Spin Alternative Record Guide

Spin Alternative Record Guide

Editors	Eric Weisbard and Craig Marks
Authors	64 contributors
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Alternative music, discography, music journalism, review
Publisher	Vintage Books
Publication date	October 1995
Media type	Print (paperback)
Pages	468
ISBN	0-679-75574-8

The Spin Alternative Record Guide is a music reference book compiled by the American music magazine Spin and published in 1995 by Vintage Books. It was edited by rock critic Eric Weisbard and Craig Marks, who was the magazine's editor-in-chief at the time. The book features essays and reviews from a number of prominent critics on albums, artists, and genres considered relevant to the alternative music movement. Contributors who were consulted for the guide include Ann Powers, Rob Sheffield, Simon Reynolds, and Michael Azerrad.

The book did not sell particularly well and received a mixed reaction from reviewers in 1995. The quality and relevance of the contributors' writing were praised, while the editors' concept and comprehensiveness of alternative music were seen as ill-defined. Nonetheless, it inspired a number of future music critics and helped revive the career of folk artist John Fahey, whose music was covered in the guide.

Content[]

Ann Powers (right) contributed to the book, while Robert Christgau (left) loaned records from his personal collection to assist in the creation of the guide.

Spanning 468 pages, the Spin Alternative Record Guide compiles essays by 64 music critics on recording artists and bands who either predated, were involved in, or had developed from alternative rock. Each artist's entry is accompanied by their discography, with albums rated a score between one and ten.^[1] Unlike the third and most recent edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992), which limited its discographies to albums currently in-print on CD, the Spin Alternative Record Guide offered more comprehensive album discographies.^[2] The entries are accompanied by album artwork.^[3]

The book's editors, critic Eric Weisbard and Spin editor-in-chief Craig Marks, featured contributions from noted journalists and critics such as Charles Aaron, Gina Arnold, Michael Azerrad, Byron Coley, Ann Powers, Simon Reynolds, Alex Ross, Rob Sheffield, and Neil Strauss.^[4] Sheffield wrote the bulk of the guide's entries, while Powers "allowed her home to become command central on the book for many months".^[5] Though he did not contribute his own writing, Robert Christgau assisted in the creation of the guide by loaning out records from his personal collection as needed.^{[Spin 1]}

The contributors curated an overall "Top 100 Alternative Albums" list in an appendix, ranking the Ramones' 1976 self-titled debut album at number one.^[6] A few dozen personal top-ten record lists from contributors and musicians are interspersed throughout the book.^[7] The musicians who provided their own top-ten lists are Mark Arm, Lori Barbero, Lou Barlow, Kurt Bloch, King Coffey, Digable Planets (members Craig "Knowledge" Irving and Mariana "Ladybug" Vieira), Tanya Donelly, Greg Dulli, Gordon Gano, Greg Graffin, Kristin Hersh, Georgia Hubley, Calvin Johnson, Jon Langford, Courtney Love, Barbara Manning, Mac McCaughan, Buzz Osborne (listed as King Buzzo), Joey Ramone, Jim Reid, Lætitia Sadier, Sally Timms, Steve Turner, and Josephine Wiggs.^{[Spin 2]}

Scope and definition of "alternative"[]

Even by the standards of the time, the Spin Alternative Record Guide took an unusually inclusive approach to the boundaries of what "alternative" could mean. Before 1991, the genre "alternative rock" conventionally referred to post-punk and college rock.^[8] Within a few years, "alternative" had broadened into a catchall term for any rock bands outside the mainstream, regardless of their particular style—even as, paradoxically, "alternative" music became hugely popular and commercially successful.^[9] As a result, "alternative" was increasingly derided as a vague or even incoherent category.^[10]

As summarized by the scholar Gayle Wald, the book's introduction defined "alternative" rock as "an aesthetic that disavows, or evinces critical mistrust of, earlier rock subjectivities as well as the music industry itself".^[11] Rather than limiting its scope strictly within the musical genre of "rock" per se, the guide's coverage encompassed a wide range of non-rock artists who had adopted an anti-commercial stance or were aligned with a particular subculture. In an introductory essay titled "What Is Alternative Rock?", Weisbard explored the genre's origins and, more broadly, "alternative sensibilities" in other musical traditions.^[12] "Alternative rock lacks the proud boundaries that rock's original tradition kept so well guarded", he wrote:

