Review by Choice Review
Larkin, British book designer and popular music journalist, has edited a far-ranging collection of brief, pithy articles on popular music, including rock, jazz, blues, soul, country, reggae, Latin music, and popular music from Asia and Africa. The entries (more than 14,500 ranging from 150 to 3,000 words) include performers, bands, writers, labels, broadway shows, musical instruments, and instrument companies from around the world (with a focus on the US and Britain) and across the 20th century. Entries include a history of the topic, with birth date and locations for individuals, a discography, and selected readings. The unsigned entries, composed by a team of mostly British writers, are solid yet have plenty of subjective commentary (e.g., Dexy's Midnight Runners are the object of extreme admiration, with phrases like "brilliantly fashioned," "extraordinary," and "superb"). Entries have many boldfaced cross-references, although some are blind (e.g., those to John Prine and World Party, certainly entries that should have been included). Other notable absences include Peter Himmelman, Adrian Belew, Poi Dog Pondering, and The Call, yet coverage is extensive, with entries for rock and jazz greats and little-knowns as well as Lawrence Welk, Danny Kaye, Andy Williams, Carmen Miranda, and Ethel Merman. Errors are rare but evident: Stealin' Horses is still recording, albeit on an independent label, and has not disbanded; the Who concert fan deaths occurred in Cincinnati, not Cleveland; Three Dog Night drummer Floyd Sneed was born in Canada, not the US; KGB recorded two albums, not one. Most entries are correct, informative, and timely (the Freddie Mercury AIDS Benefit Concert of April 1992 is mentioned) with an extensive index and a solid bibliography finishing off the work. The index shows several construction flaws, including numerous page references under specific names with no indication of the entry or the volume they appear in. Larkin projects four editions culminating in a 20-volume set. For libraries that want a basic guide to the major figures in rock music, Donald Clarke's Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (CH, Feb'90) is adequate, but Larkin's work is essential for libraries that support serious study of popular music. R. A. McGill-Aken; University of Kentucky
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Only three years after the first edition [RBB F 15 93] comes an enlarged second edition of the most comprehensive guide to popular music available. Covering performers from many genres and countries (though predominately from the U.S. and U.K.), industry personalities, instruments, musicals and movies, and events, this edition includes more than 15,000 entries. The bulk of these are biographical and include dates, changes in lineups, important albums and singles, musical influences, and collaborations. Discographies and bibliographies close each entry. Essays range from several pages to a couple of paragraphs, and coverage runs the gamut from Bing Crosby to Johnny Hallyday, Green Jelly, Sister Souljah, Foday Musa Suso, and Porter Wagoner. Topical entries include Virgin Records, the film Hear My Song, and Live Aid. Entries have been updated through early 1995, and there are 5,000 new entries (the set has grown from four to six volumes). Smashing Pumpkins, for example, was becoming popular at the time of the first edition and has been added. There is extensive use of see also references and a detailed index. As with any set this large, there are errors, many of which have been carried over from the first edition. The place of death of Hank Williams still isn't correct. Doc Severinson played for and joked with Johnny Carson, not Merv Griffin. British usage is found in some entries. Karen Carpenter's problems with anorexia are described as "slimmer's disease." Guinness continues to be a valuable reference work. Its only drawback is the price, so close on the heels of the first edition. Libraries owning the first edition and on a limited budget may have to pass. Highly recommended for large public libraries and music libraries not owning the first edition. (Reviewed April 15, 1996)
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
The 14,500 entries in this set cover 20th-century popular music, operetta to postpunk, with well-written articles 150 to 3000 words in length on people, groups, labels, movements, festivals, and instruments. The British standpoint here accounts perhaps for surprising omissions (e.g., Farm Aid) and inclusions (e.g., Nick Berry). The work is excellent for information on new groups (e.g., Happy Mondays) though less successful with earlier bands. Included are a lengthy bibliography, personality index, and quick reference guide. This reference is a solid adjunct to The Oxford Companion to Popular Music (Oxford Univ. Pr., 1991) and Irwin Stambler's Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock, and Soul ( LJ 2/15/89). For high school, public, and academic libraries.-- Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., Tex. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-- Popular music is presented in a serious way in this encyclopedic work that includes rock and roll, jazz, blues, soul, country, reggae, Latin, and African pop. No illustrations or photographs lighten the look, but almost any popular group or single performer of any note has an entry that includes the date of birth (when available), a short summary of the group or musician's work, and a list of recordings. A ``quick reference guide'' at the end of the fourth volume provides an alphabetical listing of all of the entries, and a lengthy index provides access to all of the musicians discussed. The six-volume Contemporary Musicians (Gale, 1989) is more attractive, and has photographs and longer articles as well as information on classical artists who have achieved crossover success. The Oxford Companion to Popular Music (1991) is also similar and includes terms such as jazz or reggae that the Guinness discusses in the introduction but not in separate entries. Other similar works are The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (1989) and The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock, and Soul (St. Martins, 1989). While all of these works have been published fairly recently, The Guinness Encyclopedia is the most up to date and includes more African musicians, making it a good additional purchase. --Margaret Tice, Brooklyn Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
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Review by School Library Journal Review
