My frequently used templates & style-guide for album articles.

Step one: the cover

Snag from AMG Upload the cover with the ((Album cover fur)) image copyright tag.

((Non-free use rationale album cover
| Article           = 
| Use               = <!-- Choose: Infobox / Header / Section / Artist / other (specify Purpose) --> 
<!-- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -->
| Name              = 
| Artist            = 
| Label             = 
| Graphic Artist    = 
| Item              = 
| Type              = 
| Website           = 
| Owner             = 
| Commentary        = 
<!--OVERRIDE FIELDS -->
| Description       = 
| Source            = 
| Portion           = 
| Low resolution    = 
| Purpose           = <!-- Must be specified if Use is not Infobox / Header / Section / Artist -->
| Replaceability    = 
| Other information = 
))

Step two: establishing the page

((inuse))

((Infobox album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
| name       = 
| type       = 
| artist     = 
| cover      = 
| alt        = 
| released   = <!-- ((Start date|YYYY|MM|DD)) -->
| recorded   = 
| genre      = 
| length     = <!-- ((Duration|m=MM|s=SS)) -->
| label      = 
| producer   = 
| last album = 
| this album = 
| next album = 
))

'''''Title''''' is.

==Track listing==
==Critical reception==

((Album ratings
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
| rev1Score = ((Rating|4.5|5))<ref name="AM">citation</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Title of publication]]''
| rev2Score = favorable (citation)
))

==Personnel==
===Performance===
===Production===
==References==
((reflist))

[[Category:Artist albums]]
[[Category:Year albums]]

Other common categories & common genres

• [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]

• [[Category:Rhythm and blues albums]]

Commonly used phrases

• In 2003, ''[[Rolling Stone Magazine]]'' listed the album at #? in its list of "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]".<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/? Title] [[Rolling Stone Magazine]] online. ([[November 1]] [[2003]]). Accessed [[Month Day]] [[2007]].</ref>
• [[Music recording sales certification|certified gold]] by the [[RIAA certification|RIAA]] on date.<ref>[http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH RIAA searchable database].</ref>

Commonly used wikilinks

• Albums chart, "Black Albums": "[[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|Black Albums]]"
• Albums chart, "Pop Albums": "[[Billboard 200|Pop Albums]]"
• Singles chart, "Adult Contemporary" or "Hot Adult Contemporary": [[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks]]
• Singles chart, "Black Singles": "[[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Black Singles]]"
• Singles chart, "Country Singles": "[[Hot Country Songs|Country Singles]]"
• Singles chart, "Pop Singles": "[[Billboard Hot 100|Pop Singles]]"
• Singles chart, "UK Singles":"[[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]]"
• [[Arrangement|arranger]]
• [[Art director|art direction]]
• [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]]
• [[Conducting|conductor]]
• [[Cover art|cover design]]
• [[Drum machine|drum programming]]
• [[Audio engineering|engineer]]
• [[liner notes]]
• [[graphic design]]
• [[Audio mastering|mastering]]
• [[Audio mixing|mixing]]
• [[Record producer|producer]]
• [[Programming (music)|programming]]
• [[Remaster|remastering]]
• [[Remix|remixing]]
• [[Photography|photographer]]
• [[Music sequencer|sequencing]]

Commonly used templates & citations

Online

• AMG: ((allmusicguide |id= |label= ))
• Piero Scaruffi review: *[[Piero Scaruffi]] ((rating-10|?)) [ link] ([[Spanish language|Spanish]])
• Robert Christgau review: *[[Robert Christgau]] (Grade) [ link]
• Rolling Stone review: *''[[Rolling Stone]]'' (Grade) [ link]
• Trouser Press citation: <ref name="trouser">Robbins, Ira. [link title] [[Trouser Press]]. Accessed [[date]] [[2007]].</ref>

Print

• Bebop: The Best... <ref name="Bebop">((cite book | last = Yanow | first = Scott | title = Bebop: The Best Musicians and Recordings | publisher = Backbeat Books | date = 2000 | pages = ? | isbn = 0879306084))</ref>
• Blackwell Guide to Jazz: <ref name="Blackwell">((cite book | last = Kernfeld | first = Barry Dean | title = The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz | publisher = Blackwell Publishing | date = 1995 | pages = ? | isbn = 0631195521))</ref>
• Guinness British Hit Singles: <ref name="g">((cite book |last=Roberts |first=David |title=Guinness World Records British Hit Singles |edition= 15th ed. |year=2002 |publisher=Guinness World Records Ltd. |location=London |isbn=0-85112-187-X)), p.?</ref>
• Jazz: A Critic's Guide. <ref name="Ratliff">((cite book | last = Ratliff | first = Ben | title = Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings | series=New York Times Essential Library | publisher = MacMillan | date = 2000 | pages = ? | isbn = 0805070680))</ref> *New Rolling Stone Album Guide: <nowiki><ref name="rsag">((cite book |last=Brackett |first=Nathan |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |edition= 4th ed. |year=2004 |publisher=Fireside |location=New York |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 | page = ?))</ref>
• Rough Guide to Jazz: .<ref name="rough">((cite book | last = Carr | first = Ian | coauthors=Brian Fairweather and Charles Alexander Priestley | title = The Rough Guide to Jazz | publisher = Rough Guides | date = 2004| pages =  ? | isbn = 1843532565))</ref>

• Blank citebook: ((cite book | last = | first = | title = | publisher = | date = | pages = | isbn = ))

Other situations

• This band article included album covers in its discography. These have had to be removed. Please see #1 under [[Wikipedia:Non-free_content#Unacceptable_images|"unaccepable images"]] and [[WP:Albums#Discography]]. --~~~~

• Extra covers, add to infobox:| Misc = ((Extra album cover 2 | Upper caption = caption | Type = [[Album]] | Cover = image link | Lower caption = caption)) Close box as usual.

• New Categories: ((catmore1|[[artist]]))[[Category:Albums by artist]][[Category:American albums]]
• Multiple tracklists: Template:Tracklist
• Observer/Guardian 100 greatest british albums: see Road_to_Freedom_(album) for citation.

Notes, future articles

• Setting Standards: New York Sessions
  • Kelman, John. (2008-01-16) Setting Standards: New York Sessions All About Jazz. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  • Layman, Will. (2008-01-22) Setting Standards: New York Sessions Pop Matters. Retrieved 2008-09-12.