As much as I claim to be indifferent to what other people think, I have to admit that criticism gets under my skin waaaay more than it should. I'm troubled when someone doesn't like my work. This is in spite of the understanding that if one offers something for public consumption, the risk of slings and arrows comes with the territory, and one needs to accept that as part of the deal. Suck it up, One!
Nonetheless, I've been beyond bummed by a two-star Amazon review left by a reader dissatisfied with my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). It might be an easier shade to dismiss if it were just a crank complaint, but the reviewer seems intelligent, and he finds the book lacking. Under the header "Not the greatest music book ever written," our critic writes:
"I was excited to receive this book and anxious to dig in. But it turned out to be more of an autobiography of the author, who I’m frankly not that interested in. His slavish love of the Beatles and some obscure band called the Flashcubes permeated too much of the text, and I actually held my breath through each song listing and wondered if this guy was gong to mention one or the other. Also having many mostly blank pages with one or two sentences spilling over was a real turnoff. This book would have benefited from having a good editor to keep things in check."
It's fair criticism. I'm proud of the book (which turned out exactly as I envisioned it), but I recognize it's not necessarily everyone's cuppa. My awareness of this different-strokes-for-different-folks POV has not prevented the review from getting me down. I'm sure I'll get over it.
Two stars. Ouch.
Now: If YOU happen to have read The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), and especially if you enjoyed the book to some degree or another, please consider leaving a rating and/or review of the book on Amazon (or at other outlets, as well). It doesn't matter whether or not you bought the book through Amazon; for example, I know our disgruntled reviewer bought his copy directly from me (which, for some reason, makes me feel worse). I'm not begging for five-star reviews, and I don't want anyone to claim they liked something that actually left them cold. A friend gave me a glowing five-star review, and I appreciate it. Hell, I even appreciate Mr. Two-Star's honesty, even if it does sting. Here's Dave Murray's five-star statement:
"The Greatest Record Ever Made (Volume One), by music writer Carl Cafarelli, starts with the supposition that there can be an infinite number of Greatest Records Ever Made. They just have to take turns.
"Cafarelli pens 145 essays on songs that qualify, in his mind anyway, as songs he just can’t live without, songs that exist in a rarified air of perfection. Some of his choices are obvious—-'Revolution' by the Beatles; 'Heartbreak Hotel' by Elvis, and Aretha Franklin’s 'Respect.' Others are obscure or even almost literally unknown. Regardless of their actual position in the pop pantheon, Cafarelli gives each song a loving, literate and often loquacious treatment. His passion for this project oozes off the page.
"You are sure to agree wholeheartedly with some of these songs, scratch your head about others, and maybe gnash your teeth at still others. But Cafarelli defends his choices so strongly he is bound to change your mind about at least a couple of songs.
"If you’re a music lover, or you know someone who eats, sleeps and breathes music the way Cafarelli does, you oughtta get this book."
The five and the two average out to 3.4 stars. Still: More reviews and rankings would be most welcome. I'm hoping for a greater number of stars, but I'll take the stars I can get.
Especially if I can get more than two.
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My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; you can see details here. My 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is also still available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.
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