Talk:It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)/GA1

GA Review

Article (edit | visual edit | history) · Article talk (edit | history) · Watch

Reviewer: Sayantan m 17:01, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

I'll be reviewing the article as soon as possible.--Sayantan m 17:01, 28 December 2010 (UTC)

Check Against GA criteria

I'll finish the check completely in next few days. Meanwhile editors please try to resolve the problems I'm stating. It'll help save our time.--Sayantan (talk|contribs) 06:58, 31 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Well-written:

(a) the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct

(b) it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation

Verifiable with no original research:

(a) it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline

(b) reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose)

(c) it contains no original research

Broad in its coverage:

(a) it addresses the main aspects of the topic

(b) it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style)

Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each

Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute

Illustrated, if possible, by media such as images, video, or audio

(a) media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content

(b) media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions

Review and comments

Glad to another well researched article on a Dylan song. I have some comments and suggestions those may help to make some small but necessary changes for this article.

Lead

There is an article on Howard Sounes. Put the link.
I think it's OK to avoid any reference since all the information are repeated in the body. But later when adding information to the lead make sure the info is repeated in body with appropriate reference.
I see the words "famous" is used in the lead (as well as in three other places). Please make sure that is exactly the word used in the corresponding text as an adjective to the concerned lines. Otherwise please remove them according to WP:PEA. (check the same for the other places the word is used)
In the ref #5 (ie. http://www.allmusic.com/song/t1991560) there is a mention of the song's performances in the documentary "Don't Look Back" and HBO version of the video "Hard To Handle." Please include the details in the lead as well as in body.

Bob Dylan's Version

"This opening echoes the Book of Ecclesiastes..." Since this is not unanimously agreed conclusion, use the name of the author/critic who said it.
"These lines seemed particularly prescient when Dylan performed the song on his 1974 tour with The Band, a few months before Richard Nixon resigned as President of the United States as a result of the Watergate crisis." I'm not this kind of
"Powerful"-- Again a "peacock term" (see WP:PEA)
I don't think an analysis of the rhyming structure is required. (A reader may not have enough amount of knowledge to understand them.)
Add the date of release of Playlist: The Very Best of Bob Dylan '60s. Is the link required for this compilation album?
"In a 2005 reader's poll reported in Mojo magazine, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" was listed as the #8 all-time greatest Bob Dylan song, and a similar poll of artists ranked the song at #21. In 2002, Uncut magazine listed it as the #5 all-time Dylan song."This line, under my judgment, will be a part of the section "Influence."
If it's possible, try to add the number of times this song has been performed by Dylan on stage (I don't remember now but I saw on some website that this kind of info is available).
"Described by Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as a "grim masterpiece," the song features ...", "The lyrics of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" express Dylan's anger at hypocrisy, commercialism, consumerism, warmongers and contemporary American culture.", "Dylan has stated that "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is one of his songs that means the most to him..." --All these (or very similar) sentences appeared in the lead. Surely they required to be included in the body but I suggest to use a different sentence construction as far as possible. Otherwise to some reader these repetition may turn out to be very boring and will affect the overall reading experience.
"the words pour out quicky.." Check spelling.

Cover versions

Remove the photo, since it serves no great purpose in this section or in this article.

Influence

There's an article on Clinton Heylin. Use the link.
favorite--When writing about a song made by an American singer-songwriter, please use American spelling. (favorite)
"notable"-- Avoid this word. (see MOS:OPED)

Thank you for your comments. I believe I have addressed them except the following:

I wasn't sure what the comment was in the 2nd bullet under "Bob Dylan's version." The remark about the lyric seeming particularly prescient comes from Trager's book, and other author's have noted the (apparent) relevance of the line when it was performed during the Watergate crisis.
I did not remove the rhyming structure. While not required, it is relevant to discussion of the song and reliably sourced. And while not all readers may understand it, it is a fairly standard way of describing a rhyming structure and not too difficult to figure out what it means for someone who really wants to. I can add an explanatory sentence along the lines of "In other words, the first 5 lines rhyme with each other, the 7th through 11th lines rhyme with other and the 13th through 17th lines rhyme with each other, and the 6th, 12th and 18th lines rhyme with each other." But that is kind of clunky, and I actually do not have a source for the explanation.
I did not add the number of times it was performed. [HisBobness.info], which is apparently part of dvdylan.com, does list 772 performances through 2007, but I am not sure that qualifies as a reliable source and it is already out of date. Rlendog (talk)

Done.

OK. I think it's ready to be a GA. And as of the second bullet under "Bob Dylan's version", I guess that was some silly typing mistake. I don't even remember what I was going to say there!! Anyway, good job and I wish you happy new year 2011. Also thanks for cooperation.--Sayantan (talk|contribs) 00:54, 1 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Great job on this article! Moisejp (talk) 12:17, 1 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]