Customer Reviews

The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal with CD (Audio)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

Maybe nobody else has quite realized it yet, but this book isn't really about Martin Popoff's taste in heavy metal. It's meant to allow the Reader to engage in formulating their own taste--you're supposed to engage in a running dialogue with Popoff's opinions, and this forces you to think deeply and clearly about how Metal affects you, why it gets under your skin and why (when the day is over) it's important to you. Along the way, Popoff (who has a copious amount of knowledge about all things hard and heavy) acts sometimes as your ally, sometimes as your enemy, and sometimes as a Court Jester. Fact is, genuine metal obssesives are a microscopic minority subculture. I'm glad I bought Martin's book, because I finally have someone to talk to.

I, for one, find Popoff's reviews informative and funny (sometimes scathingly so) and his knowledge above reproach -- come on, he's one man! Though I've cursed him like a sailor when he slags a band I worship, reviews are, at the end of the day, one man's opinion, and this book is a compendium of just that. I think this book will be most enjoyed by fellow obsessives, the types who, when cleaning out an old closet, will get sidetracked for hours by years-old copies of magazines, re-reading decade-old articles and marveling at the ones who did, and didn't, make it. I proudly count myself among that group, and my copy of the 'Collector's Guide' is worn and dog-eared for that reason. I will concede that the title is misleading; it implies a more fact-based, soulless, statistical charts-and-graphs sort of book. But that's more a publisher's bad call than an author's mistake, I'd wager. The book's original title, 'Riff Kills Man,' is much more suitable -- a gigantic treasure trove of opinionated, witty picks and pans from a man who's lived and breathed metal in all its forms since he was lashing Priest LP's to the back of his bicycle and pedaling home as fast as his Canuck feet could take him. That enthusiasm sticks out, and makes this a great book for any discerning rivethead (at least one not mummified into one sub-sub-genre for all eternity, and if that's you, I didn't want you in my house anyway). Pick it up!

This excellent book contains reviews of 3700 hard rock/heavy metal/alternative/punk albums by well-known reviewer Martin Popoff. I strongly recommend it to metal fans everywhere. While I do not agree with all of the reviews, I use this as an essential tool when shopping in a used record store or when ordering older CDs. It is also great reading as some of the reviews are simply hilarious! Note that it was published in 1997, so some albums published that year and more recently are not in this edition. The book is accompanied by a 19-track cd compilation of Century Media artists. This is a review book, you will not find biographies in there. One of my best purchases, looking forward to the next edition.

I ordered this book about two years ago and since then I have used it to buy over 100 cds. I have discovered great bands like COC, Lake of Tears, and Thin Lizzy. Some of the reviews are very amusing even though I do not always agree with Martin's opinion. I think bands like Armored Saint, Aldo Nova, and Gary Moore deserved higher ratings. Some of his 10's are also overated. But I do not expect to agree 100% with anybody. Besides, anybody that gives "Storybook Heroes" (by Highway Chile) a 10 is cool with me. I have used this book so many times that I need a new copy. I read it weekly! Metal may not be so popular these days but I am having a blast discovering bands I missed the first time around. I hope he decides to write a third book that will include some of the bands, good and bad, he could not fit in this time (Warlock etc.). Count me in for 3 copies Martin!

2 528 reviews arranged with the bands arranged alphabetically and the bands catalogues arranged chronologically form the meat and potatoes of this 432 page book on the hard `n' heavy product of the metal decade. With this tome Popoff has hit the decade where the number of hard rock and heavy music releases started to spiral upwards. As such the book is not as complete as per the volume on the Seventies appeared to be even though this one has more than twice the reviews. Popoff comes across to me as a completist - one of those retentive fans that just wants to include the lot. And for that I salute him and I can imagine the pain he went through not being able to cover even albums he knew belonged in here due to space and time limitations.

Having said that basically everything that is important is here. Popoff doesn't have much time for live albums and that's fair enough, though he is willing to cover a few salient items. Nor does he give much truck to greatest hits compilations unless they pique his interest for some reason. And given the number of times greatest hits selections are put out with little track listing variation by some bands that's a totally justifiable position to take. One difference apparent in this volume is that while there is still a score out of ten for each release the heaviness quotient - a score out of ten for heaviness - which the author utilised in his 70's book has been discontinued. Personally I don't really miss it as I have albums from throughout the hard `n' heavy spectrum in my collection, so just a description of the music will do me just fine thanks.

In terms of his musical opinions, this is a guy who has carved himself a career in music built on sheer passion - I may not agree with each and every review of his but for petes sake who would? While some of his reviewing tendencies have been justly pointed out (he isn't much for punk or hardcore or some of the more extreme metal alloys) to me the idea that your going to pick up a book like this and react angrily if one of your pet bands is rated poorly is pretty childish. Just scroll through some of the less flattering reviews and you'll find people whimpering that this album or that album scored badly. Get over it! Personally I love to have a chuckle when he rubbishes one of my pet bands, I often muse to myself that yes.... that particular album does indeed suck but hey, I like it and darn it all, I'm gonna put it on!

