Customer Reviews

101 Albums that Changed Popular Music

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For a scathing, erudite, and funny review, from someone who really does know what he's talking about, read:
"The worst book about pop music I have ever read" in the Austin American Statesman. <http://www.statesman.com/search/content/life/stories/books/04/26/0426101albums.html>.

Plenty of Billboard-type guides provide chart lists of hit albums and many a music book discusses key albums; but this is the first to select 100 albums with lasting influence on popular music trends, and should be considered an essential reference for any collection strong in popular music history. Analysis includes notes from critics, insights on music history, release dates and notes, and clear surveys of why the albums are to be considered groundbreakers.

Chris Smith takes what could have turned into a self indulgent top 10 list and instead manages to tell an insightful and witty narrative with Music as the main character. It is captivating for fans of music and academically rigorous for those who really want to use it as a "reference guide". In any case, it is entertaining enough to never be demeaned to a door stop and you will no doubt find albums listed therein you never thought you would want, but now suddenly find you need. I highly recommend it.

What a great book! I love music but don't know all that much about it, and this book told me just what I wanted to know about my favorite albums of all time. The book devotes 2-3 pages to each album, providing fascinating details about the album's historical context, creation, musical style, and long-term significance. All of the entries are written in a clear, engaging style that made me want to keep reading. In addition to covering classic albums by figures like Elvis and Miles Davis, the book covers more recent albums by current stars like Eminem and the Dixie Chicks, which i found particularly interesting. Highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in music!

In "100 Albums That Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide" Chris Smith aims to assess what albums have had the most impact on the history of popular music, both in terms of musical style and actual popular culture - to which the recent death of superstar Michael Jackson has drawn my attention.

"100 Albums That Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide" is a very logically structured book that is a breezy read because of rather than in spite of the albums being listed in batches by time period rather than individually. The reader is indeed able to gain a very good understanding of important moments in the history of rock music from its beginnings to end very well. As mentioned earlier, both the musical and the cultural aspects of the evolution of rock music are discussed. They are balanced together in a most impressive manner that is free of the sense of bias one gets from the vast majority of other music critics who often focus too much on the most influential and innovative recordings even if they sold almost no copies - or focus without selectivity on more popular albums.

The thing that holds back "100 Albums That Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide" is its predictability. Almost every choice in the book would be familiar from a random selection of best-albums lists by mainstream critics. This is to a considerable degree true even of the more popular choices like "Boston" or "Heart Like A Wheel", which can be found praised on such works as The MOJO Collection or The Rolling Stone Album Guide. The lack of surprises makes the book excessively routine, as if it had been written without thought or the deeper knowledge of music a David Keenan or Piero Scaruffi would give so easily. This book will not challenge a listener to explore if they are looking for music to listen to, though its reviews are well-written enough that In spite of this, if what you are after is just a well-written and easy-to-read reference work, "100 Albums That Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide" is hard to beat.

I read the reviews on the albums in the Vancouver Sun in Vancouver and was excited to purchase this book for my two sons. Imagine my surprise when Chapters did not have it and could not order it in for me. Strange that I could find it on Amazon and they would send me two copies of a book written by a B.C. author that was not available in B.C. Quick service and in excellent condition. Thank you.