Rock Albums Of The 70s: A Critical Guide (Da Capo Paperback) [Paperback]

Robert Christgau (Author)

Book Description

Series: Da Capo Paperback | Publication Date: August 22, 1990

Robert Christgau on James Brown: "When he modulates to the bridge it's like the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters. After that he could describe his cars for three [LP] sides and get away with it." Christgau on Carly Simon: "If a horse could sing in a monotone, the horse would sound like Carly Simon, only a horse wouldn't rhyme 'yacht,' 'apricot,' and 'gavotte.'" Christgau on Van Morrison: "This is a man who gets stoned on a drink of water and urges us to turn our radios all the way into the mystic. Visionary hooks his specialty." Christgau on Lou Reed: "Reed Sounds like he's imitating his worst enemy, himself." (Lou Reed on Robert Christgau: "What a moron! Studying rock and roll. I can't believe it!") An indispensable book, Christgau's Rock Albums the '70s is the definitive guide to nearly 3,000 albums of the decade that brought us progressive rock, country rock, glam rock, funk, disco, punk, heavy metal, and new wave.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Offer[s] definitive takes on thousands of records in every genre on earth...Rock criticism at its obsessive best." -- Blender, October 2006

About the Author

Robert Christgau is the author of Grown Up All Wrong and Any Old Way You Choose It, among other books. He is also a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and can be heard on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 22, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306804093
• ISBN-13: 978-0306804090
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,153,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eccentric and subjective, but useful, July 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rock Albums Of The 70s: A Critical Guide (Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)

He has pretty eccentric tastes, really. His reviews are rarely as funny as those in the Rolling Stone Record Guide (1979, 1983), and the humor he does use tends to be on the arrogant side. On the other hand, this arrogance can make for commanding reviews -- he's rarely wishy-washy like the Rolling Stone reviewers sometimes are. No one will mistake him for an objective critic -- the entries are subjective in tone, and he often has rather idiosyncratic reasons for his likes and dislikes (he credits Pink Floyd's "Meddle" for having sound effects from a "real dog" on it, for example, and he lowers his ratings of many albums on the basis of lyrics that personally rub him the wrong way or disagree with his politics). But then again it is refreshing to read a critic who admits to being subjective.

Many will be annoyed by the forcefulness with which he attacks records he doesn't like (and which may be your favorite). He does write like a know-it-all. I certainly wouldn't advise anyone to buy even half of what he recommends (unless you have no mind of your own) -- first read his reviews of albums you know, so you can see where he stands.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining as hell, if not the last word., March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rock Albums Of The 70s: A Critical Guide (Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)

Christgau is the master of the zinger; when he skewers a release or an artist, they're pinned to the wall. You may go bonkers with this book if your musical tastes and Christgau's don't match, because his sarcasm is withering and he has taken the trouble to listen to everything he reviews numerous times before praising or panning, so it's not uninformed criticism. When he praises something, buy it, he's on target most of the time. When he pans, wellllll.........

But Christgau, to his credit, is upfront with his biases and will sometimes transcend those biases and give kudos, however reluctantly, to music put out by artists who he can't stand if he thinks it passes muster. That's ultimately what makes him a good resource; he loves popular music, if not every part of it, and he knows whereof he speaks.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who needs consumer guidance anyway?, April 5, 2001

By 

Eric Krupin (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rock Albums Of The 70s: A Critical Guide (Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)

These reviews are so super-pithy that they make very entertaining reading, even when you have no interest in the record under discussion. (The entire review of Foreigner's first record reads, "You've heard of Beatlemania? I propose Xenophobia." Really, what else needs be said?) And his coverage is broad enough that you can easily calibrate the differences between your taste and his. It's great to see this still in print.