- Hardcover: 1108 pages
- Publisher: MOJO Books; 6th Revised edition edition (7 Oct 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1841953113
- ISBN-13: 978-1841953113
- Product Dimensions: 30 x 21.4 x 6.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 700,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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"It's a killer tome... this one can be safely filed under unbelievable."
Product Description
This is the bible for all popular music fans. With its unique format, featuring complete discographies, biographies and histories - plus catalogue ordering numbers, chart positions and recommended listening ...The Great Rock Discography crams in all the facts and figures you'll need - and gives informative and opinionated pieces on recommended listening and band histories. From the Stone Roses to the Rolling Stones, Steeleye Span to Steely Dan, ABBA and AC/DC, The Popes and The Pogues, Green on Red and Deacon Blue, Heaven 17 to Richard Hell, Buffalo Tom to the Cowboy Junkies - The Great Rock Discography has everyone you need to know about (and many that you'll never have heard of).
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A quick gander at my music collection reveals numerous artists I found through previous versions of this book. It was rightly entitled "Great Rock Discography" thanks to exhaustive track listings, expansive comments and the author's personal scores for albums. This "Essential Rock Discography" is the eighth edition and it retains his distinctive approach whilst making improvements to the overall appearance of the book.
All this is good, but the word "Essential" belies a hatchet job. Over 400 entries have been hacked from the previous edition to create a purer "rock" category. It seems that all remaining Jazz and Blues artists and much of Rap, Dance, Folk and Country have been excised, even if the artist concerned was also a rock musician. Rock and Roll stems from Blues and Country and many artists are influenced by genres outside of rock. So, for me, a more inclusive approach would be appropriate. Pre-Beatles Rock is very poorly represented here and greater emphasis has been placed on keeping things "contemporary" which is not necessarily of great import for music collectors. I fear the only reasoning behind this is the intention to increase the frequency of new editions to generate more income.
Why remove entries for many of the architects of the music we know today? Quite apart from the great blues artists we have also lost Bo Diddley, Dick Dale, Woody Guthrie, the Last Poets, Hank Williams and Duane Eddy all of whom are likely to be more significant than the latest NME-hyped band. And more recent innovators like Aphex Twin, DJ Shadow and Talk Talk are also given the axe. The author seems to have taken a particular dislike to 90's Brits (Cast, Catatonia, Elastica, Lush, Mansun, Ride, Space), to folk rock (Robyn Hitchcock, Fred Neil, Strawbs, Loudon Wainwright III), to progressive rock (Camel, Caravan, Gong, Lindisfarne, Soft Machine) and to pub rock (Brinsley Schwarz, Dr. Feelgood, Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Graham Parker) despite its importance to British punk. We must also bid farewell to megasellers Asia, Chicago, Phil Collins, Tom Jones, the Dave Matthews Band, George Michael and Styx. Whether one likes them or not, they have been a big deal for many record-buyers.
But the most notable victims are the women. Dozens of significant artists have been exiled including Joan Armatrading, Enya, K.D. Lang, Kirsty MacColl, Alison Moyet, Ms. Dynamite, Stevie Nicks, Sinead O'Connor, Linda Rondstadt, Dusty Springfield and the Shangri-La's. The net effect of all this is to create something akin to the stereotypical white male 40-something CD collection with all the more obvious and British music press-approved artists. Worthy, yes, but also rather sterile.
That said, I don't know of any work in this field which does such a comprehensive job with each artist and would recommend it to those who did not buy a previous edition. If only Canongate could get a team of like-minded amateur discographers to work together and take the pressure off Mr Strong. What we have here is still in a class of its own but it's not what it was.
All this is good, but the word "Essential" belies a hatchet job. Over 400 entries have been hacked from the previous edition to create a purer "rock" category. It seems that all remaining Jazz and Blues artists and much of Rap, Dance, Folk and Country have been excised, even if the artist concerned was also a rock musician. Rock and Roll stems from Blues and Country and many artists are influenced by genres outside of rock. So, for me, a more inclusive approach would be appropriate. Pre-Beatles Rock is very poorly represented here and greater emphasis has been placed on keeping things "contemporary" which is not necessarily of great import for music collectors. I fear the only reasoning behind this is the intention to increase the frequency of new editions to generate more income.
