Just picked up “Fear of Music,” and I wished I’d leafed through it before purchasing. Now it might be a very good book, and I may find I enjoy it, but there are certain signpost albums from the era that I should have looked for first. Because without them, I have zero trust in the author’s critical sensibilities.

And, unfortunately, the first three signpost albums are missing. We can argue where in the Top 261 the Minutemen’s “Double Nickels on the Dime” (I’d say Top 10), Husker Du’s “Zen Arcade” (Top 50) and Sonic Youth’s “Daydream Nation” (Top 10) belong, but to leave out ll three is unconscionable. Especially when mediocrity such as Prince’s “Around the World In A Day” (some good stuff within, but hardly a strong album) or Husker Du’s “Candy Apple Gray” (worst of all HD albums) are included.

This is far from a reasonable list.

I have both books and have really enjoyed them both. I agree with a lot, and I disagree with a lot too – there are certainly some I’d leave out, and some I’d put in too.

Where I really have an issue is with Mulholland’s tired dismissal of hard and heavy rock as *cock rock*. I think the po-faced geeks (and Mulholland certainly sounds like one when he talks about Rawk) who speak this nonsense about the harder edged music fail to see the irony, humour and hilarious self-deprecation contained in some of these bands. The sly winking lyrics of someone like Bon Scott are a match for almost anything else contained in these volumes especially one that includes the vomit fest of Boston’s “More than a Feeling” LOL

To deny sexual confidence as valid an artistic weight as sexual insecurity (as Mulholland does time and time again) is to sound like a bitter jealous geek who never got laid 🙂 Some of us liked the Smiths *and* got laid at the same time.

Not all Rock (without the ‘n’roll) is misogynistic , not all of it is about musical wanking or swagger. A Fear of Music without UFO’s “The Wild, The Willing and the Innocent”, ACDC’s “If You Want Blood” or Judas Priest’s “Screaming for Vengeance” is a little poorer because of it. I understand Mulholland’s sensibility in wanting to eschew the influence of Beatles, Dylan et all and I applaud it, but I don’t hear much Beatles in “Whole Lotta Rosie.” Stuff my parents hated me listening to as much as Television.

As a rock fan, I can love the Buzzcocks as much as I love the Cockrocks. Get over your failure with girls Garry 😉

I enjoyed Garry’s book to the extent I could not put it down even though it infuriated me ! I recognise that all “selection” books will contain inclusions and omissions that baffle us. My problem with Garry’s book is, unfortunately, Garry.

Garry literally rams his favourite subjects down our throat during the course of many of his reviews. Race, sexuality and gender are harped on about ad nauseum when I know I personally would rather continue reading about Talking Heads or Television. We know you’re proud to be a “New Man” Garry, but you only need to tell us once ! I don’t care if Fela Kuti was a sexist, I still love his music. Just as I enjoy Buju Banton. Doesn’t mean I’d enjoy ten minutes in his company. I don’t care if Sting (such an easy target) is a tosser. I enjoy some of his music. Hell, I even enjoy some Phil Collins, and I don’t give a damn. Five minutes later I could be listening to Steel Pulse (another criminal ommission from this book). This book should be more about the music and less about Garry’s personal prejudices, and that is what they are – prejudices dressed up as tolerance.

Back to the selections – unfortunately it seems that albums only qualify for this book if they sold hardly any copies (comparatively). Bands only make it in if they are perceived to be “non mainstream”, “cool” and “credible”. Gang Of Four good/Sting bad. Van Morrison bad/XTC good. Thus, artists such as Dire Straits, Elton John, UB40, The Rolling Stones etc etc are perceived to be too commercial and mercenary to be mentioned. Similarly, Sade and Kid Creole do not make the cut, despite having been extremely popular in the early/mid 1980s. Bizarrely, Michael Jackson makes it in though, and Earth Wind and Fire and Chic are considered credible and “danceworthy” yet Millie Jackson is not.

Different strokes I suppose, and faor all this I still enjoyed the book.

Hey Garry

Love your book!

Just wondering mate, why 261, why not 260 or 250 even?
A nice round even number? I mean there’s 500 singles, so why not 260 or 250 albums like I said…
Anyway! I Love the Book!
I love how you write. And I also love your politically left-wing, anti-sexist, anti-racist and anti-homophobic views. Your politics is just like mine. Great minds think alike, Garry! Cheers! 🙂

I’ve just finished Fear of Music, which to be honest I missed on publication. I’d read This Is Uncool a long time ago and then again fairly recently, and the age gap I traversed since first and second reading convinced me that you probably do have to let your music tastes go through a transition before you can appreciate the breadth of the works Gary chose.

So I was looking forward to the album version, as it were, and was massively impressed. I went into it thinking I’d be reading about all those great albums I’d already got, but I’m pretty pleased to say I had about ten percent! I can see why people are taking Gary to task about his choices but isn’t that the point of music criticism? It’s one thing to give you the stories behind an album and another to offer an interpretation, and I for one would rather have thoughts about an album or genre I’d never considered before than the same content rehashed. Garry’s subtitle is a challenge, but I think he gives enough of his own personality to show that your opinions will colour any ‘list’ of this type.

I’ll be trying to pick up his books on film, because FOM is going straight on my display bookshelf rather than somewhere I can just forget about it.

To Paul: I think the Stones were lucky to get even one album in the book, considering the era it covers. Same goes for Van Morrison, and I love both these artists (or at least the work they produced in their heyday). In fact, GM must have a sentimental attachment to Jagger and co. for including the half great/half awful Some Girls.