101 albums that changed popular music / Chris Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Chris, 1968-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Popular music--Discography.

Popular music.

Popular music--History and criticism.

Genre:

Discographies.

Physical Description:

xxi, 280 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm

Other Title:

One hundred and one albums that changed popular music

One hundred one albums that changed popular music

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, 2009.

Summary:

Whether on vinyl or in digital form, the album has become an integral, important, and fascinating part of our cultural history. 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music tells the stories behind the most groundbreaking, influential, and often controversial albums ever recorded. Chosen for their popular appeal, historical significance, and influence on later genres, the albums included here represent a wide variety of genres, such as blues, jazz, rock, reggae, rockabilly, folk, soul, hip-hop, and country. Veteran music journalist Chris Smith describes how albums reflected the political, social, and economic culture of the era, with entries that discuss the albums' histories, the inspiration behind their creation, and why they continue to stand the test of time.

Among the featured albums are releases from the hard-blues explosion of the 1960s, including Robert Johnson's King of the Delta Blues Singers, a landmark album whose songs were later covered by the likes of Cream, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones. Punk made its mark in the 1970s with such albums as Patti Smith's Horses and the Clash's London Calling. In the 1980s Michael Jackson's blockbuster LP Thriller not only topped the charts but it also became the best-selling record of all time. Diversity defined the 1990s, 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. Each album entry in this book lists the publication information, including release date, label, and producer. 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 an ideal resource for students, music fans, and general readers alike.

Music journalist Chris Smith has written about the middle and the fringe for a wide variety of publications, from Rolling Stone, MTV, and Billboard to the University of Chicago Magazine and the Journal of Visual Anthropology.

Contents:

The birth of the long player, 1952-1962

Stop, hey, what's that sound? 1963-1967

A bridge over troubled water, 1968-1971

Take it to the limit, 1972-1976

The modern dance, 1977-1985

Welcome to the jungle, 1986-1990

Smells like teen spirit, 1991-2008.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780195373714

0195373715

OCLC:

259266639