More than jazz, blues, country, or any other musical genre, old-style rock was defined by a mass appeal you didn't have to sneer at, the mythic popularity of the universal youth music that turned the repressed fifties into the rebellious sixties ... Alternative rock, on the other hand, is still anti-generationally dystopian, subculturally presuming fragmentation; it's built on an often neurotic discomfort over massified culture, takes as its archetype bohemia far more than youth, and never expects that its popular appeal, such as it is, will have much of a social impact.^[13]

ABBA, 1979

John Zorn, 2003

From A–Z: the 379 entries in the guide run alphabetically from the Swedish pop group ABBA to the American avant-garde saxophonist Zorn.^[14]

The book's selection of music was shaped by the generation gap between the baby boomers and Generation X.^[15] Marks said he and Weisbard "saw [the book] as a way to give definition to second-generation rock 'n' roll".^[16] In this respect, the book was both intended and received as a generational counterpoint to The Rolling Stone Album Guide.^[17]

The guide spans 379 entries in total.^[18] An entry in the book typically covers a single artist or band; a set of closely affiliated artists; a multi-volume series of various artists compilations; or a selected discography representing an entire musical genre. Records in the guide were chosen from a variety of genres considered relevant to alternative music's development.^[19] These include 1970s punk rock, 1980s college rock, 1990s indie rock, noise music, reggae, electronic, new wave, heavy metal, krautrock, synthpop, disco, alternative country, hip hop, grunge, worldbeat, and avant-garde jazz.^[20] Acknowledging the possibility that their selections and exclusions would be objectionable to some readers, Weisbard wrote the following in the introduction: "Not all these choices are defensible: As stated at the onset, alternative lacks strong boundaries. But we had to draw the line somewhere."^[2] Weisbard and Marks said the book was meant to be "suggestive" of alternative music, rather than "comprehensive".^[3]

Most artists associated with classic rock are excluded.^[21] For example, the guide omits the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Cream, Peter Gabriel, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Van Halen, and Frank Zappa—even though each of these artists meaningfully influenced "alternative" music to some extent.^[22] However, a handful of artists associated with the "classic rock" era can be found in the guide, among them Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Neil Young, and AC/DC.^[23]

A range of mainstream pop artists spanning a variety of styles are given entries, including Culture Club, Duran Duran, and Lenny Kravitz.^[24] Some pop musicians are afforded prominent placement and a perhaps surprisingly high degree of acclaim. For instance, the very first alphabetical entry is the Swedish pop supergroup ABBA.^[25] Madonna's 1990 greatest hits album The Immaculate Collection is ranked as the 11th best alternative record.^[26] Other non-rock artists reviewed in the book include jazz composer Sun Ra, country singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett, and Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.^[27]

Rating system[]

Records received a rating between 1–10 points based on the judgment of the reviewer. A red dingbat beside a record's title indicated that it also appeared in the Top 100 at the back of the book. Several records in the Top 100 received a score lower than 10, while many records that received a 10 did not appear in the Top 100, because an individual reviewer's assessment could conflict with the list's collective consensus (and vice versa).^{[Spin 3]} Still, there was some editorial oversight and control of the ratings, as Weisbard later explained:

I don't remember messing too much with what writers said. I remember Byron Coley wanted to give every single thing he wrote about practically a 10 [laughs], and I thought that was a little excessive, so I remember taking all of his number scores down a couple of pegs—and that's probably in some ways reflective of me not being as close to Byron Coley—but in most cases, I didn't worry about it too much. I have a vague memory of arguing with Rob Sheffield about giving Madonna's Immaculate Collection less than a 10 when we were going to put it in the Top 100 ... Rob is somebody who very much has his own vision of things, but has earned the right to have that. But so, if I remember correctly—and I might not, it's been twenty years—we let that one go and it's just a difference of opinion within the book.^[28]

Records that received a 10[]

The following 172 records received the guide's highest score from the reviewer who rated the discography of the given artist, compilation series, or genre. A record with a 10 was deemed to be either "[a]n unimpeachable masterpiece or a flawed album of crucial historical significance".^{[Spin 4]}

Key

	Indicates a various artists compilation album; the name listed is either the name of the compilation series or the name of the record label.
#	Indicates the record is a compilation of either a particular artist or various artists.

