Any Old Way You Choose It

by Robert Christgau

Many believe Robert Christgau invented rock criticism. Cooper Square Press offers an expanded edition of his early writings, unavailable since 1978. It was one of the first books on rock music, an invaluable compendium showcasing a new sub-genre of writing not yet contained by the established boundaries of journalism or criticism.

Christgau deftly applies his intellectual approach to popular music, showing that it is as worthy of serious study as any other art form. Yet his writing is never pretentious, as he presents early record reviews, discusses music as it relates to popular culture, and profiles artists as diverse as Frank Zappa, Carole King, Captain Beefheart, Tom Jones, and Chuck Berry.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1973

About the author

Robert Thomas Christgau (born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. He began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop, riot grrrl, and the import of African popular music in the West.

Christgau spent 37 years as the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice, during which time he created and oversaw the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. He has also covered popular music for Esquire, Creem, Newsday, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Blender, and MSN Music, and was a visiting arts teacher at New York University.

Reviews

[Paul Wilner]

Telling it like it is, from the once, if not future, Dean of Rock N' Roll Criticism

[Brad]

A great collection of columns from the Village Voice and elsewhere by one of the founders of serious pop criticism.

[Eamonn]

Early Christgau, before he abandoned rock. Some Consumer Guides in their infancy, some interesting articles/think pieces on the state of rock and the counterculture, some insightful artists profiles (Tull, Creedence, Zappa, etc, oh and lots of Beatles & Stones), some gossip, and some stuff about Dylan I skipped.

[RetroHound]

Very interesting to see opinions and attitudes from the time and what has held up and where long-term musical interests have varied from what Christgau thought would be longer lasting.

[Tim]

Good selection of Christgau's early writings for the Village Voice and Newsday. Especially interesting for contemporary reviews of albums. I'm used to reading criticism written 10, 20, 30 years after the fact, after time and distance has made it impossible to really *hear* those albums without all of the accumulated baggage. His enthusiasm for the New York Dolls, for example, who had yet to release their debut album, is thrilling. Now of course critics love the Dolls b/c they epitomize glam and presage punk, but in 1972 Christgau loved them unequivocally b/c they played old-fashioned, straight-ahead rock 'n' roll, which was presumed to be dead after 'Sgt. Pepper' turned rock 'n' roll into Rock (i.e., popular music with artistic pretensions.)

[Marc]

"Repetition without tedium is the backbone of rock and roll" the author writes of Chuck Berry, and shows that it is also the foundation of effective criticism; Christgau's unending ability to always poke pop culture's pressure points never ceases to impress

[Rob]

Pithy and no-nonsense. Packed with information and context.