Talk:Light Years (Kylie Minogue album)/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Aoba47 (talk · contribs) 03:23, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

I absolutely love this album. I hope that it is okay if I pick this up for a review.

Let's do this! It's always a pleasure to read the comments from an experienced editor like you :D Damian Vo (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

Lead and infobox

• For this sentence, She signed with Parlophone in June 1999 and decided to return to her pop roots., I would add a link to the pop music article.

Added. Damian Vo (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• For this part, many of whom complimented Minogue's return to pop and considered the album to be one of her strongest releases, would it somehow be possible to clarify that the second point was done in retrospective reviews? I think this distinction is important.
• Currently, the lead only mentions the positive reviews, but the "Critical reception" section has an entire paragraph dedicated to the negative ones. Those should also be mentioned in the lead.

Rewrote the critical summary. Damian Vo (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• In the second paragraph, there are two sentences in a row starting with "The album". I would revise one instance in order to avoid unnecessary repetition.

Fixed. Damian Vo (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• This is a very nitpick-y request, but I think it would help. For this sentence, The final single, "Your Disco Needs You" was released in Australia and Germany., I would say "was only released" to really clarify that the limited nature of this song's release (which is a shame as it is one of my favorite songs by Minogue for its unapologetic and unironic campiness).

Added. It is one of my favorite songs too :D Damian Vo (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• I am uncertain about this sentence, The tour was once the biggest by a solo artist in Australia, grossing U.S. $5 million., specifically the "once" word choice. I could see this being unnecessarily vague. Would it be possible to say something along the lines of "Until X year, the tour was the biggest..." to provide a little more context.

The brief report from Billboard was in June, a month after the tour wrapped up. I have no way of knowing how long she held that record or who succeeded her (apparently P!nk got it in 2013), therefore I tried not to put a specific timeline in this sentence. I dropped the "once" word. Please tell me if you have other suggestions :D Damian Vo (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

Thank you for the explanation. That looks good to me. Aoba47 (talk) 19:03, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• I would encourage you to add ALT text to the album artwork (and to the rest of the images throughout the article).

Added alt text to the infobox and other images. Damian Vo (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

Citations (part 1)

• I was going to review the citations after reading the article, but I am not sure how you are structuring your citations. For instance, web sources are put both in the "Footnotes" and the "Sources" subsections. It seems very unclear to me. Could you clarify this for me?

The "Sources" sub contains print sources with page numbers and detailed publication, as well as interviews that I heavily used by breaking into small sections. Sources in the "Footnotes" sub are mostly liner notes and websites. It was somewhat confusing to another GA reviewer as well; maybe I should try synchronizing them all to one format only. What do you think? Damian Vo (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• Thank you for the explanation. That clears it up for me a lot. The current method should be fine. I was more so confused and looking for further clarification than asking for a change. I am noticing some harv warnings (i.e. There is no link pointing to this citation.) for the following, CITEREFOkamoto2006, CITEREFRyan2011, and CITEREFWalters2000, so I would recommend fixing those. Aoba47 (talk) 19:08, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

Removed. Damian Vo (talk) 07:55, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

I will post my review in a piecemeal fashion as this article is rather long (which is understandable given the album's popularity) and I want to make sure I do a thorough review of everything. If possible, I would appreciate any feedback for my current FAC, although I understand if you are too busy or not interested. I will continue my review tomorrow. I hope this is helpful so far. Aoba47 (talk) 03:23, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

I will take a look at the FAC as soon as possible. Thank you for taking your time to review this :D Damian Vo (talk) 08:47, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• Thank you . Take as much time as you need. I am just glad that I could help. Aoba47 (talk) 19:08, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

Background

• For this part, performing Miranda in Toby Gough's production of The Tempest, link Miranda.

Linked. Damian Vo (talk) 07:50, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Development and recording

• For this part, three keywords: "poolside", "disco", and "cocktails", I do not think either links are necessary as they are universally understood concepts.

Delinked. Damian Vo (talk) 12:42, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• I have a question for this part, Minogue picked the latter song when she was deep in the production process. The earlier sentence references three songs ("So Now Goodbye", "Butterfly", and "Bittersweet Goodbye") and I have only seen the former and the latter used in the context of two items not more than that.

Fixed. Damian Vo (talk) 12:42, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• For the Robbie Williams image, I would add the year that the photo was taken to the caption to provide additional context for the reader.