Records assigned a score of 10 in the Spin Alternative Record Guide

Artist / series / label	Title	Year	Reviewed by	Ref.
ABBA	The Singles: The First Ten Years #	1982	Barry Walters	[Spin 5]
	ABBA Gold #	1992		[Spin 6]
Air[note 1]	Air Lore	1979	K. Leander Williams	[Spin 7]
Albert Ayler	Spiritual Unity	1964	K. Leander Williams	[Spin 8]
	Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Volume 1	1971		[Spin 9]
Beastie Boys	Licensed to Ill	1986	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 10]
	Paul's Boutique	1989		[Spin 11]
Beck	Mellow Gold	1994	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 12]
The B-52's	The B-52's	1979	Johnny Huston	[Spin 13]
Big Star	Radio City	1974	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 14]
	#1 Record/Radio City #	1992		[Spin 15]
	Third/Sister Lovers	1978		[Spin 16]
Black Flag	Damaged	1981	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 17]
Blondie	Parallel Lines	1978	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 18]
Boogie Down Productions	Criminal Minded	1987	dream hampton	[Spin 19]
David Bowie	Changesbowie #	1990	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 20]
Buzzcocks	Singles Going Steady #	1979	Barry Walters	[Spin 21]
John Cage[note 2]		1994	Neil Strauss	[Spin 22]
John Cale	Paris 1919	1973	Ann Powers	[Spin 23]
Can	Soon Over Babaluma	1974	Simon Reynolds	[Spin 24]
Captain Beefheart	Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)	1978	Jeff Salamon	[Spin 25]
Cheap Trick	Cheap Trick	1977	Jim Greer	[Spin 26]
Chic	Dance, Dance, Dance: The Best of Chic #	1991	Barry Walters	[Spin 27]
The Clash	The Clash	1977	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 28]
	The Clash [US version]	1979		[Spin 29]
The Clean	Compilation #	1986		[Spin 30]
Ornette Coleman	Something Else!!!!: The Music of Ornette Coleman	1958	K. Leander Williams	[Spin 31]
	The Shape of Jazz to Come	1959		[Spin 32]
	Ornette!	1962		[Spin 33]
	Ornette on Tenor			[Spin 34]
		1968		[Spin 35]
	Dancing in Your Head	1977		[Spin 36]
	Of Human Feelings	1982		[Spin 37]
Ornette Coleman & Pat Metheny	Song X	1986		[Spin 38]
Elvis Costello	This Year's Model	1978	Bill Wyman	[Spin 39]
	2½ Years #	1993		[Spin 40]
Descendents	Milo Goes to College	1982	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 41]
	Two Things at Once #	1987		[Spin 42]
Dinosaur Jr.	You're Living All Over Me	1987	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 43]
series	The Disco Years, Volume One: Turn the Beat Around (1974–1978) #	1990	Chuck Eddy	[Spin 44]
Joe Ely[note 3]	Honky Tonk Masquerade	1978	Terri Sutton	[Spin 45]
The English Beat	I Just Can't Stop It	1980	Will Hermes	[Spin 46]
Brian Eno	Another Green World	1975	Ann Powers	[Spin 47]
	Brian Eno II: Vocal #	1993		[Spin 48]
	Brian Eno I: Vocal #	1994		[Spin 49]
Fairport Convention[note 4]	Unhalfbricking	1969	Derk Richardson	[Spin 50]
The Fall	Slates	1981	Mike Rubin	[Spin 51]
	This Nation's Saving Grace	1985		[Spin 52]
	#	1990		[Spin 53]
The Feelies	Crazy Rhythms	1980	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 54]
The Flesh Eaters	A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die	1981	Byron Coley	[Spin 55]
Flipper	Album – Generic Flipper	1981	Andy Newman	[Spin 56]
The Flying Burrito Brothers[note 5]	The Gilded Palace of Sin	1969	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 57]
	#	1988		[Spin 58]
Funkadelic[note 6]	Maggot Brain	1971	Mike Rubin	[Spin 59]
	#	1977		[Spin 60]
	One Nation Under a Groove	1978		[Spin 61]
	Music for Your Mother: Funkadelic 45s #	1992		[Spin 62]
Gang of Four	Entertainment!	1979	Ivan Kreilkamp	[Spin 63]
The Go-Betweens	1978–1990 #	1990	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 64]
The Go-Go's	Beauty and the Beat	1981	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 65]
