Robert Christgau's Record Guid

by Robert Christgau

Book Overview

This text surveys the popular music of the decade that brought us rap, hardcore, MTV, new age, new wave, worldbeat and speed metal - the decade of Prince, King Sunny Ade, Marshall Crenshaw, De-Barge,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067973015X
• ISBN13: 9780679730156
• Release Date: October 1990
• Publisher: Pantheon Books
• Length: 514 Pages
• Weight: 1.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Reissue this, please!

Bah. Why is Christgau's 1970s album guide in print, while the 1980s guide is out of print? I suppose we are going to have to wait for the old nostalgia wheel to make another cycle (or two) before this situation is rectified. If you get one Christgau album guide, you need to get all of them. After all, if you are any kind of a serious record listener/collector you aren't going to write off an entire decade, are you? You don't necessarily have to agree with Christgau all the time (and whatever you do, don't base your buying decisions on his letter-grading system) but he is indispensable for putting a particular artist or album in something like a cultural context. Store it on top of your toilet tank - your guests will thank you!

Great bathroom reading, definitely!

Though ever-so-slightly less enjoyable as a sheer reading experience than his 70s collection, this book is still chock full of phrases so clever/apt/snotty/etc. that they've taken up residence in my mind like classic rock riffs. For example, what more perfect description of Chuck D.'s rapping style could there be than "bully-boy orotundity"?

Bathroom bible

I return to this book again and again, along with the 70s edition. The author's writing style is very compelling and he has an uncanny ability to "nail" the essence of a record after what must be only a couple of listens; especially impressive for an R.E.M. or Dylan album which tend to take a few listenings. I look forward to a 90's edition as we cross into the next millenium.

Invaluable resource for collectors and novices alike.

In these days of vinyl disposition for replacement CDs, I continually find myself referring to this invaluable resource (as well as its predecessor for the 70's decade) before going to used record stores and garage sales. Chrisgau's insightful record reviews with their effective letter grading system (F through A+) have protected me from those "disaster purchases," while steering me to several bargain used albums that I have spun at home to great satisfaction. He admirably flaunts a highly discriminating musical taste that spans an array of musical genres to expand the horizons of even the most devout enthusiast. But the real beauty of the book is that it also provides for downright fun reading as in "What was I thinking when I bought that record?"

A good guide for the best '80s music.

Although somewhat more obtusely written than the '70s volume, Christgau's '80s rock and roll music guide is an excellent way to find the best music of the decade. Notable for what was included as much as what was not: an appendix lists a couple hundred "post new wave" bands that the author felt did not merit more than a mention. While relatively obscure in the '80s, some of these bands demand a more thorough evaluation based upon their achievements and/or influences in the '90s.