Customer Reviews

World Music: The Rough Guide, First Edition (Rough Guides)

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Growing up, I would check out nearly any unusual recording from the public library, just out of curiosity. Learning about far-off lands and cultures via record labels like Folkways and Lyrichord, I was into "world music" ages before that phrase was used to pigeonhole any sort of ethnic folk or pop.

This book, initially checked out from the library with an equal degree of curiosity, opened my eyes and whetted my ears' appetite for armchair world travel. Reviews of regional music and culture (from dancing to politics), photos of artists and obscure album covers, and discographies of mostly vinyl and audiocassettes, all combined to create an intoxicating, seductive overview of much of the world's musical contributions.

So fifteen years have passed, and newer, expanded editions of this guide have hit the bookshelves. But I still appreciate having all of this information in one volume, and will refer to it first, even before doing online research. The essays and photos still enchant, and the discographies now contain geuinely rare recordings for which I will eternally quest.

If you are curious about world music, and don't wish to invest in heavier (both in weight and content) volumes, this book is an ideal place for bith study and browsing. The writing is informative while remaining funny, and the whole package will answer many questions before sending you into the world for any further information.

Although I would love to review this product, I NEVER RECEIVED IT! NEVER GOT IT, NEVER GOT IT, NEVER GOT IT.

This is a good introduction to the major figures of world music and is a handy companion for anyone exploring the music. My other favorite world music book is "The Brazilian Sound" (Temple University Press, 1998), which I also purchased through amazon.com.

I purchased this book because I wanted a guide to unfamiliar (for me) world music. It is wide ranging and if browsed quickly, appears encyclopedic. Imagine my surprise when I searched for Israel and find NOTHING. There is a large section on Palestinian music, which is rife with anti Israel rhetoric. Music is a universal language. All cultures have much to offer of interest. Music is a force for peaceful interaction among people of different cultures. Even peoples whose politics are in conflict have found common ground through musical expression. I am dissapointed that a book with such promise turns out to be an outlet for some of the contributors political views. I write this not merely because I disagree with the point of view of the editors: I feel we should KEEP POLITICS OUT OF WORLD MUSIC.