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101 Albums that Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide
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$ 15.73
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$ 18.95 |
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| Item Number |
2448827 |
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Item Description...
Chris Smith's 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music tells the fascinating stories behind the most groundbreaking, influential, and often controversial albums ever recorded, ranging from The Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) to Elephant (2003) by The White Stripes.
Organized chronologically to capture the flow of culture from one album to the next, this volume illuminates how these classic recordings reflected--and sometimes changed--the political, social, and economic culture of their eras. Among the featured albums are releases from the hard-blues explosion of the '60s, including Robert Johnson's King of the Delta Blues Singers, a landmark collection whose songs were later covered by the likes of Cream, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones. Punk made its mark in the '70s with Patti Smith's Horses and the Clash's London Calling. In the '80s Michael Jackson's blockbuster LP, Thriller, not only topped the charts, it became the best-selling record of all time. Diversity defined the '90s, with the most influential albums ranging from Garth Brooks' No Fences, which made country one of the hottest musical genres of the decade, to Dr. Dre's debut, The Chronic, a multi-platinum smash hit that brought West Coast hip hop into the mainstream. For each album, the book lists the basic publication information, including release date, label, and producer. More important, Chris Smith sheds light on the history of these albums, revealing the inspiration behind their creation, and why they continue to stand the test of time. Selected on the basis of their popular appeal and influence on later genres, the albums included represent a wide variety of genres, such as blues, jazz, rock, reggae, rockabilly, folk, soul, hip-hop, and country.
A timeline of important events, a selected bibliography for further reading, and an appendix of albums that almost made the cut round out this volume, making it a gold mine of information for everyone who loves popular music. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 304
Dimensions: Length: 9.9" Width: 6.9" Height: 0.7"
Weight: 1.05 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Apr 14, 2009
Publisher Oxford University Press
ISBN 0195373715
EAN 9780195373714
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Availability 100 units.
Availability accurate as of May 23, 2012 07:08.
Usually ships within one to two business days from La Vergne, TN.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | A well-balanced work that lacks the "startling" quality to be great Jun 29, 2009 |
In "100 Albums That Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide" Chris Smith aims to assess what albums have had the most impact on the history of popular music, both in terms of musical style and actual popular culture - to which the recent death of superstar Michael Jackson has drawn my attention.
"100 Albums That Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide" is a very logically structured book that is a breezy read because of rather than in spite of the albums being listed in batches by time period rather than individually. The reader is indeed able to gain a very good understanding of important moments in the history of rock music from its beginnings to end very well. As mentioned earlier, both the musical and the cultural aspects of the evolution of rock music are discussed. They are balanced together in a most impressive manner that is free of the sense of bias one gets from the vast majority of other music critics who often focus too much on the most influential and innovative recordings even if they sold almost no copies - or focus without selectivity on more popular albums.
The thing that holds back "100 Albums That Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide" is its predictability. Almost every choice in the book would be familiar from a random selection of best-albums lists by mainstream critics. This is to a considerable degree true even of the more popular choices like "Boston" or "Heart Like A Wheel", which can be found praised on such works as The MOJO Collection or The Rolling Stone Album Guide. The lack of surprises makes the book excessively routine, as if it had been written without thought or the deeper knowledge of music a David Keenan or Piero Scaruffi would give so easily. This book will not challenge a listener to explore if they are looking for music to listen to, though its reviews are well-written enough that In spite of this, if what you are after is just a well-written and easy-to-read reference work, "100 Albums That Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide" is hard to beat. | | |  | Beware authors who believe their own persona. Apr 26, 2009 |
For a scathing, erudite, and funny review, from someone who really does know what he's talking about, read:
"The worst book about pop music I have ever read" in the Austin American Statesman. . | | | | 100 Albums That Changed Popular Music Dec 28, 2008 |
| I read the reviews on the albums in the Vancouver Sun in Vancouver and was excited to purchase this book for my two sons. Imagine my surprise when Chapters did not have it and could not order it in for me. Strange that I could find it on this site and they would send me two copies of a book written by a B.C. author that was not available in B.C. Quick service and in excellent condition. Thank you. | | |  | Analysis includes notes from critics, insights on music history, release dates and notes, and clear surveys Feb 5, 2008 |
| Plenty of Billboard-type guides provide chart lists of hit albums and many a music book discusses key albums; but this is the first to select 100 albums with lasting influence on popular music trends, and should be considered an essential reference for any collection strong in popular music history. Analysis includes notes from critics, insights on music history, release dates and notes, and clear surveys of why the albums are to be considered groundbreakers. | | | | An insightful and witty narrative with Music as the main character Jan 18, 2007 |
| Chris Smith takes what could have turned into a self indulgent top 10 list and instead manages to tell an insightful and witty narrative with Music as the main character. It is captivating for fans of music and academically rigorous for those who really want to use it as a "reference guide". In any case, it is entertaining enough to never be demeaned to a door stop and you will no doubt find albums listed therein you never thought you would want, but now suddenly find you need. I highly recommend it. | | | Write your own review about 101 Albums that Changed Popular Music: A Reference Guide
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