PJ Harvey	Rid of Me	1993	Ann Powers	[Spin 66]
	To Bring You My Love	1995		[Spin 67]
Hole	Live Through This	1993	Ann Powers	[Spin 68]
Michael Hurley / The Unholy Modal Rounders / Jeffrey Frederick & the Clamtones[note 7]	Have Moicy!	1976	Craig Marks and Jeff Salamon	[Spin 69]
Hüsker Dü	Zen Arcade	1984	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 70]
	New Day Rising	1985		[Spin 71]
Ice Cube	Death Certificate	1991	Michael Eric Dyson	[Spin 72]
The Jam	Sound Affects	1990	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 73]
Freedy Johnston	Can You Fly	1992	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 74]
Joy Division	Closer	1980	Evelyn McDonnell	[Spin 75]
Kronos Quartet	Morton Feldman: Piano and String Quartet	1993	Evelyn McDonnell	[Spin 76]
Fela Kuti	Zombie	1977	K. Leander Williams	[Spin 77]
		1984		[Spin 78]
	Army Arrangement	1985		[Spin 79]
	Original Sufferhead: Classic Fela #	1991		[Spin 80]
Lyle Lovett	Pontiac	1987	Greg Sandow	[Spin 81]
Luaka Bop (label)[note 8]	#	1989	Will Hermes	[Spin 82]
Madonna	Like a Prayer	1989	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 83]
Meat Puppets	Meat Puppets II	1984		[Spin 84]
The Mekons	Fear and Whiskey	1985	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 85]
	Original Sin #	1989		[Spin 86]
	The Mekons Rock 'n Roll [UK version]			[Spin 87]
Mercury Records[note 2]	Electronic Music/Musique Concrète #	1979	Neil Strauss	[Spin 88]
Minor Threat	Complete #	1988	Terri Sutton	[Spin 89]
Minutemen	Double Nickels on the Dime	1984	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 90]
Mission of Burma	#	1988		[Spin 91]
Moby	Everything Is Wrong	1988	Charles Aaron	[Spin 92]
The Modern Lovers	The Modern Lovers	1976	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 93]
Motörhead	No Sleep 'til Hammersmith	1981	Jonathan Gold	[Spin 94]
My Bloody Valentine	Loveless	1991	James Hunter	[Spin 95]
New Order	Substance #	1987	Andrew Goodwin	[Spin 96]
New York Dolls	New York Dolls	1973	Andrew Goodwin	[Spin 97]
	Rock'n Roll #	1994		[Spin 98]
Nirvana	Nevermind	1991	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 99]
NRBQ	At Yankee Stadium	1978	Jim Walsh	[Spin 100]
	#	1990		[Spin 101]
Nuggets series	Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 #	1972	Byron Coley	[Spin 102]
N.W.A	Straight Outta Compton	1988	Greg Sandow	[Spin 103]
The Only Ones	The Only Ones	1978	Jim Walsh	[Spin 104]
	Special View #	1979		[Spin 105]
Parliament[note 6]	Mothership Connection	1975	Mike Rubin	[Spin 106]
	Parliament's Greatest Hits #	1984		[Spin 107]
Gram Parsons	Grievous Angel	1974	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 108]
	GP/Grievous Angel #	1990		[Spin 109]
Pavement	Slanted and Enchanted	1992		[Spin 110]
Pere Ubu	The Modern Dance	1978		[Spin 111]
	Dub Housing			[Spin 112]
Lee "Scratch" Perry	#	1985	Milo Miles	[Spin 113]
Pet Shop Boys	Introspective	1991	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 114]
Liz Phair	Exile in Guyville	1993		[Spin 115]
Pixies	Surfer Rosa	1993	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 116]
Pogues	Rum Sodomy & the Lash	1985	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 117]
The Pretenders	The Pretenders	1979	Ann Powers	[Spin 118]
Prince	Dirty Mind	1980	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 119]
	Sign o' the Times	1987		[Spin 120]
	The Hits/The B-Sides #	1993		[Spin 121]
Public Enemy	It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back	1988	Michael Eric Dyson	[Spin 122]
Public Image Ltd	Metal Box	1979	Simon Reynolds	[Spin 123]
	Second Edition	1980		[Spin 124]
The Raincoats	The Raincoats	1993	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 125]
Ramones	Ramones	1976		[Spin 126]
