Recognizing that there's no such thing as bad publicity, manager-Svengali Malcolm McLaren molded the Pistols into the most confrontational, nihilistic band rock & roll had ever seen. Propelled by Johnny Rotten's maniacal vocals, Steve Jones's buzz-saw guitar, and (most importantly) bass player Glen Matlock's hook-filled compositional skills, the Pistols' early singles "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen" defined the raging style of British punk. By the time they recorded their lone 1977 album, Matlock had been bounced, replaced by the image-correct but utterly untalented (and ultimately group-dooming) Sid Vicious. Not a 10th as good as the singles, the album nontheless remains a bile-filled emblem of the times. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Asin: B000002KIE
Subjects:  1. Britain    2. British Punk    3. Pop    4. Punk    5. Rock   

What the hell is this? Though the two-record sprawl of London Calling--with its exploratory mutations of reggae, rockabilly, and even disco--proved that the Clash weren't content to lie fallow in a punk-rock ghetto, nothing prepares you for Sandinista's messy melange. For 36 tracks (the Clash originally released this as a three-record set for not much more than the price of one), the band tackles everything in sight, including waltz, gospel, disco, children's ditties, funk, reggae, dub, delicate instrumentals, psychedelic explorations--hell, they even play a Clash rocker or two. Though many have said there is a single great album hidden among the three here, it's the pure chutzpah of Sandinista that makes it such a particular pleasure and a brain drain at the same time. It's the document of a band that can do anything and tries to do everything. It's the glorious sound of failure. And if that ain't the Clash, what is? --Tod Nelson ... Read more

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Asin: B00004BZ16
Subjects:  1. British Punk    2. Hard Rock    3. New Wave    4. Pop    5. Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll   

If Nevermind's sound is familiar now, it's only because thousands of rock records that followed itwere trying very hard to cop its style. It tears out of the speakers like a cannonball, from the punk-turbo-charged riff of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" onward, magnifying and distilling the wounded rage of 15 years of the rock underground into a single impassioned roar. Few albums have occupied the cultural consciousness like this one; of its 12 songs, roughly 10 are now standards. The record's historical weight can make it hard to hear now with fresh ears, but the monumental urgency of Kurt Cobain's screams is still shocking. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Asin: B000003TA4
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Founded in 1985 by Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione's son, Bob Jr., Spin magazine aimed to occupy a space forged and outgrown by Rolling Stone, which had since moved on from counter-culture reporting to a more pop-culture focus. Due to its well-funded birth, Spin rode the wave of the burgeoning alternative rock movementand was afforded the luxury of being as controversial as it wanted, forsaking at times somewhat slanted reporting in favor of the punch and jibe. Nonetheless, it brought into America's peripheral vision early stories of the ravages of AIDS in Africa, in addition to standard artist interviews and album reviews. Switching from a tabloid format to a glossy perfect-bound publication, the magazine now reports on fleeting music trends and the Next Big Thing more than it unearths alternative-rock gems, but it still does a good job of uncovering behind-the-scenes-stories, such as the violent acts and deplorably unhygienic conditions of 1999's Woodstock III music festival, in a way no other music magazine does. When the Beastie Boys released Hello Nasty in 1998, Spin published three different editions of the magazine--each with a separate headshot of one member of the renegade hip-hop group. Three years later, Rolling Stone copied the gimmick, featuring the members of boy band 'N Sync individually on five different covers. If Spin's influence in rock journalism was ever in question, this event provides irrefutable proof. --Beth Massa ... Read more

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Asin: B00005N7SU
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music    3. Literature Of Music   

With valuable assistance from producer Rick Rubin, the Peppers find just the right blend of punk, funk, and hip-hop. Even with a running time of 74 minutes, this 1991 breakthrough has continuity and cohesion both within and across the 17 cuts. Riding Flea's surging bass, Anthony Kiedis delivers his explicit lyrics with a rapper's flair, extolling the virtues (and outlining the dangers) of sex and drugs. Plaintive ballads such as "Breaking the Girl," "I Could Have Lied," and the hit "Under the Bridge" give the album depth and provide contrast to the raw energy of "Mellowship Slinky in B Major," "Funky Monks," and "Give It Away." Rubin masterfully fuses John Frusciante's raunchy guitar with the irresistible grooves. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

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Asin: B000002LQR
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative/Indie-Rock    3. Bass    4. Funk Metal    5. Pop    6. Rock   

Though the songs aren't quite as good as those on Ritual De Lo Habitual, this album is much more consistent, with a heavy rock-funk-punk mix that's a pleasure to hear. The slower songs (especially "Summertime Rolls" and "Jane Says") work well, while the up-tempo material--in particular the closer "Pig's in Zen"--is both catchy and ambitious. It's a fine album overall, and if the band's Zeppelin-ward aspirations don't quite work, their music is still quite good in its own right. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