I should note that Popoff won't be winning a Pulitzer or whatever anytime soon but it's the guys knowledge and passion and irreverent attitudes that I buy his books for. That and they are a useful guide for finding out about bands that may have been before my time or passed me by upon release. And they are handy reference guides to have lying on your shelf.

I really must say I enjoyed this book, last I checked there was talk of releasing the books for the 70's, 80's and 90's as a box set. If so I'd love to see the books revised - he managed to produce a book of 520 pages for the 90's which is almost 90 more than he had for this one. In a perfect world I'd love to see his opinions on some of the stuff he didn't have time to put in here. And I'm sure since putting it out we punters have let him know of other bands that should have been put in both this tome and his 70's book. For a revised edition, I'd buy this again. Get reading.

Popoff must have burned out a lot of turntables considering all the albums he's listened to over the years. His book covers quite a bit of territory, though I've docked it one star because he's missed an album here and there by some well-known artists. Still, he knows his stuff and his reviews are entertaining (some are probably more entertaining than the albums they deal with). I've learned a lot from this book-- and it's cost me a ton o' money seeking out new bands.

Most music fans have little knowledge or appreciation of heavy metal music. In my experience, fans of heavy metal bands are also often guilty of the same shortcoming, failing to appreciate the scope and depth of the genre while maintaining fanatical support for one band or sub-genre. Ask them which ten albums define heavy metal, and they look puzzled, especially if their favorite band has yet to record ten albums. This has made it frustrating for the novice collector like me, who has always wanted to expand my tastes beyond the basic Zeppelin, Sabbath, Metallica but has suffered from a lack of information. Martin Popoff's guide has proved indispensible to me. It has been a constant and faithful companion when exploring secondhand, bargain, and specialist music outlets, and has enabled me to build up an impressive and highly enjoyable collection of heavy metal and hard rock music. The book contains a wealth of reviews which act as guide, critique, and band history. Popoff writes in a dynamic and personal style, and time spent with the book reveals a fascinating account of his own personal history as a North American metal devotee in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. For me this is the understated strength of a book which might otherwise have suffered from reliance on a single perspective. This is not a book for closed minded fans who feel they (and they alone) understand heavy metal music. But for the fan who genuinely wants to expand their taste, I cannot think of a more trustworthy and reliable guide for locating those five-star, ten rated metal classics and avoiding the 'hope you like our new direction' disasters.

The first edition of this book to ever grace my bookshelf was the 1993 edition of "Riff Kills Man" which I must say threw me into a whirlwind of frenzied excitement and uncontrolled joy. This was the book I had always dreamed about, and often times thought of writing myself. When the new "Collectors Guide" hit the shelves, I was completely rapturous. With a huge passion for metal and music in general, a cannot say how valuable this book is. This book is truly an asset and resource for those who want to know it all. I now have over 800 cd's, and Martin Popoff has carefully guided me down the heavy metal highway. I have read, and re-read reviews over and over, and have never grown tired or weary of them. I also have found the book extremely beneficial in my research on NWOBHM bands. I am continuously impressed with the immaculate detail and effort that went into writing such a book. The information therein contained is bountiful and plenty. My scope and horizons of metal music have increased dramatically since buying this "Holy Bible" of heavy metal. If you are a collector, connoisseur, fan, or a wanna be heavy metal hisorian, this book is for you. Coming with a free CD of Century Media recording artists makes it even more worthwhile. If you have a desire to conscientiously expand your CD collection, without wasting your money and buying some of the garbage that is floating around on the shelves at your local record store, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. If you already have an extensive collection, this will certainly be an exciting and entertaining read, and with all that went into it, there is always more to learn. I also have found it interesting how reading the reviews can rejuvenate my interest in a CD that I have not played in awhile. My only hope is to see the book re-released in it's third edition, containing of course a plethora of new reviews. Nuff said. BUY THE BOOK!

Got this book as a gift and will hold onto it through the Millenia. Don't 100% agree with every rating/opinion of every band/album, but a great source of information that those who seek to expand their horizons, (Metallicaly as well as musically), will enjoy. Often referred to amongst myself and associates as "The Bible". Best find out of this book that I never knew existed: Masters of Reality's "Sunrise on the Sufferbus". I wish this CD upon every human in the free world.

This book contains well over 3,000 reviews of metal recordings all the way back to 1970. I found the book extremely entertaining and insightful. I read some of the other comments on how this is not a complete "encyclopedia" type guide, and that some information is missing, but I say, so what. Whether you agree or disagree with Martin's reviews, he gives enough information that you can generally find a CD and check it out for yourself.

Think about the amount of time Popoff had to put in to write this many reviews, with a full time job and a family! The man loves metal, and that fact shines through all the reviews, both good and bad. I would much rather read a review by a devout metal fan, than some hack writer who wants to impress us all with prose, rather than a real knowledge of the genre. I've read some reviews by the so-called "experts", where it is obvious they have never even listened to the CD they are reviewing.

I have used the book to explore new areas of metal that I would never have thought about before his book. In fact, sometimes if he really trashes a band or a CD, I may check it out just to see if it is as bad as he says. So, even if the book is just a series of reviews, it can certainly open your eyes to new bands or areas of metal you may not have explored, and best of all, Popoff's sense of humor will keep you in stitches throughout.