oscar@utcsrgv.UUCP (Oscar M. Nierstrasz) (01/15/84)
The Trouser Press Guide to New Wave Records, ed. Ira Robbins
[Charles Scribner's Sons, NY; $12.95 US, $18.50 CAN (gack!)]
Okay, so what's "new wave", anyway? As far as I can tell from this
guide, it's "Anything we (TP) like". Even Robbins says in the first
sentence of his intro: "'New Wave' is, admittedly, a pretty meaningless
term." If *I* were forced to come up with a definition, I'd certainly
waffle a bit, and maybe suggest: "anything whose roots could be traced
to punk, or precursors of punk." Pretty weak, though, considering that
that can include or exclude just about anything that you want it to.
Given that nobody really knows what new wave is, this is a pretty good
guide to it. At the very least, it is an invaluable complement to the
Rolling Stoned Guide to Dinosaur Music. The problems with the latter
document are unnumerable, possibly transfinitely so. [There are vast
gaping holes in the RSG, partly due to their attempt to cover all
bases. Their rating system is highly idiosyncratic. Their decision to
list only "records-in-print" is ill-advised and impossible to
administer. Their coverage of "new" music (esp. "new wave") is skimpy
to the point of obscenity. And so on, to omega + 1.]
The epithet "new wave", therefore, serves mainly to reduce the task of
compiling a catalogue of records of all "children's music" [apologies
to Tom Lehrer], by immediately chopping out all "dinosaur music". That
includes "old" dinosaurs like Dead Zeppelin, and "new" dinosaurs like
AC/DC. [A case in point: King Crimson *does* have a couple of entries
-- for "Discipline" and "Beat".] It is even fun to see how far they'll
go to include or exclude some people/groups. No Genesis, of course,
but Peter Gabriel has all of his imaginitively dubbed LPs listed. Roxy
Music has a hefty entry. David Bowie is in there, but nothing before
"Station to Station". Even the Velvet Underground is in there -- "The
Velvet Underground & Nico", dating from '67 is in a guide to new wave!
At this point I thought, okay -- what's the oldest album I can find?
Who's the oldest old-timer who *deserves* to be in here? After about
3/4 of a second's thought, I flipped open my guide to
you-know-what-page, and there was "Safe As Milk", ol' Captain
Beefheart's 1965 LP, together with everything else he's ever done.
(No entry for Zappa, though.)
But I digress. This is a pretty intelligent collection of reviews from
one of the better US "Rock" Music mags. Poking through the artists
that I have from intimate to passing aquaintance with, I find that the
criticisms offered here are quite fair and to-the-point. (Problem with
fair reviewing is that it's often not as much fun to read as the nasty
stuff -- there *are* a few nasty reviews though.)
TP doesn't "rate" the albums with little stars or skidoos or even
little air-guitars. You actually have to *read* the reviews in order
to decide whether an album looks promising (yay!). A reasonable amount
of background info is provided, and cross-referencing is made wherever
appropriate. The guide is fairly complete wrt English and American
bands, but doesn't try to go too much further. I had some trouble
picking holes -- a couple I noted that should have been listed were
Toronto's Nash the Slash and The (defunct) Government. (The cut-off
date for LPs is December '82.)
A few quotes:
Eno: "From his original role as electronics dabbler and art rocker with
the fledgling Roxy Music in the early 1970s, Brian Eno has become the
epitome of the independent artist -- articulate, intelligent, serious,
and intent on following his own impulses."
Gang of 4: "If the Clash are the urban guerillas of rock'n'roll, Gang
of Four are the revolutionary theoreticians."
Captain Beefheart: "Although never a part of any movement, the good
Captain is assured of his place in this one."
Ultravox: "Quartet continues in the Rage in Eden vein, but producer
George Martin thins out the sound too much, reducing the band to merely
backing for front man Midge Ure, whose lyrics have become infused with
religious overtones."
Dead Kennedys (Plastic Surgery Disasters): "An impressive album from an
increasingly important band." [True, but a little dryly put, non?)
Cure (Pornography): "Recommended, but not for the suicide-prone."
Gee, it sure is hard to get juicy quotes out of this book. I'm even
having trouble finding anybody they really *hate*. Problem is they're
too darned *honest*. The reviewers here prefer putting something down
gently to making enemies. I happen to like that approach because I can
*tell* when something is sub-standard. People who talk in extremes
only make me suspicious. (Similar problem with movies -- some people
will rate films only ***** (that's FIVE stars) or BOMB. They can't
fathom anything in-between.)
A final comment: I got this book a month or so ago, but haven't posted
a "review" until now. The reason was that I couldn't find a serious
flaw with it, so I was waiting until I could. The guide is so genteel,
however, that I can't pick out the biases like I can with the Rolling
Stoned Guide or the Penguin Guide to Classical Records.
So, if you feel you need a low-key, informed and informative guide to
aid you in your record-buying, have a look at this one. It's got
something for the pedant in every one of us.
Oscar Nierstrasz
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