The Rough Guide to Rock 100 Essential CDs

by Al Spicer and Annabeth Albert

Book Overview

Destined to be debated and devoured. The Rough Guides is 100 Essential CD's is the blueprint for a great music collection. This pocket reference includes detailed reviews of 100 from today's sounds to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1858284902
• ISBN13: 9781858284903
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.1" x 5.6"

Customer Reviews

Impressively fair and balanced...

Al Spicer's Rock volume unwittingly points out something that hard core rock fans would be loath to admit, but is true more often than not -- Rock music consists of two groups: A very small fraternity of truly inspirational, daringly artistic innovators, and a huge pack of imitators, hucksters, rank amateurs and rip-off artists all trying to leap frog the first group to get all the gold, usually (and sadly) with success more often than not. Spicer does a good job of redress for the most part, including zero selling, but seminal inventors like Gang of Four, Robert Wyatt, Jane Siberry, Wire and Buzzcocks. Spicer does miss the mark a time or two, featuring an opportunist sham like Hole instead of the Slits or ESG (or even the Shaggs), and mysteriously listing Jeff Buckley while ignoring his father Tim Buckley. REM, the Doors, Radiohead and Oasis have managed to fool lots of smart people, so I can't fault their inclusion too much, though the absence of Graham Parker, Roy Orbison, Fleetwood Mac, Traffic, Jefferson Airplane and the Chambers Brothers are troubling. Spicer's list is a reasonable balance between the classic and the alternative made more credible by the restraint he shows in limiting the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Doors, Beach Boys and Led Zeppelin to one disc each and finding room to include AC/DC, Captain Beefheart, Prince and Madonna. I would have liked more of a showing for the mainstream though - Blondie, Hall + Oates and James Taylor all seem pretty essential to me.

Sound advice

This is a generally sound, give or take a few selections, guide to the essential albums in rock music today. In addition to such obligatory selections as "Exile On Main Street", "Pet sounds" etc there are few suprises, notably Gang Of Four and the Minutemen, enabling the listener to explore new uncharted musical territory. This book has more than reedemed its price by introducing me to the mesmerizing songmanship of John Cale, an artist whom I may never have encountered without it. Few minor quibbles though. Theres a noticeable deficiet of black and female and performers, the former being the impetus that created the musics medium. On a more personal level, though the writer makes a persuasive argument, it's a little dismaying to find the unabashedly unoriginal Oasis making an appearnace here. Also, "Are You Experienced?" over "Electric Ladyland", and "Trompe Le Monde" choosen over "Surfer Rosa" seem a little misguided. But then given the highly subjective nature subject it's impossible expect a book like this to please everybody. With short, pithly written entries and a book size that fits comfortably in the pocket, its the perfect companion to take on subway journeys or in dentists waiting rooms, where a read less toilsome than a novel, and more satisfying than a magazine is required.