IIRC he referred to its "skewed polyvalence" - but for some reason it made the album click for me.

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 15 June 2003 04:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Are we talking published writing, or say, internet writing on music?
Anything at all.

I don't think any of the examples so far are where writing has ctually made music you listen to anyway more enjoyable.

Mark's, Jerry's, Cozen's, Nick's, Rem's and Julio's answers might fit the bill, but you didn't explain how.

Can anyone explian how some writing has made music more enjoyable?

― mei (mei), Monday, 16 June 2003 08:40 (twenty-two years ago)

This happens to me all the time. I'd be worried if it didn't. Usually it's when someone points out something in the song I hadn't noticed, or suggests an angle to take which makes me go back and listen to the song again and enjoy it more. One that springs to mind is Simon Reynolds' talking about "Trilogy" from Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation in his Blissed Out book - his singling out of the Lee Ranaldo verse and evocation of that verse as a) an especially dramatic part of the track and b) a compressed worldview/mentality in and of itself really made the track and that part of the track stand out for me.

The R Kelly thread is a great example - it's full of people enthusing about a song, which is good, but they're also pointing out stuff to look out for in it, which might make you go 'oh yes!' next time you hear it.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Monday, 16 June 2003 09:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I've got Daydream Nation so I'm going to have to find a copy of that Blissed Out book. I think I've seen it in the library.

Thanks for the pointer to the R Kelly thread, I've got to hear the song now.

― mei (mei), Monday, 16 June 2003 10:14 (twenty-two years ago)

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