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Da Capo Press

Rock Albums Of The 70s: A Critical Guide

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Description

Robert Christgau on James Brown: "When he modulates to the bridge it's like the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters. After that he could describe his cars for three [LP] sides and get away with it." Christgau on Carly Simon: "If a horse could sing in a monotone, the horse would sound like Carly Simon, only a horse wouldn't rhyme 'yacht,' 'apricot,' and 'gavotte.'" Christgau on Van Morrison: "This is a man who gets stoned on a drink of water and urges us to turn our radios all the way into the mystic. Visionary hooks his specialty." Christgau on Lou Reed: "Reed Sounds like he's imitating his worst enemy, himself." (Lou Reed on Robert Christgau: "What a moron! Studying rock and roll. I can't believe it!") An indispensable book, Christgau's Rock Albums the '70s is the definitive guide to nearly 3,000 albums of the decade that brought us progressive rock, country rock, glam rock, funk, disco, punk, heavy metal, and new wave. Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press; New edition (August 22, 1990)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0306804093


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 90


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #2,579,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2,296 in Music Encyclopedias #2,780 in Music Reference (Books) #6,756 in Rock Music (Books)


#2,296 in Music Encyclopedias:


#2,780 in Music Reference (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • This is Christgau at his best and clearest
In my days as a student at Melbourne University, I avidly read rock criticism I now recognise as extremely mainstream and tending to praise music that critics with the experience of a Joe S. Harrington or Piero Scaruffi would vehemently reject. Of the many writers in this category, the most prolific and one of the most famous was Robert Christgau. Being a child of the 1980s, it was only natural that I first try out his 1980s guide and I devoured it whilst having my imagination stirred about what I would write if I knew as much as Christgau did. Since that time, as I have already mentioned, moved quite a way from where I was when reading these books. Most especially I have come to realise that Christgau praised many albums that are very derivative and often not noteworthy for their playing, singing or emotional level. Still more significantly, there are a large number of artists who are clearly of great influence but who are not discussed at all by Christgau (or at best, overlooked in a manner Christgau himself never realises). Nonetheless, once you do get past the problems with his coverage, one sees that on "Rock Albums Of The 70s: A Critical Guide", Robert Christgau has done a quite impressive job with the records he does review. In comparison to what he was to achieve later, the reviews are much more comprehensive and detailed, yet the humour that attracts many is still prevalent without becoming so absurd as it did on his later 1980s guide. Another great facet is that the sections at the end ("Subjects for Further Research" and "Distinctions Not Cost-Effective") are equally humorous and offer some distinctly reasonable explanations for his opinions. It does have to be said, though, that time has not been kind to his viewpoints of many of these groups, especially such innovators as Can and Van Der Graaf Generator . More than that, the understanding his introductions offer for who Christgau is and what he likes is exceptionally well-done and allows the reader to "get inside" his mind in a manner that is always very helpful when reading about music. One realises they are dealing with not a mere music lover, but someone who really cares about what they are writing. Though I do not find it helpful that he reveals his favourite bands so easily, it does offer useful perspective. All in all, this is a quite handy reference guide even missing some important works. From the 1980s it was all downhill for Christgau. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2009 by mianfei
    • Thanks fast shipping and good price!
AOK! Thanks fast shipping and good price!
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2015 by Chad Shirek
    • Self-agrandizing fanboy aspires to legitimate criticism
Christgau is very upfront about his musical prejudices as well as his lack of formal knowledge of music, which he admitted in an article in 1968. He cannot seem to separate his personal likes and dislikes from his musings about the artists and works he purports the authority to criticize. His narrow, Wonder Bread palette combines with his arrogance to trash worthy artists and musical works—inexcusable for a journalist, no matter how entertainingly he does so. If your tastes are also middle of the road, you might well find value in this book. But if you truly love Music, you might want o take it with several thousand grains of salt. Or, better yet, a dram of ipecac. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2019 by Christine Beatty
    • Occasional moments of brilliance
While my tastes diverge frequently from RC, his opinions are often very funny, and this book has become my favorite bathroom read since finding it for a buck at a garage sale last spring. (Why is this so crazy expensive here? The other edition is identical but way cheaper and you can find it elsewhere online for a buck or two, btw.) RC keeps it short and sweet and/or sour, and with 30 years' hindsight his choices hold up quite nicely indeed. I grew up in the '70s with all this music as my soundtrack, so this book has extra oomph for me, and I put together my vinyl collection with much aid from the Rolling Stone Record Guide in the late '70s and early '80s, so it's fun to compare the five stars from that with the A's from this. Even if just to see what's worth grabbing at your local used record store, this is well worth having. But what really makes this tome a winner is the truly prescient essay on "The Decade". Whether you agree with RC's album picks or not (and be warned, he does love pop melodies and catchy beats above all, yet is also a total Eno-phile), you have to admit that he nails the essence of what the '70s meant to the growth of rock music. That essay sums up things that you still see guys trying to say now and missing. That Christgau contextualized it all so well, and right at the tail end of the best decade in rock album history, is the gem in his critics' crown (I still prefer Dave Marsh's tastes, though). That essay is in fact one of the most astute bits of rock crit I've ever read, and I'm guessing even Lester would have to grudgingly agree. Plus, there are so many long-forgotten gems in here that you'll never find on cd or even vinyl but can read about and then find on utube: that alone makes this a real bargain. There's a LOT of funky stuff from the '70s you've never heard of, and man is it worth finding. This book is a great way to do it, especially the OOP wax. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2012 by KJS
    • A+
Christgau is the rock critic for the Village Voice. He wears his prejudices on his sleeve (e.g., he has a parochial love for New York City punk, but detests west coast rock), but where his tastes match yours his is a reliable and educated voice that can guide you to new artists to listen to. His pungent humor permeates his reviews, for example. his dismissive writeoff of Janis Ian as a "post-adolescent sobsister". Music that is so repellent as to not rate a review, he simply lists in a group entitled "meltdown" - anything by Airsupply for example. No other contemporary music reviewer approaches him in his knowledge and informed taste. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2015 by Nemoman

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