EVERYBODY'S TALKING

Just to toot my own horn, here's what some other web reviewers are saying about my site. (This may also be a good way for you to judge whether you think you'll enjoy visiting them.)

Reviews of Classic Rock and Pop Albums
"Thoroughly unpretentious and pretty informative."

Sam Ulward's Reviews
"An enjoyable and pleasant site, not too big and not too pretentious, allowing you to post comments. The site's glory days are still to come, be sure to visit it. An interesting note is that this is probably the only father-and-son reviewing site on the Web."

Cole Reviews
"Run by the finest pop songwriter in Ypsilanti, MI, Steve Knowlton pulls no punches in his reviews, and is one of the few reviewers that actually talks about the music theory behind the songs!"

The Disclaimer Music Review Archive
"A relatively small site, but nevertheless an enjoyable one. To amuse himself while getting up in the middle of the night to feed his baby Abe, Steve Knowlton listens to albums from his collection and reviews them. Most of the reviews are from the classic rock era, and the few reviews of bands from our modern times are often incomplete (as of this writing, R.E.M. and Radiohead's pages contained only one review each), but that's made up for by Steve's clever writing and some witty idiosyncrasies strewn about the site. Steve's list of music that irritates him is good for a laugh, and the fact that most reviews are accompanied by a meaningless rating of how much Abe squirmed while the album was on ("One is sucking calmly, five is spitting up") is worth the price of admission."

Music Junkies Anonymous
"I disagree with the opinions on this site more than any other (often to the point of annoyance), but the attractive feature here is how incredibly creative and entertaining the writing ability of Steve Knowlton is - nearly every review he writes offers some interesting and humorous feature, and the lists and other sections of his site are often great. Go visit it."

Rock is Dead - Long Live Rock
"Steve Knowlton knows a ton of interesting ways to review albums. He reviews the Beatles based on Ringo's drumming and a Bob Dylan album he gives a 0 from a positive perspective. He's tough on his subjects, using his full scale of ratings but his writing is so breezy and exciting that it doesn't really matter. The site has lots of little interesting bits, like the Music That Makes My Day and Music That Irritates Me sections, and Steve is one of the nicest guys around. A must not miss."

Mark's Record Reviews
"Easily one of the most relentlessly original reviewing sites on the personal music reviewing map, Steve, besides being the only review site maintainer thus far to give equal credit to his infant son (Abe), always manages to review each album in a unique and interesting fashion, such as giving a 0 to Bob Dylan's Self Portrait while trying to portray it in a positive manner ("Sometimes it sounds like he's making up the songs as he's playing them!") or reviewing the Beatles' catalogue based only on the quality of Ringo's drumming on each individual album. His opinions are a bit relentlessly negative, but that doesn't really seem to be the point anyway."

Adrian's Album Reviews
"The only father and son reviewing team on the web! Some extremely controversial opinions expressed on the site, if you are the kind of person who thinks giving Time Out Of Mind by Bob Dylan a '4' is controversial. What the hell? I mean, I gave it a '9'! His Beatles page is a sheer delight, and his taking of the 0-10 rating scale quite so literally a source of some consternation, but it's easy to get used to."

CosmicBen's Record Reviews
"I hate to say it, but I am envious of Steve Knowlton's talent. This is the best new site I've come across for a long time; if it lacks the size and verve of the biggest sites, it posesses a conversational tone and sharp analytical quality that frequently surpasses the big sites in terms of sheer reviewing quality. Basically, I wish my writing was as breezy and readable as Steve's, and that my critical skills were as well honed. Plus, he reviews the entire Beatles catalogue in terms of Ringo's drumming. How the hell cool is that? Run, don't walk, and certainly don't skip, over to Steve's site. (Abe is his baby son, who gives each album a "squirm factor", which is really cute)."

Obscurity: The Mixed-Up Files of Mr. J. Hendrix
"The only worthy father and son music reviewing team around (yes, that's insulting the Erlewines of AMG). We both have quotes from Pete Townshend on the main page and dislike BTO. The comparisons probably stop there, although sometimes I also squirm while listening to music. Like everyone else he tends to have a wider repertoire of reviews (just wait until I dig out my Police and U2 someday), with a good helping of pop and unsnobby material (Corey Hart and Motley Crue among others). For the health of all potential victims, Steve has also dispatched a review of Europe, preventing (hopefully) anyone else from being scarred by cheesy synthesized horns."

The Fyfeopedia
"Steve provides a wholesome counterpoint to Mark Prindle. I like his opinion of John Lennon's 'Imagine': "How's this for a utopian vision: you give up your religion, citizenship, and assets, in return for "living as one" with The People. Sounds great, Comrade! Where do I sign up?" Or on militant atheists: "I don't believe in negative numbers, but I'm not going around bashing mathematicians." Steve reviews albums too."

Scott's Rock and Soul Album Reviews
"For those of you who think I’m too positive (perish the thought!), Steve Knowlton is your man. Though he trashes many of the albums he reviews, the choices of which often leave me scratching my head (Andrews Sisters, Corey Hart, Quarterflash, Lene Lovich, Vanilla Fudge, Dave Clark Five, Gilby Clarke, Gary U.S. Bonds, Gloria Estefan, Europe, and The Fifth Dimension, for starters), Steve’s writing is always top notch. Original, too (for example, he reviews each Beatles album based on Ringo’s drumming), not to mention insightful (as a musician in his own right he’s one of the few Web reviewers who can intelligently write about the theory and technique that goes into making good music). Reading his reviews of The Band left me feeling humbled - when he’s on he's that good. His infant son Abe also contributes noises and squirms, which is a cute little gimmick."

Capn Marvel's Rock Record Review Bonanza
"Steve and Abe's Album Reviews by Steve Knowlton and his young 'un Abe was the first site to feature an infant reviewer, so I had to go out and get one myself. Now Steve has strong opinions and often dislikes a lot of stuff (one frequently wonders what exactly he does like) but can pull a zinger once in awhile. Abe gurgles and adds color commentary. Some odd reviewing choices (Corey Hart?), which may interest you, and very incomplete discographies, but still worth a visit or three."

Alternative Rock Review
"This dude's clearly a talented writer with honest and at times stark opinions."

DMOZ Open Directory Project
"Quirky and informed reviews (focusing on classic rock and pop) by Steve Knowlton and his infant son, Abe."

Guy's Music Review Site and other nonsense
"With probably one of the most relentlessly original sites out there, Steve (great writing) and Abe (additional toddler’s squirms), are about to crack you up. The site offers often disturbing, but steadily thought-provoking reviews of well-known and some plain weird artists (the Andrews Sisters, George Michael, Paul Young!), harsh ratings (the Stones’ Beggars Banquet gets a “3”, Dylan’s Time Out of Mind a “4”), and funny extras “Music That Irritates Me,” “What I’ve Really Been Listening to Lately” and “Silly Lists.”

Complaints, criticisms, or bribery reviews: Contact me!
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