Track by Tracks a help or a stumbling block?

[mx]

Most of the new reviewers submit track by track reviews to Sputnik. I assume this is due to the large number of track-by-tracks within the site, as well as the recommendations within the guidelines.

What I'm asking is if such a style is helpful to new reviewers, or whether it is actually hurting their writing. Most of the track by tracks submitted are pretty bad, by first time users, and roughly 50% of them are deleted. If the encouragement to write track by tracks was removed for new reviewers, would this help them submit better reviews? Or is it a natural progression from a track by track mentality to the more 'professional' review?

[pulseczar]

I started out with track by tracks, but at some point I felt they weren't real reviews and attempted overalls, and eventually stopped completely. I think they're a stumbling block for talented writers, because they're wasting their time with a stepping stone. Others, it can help, they might eventually change, especially considering nearly every high-ranking user has abandoned the format. For a lot of people, I think it's as far as they go, because they're either crap writers or just don't care.

[Storm In A Teacup]

I started out writing a track by track without even registering in my mind it could be done differently. I just wrote it that way because I wasn't really aware there was a better way. People just need to learn, and then they should be encouraged to go back, and rewrite their less helpful reviews, sort of like what I'm in the middle of doing.

[Jom]

I wouldn't have thought they were a stumbling block, no. I'm sure some people could do a more complex review straight-off, but for most (me, definitely) a track by track [is] the most logical, and easiest, option. Later on as you build a bit of confidence you start to experiment.

What he said.

[Killtacular]

When I wrote my first review, I intended for it to be an overall type review. I just sort of kept rambling as I wrote it, though, and it ended up being a track by track. I got positive feedback, so I kept doing them like that, until finally, some brave soul (can't remember who, I should find out) told me how crap my Blackwater Park review really was. Then I gave up for a while, until I finally got inspiration to write an overall, and that's what I've done ever since.

I think track by tracks are a necessary evil.

[Damrod]

I despise them, but I guess that (how it was stated it) it seems to be the place to start for most people.

I think it does not make that big of a difference though where a reviewer starts. An overall can suck as hard as a t-b-t, lacking the same amount of detail. And I guess that once a reviewer crosses tracks, the first overall-style reviews he/she does are not quite as good as they could be.

I personally would love to see them gone, to be honest

[Ganondorf]

Perhaps only allowing one track by track review for each album, seeing as they tend to be a bit samey?

[Killtacular]

We're Sputnik, not Nazis.

[TojesDolan]

They usually are very, very informal and not very deep and well-thought sure, but it will be the same thing as if you encourage to make paragraphs: There will be tons of reviews with two paragraphs only saying "*insert band* is awesum! and the song this is crap and that other one is good".

It's a natural process, the error factor will remain. You only learn how to improve by doing it over and over again. Although a note should be sent to those who fail for them to see their mistake.

And not everyone studies journalism so yep.

[Zebra]

I started off with writing track by track reviews, and while I don't really enjoy reading them unless I have the album I don't think that they are very helpful. That being said they are easy options for new reviewers and that's why I try not to discourage them.

[DFelon204409]

Fatty stumbling block. Track by tracks are worthless unless you use them as examples for things the band does well in general. Too many people just say what happens ineffectively and pretend that's enough.

[NEDM]

As I said before in another thread, the amount of new reviewers is bothering me. I did fail to mention before that the only reason it's annoying is because all the reviews from those people are infact t-b-t reviews.

[Thor]

My first reviews were track by tracks but then I quickly realized after a few that for the most part they aren't a good way to talk about the album.

[pulseczar]

As I said before in another thread, the amount of new reviewers is bothering me. I did fail to mention before that the only reason it's annoying is because all the reviews from those people are infact t-b-t reviews.

So what? Have you seen nearly everyone's first reviews? Yours were especially bad. Now we just have more people starting out, pretty much no one starts out with necessarily good reviews.

[XxcheetoxX]

Hell, as long its helpful, I don't mind at all.

[morrissey]

In my opinion they aren't a stumbling block. They are much easier to pump out and as such, it is easier to get a new person to join the reviewing fray by submitting a tbt rather than an overall. From there, they will inevitably improve. I'm pretty sure almost all of us started off with track-by-tracks, or some variation thereof, and now almost all of us have moved on. Still, I'm starting to dislike the assumption that tbt=bad. It is just another style. A good writer can pull off a good track-by-track, simple as.

[YDload]

I have done mostly track-by-tracks, with paragraphs for the introduction and conclusion. I feel it's good to talk about the album as a whole, and then discuss each track so people who only know an album from a single song will understand it in that context.

However, when there are albums that only work as a whole and not by separate songs (concept albums mainly), I feel a whole review is the only choice.

Anyway, I still see people who claim they don't like t-b-t reviews submitting them disguised as complete reviews, just because they don't number the tracks but discuss each one in a separate paragraph. It's just a natural way of segmenting a review and I think it's contradictory for them to blast the reviews.

[DesolationRow]

I don't find them to be troublesome at all. For one, i wrote them to get started, and it's very easy to see why people write them as a first effort as their contribution to the site. They are very easy to write, and explain the individuality of the tracks (hopefully, well). Anything for people to get started on is okay, in my opinion.

[Kif]

I started out with track-by-track reviews, but gradually as my knowledge of the English language got better I broke into paragraphed reviews. I think it's just a general step. TBT reviews are easier to write, but everyone has to start somewhere.