Reviews (5)

Christian Rolling Stone
This magazine, on all counts, is nothing more than a Christian version of Rolling Stone. It does not have the insane conservative slant of other Christian magazines. It seems to be geared towards talking about up-and coming bands, and makes no shame in promoting Christian and non-Christian celebrities, even those like Jaci Velasquez and Bono, who have, on and off again made some rather interesting decisions regarding thier talent. Aimed at an audience of mainly Christian college students and twenty-somethings, this magazine is rather interesting. It features musical instrument reviews, controversial stories, and was among the first to mention Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ." But like newer issues of Rolling Stone, CCM is lacking at times, and seems to have forgotten its roots. I gave it four stars because, at times, there is a lack of attention given to research. The magazine promoted the movie "Johnny Lingo" having paid absolutely no attention to the fact that Johnny Lingo is a character promoted by the Mormons, and the original Johnny Lingo movie exists is just about every Mormon church on the planet. A rather confusing thing to explain to my LDS roommates, who might see this as justification that born-again Christians and Mormons are one and the same. Hence the reason why this magazine sits under my bed, where my roommates cannnot find it easily. Overall, this magazine is good. But like much of my college essays, it is not "A" work. It falls more in a category of "B" work, and often clashes with other Christian magazines, including the full line offered by Focus on the Family and the famous Beautiful Girl magazine. Read this with a grain of salt, but be happy that they do report on Christians that are not just the typical Rebecca St. James/Newsboys lot. I was especially impressed with the article on Tom Shadyac, and read a book he recommended. I also liked thier reviews of Robin Jones Gunn's Sisterchicks series; in fact CCM was what got me to read the first book in the series. The Christian college reviews were especially nice, and so were the reviews of musical instruments. I also liked how this magazine promotes concerts and reminds readers of CD releases. A nice must. Again, be cautious of the research done with this magazine, read everything with a little salt, and lastly, keep in mind who this magazine's audience is. My parents were not impressed by it at all, save for the articles on Petra and Stryper. I do applaud the fact that CCM is not conservative. Being more of a middle ground on the political spectrum, I liked that. Often I get frustrated with the conservative slant of most Christian magazines. CCM is for the college student and twenty-something. It is the kind of magazine that makes the rounds among the people in my Bible Study group at college and with the College & Career Group at home. It is meant mostly for young people, although not really for high schoolers. That is who I recommend it for. It often covers controversial material and celebrities and college issues. The older set probably will not like this magazine, and the younger set would not see much relevance in it. Approach it with caution, and enjoy it if you are a student, twenty-something or young parent.

Candace Leutzinger

CCM NOT for US
We bought this magazine for our pre-teen boys. In the very first issue we were disappointed by an interview with Jacki Valasquez sprinkled with sexual content, material attitudes and a real pride when it comes to recieving any criticism from those in Christ who might find her lifestyle questionable. We found articles, throughout the magazine, just as disappointing. If we wanted our boys to focus on how much of a woman's body is being revealed in her clothing, (which Jacki also discussed in her interview) we'd simply subscribe to any magazine off the impulse aisle.

Long story short...we cancelled and don't regret it.

CCM leaves off where other Mags pick up
Ok, I had a subscription to CCM, and it was alright. But when they removed the concert information, that was a big drop to me. For those who don't know what this means, CCM used to put information about pretty much all Christian bands touring, and where they were going in the next month. It was awesome! I found out about so many concerts that way.
As for the rest of the magazine, a lot has already been covered. The reviews are not reviews. I've never read a bad one. The interviews are pretty good. They do get in depth there. That's about it though.
However, my biggest beef with CCM has to be the fact that they are a small handfull of the Christian music industry. I remember reading it during the rise of P.O.D. wondering, why aren't they covering them? They're going platinum, and CCM is still doing the latest Amy Grant interview!
If you're into any modern Christian rock/alternative, this magazine is not for you. Try HM.
While this magazine is good for band information, I long for the days of 7ball Magazine. Honest reviews as well as a CD with 18+ new songs from bands all across the market.
Oh well. You can't win 'em all.