Added. Damian Vo (talk) 12:42, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Music and lyrics

• The first paragraph of this section often repeats a similar sentence structure (i.e. X critic says Y) and I would try to introduce more sentence variation as this paragraph can come across too much like a list.

I rewrote some of the sentences. Damian Vo (talk) 12:45, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• For this part, the autobiographical style of songwriting, I do no think the link is necessary.

Delinked. Damian Vo (talk) 12:45, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• For this part, The Sydney Morning Herald wrote the album is "full of gay club anthems and not short on sex"., I would directly attribute the writer's name in the prose as it is known.

Added. Damian Vo (talk) 12:45, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Song analysis

• I am uncertain about the audio sample (File:KylieMinogueSpinningAround.ogg). From my experience, it is encourage to only use audio samples in an album article if it is used to discuss something about the album as a whole (i.e. like a critic's discussion on how the song is representative of the album). The caption for this is more about the song and not the album so it does not seem entirely warranted to me. I would suggest either changing the caption to better justify its inclusion (or replacing it with a different audio sample if a different song can be used to discuss larger themes/parts of the album).

I added a comment from The Guardian. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• I would avoid one-word quotes as done here, found the "flirty" song, as it would be better to just paraphrase them. I have been told in the past that one-word quotes can actually take away from the other quotes and a one-word quote honestly does not give much to the reader.

Done. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• I would directly attribute in this part, which was compared to "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (2000) by Spiller, who is making the comparison. Also, the wording here is a little off as it could be read that Spiller is doing the comparison.

Fixed. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• For this part, while referencing martinis, bikinis, I would remove the links as they do not seem entirely necessary to me.

Delinked. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• I would reword this part, has elements of the 1960s and jazz music, to has elements of jazz and 1960s music. With the current wording, I was initially confused by what the "1960s" link would go to so I have clarified that with my above suggestion.

Fixed. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• In this part, described it as "ABBA and the Pet Shop Boys getting down at the hottest gay club in town", unlink Pet Shop Boys as they are linked in a previous section.

Delinked. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• For this part, meets the best of The Nolans", I believe it should be "the Nolans" instead. I believe there is a MOS thing for this, but I cannot remember the link at the moment so apologies for that.

Fixed. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• I am uncertain about this part, The second half of the album begins with, as the album is not explicitly split into two parts. I get that this is the middle of the album, but I think this could be a little misleading since (at least from my understanding), the album does not explicitly split into two.

Removed. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• For this part, The post-disco track is an homage to Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" (1977), unlink Donna Summer as she is linked in a previous section.

Delinked. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• For this part, Adams found Minogue "fully committed" to her "cheeky" performance on the "erotic anthem", I would paraphrase "fully committed" and "cheeky" as I do not think the quotes are fully necessary. I think the "erotic anthem" quote is good and should stay. I am recommending the first two are paraphrased as I could see some readers finding this to be too quote-heavy.

Fixed. Damian Vo (talk) 13:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Packaging and release

• I would unlink swimsuit in this part, wearing a blue chiffon swimsuit, as I believe most readers would understand what a swimsuit is.

Delinked. Damian Vo (talk) 13:49, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• For these parts, She thought the photoshoot was "incredible", Crossing found the "glossy" sleeve artwork, Charles found it "tacky", commenting that the "iffy" and "glamour" artwork, I would avoid the one-word quotes (for similar reasons to what I have stated in a previous section).

Fixed. Damian Vo (talk) 13:49, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• For this part, Smith discovered the track was "a bugger to find", I would link "bugger" to the Wiktionary entry (here) to help readers who may not be familiar with this slang.

Added. Damian Vo (talk) 13:49, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• I have a question about the 2018 re-release. Was there a specific reason given for the re-release? It just seems rather random to me lol.

Unfortunately, I couldn't found any piece of info about the reason or background of this limited release :( Damian Vo (talk) 13:49, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Promotion

• For this part, ABBA's "Dancing Queen" (1976), unlink ABBA as they are linked in a previous section.

Delinked. Damian Vo (talk) 13:52, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• I would look throughout the article to avoid duplicate links. I have pointed out some, but I would look through the article again to make sure I have not over-looked anything.

Removed the singles' duplicate links. Damian Vo (talk) 13:52, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Critical reception

• I am uncertain about this sentence: Light Years received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. It is not directly supported by a citation, and the consensus from The Guardian reads more like a mixed reception than a positive one. And this section seemingly has almost an even mix of positive and negative reviews. Is there a citation to support this "generally positive reviews" part.

