John Magruder's RARB scoring

NO RATING: This song/album cannot be/should not be judged on a scale.
0: This song/album is so bad that you would not wish this on your worst enemy... it would be against the Geneva Convention.
1: So bad that you _would_ wish this upon your enemies. You would not make your dog listen to this.
2: Very bad song. Unless you are a masochist, the only time you heard this song was the first time.
3: Pretty piss-poor. Maybe they just should have chalked it up to practice and burned the tape.
4: not good. You listen in the hopes that it may grow on you. This makes you ask yourself "Do I want to listen to this? Hmmm...... no."
5: Just average. Not really good, but not really bad. With a little more work, this could have been good instead of 'just average'.
6: Just above average. This had some redeeming features, but it had some smudges as well. More polish and maybe a little editing could make this stand out from other stuff you hear.
7: Above average. This sounds good. It has something that makes you bounce and want to listen to it more than once or twice. While it is not great, you are not embarrassed to say you like it. Add a little polish and you have a gem.
8: This is good. Something you want to listen to again and again. Has a good sound. Will evoke a feeling from those who listen to this. Could be considered for some kind of award because it is pretty darn good.

9 or 10

Professional groups ratings will be slightly better overall than the collegiate ones, but hard to differentiate on a 10-scale.

9: This song is very good. A song you always want to hear when you play the album. Should definitely be considered for inclusion on the Best of College A Cappella album series. If this rating is applied to an album, it should be considered for a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award without a doubt.
10: This song is fantastic. You will skip over everything else to hear this song. It gets you singing/dancing/gesticulating with no effort. If this song is not selected for the BOCA album series, it is an insult. If this rating is applied to an album, it should win a CARA. We're talking professional stuff here!

9: This song really stands out from other work by pro groups. You would even consider recommending this to someone who does not like a cappella, just to show them how great a cappella can be. If this rating is applied to an album, you would pay to see this group. Maybe even more than once.
10: This song is incredible. You would make even the most jaded person become a die-hard fan of a cappella. If this rating is applied to an album, you would pay to see this group any and every time they performed within a 5 hour driving range.

Last modified: Sun Mar 23 13:46:10 PST 1997