Good interviews, format. Music Reviews: Why bother?
CCM has long been THE standard by which all Christian media magazines have been measured. They've remained current with publication trends, and have always been visually interesting to look at. In a way, you could say this is the Entertainment Weekly of Christian Music.

CCM Magazine's greatest strength has always come from its artist interviews. Full of variety and often insightful, they provide the reader with a chance to get to know their favorite CCM bands (and even a few "mainstream" groups that are believers). Chances are you won't find anything too earth-shattering or controversial, but they don't fail to be informative.

CCM's greatest shortcoming is its album reviews. "Where seldom is heard a discouraging word" could be the editor's motto. I don't know that I've ever seen a negative review in many years of CCM reading. I understand it's not nice to put down your "brother", but man, if he puts out a stinky album, I wanna know about it so I can save my money. (You and I both know not every CCM album is a homerun, so why write like they are?) The reviews can be so cliche laden that many could have come out the CCM Madlib file (insert word for "blessing", "joyous", and "refreshing"). It's come to the point that I just can't trust the album reviewers anymore.

Overall, CCM Magazine's strengths outweigh its weaknesses. If you're interersted in the CCM scene, it might be a worthwhile investment.

good magazine
CCM is a very good magazine. CCM's purpose is to tell readers about Christian entertainers. Contrary to the fact that this magazine always has bands on the cover, it spends some time talking about authors and actors, and takes time to explain equipment. I found an article on the TV show Trading Spaces in here, as well as an article on Frank Peretti. The reviews in the back of ech magazine, though, fail to make much sense. They are not graded in the traditional sense. Instead, one member of the staff reviews items, and often their comments in bold at the end of the review will not reflect their comments in the body of the review. The magazine was also better before they took out the concert information and put it on the internet. The magazine is attempting to accept all forms of Christian media, as well as artists in the secular media, but has lost some along the way. This magazine is a recommended read if you are into finding out about CHristian songwriters, actors, authors, etc. But the magazine has made too much of an effort to change by getting rid of tour information, thusly forcing readers online to find out when tours are, and thier reviews are lacking. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wow!
This magazine gave more information about contemporary jazz artist, than I have ever found in one place.Smooth jazz finally has a home. ... Read more

From Amazon.com

Wondering which pics will score big with auds at the B.O.? Or what the crix say about the new net skeds? Variety has the answers, but if you can't make sense of the lingo, you may not be ready for the movie industry's essential rag. Founded in 1905, Variety speaks as the insider voice of the entertainment biz. It offers movie, television, and theater reviews, but places more emphasis on predictions, trends, and insider scoop. The tone is "movers and shakers only, please!" Heck, the headline writers are so on-the-go they only have time for abbreviations: "Bull Market for Syndies," "Saggy Sudsers Go After Younger Aud," and "B'Casters Set Skeds to Fight Digital Rivals." Critics are "crix," a movie is always a "pic," the box office is the "B.O.," and "H'Wood" is, well, if you have to ask.... If you're looking for the latest celebrity gossip, you're out of luck. But if you're seeking cutting-edge news from the heart of Tinseltown, this is your mag. --Brangien Davis ... Read more

Reviews (1)

entertainment industry's primary outlet
Variety is the New York Times of the entertainment world (in the USA). It's expenseive, but if you're seriously into show biz (for a living or otherwise) it's indispensible. You'll get info and reveiews way before anyone else, casting notices for film and TV, huge supplimental issues about each film/media festival, production updates (wondering what your favorite director's next film will be and where it is in the production cycle? It'll say here - whether they're in based in Hollywood, the Ukraine, or anywhere in the trackable entertainment world)
Lots of extra info, plus headlines like Chix Pix Nixed in Stix. (women's films banned in rural areas) ... Read more

Abstract

English magazine featuring fashion, arts, travel, health and more.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

