Description
Book SynopsisIn
Terminated for Reasons of Taste, veteran rock critic Chuck Eddy brings lost, ignored, and maligned pop music to the fore, considering marginalized styles and artists right alongside pop music's heavyweights like Bruce Springsteen, the Beastie Boys, and Taylor Swift.
Trade Review"Taking his cue from rock writer Lester Bangs and gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, Eddy consistently assumes the literary character of a victimized, knowledgeable, smart-ass rock writer who has just uncovered the latest hidden musical treasure." -- David P. Szatmary * Library Journal *
"Eddy's smarts, freakish knowledge of the obscure, and some hilarious takedowns make the collection feel like hanging out with a cool uncle who gifts you music knowledge nuggets impossible to find elsewhere." -- Libby Webster * Austin Chronicle *
"
Terminated for Reasons of Taste reads like an eclectic Spotify mix on shuffle. . . . Eddy’s knowledgeable and clever writing makes even his most exploratory essays feel less like indulgent ‘Think Pieces’ and more like listening to a clerk at a store that sells records to a very diverse customer base: no judgment, no arrogance, just a pure love of music and some honest opinion." -- Eric Rovie * PopMatters *
"Can we talk for a second about what a good year Duke University Press is having with rock critic anthologies? They’ve released Greg Tate’s long-awaited
FlyBoy 2: The Greg Tate Reader and this tasty slab by Austin-based, Detroit-reared critic Chuck Eddy . . . . This collection draws from such diverse outlets as the Village Voice, Creem magazine, Rhapsody.com, music message boards, and Eddy’s high school newspaper and presents all sides of the seasoned scribe: combative and thoughtful, contrary and compelling." -- Joe Gross * Austin American-Statesman *
"Prioritising enjoyment over critical dogma with a rigour that becomes almost ideological, Eddy scrapes off the barnacles of conventional wisdom to help the music he loves sail into uncharted realms of aesthetic scrutiny. . . . [A] selection which blends Eddy’s ‘proper’
Village Voice journalism with fanzine clippings and message board posts seamlessly enough (and with a sufficient absence of 'generational kvetching') to suggest music writing might have a future as well as a past." -- Ben Thompson * Mojo *
"A challenging and rewarding book for those interested in music history and criticism, and a quirky introduction to so much of what has passed for popular music over the decades. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers."
-- R. D. Cohen * Choice *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xi
Introduction. Sold a Decade at a Time 1
1. B.C.
The Best Songs of 1930 11
Depression Music 13
Country Rap Prehistory 15
Country Songs I 17
Niela Miller:
Songs of Leaving 25
'60s Catholic Folk Mass 27
Country Songs II 28
CB Jeebies 39
Can't Fool Mother Nature 40
Prog on the Prairie: Midwestern Bands Roll Over Beethoven 41
Past Expiry Hard Rock Dollar Bin 44
Sonic Taxonomy: Fake New Wave 56
Inventing Indie Rock 64
Urinals→No Age 67
2. 80s
Sonic Taxonomy: Unsung '80s R&B Bands 77
Country Rap: The 80s 85
Sonic Taxonomy: Old Old Old School Rap Albums 87
Public Enemy Do the Punk Rock 96
Beastie Boys: Lay It Down, Clowns 98
Aerosmith, Endangered No More 105
Metallica:
Kill 'Em All Turns 30 110
Fates Warning and Possessed Open Up and Say . . . Ahh! 113
Dead Milkmen vs. Thelonious Monster: Battle of the Lame 114
Einstürzende Neubauten / Killdozer: The Graystone, Detroit, 11 June 1986 116
New Wave über Alles 118
Frank Chickens→M.I.A. 124
Owed to the Nightingales 127
Mekons Stumble toward Oblivion 130
Mekons:
So Good It Hurts 132
Pet Shop Boys: 18 Shopping Days Left 133
Billy Joel: It's Not His Fault! 135
John Hiatt:
Bring the Family 139
John Anderson Serves the Doofus Majority 140
Country Songs III 142
The '80s: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back 145
3. 90s
TLC and Kris Kross: Women and Children First 157
Cause & Effect:
Trip 160
The Cure: Spectrum, Philadelphia, 16 May 1992 161
SOS from the Metal of Nowhere 163
Motörhead Überkill 164
Pankow and Treponem Pal Ring in Desert Storm 168
How Nirvana Didn't Kill Hair Metal 170
Sponge: From Grunge to Glam 171
Radio On Reviews I 172
Travis Marries a Man! 178
John Mellencamp:
Dance Naked 179
Sawyer Brown:
Café on the Corner 181
Patricia Conroy:
A Bad Day for Trains 182
Grupo Exterminador:
Dedicado a Mis Novias 183
When FSK Plays, Schnitzel Happens 184
Radio On Reviews II 185
Alanis Morissette: Addicted to Love 189
4. '00s
Singles Again: Backstabs in the Material World 197
Bruce Springsteen:
Working on a Dream 202
Frat Daze, Clambake, Anyways, It's Still Country Soul to Kenny Chesney 204
Country Music Goes to Mexico 204
September 11: Country Music's Response 204
Battle of the Country Hunks 214
Country Songs IV 217
The Ladies of Triple A 222
Anvil Won't Go Away 225
Excellent Boring Metal from Germany 227
The Many Ideas of Oneida 228
Next Little Things 232
5. '10s
Singles Jukebox Reviews 248
The Dirtbombs: Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey! 252
Redd Kross: Researching the Blues 256
Mayer Hawthorne←Robert Palmer 258
Kanye West: VEVO Power Station, Austin, 20 March 2011 261
Taylor Swift and Ke$ha: Not So Different 263
Ke$ha:
Warrior 267
Strange Brew: Metal's New Blare Witch Project 269
Metal's Severed Extremities 275
Walking Dead: The Divided States of Metal 278
Voivod:
Target Earth 281
Merchandise:
Totale Nite 285
Mumford and Sons:
Babel 287
The Gospel Truth 289
Southern Soul Keeps On Keepin' On 293
Jamey Johnson Sprawls Out 297
Country Songs V 300
Bro-Country Isn't as Dumb as It Looks 302
Ashley Monroe and Kacey Musgraves Are What They Are 304
When the Angels Stopped Watching Mindy McCready 308
Conclusion. I Am the World's Forgettin' Boy 311
Index 315
