On April 9th it will be five years since rock nyc started posting and perhaps it is time I explained all the grade I had out at the drop of a song.
I kept a diary for around ten years at the turn of the century and I graded every single day and charted my moods and grading songs and albums (I once graded deaths but decided against continuing with that particular idea) and maybe it is a guy thing, like “Gregory’s Girl” said, the way guys are obsessed with numbers, and not just numbers but lists and not just lists but lists in a certain order.
So I decided I’d grade music (also, not Entertainment Weekly, but Christgau’s Consumer Guide” was another influence). But what’s the point of grading everything that moves if there is no intrinsic meaning behind the grades? So essentially a “B” and up is positive and a “B-” and down is negative and to get specific here is the best I can do…
A+ – A masterpiece
A – One of the best in any given year
A- Something isn’t quite right but it is close
B+ – A really good attempt that wins out in the end.
B – Good for what it is though not for everyone
B- Fans will like it and it has its moments
C+ – Fans will like it and maybe some of it is passable
C – This ain’t happening though at least they’re trying
C- This ain’t happening and they aren’t trying
D+ – A terrible piece of work
D – An absolute disaster
D- Should never be released
F – A masterpiece.
See you in five years.