The Album Club 2017
 

Let's give this one a serious try. I did this a few years back with prog rock and it was moderately successful, though it did fold in the end. I'd like to try to resurrect that, but for all genres.

So the idea is simple: every week we pick an album and everyone listens to it, then gives their feedback in whatever way they want - a few words, a full review, a discussion, whatever. In fairness, whosever turn it is to pick the album has to have that album accepted without question, and of course each member, having selected an album, can't choose again until all other members have done so.

That's the basics. If you think you wouldn't have time, keep in mind I am not asking for reviews, necessarily, just that you listen to the album within the given or agreed timeframe and give your thoughts (and they can be as brief or as long-winded as you like) on it.

So, who's in?
We're going into Round Eight very shortly. If you have had your album removed from consideration for this round, and wish to be eligible for the next round, then you need to up your game. Contribute, review and get the chance to select an album, or if you prefer, do whatever you like and remain as just a commenter. It's up to you.

Important note: by joining the club you are agreeing to abide by its rules. Please don't signup if you don't feel you can do this.

The Rules

The Greenlist
(Current for round eight)

Trollheart
Occulthawk
Frownland
Anteater
Psy-Fi
Neapolitan
Kiii
MicShazam


For those who either find it hard to articulate their thoughts, or just want an easy way out, here's a matrix I used to use in the PRAC, which generally worked quite well. You don't have to use it of course, but if you want to it's there. If anyone wants me to add questions just let me know; I think I covered most of the important aspects though.



And here's a more stripped-down version:



Albums discussed and rated so far. Note: I have not ranked these, as, as time went on, less and less people voted which tended to skew the ratings, so they're just shown in the order in which they were originally picked.





Note: the old mcl strikes again, so I had no room to show the index for round four. Not even enough to link it. So I've moved the indices for both round three and four here
Rounds three and four

Album Queue

ROUND 8
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Satellites.jpg
Kiii
Distant Satellites - Anathema
Start Date: August 13

Neapolitan
Details - Frou Frou
Start Date: August 20

Psy-Fi
Broken English - Marianne Faithful
Start Date: August 27

MicShazam
Darling of the Afterglow - :Lydia Ainsworth
Start Date: September 3

N

so in

I'm in too. Let's add World Music and Folk.

Is that N for No or IN without the I?
Will do.
I'll also add the traditional signup sheet.

i'm totally in for another round :)

I'm down.

Count me in!

Ninja.

Okay, all you guys are added. Occulthawk, I'm assuming you're in unless you advise otherwise, and have added you onto the list.

My intention is to do this on the basis of the signup sheet, so the first person to join gets the first choice (ie me) then the next and so on. Anyone can submit an album from today (at this point I think we have enough people interested to make this viable even if nobody else joins) and they'll be done in the order you signed up. I'd ask that we concentrate on one album at a time, otherwise chaos reigns. I know some of you love chaos, but it's hard to run something like this smoothly when chaos keeps kicking in the door and messing up all the albums.

So, then, rather than set a bunch of rules, let me ask you some basic questions:

What sort of a time period for listening do you guys prefer? Is a week fair? Or two? I don't want to make it too long a stretch between albums in case people lose interest or forget. I'm for a week myself, but will go with the majority.

Do you in general prefer a loose, freeform idea or the likes of the matrix we used in the PRAC (Prog Rock Album Club), which basically set out a questionnaire - what did you like about the album/favourite tracks/production etc - that you could fill out. A lot of people liked this, as it took much of the work of "reviewing", as it were, out of the process for them. But if everyone would prefer to do their own thing that's cool too.

Can everyone just make a commitment to agree to listen to every album chosen? I don't really want abstentions: if you really hate the album then just say you hated it, but listen to it please.

I'll keep a list of the albums to be done in the OP and tag them as they are done.

If anyone has any ideas/suggestions/questions/complaints, post away.
Oh, and it doesn't have to be a new album by any means. If you've heard it before, then it will be easier to give your thoughts on it. All albums obviously must be available to all, so if it's not on YouTube or Spotify or whatever please supply a link.

Yeah n as in I'm to cool to write "in"

y da fuk n0t

To answer your questions: 1 week to listen and comment, if youre late please dont answer to avoid mixing reviews. Format is nice to have for the short winded people like myself. Ill listen to everything except noise stuff that frown enjoys torturing us with. I also think there should be a length limit of an hour or so?

In my experience 1 week isn't enough. People get lazy, real life gets in the way, and then everyone is asking for extensions. 2 weeks seems like a long time but it's more realistic.

I'll let you vote on it then: who wants a week and who wants two?

I should also add some more stuff. So I will.
I've been thinking about the genre thing, and I wonder if it's fair to force people to pick certain genres? Like, if you're next up and you have to do a jazz album, and know nothing about jazz, is it fair to say you have to do that? I'm starting to think of relaxing that, letting people pick what they want and just trusting that we have a diverse enough group here that we won't all be listening to the latest Pitchfork playlist, which I know we won't. What do you think?