Why remove entries for many of the architects of the music we know today? Quite apart from the great blues artists we have also lost Bo Diddley, Dick Dale, Woody Guthrie, the Last Poets, Hank Williams and Duane Eddy all of whom are likely to be more significant than the latest NME-hyped band. And more recent innovators like Aphex Twin, DJ Shadow and Talk Talk are also given the axe. The author seems to have taken a particular dislike to 90's Brits (Cast, Catatonia, Elastica, Lush, Mansun, Ride, Space), to folk rock (Robyn Hitchcock, Fred Neil, Strawbs, Loudon Wainwright III), to progressive rock (Camel, Caravan, Gong, Lindisfarne, Soft Machine) and to pub rock (Brinsley Schwarz, Dr. Feelgood, Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Graham Parker) despite its importance to British punk. We must also bid farewell to megasellers Asia, Chicago, Phil Collins, Tom Jones, the Dave Matthews Band, George Michael and Styx. Whether one likes them or not, they have been a big deal for many record-buyers.
But the most notable victims are the women. Dozens of significant artists have been exiled including Joan Armatrading, Enya, K.D. Lang, Kirsty MacColl, Alison Moyet, Ms. Dynamite, Stevie Nicks, Sinead O'Connor, Linda Rondstadt, Dusty Springfield and the Shangri-La's. The net effect of all this is to create something akin to the stereotypical white male 40-something CD collection with all the more obvious and British music press-approved artists. Worthy, yes, but also rather sterile.
That said, I don't know of any work in this field which does such a comprehensive job with each artist and would recommend it to those who did not buy a previous edition. If only Canongate could get a team of like-minded amateur discographers to work together and take the pressure off Mr Strong. What we have here is still in a class of its own but it's not what it was.
28 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Once again, Strong has missed a golden opportunity to put together a really excellent, indispensible piece of work. He still lets his own opinions get in the way of the facts - unforgivable in what is meant to be a work of reference. Also, despite being Scottish myself, I really have to say there are far too many Scottish acts in here who really don't merit the attention. I also can't agree with the earlier reviewer regarding the practice of referring readers to earlier editions of the book. At this price, not everyone will buy every edition, and it is very frustrating when the precise information you need is not included in the new edition. This practice also alienates new readers - can you imagine buying a dictionary which refers you to earlier editions for the meaning of a word ?
I am trying not to be too negative, because I want Strong to get it right - he is nearly there - a decent editor would really help!!
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I had been looking for a book like this for many years and was overwhelmed when I first picked it up in the shop. An hour later and I was still reading it and just had to buy it!! Now this book has enlightened me as to what CD to buy for any band worth listening to (even bands I had never heard of!) The information is so well set out and easy to digest with every album & single released by the included artists. Great for newbies who would like to purchase some of the "Classic" albums of all time, just look for the 10/10 ratings and you will not be disapointed. The hardback is a bit weighty and cumbersome but worth it never the less. Just one complaint......nothing on the great man himself Frank Sinatra!!
Well worth the asking price, a must for all music enthusiasts
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A great birthday present for a music fan!
We bought this a present for a friends 60th.He is a great music fan, and he loves the book. We were undecided which edition to buy, and decided to go for this older one, as we... Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. Peters
Great by name, great by nature ...
I have been looking for the very first edition of this excellent book for a long time as I have read / have several of the others. Read more
Published 8 months ago by wranglerjeans
The rock discography
I quite enjoy the detail within this book but it does have some short comings, if I had known of these it may have swayed my decision to buy, but the price it was offered at said... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Smooth_pierre
Could be of better content! Where are the 60's groups?
I already have Mr. Strong's "The Great Rock Discography". "The Essential Rock Discography" is of well known content but I do prefer the 60's artists which this item doesn't... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Foxy
A great book
Sure not all good musicians are mentioned, but I think that would be anyway an impossible task.
It is however better than many other books of it's genre. Read more
It is however better than many other books of it's genre. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Sonja Paris
Postal damage
The delivery was earlier than expected however the book Jacket had a small tear in it whilst this did not reduce the enjoyment for my son which it was a present. Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2010 by J. Blundell
A reference !
10/10 for reference...A very big labour. I can find everything i need quickly (more than internet!)
Published on 28 Sep 2009 by M. Werffeli
Rightfully considered 'the Bible for all music fans'
`The Bible for all music fans'. That's a statement which, even if you tried, couldn't be more accurate. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2009 by Josh
'A Useful Tool...But Not The Gospel'
The problem with all books of this kind is that more often than not they contain a fair few inaccuracies and therefore cannot be relied upon entirely. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2007 by Antony May
Not bad, but misses a whole lotta stuff.
Martin's done a pretty good job with layout and design and he does apologise for missing stuff out, but he does miss out a lot! There's no Long Ryders, CamperVanBeethoven ect. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2007 by J. Collins
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