British society glossy, almost identical to Tatler's.
This magazine is virtually the same as Tatler's with perhaps a few more travel and fashion spreads. Expensive but worth the money but not if you already get Tatler's. More likely to have American celebrities rather than British socialites on the cover. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A modular music library
Most guitar magazines seem to be heavy on discussion of artists but light on actual music. GT still talks about artist's styles, but then gives you the tab and standard notation for one of their works or a class on how to solo in their style. A standard issue contains sections like rock, jazz, acoustic fingerstyle, Funk and country, followed by workshops on (for eg.) using altered tunings, increasing fretting speed, and other interesting things.

The accompanying CD gives multiple examples for each piece or exercise, usually with tracks played at different speeds and/or and example track and a backing track to play with.

The only downside to this magazine is that you hardly have time to work on eveything you wanted to before the next issue comes out.

the CD makes the difference
Covering a broad spectrum of music styles, all the music included in the magazine is played on the CD. Even better, all the music is included twice- first with the guitar, then without it for you to play along with. There are usually one or two songs from well known albums transcribed in each issue, as well as columns in many different styles of music. It may seem expensive, but with the CD its very reasonable. No American guitar magazine comes with a CD and to get the audio tracks you end up paying a lot more to download them from the Internet. Believe me, hearing the music on the CD makes the difference. ... Read more

Abstract

Inspiring production ideas, solutions to your everyday theater dilemmas, as well as exciting book, CD and play reviews.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Problems with order
I ordered this magazine and, recieved one issue correctly. After that, they stopped coming. I called them and they told me that they must have been lost in the mail and they would resend them. They resent them, and I had no other problems getting the issues. The annoying part was they would keep sending me letters saying my subscription was about to run out, when I had 6 months or more left of my subscription. These letters never said when it would expire, or how I could call them. However, when it did get close to running out they didn't contact me. It just ran out. I didn't renew my subscrption when it was up. It was frustrating.

Never recieved the magazine
I ordered the magazine. It took three phone calls before someone could tell me why the magazine would not arrive 8 weeks after ordering. It was shown as having been shipped. The solution was for me to contact the post office to see what is going on. Well that may be ok for most people, but the burden of delivery falls on the seller, not the merchant. I cancelled the order, despite wanting to receive this magazine. My time to travel to the post office and "initiate a postal watch" does not seem worth the effort. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

TOTAL GUITAR LEAVES ALL OTHER GUITAR MAGS MILES BEHIND
GUITAR PLAYER MAG
I collected Guitar Player magazines from 1978 and stopped only in 1988.I have been playing the guitar as a hobby for 35 years. Was in many amateur bands in my youth.Thought I knew every tricks when I was young. Stopped jamming to pay attention to family and career.
FUTURE PLUBLICATIONS
Then I came across Total Guitar, Guitar Techniques & Guitarist. These magazines changed my life. I learned to play near to accuracy the likes of Eric Clapton, George Harrison,Jimi Hendrix,Van Halen, Queen, Free, Bad Company, Jimmy Page, Hank Marvin,Dire Straits, SRV, Richie Blackmore, Black Sabbath, Johnny Winter etc. All the tricks were let out of the bag.

TOP NOTCH TEACHERS
The publisher Future Publication employs top notch guitarists as editors and teachers to share all the secrets with us. And the best of all, you do not need to understand music theory. All you need is some basic skill in understanding guitar tabs, a great love in guitar, a DVD player that has A-B setting & lots and lots of patience. Nothing equals the joy when you master a guitar part which you never thought you would have done on your own.
ONE MAN BAND
However one sad note for all new. The permits for new songs to be transcibed are getting lesser as the onwers of these songs now realize that the magazines reproduce the full backing track (without the guitar, some people call this MINUS ONE track)that is so close to the original that it can be used for public performances.

