Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (album)/archive1

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The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by GrahamColm 15:35, 2 June 2012 [1].

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (album)[edit]

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (album) (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

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Nominator(s): Pyrrhus16 11:38, 25 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I am nominating this for featured article because I created the article back in 2009, brought it to GA status, and now feel that it meets the FA criteria. The article is relatively short but I believe that it is a comprehensive account of an interesting storybook album. Pyrrhus16 11:38, 25 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Source review - spotchecks not done. Nikkimaria (talk) 16:14, 25 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

  • FN 3: page(s)? Volume/issue number?
  • FN 6: is this the online or print version? Missing some details here
  • Be consistent in whether you provide locations for books or not
  • Is there not a better source for release date than Box Office Mojo? Nikkimaria (talk) 16:14, 25 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Added
  • It was an online ref that went dead. I've now changed the ref to a book source.
  • Removed the one location to make all book refs consistent.
  • Changed ref to an article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Thanks for your comments, Pyrrhus16 18:29, 25 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Crisco 1492 comments
Resolved comments by Crisco 1492 moved to talk
Support - Short but sweet. Crisco 1492 (talk) 22:52, 5 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Comments: Opening sentence is a mouthful—trying to fit too much into it?

"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is an audiobook and soundtrack album narrated by American recording artist Michael Jackson for the 1982 Steven Spielberg-directed blockbuster film of the same name. The album was produced by music composer Quincy Jones and distributed under MCA Records. The production of the audiobook brought Jackson together with several former collaborators and acquaintances, such as Rod Temperton, Freddy DeMann and Bruce Swedien."

What I first saw was "Steven Spielberg-directed", which American style guides suggest might be "Steven Spielberg–directed", to avoid the other proper typography, which is two hyphens (try to avoid, I think). OR reword it and solve the long-sentence problem:

"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is an audiobook and soundtrack album for the 1982 blockbuster film of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg. Narrated by American recording artist Michael Jackson, the album was produced by music composer Quincy Jones and distributed under MCA Records. The production of the audiobook brought Jackson together with several former collaborators and acquaintances, such as Rod Temperton, Freddy DeMann and Bruce Swedien."

Just a suggestion, and you may want Jackson's name to be more thematic (i.e. in the opening sentence), which is fair enough.

  • "The book also contains"—is "also" necessary?
  • "which Jackson's sings on the audiobook"—typo?
  • I'm unsure (any grammar nerds around?): can "had" be removed since "prior to" is announced? "Prior to the recording of the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album, Jackson had released four solo studio albums with ..."
  • "selling over 20 million copies"—well, you know me; I'd prefer "more than". But over to you (that's just a personal opinion of mine).
  • "over 1 million copies"; consider "more than a million copies" ... does it flow better that way? Unsure.
  • I think MoS says to regularise the typography in quotes to that pertaining in the article text (Allowable typographical changes). So could the "He's in a strange ..." have an unspaced em dash? After all, you haven't duplicated the font and font-size and justification of the original, have you! :-)
  • "Both of the conditions were breached"—remove two words? then "they" is slightly wobbly, so why not, "... by MCA Records, which released, ..."?

Well, I wouldn't rave about this article in terms of prose, but I can't see that it fails cr. 1a either. Tony (talk) 08:28, 2 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the review. I've implemented those helpful suggestions. Pyrrhus16 18:41, 2 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Comments from WWB Too: Overall I think this article is in good shape, although I do have some questions and small changes to suggest. I'm new to the FA review process, so please let me know if any of these are not things that need to be addressed here.

  • Some of the material in the "Background" section seems to not be directly related to the album. Specifically, I'm thinking of the following information about Michael Jackson's previous albums:
"Following a move to Epic Records, Jackson released Off the Wall (1979).[1] The album was a critical and commercial success, receiving favorable reviews and eventually selling more than 20 million copies worldwide."
I wonder if it would make sense to simplify the information on Jackson's previous albums a little? Here's my suggestion:
"Prior to recording the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album, Jackson released four solo studio albums with Motown Records, as well as several with his brothers as part of The Jackson 5. In 1975, he moved to Epic Records and in 1979 released Off the Wall, to critical and commercial success.[1][2][3][4]"
  • There are a few grammatical issues here or areas of awkward phrasing that I think need to be resolved:
  • "The film tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends a good-natured extraterrestrial called E.T., who is stranded on Earth." --comma is not needed after E.T.
  • "It was, wrote a journalist for Billboard, one of the "most ambitious" projects that MCA Records had taken on." --sounds awkward, perhaps the following wording would work better:
"In 1982, a journalist for Billboard wrote that it was one of the "most ambitious" projects that MCA Records had taken on to date."
  • "Jackson later revealed in the December 1982 issue of Ebony magazine—on which both he and E.T. appear on the cover—" --should be "in which both he and E.T."
  • "The promo copies of "Someone In the Dark" have since become one of the singer's rarest and most sought after singles" --should it be "sought-after"?