	Rocket to Russia	1977		[Spin 127]
R.E.M.	Murmur	1983	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 128]
The Replacements	Let It Be	1984	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 129]
The Roches	The Roches	1979	Ann Powers	[Spin 130]
Roxy Music	Siren	1975	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 131]
Run-DMC	Raising Hell	1986	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 132]
	Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983–1991 #	1991		[Spin 133]
Sasha & John Digweed	Renaissance: The Mix Collection[note 9] #	1994	Barry Walters	[Spin 134]
Sex Pistols	Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols	1977	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 135]
Shanachie (label)[note 8]	The Indestructible Beat of Soweto #	1985	Will Hermes	[Spin 136]
Sonny Sharrock	Guitar	1986	Mike Rubin	[Spin 137]
	Ask the Ages	1991		[Spin 138]
Siouxsie and the Banshees	Once Upon a Time: The Singles #	1981	Joy Press	[Spin 139]
Slayer	Reign in Blood	1986	Greg Sandow	[Spin 140]
The Slits	Cut	1979	Joy Press	[Spin 141]
The Smashing Pumpkins	Siamese Dream	1993	James Hunter	[Spin 142]
Patti Smith	Horses	1975	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 143]
The Smiths	The Queen Is Dead	1986		[Spin 144]
Sonic Youth	Daydream Nation	1988	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 145]
The Stooges	The Stooges	1969	Mike Rubin	[Spin 146]
	Fun House	1970		[Spin 147]
Sugar Hill Records	#	1992	Milo Miles	[Spin 148]
Sun Ra	Sun Song	1957	K. Leander Williams	[Spin 149]
	The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra	1961		[Spin 150]
	The Magic City	1965		[Spin 151]
	Sound of Joy	1968		[Spin 152]
		1977		[Spin 153]
	Somewhere Else	1993		[Spin 154]
Talking Heads	Remain in Light	1980	Jeff Salamon	[Spin 155]
Television	Marquee Moon	1977	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 156]
Richard and Linda Thompson	I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight	1974	Derk Richardson	[Spin 157]
	Shoot Out the Lights	1977		[Spin 158]
Henry Threadgill	Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket	1983	K. Leander Williams	[Spin 159]
Throwing Muses	Throwing Muses (1986)	1986	Evelyn McDonnell	[Spin 160]
A Tribe Called Quest	The Low End Theory	1991	Colson Whitehead	[Spin 161]
U2	Achtung Baby	1991	Ann Powers	[Spin 162]
Edgard Varèse[note 2]	Poème Électronique	1990	Neil Strauss	[Spin 163]
The Vaselines	The Way of The Vaselines: A Complete History #	1992	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 164]
Caetano Veloso[note 10]	#	1988	Will Hermes	[Spin 165]
The Velvet Underground	The Velvet Underground & Nico	1967	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 166]
	The Velvet Underground	1969		[Spin 167]
	1969: The Velvet Underground Live	1974		[Spin 168]
Violent Femmes	Violent Femmes	1983	Bill Wyman	[Spin 169]
Lucinda Williams	Lucinda Williams	1988	Craig Marks	[Spin 170]
Wire	Pink Flag	1977	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 171]
X	Wild Gift	1981	Rob Sheffield	[Spin 172]
X-Ray Spex	Germfree Adolescents	1978		[Spin 173]
Young Marble Giants	Colossal Youth	1980	Eric Weisbard	[Spin 174]
Neil Young	Tonight's the Night	1975		[Spin 175]
	Rust Never Sleeps	1979		[Spin 176]
Notes ^ Sorted under "Threadgill, Henry". ^ a b c Sorted under "Electronic Music/Musique Concrète". ^ Sorted under "Flatlanders". ^ Sorted under "Thompson, Richard". ^ Sorted under "Parsons, Gram". ^ a b Sorted under "P-Funk" (see also: Parliament-Funkadelic). ^ Sorted under "Have Moicy!", an entry about the album and the discographies of the affiliated musicians. ^ a b Sorted under "Indestructible Beat of Soweto, The: Worldbeat Compilations". ^ Sorted under "House Music All Night Long". ^ Sorted under "Tropicália".

