The Rough Guide to World 100 Essential CDs (Rough Guide 100 Esntl CD Guide) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Simon Broughton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rough Guide 100 Esntl CD Guide | Publication Date: November 23, 2000

Contains detailed review of 100 recordings, from Ravi Shankar to the Buena Vista Social Club, and from Albania to Zimbabwe.

Product Details

• Audio CD: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides (November 23, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858285984
• ISBN-13: 978-1858285986
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,664,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A useful guide for those unfamiliar with world music, September 9, 2002

By 

Barbara J. Chaplin (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rough Guide to World 100 Essential CDs (Rough Guide 100 Esntl CD Guide) (Audio CD)

This small book is a brief introduction to 100 world music cds. The music covers a very wide range, though there is nothing from East Asia. Each entry is about two (small) pages long: it introduces the artist, and something about the artist's place in his or her culture's music. The writer chooses the musician's most accessible cd, in most cases. This means that some of the recommended cds are too westernized, in my opinion, but the articles do inform you (or warn you) about whether the music is authentic folk music, fusion, virtually indistinguishable from western pop, or whatever.
I am very interested in music, but I didn't know much about music other than western classical music and rock. Unfortunately, for about the last two years I had been becoming increasingly bored with the ordinary music I listened to, and I wanted to try something different. I picked up this book, and I found that it helped me a lot. It is a manageable guide to world music, suitable for people who don't yet know anything about it.
Another reviewer complained that this book was too shallow. I think he was missing the point of the book. Those wanting in-depth coverage of world music can go to other books. This book is a guide for beginners, and is actually small enough to carry with you to the music store. Now I don't need this book: for the past two years I have been using it to help me explore the music of other cultures, and so now my knowledge is deeper. However, for the beginner, I think this is a wonderful book: it is helpful, it points out many artists that are well worth knowing about, and the information in the articles is precise enough to help you decide if a particular cd would appeal to you or not. I've started reading other guides to non-western music, in particular the Rough Guide to World Music, volumes one and two (which, by the way, is 1,435 pages long), and of course these other guides include more musicians and are more definitive, but the purpose of this small book is to help you get started by introducing you to a few of the most popular world music cds. I think it serves its purpose admirably.

11 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Terribly shallow, October 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rough Guide to World 100 Essential CDs (Rough Guide 100 Esntl CD Guide) (Audio CD)

Afro Celt Sound system the number 1 "world music" release? King Sunny Ade's "Ju-Ju" music barely makes the list. Oriental music is completely neglected along with the Scandinavian roots movement. Franco and O.K. Jazz didn't make it? This guide is a joke.