Rolling Stone is widely considered to be the authority on music, with its Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll, top 500 lists (artists, albums, LP covers), and album guides. But I beg to differ. The fourth edition of Rolling Stone’s Album Guide (“10,000 of the best rock, pop, hip-hop and soul records”) is rife with lazy mistakes. Along with numerous grammar and usage inconsistencies, I found these monstrous errors:
Isobel Campbell doesn’t sing Belle and Sebastian’s “Waiting for the Moon to Rise”; Sarah Martin does.
Black Box Records should be Black Box Recorder.
Madonna’s “Beautiful Stranger” isn’t a “giddy Bond soundtrack hit”; it’s from the second “Austin Powers” movie. (Her “Die Another Day” is from the Bond movie of the same name.)
“Nature’s Way” isn’t a “Rare Earth nugget”; it’s by Spirit.
Metallica is omitted. This seems strange because the band is undeniably successful and boasts a vast album repertoire. I find it odd that Megadeth and Slayer merit entries and Metallica doesn’t.
Rolling Stone might be getting so secure with its elite status that the editors are getting lazy. And why not? It’s not like anyone’s going to question the almighty Rolling Stone. But I’m taking a stand against such rock-n-roll sloth: I propose that Rolling Stone HIRE ME AS A COPY EDITOR AND FACT-CHECKER. I’ll work cheap; I just ask to be credited on the editors’ page and be extensively thanked in the acknowledgements section for restoring its good name.