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The Rolling Stone Record Guide: Reviews and Ratings of Almost 10,000 Currently Available Rock, Pop, Soul, Country, Blues, Jazz, and Gospel Albums by Dave Marsh (1979-12-06) Paperback

by Dave Marsh (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 35 ratings
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This comprehensive reference rates and describes albums released in the U.S
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    Random House Inc (P)
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01HCAANPM
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.98 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 35 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
35 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

T-Ro
5.0 out of 5 stars 25 Years Before the 2004 Rolling Stone Album Guide
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2005
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If you found the 2004 Rolling Stone Album Guide as disappointing as most of us did, much of the reason can be traced back 25 years to the first Guide. Dave Marsh's original edition was intelligent, witty and informative (many times in spite of Marsh himself). Naturally you'll find smugness (this is Rolling Stone after all), but it was smugness which emphasized a point about the music, not a clumsy attempt to make the reviewer appear "hip." This book is certainly for historians more than anything. The publication year is also Year One for hip-hop, so it really does come from another world, but it gives us a window into those first 25 years of rock n' roll. It also contains a couple of features which future RSAGs should consider. The ratings system ranges from 5 stars to a 'bullet,' or black square, denoting albums which aren't even worthy of one star or half a star, and there are enough of those to bring back this appropriate symbol. Another feature was small pictures of the covers of many of the 5 star albums, which was nice. Maybe in the next Rolling Stone Album Guide we'll get a picture of the cover of OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below and a bullet next to a couple of Josh Groban albums. And maybe next time we'll get critics more like Jon Swenson and less like Rod Sheffield.
23 people found this helpful
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Rob Cherrie
5.0 out of 5 stars The Guide wows a new generation!
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2012
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I have had " The Rolling Stone Record Guide" since 1982 and have found it a very reliable source of opinion laced with honesty and dry wit. The guide has helped me assemble the core of my collection of rock, rhythm and blues and country for thirty years. I have differences of opinion of course, based on personal and cultural tastes, ie as an Aussie, I thought their early review of AC/DC was way off and the fact that the "Back in Black" album went on to be a world best seller (21 million and counting) must have made the reviewers wish they had listened more carefully.
Now my 16 year- old- nephew shows a strong interest in the music of the 60s (what a decade!), so I bought him a copy. He is rapt and has zeroed in on "The Band" and Bob Dylan's "Basement Tapes" and many others. I warned him that reading this book could be expensive! So the guide starts to exhibit the traits of a classic. It's a real pity Volume 11 was not nearly as good but then the music of the following decades was nowhere near as ground breaking as the previous outpourings in a world that was so different politically. What was started in the 60s ended with.........? and the music died.
I'm glad to be able to share this with you.
Cheers,
Rob Cherrie
6 people found this helpful
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Ron Toolsie
5.0 out of 5 stars While it is true that there has been much great music after this was published
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2017
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I had a copy of this back in the late 1970s and it guided me to maybe 100 artists that are now essential in my collection. Subsequent editions seemed much less opinionated and humorous. While it is true that there has been much great music after this was published, this addresses catalog of music prior to this in a way no other record guide ever has. Thirty years after I last read this, I could still quote from memory some of its best or its most scathing reviews. For instance describing Uriah Heep as 'unhampered by talent' seems a little unfair, but never failed to elicit a smile.
4 people found this helpful
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B. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars I have the 1992 and 2004 guide, and finally ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2016
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I have the 1992 and 2004 guide, and finally got this one. The review of The Doors in this guide is spot on. I've read what Dave Marsh, the a$$ clown, wrote about The Doors in the 1983 guide. Anyone who compares The Doors to Tommy James and The Shondells has as much validity critiquing rock-n-roll as does George Will.
4 people found this helpful
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Bubbafats
5.0 out of 5 stars Still the ONE.
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2011
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After 31 years, I still refer to this book. I'll keep mending it until it disintegrates.
You have to overlook some of Dave Marsh's sometimes questionable reviews. He didn't think much of the Eagles' Hotel California. And you should read what he opined about AC/DC, 32 years ago (it's funny). A great reference nonetheless for vinyl nuts like myself.
One person found this helpful
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David McClure
3.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but not completely trustworthy
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2019
The 1979 edition was good for its jazz and for its world music (nonesuch explorer series, etc.) There's so many artists I would never have even heard of otherwise.
But the bias towards arena rock dinosaurs and the reflexive contempt towards punk/new wave is even more obvious now than it was 40 years ago-in many ways this book is bogus at its heart.
Anyone buying this should at the very least balance it w Christgau's guide and Trouser Press Guide--it takes some effort to sort out the good advice from the BS.
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salvador molera esteban
4.0 out of 5 stars Documento histórico.
Reviewed in Spain on February 4, 2019
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En primer lugar, hay que subrayar que esta edición data de 1979 por lo que, obviamente, los discos que incluye son anteriores a ese año y, en algunos casos, a las opiniones les falta la perspectiva del tiempo. Por otra parte, sin dudar de la autoridad de los comentaristas que participan, las valoraciones son subjetivas y, por tanto, discutibles. Así, discos muy mayoritariamente considerados entre los mejores de la historia, tienen calificaciones más bajas de lo habitual (Sgt. Pepper, 4 estrellas sobre 5; Pet Sounds, 3; Wish You Were Here, 3; Hotel California, 3; Imagine, 3; The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 2...; por citar solo algunos ejemplos). En todo caso, resulta muy interesante consultar todas estas reseñas cuarenta años después de su publicación.
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CS
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2023
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Anyone old enough to remember music from before the last millennium will enjoy this giant tome. I am barely a quarter of the way through and am enjoying reading both about acts that I know and those I've never even heard of..
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Andrew Buckle
3.0 out of 5 stars Of its time
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2019
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Sadly this book never arrived but it is an amazing book all the same with 10000 or so reviews and overs a huge amount of classic albums. Had a copy for years and years and it was well thumbed and used to buy many albums. Now with the web, a little defunct but all the same, still a joy to dip into. Useful for things such as Amazon Music where you can ask Alexa, play this album etc (and generally if it understands me or the title, it will play it - now many of the albums are remastered or updated with even more tracks to enjoy)
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Andrew Membery
4.0 out of 5 stars So what if it is a few years out of date ?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2019
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There is so much info in here about bands i had no idea about... good and bad... many found on Youtube... It's opinionated, sure... but that is no bad thing. A wealth of info for those who want to broaden their horizons... The best book like this i have seen.
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AndrewNT
1.0 out of 5 stars Inaccurate but can be amusing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2018
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This is supposedly written by the best of American music journalists and wether you agree with there views or not you would at least expect the details to be reasonably accurate. They aren't!
So not particularly good as a reference book many bands chronology is totally mixed up, albums missed out altogether, and droll comments as these writers try to be hip but of course some of the comments are funny not of course that they mean to be. If you can buy it cheap its worth it for the humour but it is not to be quoted as fact or used for accurate reference also bear in mind certain bands whatever they did won’t please Rolling Stone journalists!
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