CONCLUSION
Grab all the back issues. Check out eBay. The old issues are reselling at very high prices as more and more guitarists are getting turned-on by these magazines. Goodluck.

total guitar
i would like to buy back issues of total guitar, please email list of back issues. thanks johnny

UK-based, but Universal in Appeal
If you don't live in the UK, you'll often find a lot of music and bands you've never heard of in Total Guitar, but that's a good thing. As an alternative to Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Guitar World, which mostly feature the same transcriptions and cover artists you're already tired of ad naseum (and usually only focusing on a certain type of band for two years straight), TG, on the otherhand, is a breath of fresh air EVERY SINGLE MONTH. They may have a pop artist on the cover one month, a country legend another, a heavy artist the next, a funk or punk artist the following. In each issue, you can find a diverse palette of music to choose from - with transcriptions and faithfully recorded instrumental tracks on CD for you to play along with and learn from (just like having a band right there with you), along with very helpful tips for the novice and experienced player alike. You're bound to find something new to pique your interest every time. Their only downfall is that they have an Oasis fixation that will hopefully come to pass, but this IS a UK magazine, you know? This is the type of magazine where you can find transcriptions of bands such as the Pixies alongside The Smiths, Blur, Van Halen, Elvis, James Bond, Metallica, and tons more. Guitar Player and Guitar World just don't match up. So you may be scared off by the pricetag of Total Guitar. I believe it's worth every penny. If you're just starting out, TG is like an invaluable set of FUN lessons sent to your door (or at your newsstand) each month, and if you already play, TG offers a wealth of tips and information to help you stay on your toes. Again, you're not only getting an action-packed magazine, but also a cool CD to play along with each month, and they have to import it from England, so that's where the price is coming from. Completely worth it, though. If you're like me and don't really care to see the 10th Korn transcription in Guitar Magazine in 3 months, then Total Guitar is definitely worth you checking out. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Who wants to live in a world without Superman?
I never really started reading any Superman comics on anything remotely like a consistent basis until John Bryne was given license to "start over." Having been intrigued by various revitalizations of assorted comic books, most notably "Swamp Thing" by Alan Moore, I started picking up the "new" issues of "Superman," "The Adventures of Superman," and "Action Comics." Bryne did a good job of reworking the logic of the character; for example, the planet Kyrpton was already becoming radioactive before it exploded, thereby explaining its various unhealthy affects on the Man of Steel. Bryne also worked out Superman's powers (think walking solar battery) and, perhaps most importantly, made the Superman/Clark Kent/Lois Lane love triangle into a more workable dyad.

After a few years the folks at DC added a fourth Superman title, "Superman: The Man of Steel" and with a Superman comic coming out essentially every week they then decided to create one giant story line. In addition to the traditional issue number the cover of each Superman comic was now adorned with a small Superman "S" shield that told you where that particular comic fell in the sequence for that year. I thought this was great. I was at the point where I let multi-part stories of "Daredevil," "Iron Man" or whatever sit around on the table until I had all the parts and then I could read it all at once. But with the Superman comics you read it immediately because the next installment was but a week away. Unfortunately, that approach has now been abandoned (along with the fifth Superman title, "Superman: Man of Tomorrow" that popped up once a quarter to bring the grand total of comics to 52 for each year). However, you will find that there are still mulit-part stories crossing over the various comics from time to time that are now four or eight parts long, like the recent "Ending Battle" story line.

The character of Superman remains both the most perfect and most problematic of comic book superheroes. The litany from the opening of the television series tells of all his wonderful powers and his commitment to "truth, justice and the American way." Who can do better than that? But that perfection becomes problematic. For example, if he is so committed to saving lives, how can Superman afford the luxury of a secret identity? Any time he is Clark Kent that are "x" numbers of crimes and accidents going on just within the sound of his superhearing. If he is powered by the sun he should just be working his way around the world, time zone by time zone, doing good deeds.

In the final analysis, the perfect ideal outweighs the logical consequences. The limitations that exist on Superman of the greatest importance become those created by his own standards. Superman does not kill; Superman stands for law and order; Superman respects authority. That is why the masterstroke of having arch enemey Lex Luthor become President of the United States has been so effective. I also appreciate the irony that the office has forced Luthor to assume some civic responsibilities as well.