Publication and reception[]

Co-editor Eric Weisbard at the Pop Conference in 2015

In October 1995, Vintage Books published the Spin Alternative Record Guide in the United States.^{[Spin 177]} It was the first book compiled by Spin.^[29] After nine years in the red, the magazine had its first profitable year in 1994. Looking to expand into other print media, its founder and publisher Bob Guccione Jr. struck a deal to publish three books through Vintage.^[30] Its release was roughly timed to commemorate the magazine's 10th anniversary.^[31] The book's suggested retail price was US$20 (equivalent to $34 in 2020).^[3] The price was comparable with its competitors, with most music reference books coming in at or below $25 in 1995.^[32] It was published simultaneously by Random House of Canada, where it retailed for CA$27.95 (equivalent to $44 in 2020).^{[Spin 178]} According to Matthew Perpetua, the guide was reportedly "not a huge seller".^[21]

Reviewing the book in 1995, Adam Mazmanian from Library Journal recommended the Spin Alternative Record Guide to "both public and academic libraries". He found its reviews superior in "length and scope" to The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992), which also offered complete discographies of artists ranging from Jonathan Richman to Throbbing Gristle. Mazmanian further argued that "this guide fills a gap in the literature of modern music" at a time when "alternative" has developed a ubiquitous presence in the marketing of popular music.^[33] In New York magazine, Kim France called it "a well-edited, unpretentious, and comprehensive look at all the crazy stuff the kids are listening to these days".^[34] Matt Kopka of Publishers Weekly wrote that Spin's guide "may be as close to a surefire hit as the season can offer".^[32]

Booklist critic Gordon Flagg was more qualified in his praise. He applauded the accuracy of the artist entries and the quality of the contributors' reviews, but found Weisbard's conception of "alternative" ill-defined and recommended The Trouser Press Record Guide (1991) as a more comprehensive option.^[27] Even more critical was Billboard magazine's Beth Renaud, who called much of the writing biased and the organization unencyclopedic. She said Weisbard's "obligatory" essay is outdated and vague in defining alternative rock and that the contributors "gush" over artists usually covered by Spin's magazine publication, with many relevant artists omitted in place of more perplexing additions.^[3] In a 1999 survey of various music guides for the Riverfront Times, Jason Toon labeled the Spin Alternative Record Guide as a "must to avoid" and dismissed it as a "flimsy, shallow ... slicked-up cash-in job".^[35]

Influence and reappraisal[]

The guide's entry on John Fahey (pictured in 1984) helped revive the folk guitarist's career.

Having edited the book, Weisbard put his pursuit of a PhD at UC Berkeley on hold and accepted a job offer from Spin, which marked the beginning of his career as a rock critic.^[36] Meanwhile, the guide's entry on folk guitarist John Fahey introduced his music to a new generation of listeners.^[37] His entry in the guide was written by Byron Coley, who had previously profiled Fahey for Spin in 1994 at a time when the musician lived in reclusion and was commonly believed to be dead.^[38] According to Ben Ratliff at the New York Times, Coley's writings helped revive Fahey's career by drawing renewed attention from record labels and the alternative scene.^[39] For his part, Fahey appreciated the guide's effect on his career and especially its association of his music with contemporary alternative subculture. With the arrival of a younger audience, Fahey felt vindicated in his long-standing misgivings about the marketing of his back catalog to an older demographic of listeners interested in traditionalist folk and new-age music.^[40] He wrote about the Spin guide in the liner notes of his 1997 album City of Refuge:

