The World Music CD Listener's Guide : The Best on CD [Paperback]

Howard Blumenthal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998 | Series: Best on CD

Fans of the many musical styles collectively known as World Music will find this guide a valuable resource to finding 600 of the best CDs available by artists from Algeria, Bulgaria, Brazil, Spain, Scotland, Pakistan, and many other countries. One hundred of the finest and most influential musicians of this genre are represented, including Cheb Kaled, the Gypsy Kings, and Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan. 150 illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Billboard Books; First Edition edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823076636
• ISBN-13: 978-0823076635
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,371,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shoddy and Uninformative, December 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The World Music CD Listener's Guide : The Best on CD (Paperback)

Hands down, this is one of the worst books on "World Music" that I've ever come across. It's superficial, shallow and reveals a serious bias towards the American consumerist mentality. By focusing on the "best" CDs by certain artists, the author only focuses on what's available in CD form and often misses key recordings in many of the genres that he attempts to cover. Even the coverage of his selected CDs lacks depth and is perfuctory at best - it reads more like a slick attempt to cash in on the World Music boom than anything else. "The Rough Guide to World Music" is a far superior and authoritative World Music Text. This one is an embarassment.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Skimpy and Poorly Done, February 19, 2003

By 

Oscar Hernandez (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World Music CD Listener's Guide : The Best on CD (Paperback)

This slim little book is not very useful except for absolute beginners. It really only skims the surface of this topic without going into any meaningful detail about the artists or their context(s). I would recommend either The Rough Guide to World Music or The Musichound Guide to World Music instead. Both go much deeper than a mere list of albums to buy. Overall, this seems like the work of an enthusiast who took a walk through a record store than serious scholarly writing by a professional.

1.0 out of 5 stars Weak and Outdated, December 8, 2006

By 

John O'Reilly (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World Music CD Listener's Guide : The Best on CD (Paperback)

This is one of the weakest books on World Music that I've ever come across - it's shallow, poorly sourced and woefully outdated. It really feels like a quickie attempt to cash in on the now-faded world music boom, rather than a serious work on the topic. The Rough Guide to World Music is much, much better. Avoid this at all costs.