America's premiere alternative music magazine presents a book of outrageously opinionated reviews of the essential albums of punk, new wave, indie rock, grunge, and rap. National ads/media.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
A guide to the world of alternative music in all its variety and weirdness, from the earliest influences to the latest bands. Provides in-depth and informative record reviews and discussions of such phenomena as the New Zealand sound, alternative hip-hop, and the secret history of women in punk. The book also includes a sure-to-be controversial listing of what they consider to be the top 100 alternative albums of all time, and top-ten lists from such artists as Joey Ramone and Kurt Bloch. Despite some questionable additions (Cindi Lauper?) and glaring omissions (where is Game Theory?), it remains an indispensable guide.
From Library Journal
So much of the popular music released these days is billed as "alternative" that it's tough to locate the mainstream without really looking. The proliferation of these alternatives notwithstanding, this guide fills a gap in the literature of modern music. Where else are you going to find the complete discographies of Trobbing Gristle and Jonathan Richman under the same cover? Maybe in the Rolling Stone Album Guide (Random, 1992), but not with the length and scope of the reviews provided by the 64 contributors to this volume. Each entry includes a complete discography, and each release is rated on a scale of one to ten. The hip writing is geared toward those in the know, and the authors themselves are knowledgeable. Entries are interspersed with top-ten album lists from various artists and photographs of album covers. An appendix offers a list of the top 100 alternative albums of all time, and a mercifully short essay on the nature of alternative music outlines the principles of the category: "antigenerationally dystopian, subculturally presuming fragmentation ...built on an often neurotic discomfort over massified and commodified culture." Though 99 percent of those who check out this volume won't be able to offer anything close to a dictionary definition of "dystopian," they'll probably think it's a pretty cool book. Recommended for both public and academic libraries. (Index not seen.)?Adam Mazmanian, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
a *great* resource; needs a new edition,
By "pastlifepete" (Northfield, MN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Spin Alternative Record Guide (Paperback)
This book is a wonderful guide to bands and artists deemed "alternative" by the editors of Spin magazine--The book's forward provides the best definition I've read/heard of the alternative genre, and it includes such diverse acts as Abba and Kronos Quartet. My high school library had a copy of it, and I think I had it checked out for the majority of my four years there. The library at my college doesn't have it, and I've considered buying it, but it's already become pretty dated since its publication in 1995. There is no mention of Tricky, Portishead, or Radiohead; Debut is the only one of Bjork's solo albums in the book; they even say something like "What will Natalie Merchant be doing now that 10,000 Maniacs have broken up?" It's a wonderful authority on musicians like Neil Young and David Bowie, whose discographies can be intimidating to a relative young 'un like me. There's also a great piece on PJ Harvey, whom I will consider underrated until there are VH1 tribute concerts in her honor. Anyway, if you're interested, check out the Northfield High School library.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spin Alternative Record Guide,
By A Customer
This review is from: Spin Alternative Record Guide (Paperback)
Probably the best and quickest way to become a record trainspotter. brilliant book only let down by its (massive) american bias: singles going steady by the buzzcocks at number 17 in its top 100 albums of all time is the hirest ranked british record and the sex pistols are at number 100 - will this bitter jealousy ever end?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Guide,
By Francis Patsen "meltmaster" (Aurora, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Spin Alternative Record Guide (Paperback)
This book changed my life. It introduced me to so much great music. It's mostly out of date, but I still consult it. Sure, you won't agree with everything. There's 90s fad stuff that make me cringe now. (Personal problems: Moby? Beck? Unlistenable. And why are the early Wire and Can albums rated so low? Hello! Detroit Techno!) But there's still good stuff in there that will get you looking in new directions. Nuggets, No Wave, Nico, the massive discographies of Bill Laswell, Lou Reed, Sun Ra...it's all still good.
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