I was going to comment on which writers and artists were working on each of the Superman titles at this particular point in the history of the D.C. universe, but I have noticed that half the titles have new scripters and/or artists since last month. Then again, this makes sense, since "Superman" is a comic book where a particular writer or artist has never really caught on as being definitive or at least substantially different. Again, that strikes me as totally appropriate to this seminal super hero. Still, it is a good thing that each title page reminds us that Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For now "Action Comics" is the best of the Superman titles
I greeted the decision by D.C. to give each of their Superman titles autonomy instead of having a continuing that united all of the comic books with minimal enthusiasm. I appreciated the fact that each week a new issue of a Superman comic would be available at my local comic book store. But now "Action Comics," "Superman," and "The Adventures of Superman" are on their own, and "Superman: Metropolis" is the new kid on the block.

So far, "Action Comics" is the Superman title getting off to the most interesting start. This was helped tremendously by a superb double-sized anniversary comic for issue #800 written by Joe Kelly and drawn by a host of guest artists. The comic retold the story of Superman with key episodes of his origin reflected in the story of ordinary people who have been touched in one way or another by the Man of Steel. Now "Action Comics" is launching into a major story line as one in every one thousand Americans are exploding with uncontrollable meta-human powers at a rate of one every five seconds. Welcome to the United States of President Lex Luthor.

Granted, by the time you read this it might no longer be true, but right now "Action Comics" is the premier Superman title and Joe Kelly gets the credit. It will be interesting to see who settles in as the "permanent" artist for the book, but the substance of the writing is ultimately going to matter more than the style of the art work. Hopefully, Kelly is in this for a long haul. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Hottest R&B music Book out!
word up is the hottest magazine on the block. YOu get pics, posters, and you even get info on your fav. artists. So why not gwt it. For suscriptions, contests, music news, questions on your fav. artists, all you have to do suscribe

This is a really good magazine for people well mostly teens!
I have been readin Word Up magazines for many years and it is really good. I am 16 now it has been a good 10 years for me. They are always on point with there pictures and interviews. That is why they make so much money. I Think that whatever teenagers and younger kids like R&B and Hip HoP they should get this magazine just so that they can get all the information that they want about there favorite stars.

Parents Beware
This magazine cost more than any other teen magazine and do not deliver on time , I purchase a subscription for christmas since the begining of December my daughter is still waiting ,but payment has been made.

word up is the best
Word up is the best magazine that i red it give you lots of poster of your faviote state 16/nj peace

Word Up Magazine
Word Up Magazine is wonderful, especially with B2K poster.People should buy it now! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Joe Kelly and Derec Aucoin explore the legend of Superman
Last year D.C. decides to send each of the Superman comic books on its own separate way, instead of having a pattern of continuity that tied each together. That means that within the general context of a world in which Lex Luthor is President of the United States and Clark Kent has been fired from the Daily Planet (do not worry, he is working undercover investigating the aforementioned Luthor presidency), each comic book gets to carve out its own path. "The Adventures of Superman" currently features the effort of writer Joe Casey and artist Derec Aucoin to explore the legend of Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Recent issues have looked at the merchandising of Superman, the Superman of Yesterday vs. the Superman of Tomorrow, and the world of Heroville where Superman is just another character in colorful tights.

This approach means that the more you know about the Superman mythos the more you are going to appreciate these efforts, which, so far, have tended to avoided what would now be considered the "main" Superman plot line which is now found mainly in "Superman" and, to a lesser degree, in "Action Comics." It will be interesting to see how the various Superman titles flourish in this brave new marketing scheme, but Kelly and Aucoin are going to have to mix up the insightful looks at Superman with some more traditional superhero, ah, adventures. These creative looks at the legend of Superman would work a lot better if they were not coming up one after another like this. ... Read more