Added a source from AllMusic ("Light Years, and its lead single, "Spinning Around," were huge successes, bringing her critical acclaim and winning a new generation of fans.") and Albumism (Sales were uniformly strong everywhere and matched by a seemingly endless stream of positive notices) Damian Vo (talk) 14:07, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• I would add a topic sentence for second paragraph to make the transition from the first paragraph clearer to the reader.

Added. Damian Vo (talk) 14:07, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• I have a question about this part: Retrospectively, Light Years is generally considered to be one of Minogue's strongest releases. I could not find this supported in the citation, but I could have just overlooked it somehow. Could you point out to me where this is supported in the citation?
• I was confused by the quote in this part, Sputnikmusic viewed the album as "an utterly weird entry in Minogue's discography",, and I think further context and information would be helpful.
• I would re-examine the third paragraph, both for the prose and the overall structure. While the first and second paragraphs have a clear structure, this one reads more like a seemingly random list of critics and their opinions. A clearer structure here would help a lot.

"...strongest releases" was actually something I came up with other than the frequent use of "X's best work" or "best albums". I added two citations that highly ranked LY among Minogue discography. I split the third paragraph into two: complimenting within her career (vocals, production, ranked albums) and further influences/impact. Should I add a topic sentence for the final paragraph? Damian Vo (talk) 14:07, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Commercial performance

• Unlink Fever in this part, when Fever was released, as it is linked in a previous section.
• Unlink Madonna in this part, behind Madonna's Music, as she is linked in a previous section.

Delinked. Damian Vo (talk) 14:12, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

I hope that my review is helpful. This should be all my comments on the prose. I will look through the references section when my above comments are addressed. I am having a lot of fun reading through the article. Awesome work with it! I am glad to see a lot of love and work put into this great album. I just love how fun and upbeat this album is (and that is very much needed with how the world is right now). Aoba47 (talk) 19:39, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

It is a very helpful review. Thank you so much for the support. Damian Vo (talk) 14:12, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• Thank you for your responses! Aoba47 (talk) 21:20, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Citations (part 2)

• For citation 102, I do not think the Advance Publications part is necessary. There are some instances when the publisher is included in the citation even when the publication is well-known and linked (like The Age Company with The Age and the Australian Community Media with The Newcastle Herald). I can see the justification for publications that do not have wikilinks, but it seems unnecessary to me for those that have them. I would honestly just remove them.

I removed AP and changed the publishers in the citations. Damian Vo (talk) 07:51, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

• Thank you for addressing this. Aoba47 (talk) 16:27, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

• I am uncertain about citation 31 as it was taken from a Paula Abdul fan site. When I look at the citation, the site is seemingly referencing a separate interview (i.e. not done by the fan site or anything). Although I do not doubt this information is true, I would either find the interview in question as a replacement for this citation or remove the citation altogether as I do not think a fan site can be used as a source. Unfortunately, the fan site does not provide any context on when/where this interview took place.

The interview in question was actually the one that I used heavily in the article. I replaced the fansite with the actual interview citiation. Damian Vo (talk) 07:51, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

• That is great. Apologies for missing that somehow. I am glad that you had the interview as it had a lot of really great information. While I love Kylie Minogue's version of "Spinning Around", I am curious on what a Paula Abdul version would sound like lol. Aoba47 (talk) 16:27, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

It's alright. I thought giving the transcript would be better than a normal citation from a CD interview; and I had no idea that it was a fansite (I got it from the FA "Spinning Around"). Damian Vo (talk) 04:50, 17 August 2021 (UTC)

These are my only two comments about the citations. I hope they make sense, but let me know if further clarification is necessary. Once these two points are addressed, I will pass this as a GA. Have a great rest of your weekend. Aoba47 (talk) 21:22, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

• Thank you for your responses. I am going to read through the article one more time and I will likely pass this as a GA then. Great work with this! Aoba47 (talk) 16:28, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

Final comments

Thank you for addressing everything and for your patience with my review. I will ✓ Pass this as a GA. Aoba47 (talk) 19:49, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

Finally! Thank you so much for helping me with your helpful review :D Good luck with your FAC! P.S: I saw your comment on the talk page of X about "Speakerphone", and I have yet to find any information about it. Maybe it's just a rumor. Damian Vo (talk) 04:54, 17 August 2021 (UTC)