Based on my understanding of the FA criteria, I would say that this article passes. Great work, Pyrrhus. Cheers, WWB Too (talk) 18:54, 5 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've implemented them into the article. Pyrrhus16 20:29, 6 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Comments by User:TonyTheTiger
Content
Background
  • I've added the production studio and distributor of ET. I don't believe that they had any type of relationship with Epic, and no sources that I have checked note a relationship. Pyrrhus16 17:22, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • I don't find a claim to be the greatest scifi film of all-time credible if AFI did not claim it to be one of the best scifi. Did AFI include it in their list?--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 21:16, 6 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • AFI rank ET as the 3rd greatest scifi film. I've added this information to the article. Pyrrhus16 17:22, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Production
  • I don't understand the contractual agreements that Jones and Jackson were under. Were they both free to work with any studio at the time?--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 21:16, 6 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • None of the Jackson books or other sources that I have seen describe the exact contractual agreements that he or Jones were under in terms of being able to work with other studios. Pyrrhus16 17:22, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Can you say anything about their contracts at the time. E.g. did Jackson have an X-record or Y-year contract with Epic. Was Jones working under any known contract?--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 19:49, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • I'm afraid there is nothing detailing the type or length of either of their contracts at that time. Pyrrhus16 20:14, 9 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Release and legal issues
  • This section needs to begin with details of Jackson's contract with Epic that gave them the right to make a list of conditions that this album was limited to.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 21:23, 6 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • No sources describe the exact contractual agreements that Jackson was under that would allow Epic to make the demands and conditions that they did. Pyrrhus16 17:22, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • "The promo copies of "Someone In the Dark" have since become one of the singer's rarest..." This should be preceded by a statement that following the violation of terms Epic demanded xyz (all copies be returned to the studio, all copies be destroyed, all copies be turned over to epic) or some such that would make the remaining copies rare.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 21:23, 6 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • It might be good to state whether the promotional copies where 7" or 12" vinyls and link the appropriate articles since we are talking about some kind of collectible.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 21:23, 6 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • There are no sources that give an exact release date for this album. They only give the month and year. Pyrrhus16 17:22, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Reception
  • This linkage is confusing. One would expect the general article in the current link and if the specific show were linked it would be expected under the 1984 as written. It would be better to move the link under 1984 or use it unpiped in the sentence.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 20:22, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Added a note detailing the eligibility period. Pyrrhus16 17:22, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Nope. There were no other nominations for this album. Pyrrhus16 17:22, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • The two critics are not named in the source. Pyrrhus16 17:22, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Weak Oppose I saw on your talk page that you have a Highbeam account. When I do highbeam search on the term "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" soundtrack the second thing to come up is the 20th anniversary re-release of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial with a digitally remixed soundtrack. Since you did not mention that, I am wondering how thoroughly you have researched this article.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 21:43, 6 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the comments. The article on the 20th anniversary re-release is in regard to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (soundtrack), which is a different record. I'll look into resolving and addressing your other queries in the morning. Thanks. :) Pyrrhus16 22:31, 6 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Weak Support I am a bit disappointed at how hard it is to find some of the details. For a album that was only briefly in circulation, this is quite a detailed article, I guess.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:42, 9 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support — Given the latest updates, including those following suggestions by Tony the Tiger, I think this is ready. I also know how difficult it can be to track down every possible source on a subject where sources are limited, and I'm satisfied that this represents the best kind of that effort. Impressively detailed, well-written, a great article. WWB Too (talk) 12:45, 10 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Delegate's note - Spotchecks are still required – any volunteers? Graham Colm (talk) 08:22, 13 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Comments: the rest needs scrutinising for flab.

  • "while one of the extraterrestrial's fingers illuminates"—I'm pretty sure the verb is transitive only (illuminates what?).
  • "This picture is further included within the album package as a ..."
  • "The recording itself is contained on a 12-inch vinyl and features"
  • Second "as well as" in five seconds. What about just "and" ... "Michael), as well as several with his brothers as part of The Jackson 5."
  • "a then-subsidary of MCA Inc." -> "then a subsidiary of ..."
  • "and it was ranked as the best science fiction film ever made in a Rotten Tomatoes survey"—ambiguous. Shift part of it to before or after "it was ranked".
  • "around the same time that he began recording his sixth"
  • "had previously worked with Jackson on his solo projects in the past"—can you spot the redundancy?
  • "As a result of the legal restrictions which prohibited "Someone In the Dark" from being released as a single to the public"—isn't there a neater way? "As a result of the legal restrictions that prohibited the public release of "Someone In the Dark" as a single".

Tony (talk) 08:00, 17 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

  • Changed "illuminates" to "glows"
  • Done
  • Done
  • Done
  • Done
  • Done
  • Done
  • Removed redundancy
  • Done
Thanks for those comments. Pyrrhus16 18:38, 17 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Source spotchecks. Well, a small sample. I don't have access to any of the books. Reference numbers based on this version. Cryptic C62 · Talk 01:20, 23 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

  • Ref 1: all material covered, no plagiarism
  • Refs 12, 13, 14: material covered, no plagiarism
  • Refs 24, 25: material covered, no plagiarism
  • Ref 37: material covered, no plagiarism

References

  1. ^ a b George, pp. 31–40
  2. ^ Taraborrelli, pp. 610–612
  3. ^ Holden, Stephen (November 1, 1979). "Off the Wall: Michael Jackson". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
  4. ^ "Michael Jackson: Off the Wall – Classic albums – Music – Virgin media". Virgin Media. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
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