My category is alternative, period. I object to another categorization. ... For many years I was listed in the Schwann Catalogue [sic] under popular. That is a much more accurate category than folk or new age. But, the most accurate category is Alternative. If you will only take the time to read the spread on me in the 1995 Spin Alternative Record Guide ... and look at who is included in this book and who is not, and what it says about various people, then you will have a very clear understanding of what I have always tried to do. These people understand what I am doing more than any other group of people ever has.^[41]

The book has been cited as a bellwether of trends in critical consensus from the time of its publication. For example, the book's favorable treatment of ABBA marked a significant step in the revival of the band's reputation among critics. While ABBA had always been massively popular on an international scale, earlier critics had tended to dismiss their music as frivolous, unhip, or otherwise unworthy of serious attention.^[42] Conversely, the guide's omission of the English band Talk Talk—who had released commercially successful synth-pop before adopting an experimental approach on their last two albums, which were later seen as forebears of post-rock—signaled the low point of that group's reputation among American critics.^[43]

The Spin Alternative Record Guide was a landmark in the construction of an "alternative canon", alongside The Trouser Press Record Guide and Martin C. Strong's The Great Alternative and Indie Discography.^[44] It exerted a major influence on the next generation of music critics. American pop culture critic Chuck Klosterman cited the Spin Alternative Record Guide as one of his five favorite books, saying in 2011, "I fear this might be out of print, but it's probably my favorite music book of all time. Since its 1995 publication, I doubt a year has passed when I didn't reread at least part of it."^[45] In response to a question from a 2019 interview with The New York Times Book Review, Klosterman named it as the one book he would require Donald Trump to read, providing no further explanation of his choice.^[46] Robert Christgau wrote that while most music guides and encyclopedia books were unremarkable, the Spin Alternative Record Guide was one of the few "useful exceptions" because of what he felt was the "sharpest writing" from contributors such as Weisbard and Sheffield.^[47] Idolator's Chris Molanphy, on the other hand, said in retrospect that the book's list of the 100 best albums catered to "hipper, Gen-Xier tastes".^[29]

In 2011, the Spin Alternative Record Guide was included in the Pitchfork staff's list of their favorite music books. In an essay accompanying the list, Perpetua said the book's writers—either top critics at the time or those who have since become important figures in music journalism—outline the "alternative sensibility" by recognizing and connecting music from disparate genres in "an inclusive, open-minded survey, but it's defined as much by what's left out—pretty much all Boomer-oriented rock—as what it includes." According to Perpetua, the "number of young readers [who] pursued music criticism" because of the book was far greater than the copies it sold.^[21] Matthew Schnipper, editor of The Fader, bought the book after it was published and said he used it as a consumer guide for 10 years.^[48] Along with its influence on future critics, the book was cited by guitarist William Tyler as his only source of music education growing up in the pre-Internet age, having found it in a bookstore around the time it was published: "They had entries for all these different people that I had never heard of: Can, John Zorn, [John] Fahey, whatever."^[49]

Contributors[]

The full list of 64 contributors appears at the back of the book.^{[Spin 179]} Each write-up in the guide has a single author with the exception of the entry on the 1976 album Have Moicy! and its associated artists, co-written by Marks and Salamon.^{[Spin 180]} The table below notes the number of entries written by each contributor, as well as the number-one record on their top ten list (if one was provided).

See also[]

• 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die
• Album era
• Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s
• Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies
• Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s
• Our Band Could Be Your Life
• Trouser Press

References[]

Secondary sources[]

Citations to the Spin Alternative Record Guide[]

Bibliography[]

External links[]

• Spin Alternative Record Guide in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Spin Alternative Record Guide at Google Books ("snippet view")
• "Top 100 Alternative Records", from the appendix of the Spin Alternative Record Guide, at RockListMusic.co.uk