This will be a generally open club, so anyone can join any time, but if you decide to join in the middle of a listening cycle you may have to wait before you can join in. Certainly, if you come in in the middle of an actual review date, then you will have to wait. To clarify that: let's say we've got an album to listen to by, say, March 9. A new member arrives on March 2. That's still time (assuming they're up for it) to listen to the album and get in on the reviews. But joining March 7 would probably not be. Any new member, once added, can of course suggest an album for their turn, as can anyone else, but only one album per member per turn.

I'm thinking of making it policy not to allow member albums: how does everyone feel about that?

I'm down for one week, an optional form, and no member albums.

*makes a sock puppet account posing as Steve Wilson, Phil Collins, and Adele*

I'd prefer the two week deadline and no member albums!

Also add me to sign up sheet please

.

Okay, so far we have

One week listen time: 8 (counting me)
Two week listen time: 4

Please let me know if you're bothered. Anyone who doesn't vote I'm going to take your silence as assent and add you to the "one week" pile as that's my own preference. If you want two weeks, speak up.

one week yeah

I'll join in too!

Cool! I was hoping you would. I'll add ya now. :beer: Your thoughts on how long to listen to each album (one/two weeks)?

What is this bull****? Why?

Obviously, if people don't bother to ask for two weeks they're fine with one. Duh. So you either want two weeks, or you're happy with one, or don't care, which is the same thing. You want two weeks to be the norm, get people to vote for it, otherwise it's defaulting to one week.

Why would you assume they'd be cool with one? One person suggested it and you backed it. That's not an overwhelming consensus and so you shouldn't just assume people are agreeing with you just cause you're the OP.

One week. We don't want no scrubs. :dj:

I miss the old prog rock album club, I want in!

Suggestion: no whiny bitches.

So should I just close the thread then?

Batty, IDGAF. If people want two weeks and that's the consensus fine, but if not enough people speak up I have to assume they're happy with the status quo and will leave it at one week. So far, there are only two of you looking for two weeks, so again I ask, who is with these guys? It makes no difference to me; I'm not fighting for a one week thing (though I personally prefer it) but if nobody says anything to the contrary I have to assume the majority are ok with what I suggested. If I'd had a flood of Hell no!s then sure, we'd go for two weeks. That has not happened, suggesting that one week is fine with most everyone.

Am I wrong guys? Tell me cos otherwise I have to assume I'm right and we go with the one week thing.

My vote is for two weeks and please make sure I understand what album I'm supposed to review. And if it's my turn to make a choice let me know. I never understand how these things work.

Two weeks is cool, yeah.

But it's not a status quo, you barmy Mick! You just decided you like one week and declared it to be cannon.

Why even give the option for two weeks if you are just taking silence to mean one week and hijack votes. Lol

That's the type of **** that a little kid would do when making up rules to a game just so he can win.

Way to start drama before we even get going, Batty. Jesus ****ing Christ on toast! :rolleyes:

Right: let's make this simple. The proposal is to have ONE week to listen to the album. That's the proposal. I'm the creator the thread and this is what I think. This is, however, not a dictatorship, but someone has to make the rules up, and that's me. So I propose one week.

IF YOU DISAGREE THEN POST AND SAY SO. As I said, before, silence will be taken as assent to the original proposal. I can't read minds, so if you don't say you don't agree then I have to assume you agree.

Currently, we have a 4-3 in favour of two weeks, but this only covers 7 of the 13 people we have here, so what do the other six of you think? If I take your silence as assent then we have 4-9 in favour of one week. If you don't want me to do that, then you have to speak up and vote. Not voting means you have no problem with the proposal, ie one week.

The deadline for voting is midnight Irish time Sunday coming. At that point the decision will be made and there will be no changing it.

****ing hell! I bet Trump hasn't got this much trouble getting his poxy decisions through!

So, 4-3 at the moment in favour of two weeks. What say you who have not yet spoken?

Should have just said one week and left it at that. :rolleyes:

Occulthawk, I'm not going to be holding anyone's hand, ffs! We're all adults. Your name will appear in the OP along with your album when it's your turn, and if you're following and participating in the thread you'll know. What do you want, a PM? Come on man: it's not rocket science. Your turn will come as per the signup sheet, in other words, you'll always (unless something unexpected happens) be after my turn, but the signup sheet will be highlighted in green to show whose turn it is.

Maybe you should just count people's votes based off of how they voted, fascist.

nah one week, **** those two weekers.

You can add me to the list. I vote 1 week for the deadline. Based on past experience with an album club here, having a longer deadline won't increase participation. You'll get just as many people making excuses for missing a deadline with 2 weeks as you will with 1. The longer deadline just drags the next album pick out longer than necessary.

And I would also suggest adding a rule that any member who doesn't meet a deadline and participate in a round, has to forfeit their next album pick by having their name moved to the bottom of the list.