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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Muddled, But Still Worthwhile, November 27, 2000
This review is from: Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s (Paperback)
Yes, this version of Christgau's Record Guide is a bit more chaotic, but at least the author admits so in his introduction. The new grading system, although different, doesn't take long to get used to. I found myself whizzing right along after reading Christgau's introduction. Yes, this book is shorter and less comprehensive than his two previous guides. Is this a fault? Yes and no. If you're already familiar with Christgau's work (I check the Village Voice online once a month to read his Consumer Guide) you'll probably thank him since he's cut away most of the fat and left only lean meat (i.e. the artists truly worth checking out). If, however, you're distraught that some of the bigger artists have been left out, you might want to check out a safer, broader (and, thus, more tepid) record guide such as the one published by Rolling Stone. Christgau is opinionated (he IS a critic, after all), but I strongly suggest thumbing through this guide at your local bookstore. Look up some of your favorite artists, and if the reviews of those artists are unfavorable or, worse, if you can't even FIND reviews, well, then this book probably isn't for you. However, if your tastes already lean towards Sonic Youth, Lucinda Williams, Sleater-Kinney, and Randy Newman (my fave!) you'll more than likely turn to the Christgau Record Guide as you would your Bible.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very Disappointing - I Want A Refund, December 14, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s (Paperback)
This is the third (and by far the worst) volume I've bought from Cristgau, `cause when he writes about things he likes he can be right on the money. A line such as "irony - an excuse for anything and a reason for nothing" is a good example. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book, and for several reasons. First of all, he doesn't like any hard rock or heavy metal, so why he even bothers reviewing these genres is beyond me because he has no understanding of them. Truth is, every time he dismisses a band like Alice in Chains, Metallica, or Kyuss, sometimes without so much as an explanation (more on that later), I feel like sending him to a corner and throwing a dunce cap on his head. He also continues to wildly overrate 90% of all hip-hop and African albums, as well as any Ramones-influenced punk bands and hard rocking female bands (he's nothing if not politically correct). This also holds true for his beloved "Amerindie" artists, as well as for literate (but sometimes boring) singer songwriters such as John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman, and Lucinda Williams. Meanwhile, "pretentious" artists who actually try to do something new and different (such as Radiohead, Bjork, U2, Flaming Lips, for example) are obnoxiously dismissed. I could go on about other albums I feel he's dead wrong about (Pearl Jam's "Vs.," Emmylou Harris' "Wrecking Ball," etc) but I'd run out of space. I've also given up trying to figure out why he loves Marshall Crenshaw but doesn't like Crowded House (they seem comparable to me, and I for one prefer Crowded House), especially since he won't tell me. This is because of his awful new rating system, on which simple letter grades are often confusingly replaced by turkey and bomb symbols, or by record symbols along with a list of a few songs. This flawed new system allows Cristgau to be way too lazy. For example, important `90s artists such as Smashing Pumpkins, Blur, Oasis, The Verve (what's he got against Britpop, anyway?), Tori Amos, and Elliott Smith are barely given a mention. Their albums are listed, but with very little or no commentary. In short, his `70s and `80s album guides were much better - even if he thought Lou Reed's `80s albums were better than Led Zeppelin's '70 albums. P.S. What's up with the personal attacks, like the ones on Jeff Buckley and Tom Petty?
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
essential but frustrating, December 10, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s (Paperback)
I've been reading Christgau for 30 years. He's a smart and amusing writer, and is willing to go against the grain. He's famous in critical circles for having dismissed Jimi Hendrix as a mere showboat after The Monterey Pop Festival - an error (which he later admitted), but an understandable one. I can usually count on him to ferret out the hokey stuff so that I don't have to. I share his views exactly on Elvis Costello, for instance ("fatally self-conscious"), and I'll never forget what he once said about Waylon Jennings ("Reminds us that he has balls by singing as though someone were squeezing them"). I wish he weren't such a sucker for world music, much of which, in my opinion, would be dismissed as pablum if it weren't for the exotic veneer. But no one's perfect. Anyway, the point is not so much whether I agree with his reviews (although that helps), but whether this book works as a consumer guide, which it purports to be. I think that if you're seriously into popular music, Christgau is an essential read, but I've downgraded this particular book because, for one thing, the rating system is far too complicated. It's not that I can't decipher it - it's that I shouldn't have to. It's supposed to be a consumer guide, not a flight manual. His previous guides were more straightforward, and better for it. Second, like that of his colleague Greil Marcus, Christgau's writing has become increasingly obtuse. It's partly a result of the fact that the better rock critics have joined (or want to join) the ranks of the literary elite and want everyone to know that they can do more than just review Kiss albums. That's a fine thing, they have much to contribute, but it's no excuse for obtuseness, especially in what purports to be a consumer guide, a reference book. When even a literate reader can't make heads or tails of an entry, things have gotten out of hand. It only happens occasionally, but taken together with the overly-complicated rating system, it can be frustrating. Those criticisms aside, Christgau is, like I said, essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in popular music. Frustrating at times, but never merely bland. Deduct 2 stars for form, but credit 1 back because it's important to keep Christgau's brand of crankiness alive. Four stars.
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