Autumn's review
Rip It Up and Start Again
by Simon Reynolds
Autumn's review
Rip It Up and Start Again by Simon Reynolds
Autumn's review
rating:
bookshelves:
anglophilia
recommended for: Americans who listen to BBC6, teenagers who like Bloc Party
This incredibly detailed, but very readable, history of the late 70s/early 80s British music scene is a revelation. Simon Reynolds covers all the important (and obscure) postpunk bands and creates a coherent narrative from it. Do you want to know about the leftist roots of Scritti Politti? Does it delight you to know that Echo and the Bunnymen were incredibly scornful of U2 because they were both trying to attract bereft Joy Division fans? Do you want to know exactly how industrial music was invented? Well, here it all is.
The best part is discovering the tortured ideological paths certain MTV bands took to chart success. Human League was trying to foment a revolution, at first! Most of these bands were chock full of ideology, synths and a plan for the FUTURE. It seems that the few who became one-hit wonders in the U.S. got there despite their best intentions. So, read this book, gain more respect for bands you already know and look up Josef K on Myspace. This book could really sen...more
The best part is discovering the tortured ideological paths certain MTV bands took to chart success. Human League was trying to foment a revolution, at first! Most of these bands were chock full of ideology, synths and a plan for the FUTURE. It seems that the few who became one-hit wonders in the U.S. got there despite their best intentions. So, read this book, gain more respect for bands you already know and look up Josef K on Myspace. This book could really sen...more
