Talk:King of America

King of America has been listed as one of the Music good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Review: August 11, 2023. (Reviewed version).

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McManus/Costello's self-deprecating name "Little Hands of Concrete" appears to be a comparison reference to the remarkable gypsy flamenco guitarist Manitas de Plata ("Little Hands of Silver"); see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitas_de_Plata

Fair use rationale for Image:Elvis Costello-King of America (album cover).jpg[edit]

Image:Elvis Costello-King of America (album cover).jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 04:47, 3 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Coward Brothers[edit]

The attribution of first names (Henry and Howard) to the "Brothers" was different in the section 'Release history' from that in the section 'Track listing'. I decided to remove it from 'Release history' until some verification can be obtained—that way, the article might be mistaken but at least it doesn't contradict itself. Harfarhs (talk) 01:10, 11 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]

GA Review[edit]

Passed. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:41, 11 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

This review is transcluded from Talk:King of America/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: BennyOnTheLoose (talk · contribs) 22:16, 10 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)
It is reasonably well written. a (prose, spelling, and grammar): b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists): It is factually accurate and verifiable. a (references): b (citations to reliable sources): c (OR): d (copyvio and plagiarism): It is broad in its coverage. a (major aspects): b (focused): It follows the neutral point of view policy. Fair representation without bias: It is stable. No edit wars, etc.: It is illustrated by images, where possible and appropriate. a (images are tagged and non-free images have fair use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):
Overall: Pass/Fail:
· · ·

Copyvio check

I reviewed the top few matches found using Earwig's Copyvio detector - all sources of 15.3% or more. No concerns. Matches are attributed quotes, titles, or phrases acceptable per WP:LIMITED.
No issues around close paraphrasing from the offline sources I reviewed.

Images

No licence issues. FUR provided for the album cover. Image of Burnett is relevant. Caption and positioning are fine, and ALT text is provided.

Background and development

Spot check on so the music itself would "shine through...unadorned" - source has "allowing the tenderness in his music to shine through relatively unadorned"; any reason not to use the "relatively"?

Re-added

Spot check on he stripped the songs of the "musical kinks" and made the words clearer: "I started thinking more about the songs and much less about the records. It became clear to me that I had to write very, very simple songs. - no issues

Recording

Spot check on Over half of the final album's songs were completed in three days - not quite, per the sources used. Thomson has "Almost half the album was recorded in the first three days;" Hinton has "they cut half the album in three days".

My bad. Changed to 'About half' as a good in-between

Music and lyrics

Should "Americana" be capitalised? It is at Americana (music).

Done

Compared to the studio-driven production of Costello's previous albums,[25][32] King of America features a mostly acoustic sound... - isn't it something like "In contrast to..."?

Fixed

O'Riordan received a co-writing credit on "Lovable" - almost sounds like the credit wasn't deserved. Maybe just use ""co-wrote"?

Done

is a slower piece - slower than what? Maybe just "slow"?

Done

"suffer from self-delusion". - if this is a direct quote, attribut it to Perone.

Done

Some commentators interested its inclusion as a possible restatement of the shedding of the Elvis Costello persona - is it "interpreted" rather than "interested"?

Yep, fixed

Featuring Jo-El Sonnier on accordion, Perone describes the song as an "easy-going country-Cajun hybrid ballad" - not sure that stating this with "Featuring Jo-El Sonnier on accordion," quite works.

Fixed

Packaging

Spot check on s "sardonic and knowing" - no issues
a crowd speckled with rhinestones - typo!

Fixed

Commentators at the time found his look both "ridiculous" and "serious", both of which capture the spirit of the material itself - sounds like individual commentators found it both ridiculous and serious; is that the meaning intended?

Yep, slightly reworded

destroys the premonitions set by Costello's previous cover arts - "preconception" and "art"/"earlier album covers"?

Fixed

Spot check on The latter nickname was given to Costello by his former producer Nick Lowe due to his tendency to frequently break guitar strings - no issues

Release

Spot check on The label reportedly refused to release the album without including the Costello name - OK

Critical reception

his best album since Trust (1981) and Imperial Bedroom (1982). - doesn't quite read right given that they were released in different years, and the following sentence talks about an even earlier album.

Shortened to "best album in several years"

As there is only the one subheading in this section, maybe rename the section and lose the subheading?

That's a holdover from expansion before I added the legacy heading, my bad.

Spot check on "still this blighted isle's finest songwriter, a force who, at his best, is simply beyond peer". - source has "still this blighted isle's finest songwriter, a force, who at his best, is simply beyond peer" (i.e. a comma is in a different place)

Fixed

Legacy

You could wikilink to Brill Building (genre)

Was not aware that was an actual genre; that let's us ditch the quotes around it!

Spot check on criticisms of Costello during this time, ... all rooted in King of America, - reads like the criticisms are rooted in King of America. Might need to be expanded a bit, something like "could all be dated back to King of America"? (I expect you can come up with a better wording.)

how about "originated on"?

You could wikilink Spin (magazine) at the first instance.

Added

Reissues

Spot check on Sheffield called the reissue superior to the original album - OK, given his comments that three named tracks "didn't make the cut, but they should have" for the original.

Track listing / Personnel / Charts / Notes

Personnel - is the small text appropriate where used? (It may be, I haven't checked guidance or precedents.)

Fixed

Best to re-use the Melody Maker ref for note c

Fixed

Sources

As a general comment, not related directly to this nomination, you might be interested in getting hold of Griffiths, Dai (2008) Elvis Costello.
Sources all look good.

Infobox and lead

Both look good.

Great work, zmbro. I've been waiting for this to appear at GA! Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 14:38, 11 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

BennyOnTheLoose All set. Thanks for the kind words and picking this up so quickly! :-) – zmbro _{(talk) (cont)} 17:30, 11 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I'm passing the article for GA as I'm satisfied that it meets the criteria. Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:40, 11 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.