should HMV have let my son buy an album marked "parental advisory" ?

Marisco

Listening to the link, you can't understand what they are saying anyway!!

pulliptears

When I was 13 my Aunt bought me Guns n' Roses Lies album for Christmas (vinyl, those were the days!). It had an explicit content sticker on it.

My prude of a Mother marched me back to HMV and made me change it. I was mortified.
Of course when I went into town the following week I bought it again.

Never did see what the issue was with a bit of swearing in a song, at 13 they will hear much worse from their friends.

easy

custardy wrote: »

should you let your 13 year old into a shop that sells explicit content items?
Explicit content covers a massive section of what can be in the music

Carl31 wrote: »

slight over reaction

Tesco sells 18 rated films, dont tell me you wouldnt take your kids to tesco

custardy wrote: »

I think you miss my point

Custardy, I think I miss your point too. Are you suggesting that a 13 year-old shouldn't be out without his parent ??

Tropez

pulliptears wrote: »

When I was 13 my Aunt bought me Guns n' Roses Lies album for Christmas (vinyl, those were the days!). It had an explicit content sticker on it.

My prude of a Mother marched me back to HMV and made me change it. I was mortified.
Of course when I went into town the following week I bought it again.

Never did see what the issue was with a bit of swearing in a song, at 13 they will hear much worse from their friends.

It must just be the vinyl releases with the content warning because my CD versions do not feature it.

In the case of 'Lies' the song One in a Million does go a little beyond some bad language.

pulliptears

Tropez wrote: »

It must just be the vinyl releases with the content warning because my CD versions do not feature it.

In the case of 'Lies' the song One in a Million does go a little beyond some bad language.

I'm going back to release day, mine certainly had it on the Vinyl, but this was in the middle of the PMRC thing as well so EVERYTHING got stickered lol

I actually bought the original Appetite for Destruction with the banned cover as well, quite some time before Sweet Child and superstardom took off

And yes, One in A Million was a bit 'interesting' but it didn't turn me into a swearing homophobic racist so I stand by my comments that its all rather overblown. My kids fared ok as well and both love that album.

Tropez

pulliptears wrote: »

I'm going back to release day, mine certainly had it on the Vinyl, but this was in the middle of the PMRC thing as well so EVERYTHING got stickered lol

I actually bought the original Appetite for Destruction with the banned cover as well, quite some time before Sweet Child and superstardom took off

And yes, One in A Million was a bit 'interesting' but it didn't turn me into a swearing homophobic racist so I stand by my comments that its all rather overblown. My kids fared ok as well and both love that album.

Yeah, I suppose at the time this whole thing began then everything in those genres would get labelled. Still, I think like most forms of attempted censorship and restriction it simply served to entice teenagers to buying more of the albums!

I do on the whole agree that it is rather overblown. I believe the "Explicit Content" warning is largely meaningless, simply because there's no regulation that requires it be featured on a recording, nor is there any legal requirements on the part of retailers to limit distribution based on age. I imagine the majority of major retailers voluntarily withhold sale to 9 year olds simply because they don't want the tabloids having a field day at their expense but a 13 year old... not so much...

I can, however, understand why a parent wouldn't want their child listening to songs like One in a Million, especially if they had concerns about their child's maturity and ability to differentiate the angry rantings of an emotionally troubled individual with a model of behaviour to adhere to - but then I think it boils down to what the sticker actually says; "Parental Advisory" - it's up to the parents to decide what content is suitable and what is not.

In the case of the OP, I'd be inclined to Google the lyrics to this artist's songs (plenty of sites out there) and see what type of themes, language etc. the songs feature and then make a decision from there, although I have to say, I'm stunned that anybody still buys CDs when for a tenner of month you can get access to several music services that feature everything from S Club 7 and Miley Cyrus to Cradle of Filth and Slayer.

custardy

easy wrote: »

Custardy, I think I miss your point too. Are you suggesting that a 13 year-old shouldn't be out without his parent ??

The OP is questioning whether HMV should sell the item to a 13 year old.
If that is an issue to the OP,then they should choose to allow them into shops that sell items they approve of and/or are legally obliged on what they sell with regard to the purchasers age
The parental advisory label has done its job here. made the parent aware of the product

pulliptears

Tropez wrote: »

Yeah, I suppose at the time this whole thing began then everything in those genres would get labelled. Still, I think like most forms of attempted censorship and restriction it simply served to entice teenagers to buying more of the albums!

I do on the whole agree that it is rather overblown. I believe the "Explicit Content" warning is largely meaningless, simply because there's no regulation that requires it be featured on a recording, nor is there any legal requirements on the part of retailers to limit distribution based on age. I imagine the majority of major retailers voluntarily withhold sale to 9 year olds simply because they don't want the tabloids having a field day at their expense but a 13 year old... not so much...

I can, however, understand why a parent wouldn't want their child listening to songs like One in a Million, especially if they had concerns about their child's maturity and ability to differentiate the angry rantings of an emotionally troubled individual with a model of behaviour to adhere to - but then I think it boils down to what the sticker actually says; "Parental Advisory" - it's up to the parents to decide what content is suitable and what is not.

In the case of the OP, I'd be inclined to Google the lyrics to this artist's songs (plenty of sites out there) and see what type of themes, language etc. the songs feature and then make a decision from there, although I have to say, I'm stunned that anybody still buys CDs when for a tenner of month you can get access to several music services that feature everything from S Club 7 and Miley Cyrus to Cradle of Filth and Slayer.

I raised mine from an early age on rock music, one of DD's first memories is her bopping around the kitchen to The Smashing Pumpkins, but I did shield them somewhat from more explicit songs where I could until they were old enough to understand the meanings behind them.

One of the most amusing things I ever came across was a clean version of Permission To Land by The Darkness where swearing was replaced with words like 'You Coconut'. It was hilariously funny and meant the kids could still listen to an album they loved, its a shame more musicians don't do that really.

Of course by the time they were 10 or so they could appreciate the fact that Axl Rose was a tad unhinged and take 'Lies' for what it was.

bluenoseam

Believe it or not when I worked for the evil empire - sorry HMV - they actually had PA stickers in stock so that if an album was so bad as we got numerous complaints we could oversticker manually! They do still appear on some records, but not nearly as many as their used to be, I think once people got over the fact that we're capable of rational thought it became obsolete.

Tropez

pulliptears wrote: »

I raised mine from an early age on rock music, one of DD's first memories is her bopping around the kitchen to The Smashing Pumpkins, but I did shield them somewhat from more explicit songs where I could until they were old enough to understand the meanings behind them.

One of the most amusing things I ever came across was a clean version of Permission To Land by The Darkness where swearing was replaced with words like 'You Coconut'. It was hilariously funny and meant the kids could still listen to an album they loved, its a shame more musicians don't do that really.

Of course by the time they were 10 or so they could appreciate the fact that Axl Rose was a tad unhinged and take 'Lies' for what it was.

My parents weren't into rock and had rather conservative, more old fashioned views, which made it somewhat odd when they bought me Use Your Illusion II one year for my birthday - think it was my 14th. I assume they must have asked some of their friends who were more in the know on the whole subject.

They'd also bought me Quake II on PC and my mum decided to come in to see how I was enjoying my presents... so as mum comes in 'Get in the Ring' was playing just at the point of Axl's rant, while I was blowing the faces off of cybernetic zombies. I think a part of her died that day...