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Asin: B000002LEE
Subjects:  1. Alternative Metal    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. College Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Heavy Metal    6. Pop    7. Rock   

On their first releases, even amid all the smirking irreverence, the Replacements seemed to have more ambition than other post-punkers, but it wasn't until Let It Be that they actually realized it. There's still plenty of smirking here--"Seen Your Video" is a great snotty taunt--but there's also smartly-crafted pop like "I Will Dare" and not-quite-love songs like "Answering Machine," not to mention a rocking cover of uncool Kiss that's played perfectly straight. This is classic, all-over-the-board indie rock, especially the angst-ridden empathy of "Sixteen Blue," where Paul Westerberg, all of 23, remembers just how it is to be a teenager.--David Cantwell ... Read more

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Asin: B00006FR75
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

The middle title among the triad of seasoned-but-not-depleted mid-'80s Replacements albums, Tim isn't as inspired as its predecessor, Let It Be, nor as involving as its successor, Pleased to Meet Me. Still, it's the work of a wondrous foursome near the peak of its powers, and, as collections of songs go, it may be Paul Westerberg's crowning achievement. "Kiss Me on the Bus," "Swinging Party," and "Here Comes a Regular" pretty much set the standard for the sloppy-drunk college-rock romanticism of the '80s. "Bastards of Young," "Lay It Down Clown," and "Left of the Dial" proved that the hard-charging Midwesterners were still scamps at heart...or at least could still fake it. This is the last album made by the original quartet (the excesses that would lead to guitarist Bob Stinson's early death prompted his dismissal after Tim came out) and provides a key to understanding the appeal of an astonishing band that did everything right except figure out how to become stars. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Asin: B000002L8C
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. American Underground    3. College Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. United States of America   

While some continue to champion the Replacements' Don't Tell a Soul and All Shook Down exit albums, Pleased to Meet Me truly represents the last vital effort of a great band beginning its descent. The first album released after founding lead guitarist Bob Stinson's official departure, Pleased nevertheless retains plenty of the Mats' innate punky drive, albeit here more focused and tempered. Group avatar Paul Westerberg feuded with Memphis producer Jim Dickinson (brought in because of his production of Big Star's melancholy classic Third/Sister Lovers) over what he considered Dickinson's civilizing touches. In retrospect, however, the brass-and-string flourishes on the catchy coda "Can't Hardly Wait" and the more disciplined drumming of Chris Mars make Pleased a more comfortable reconciliation of the group's raw roots and musical maturity. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Asin: B000002LB9
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. American Underground    3. College Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll   

The Replacements' 1981 debut, like the Stink EP that came on its heels, is laden with hardcore punk that was the flavor in underground rock of the time, albeit of a customized strain. Oddly enough, that sense of compromise is the source of the charm to both early Mats titles. The Minneapolis quartet play fast and loose here but aren't inclined to display the discipline the leading lights of the movement boasted. Raggedness and humor are their fortes. One can almost picture Paul Westerberg smirking a bit at the sanctioned snotty sentiments he's voicing. "I hate music!" he bellows in the song of the same name, only to add cheekily, "Got too many notes." "Customer," too, undermines pure-punk ethos with wisecracks. Though he more often writes screeds than actual songs, Westerberg's burgeoning skills nevertheless surface in "Johnny's Gonna Die," "Shiftless When Idle," and "I'm in Trouble." Sorry Ma isn't necessarily a superior punk album, but it's an exceedingly likable one. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

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Asin: B00006FSQ6
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Hootenanny is the last album on which the Replacements fully embraced recklessness as a recording tactic; consequently, it's their last love-it-or-hate-it LP. Here's one vote for love. As with the band's disorderly (but damned entertaining) debut, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, Hootenanny is enlivened by the odd hardcore thrasher ("Run It" and "You Lose"). Frontman Paul Westerberg stretches out here, however, with the bluesy "Willpower" and "Take Me to the Hospital" and unveils his sensitive side on the one-man-band avowal "Within Your Reach," a taste of things to come. The title track opens the album on a haphazard note, and the Mats barely hold things together with the sodden closer, "Treatment Bound," but that damn-the-tempo-let's-just-play spirit is what makes Hootenanny a better record than a latter stab at stardom like Don't Tell a Soul. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

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Asin: B00006FR74
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Founder and publisher Jann S. Wenner's brainchild remains the standard by which rock & roll magazines are measured, though even its most fervent boosters would concede there've been some growing pains for RS as it's strived to remain relevant through the decades. The erstwhile baby-boomer bible mixes fleshy covers of today's alluring celebs with coverage of graying rockers from the magazine's heyday. In addition to celebrity interviews, stalwart features such as CD reviews and Random Notes (the mag's long-running gossip section) provide familiar reading for older readers, as does the publication's superior political and cultural coverage. But the bulk of Rolling Stone's features are aimed at the younger pop-culture set. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

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Asin: B00005N7SJ
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music