Rating: 
Summary: HARDCORE IS AS ALIVE AS EVER
Review: this is a pretty good book, with a pretty concise history of the scene, and the climate at the time. certain points i gotta disagree with though. he talks about the scene as though hardcore punk died around 1985-87, but many of the bands he cites as being originators of hardcore (agnostic front, bad religion, TSOL, murphy's law, and others) are still actively putting out cds, and playing hardcore. there are also newer bands that are very big in the scene, and he totally acts as though second and third waves of hardcore never happened. if you are new to the hardcore scene, keep in mind that just because steven blush says hardcore is dead does not mean that the hardcore scene is dead. the situation is actually quite the contrary, and the scene is alive and well, and old school hardcore is still well represented. oioioi
Rating: 
Summary: The BEST Harcore Punk book so far. (Maybe EVER)
Review: This is, quite simply, the most complete book on Hardcore Punk EVER made.
Every scene is documented and each chapter represents a different city or region. Whether it be New York, Boston, Detroit, Austin, or San Francisco, no area is missed. Each section is also loaded with interviews from surviving band members (some of whom havent been heard from in years) and detailed accounts from the fans who saw it first-hand.
And the Bands? My God!
From the big dogs such as Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys, to the smaller guys like the Necros or The Sluts, they're all there.(In Detail!)
More importantly, though, the average Punk fan finally has a One-Stop reference guide for all things Hardcore. The attention to detail is nothing short of amazing.ALL OF THE BANDS
ALL OF THE GOSSIP
ALL OF THE HISTORY In a nutshell, this is the ONLY book on Hardcore you will EVER need.
It also just might be the best.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed but enjoyable
Review: Yes, this book has its flaws. At times it can be self-righteous, opionated, and even a bit misogynistic in places--very much like hardcore itself often was. The author occasionally rises above his own prejudices, though, and provides a cogent analysis of what hardcore was, what it meant to a generation of social pariahs and misfits, and the built-in factors of obsolescence that led to its demise after only a few years. The oral history is entertaining and informative--I've gotten a kick out of reading the firsthand accounts of how some of my favorite bands came to be, came to prominence, and eventually came to an end. As mentioned in another review, many of the people interviewed have an axe to grind, even after all these years. But the author makes at least a reasonable attempt at balanced reporting through most of the book. I guess that for me, the primary appeal of this book is that it's like a trip back in time to the days when my buddies and I would listen to the latest SST or Alternative Tentacles comps after school, go to shows at our local "underground" venues and check out the record reviews in the 'zines. Before we were out of high school, we'd formed our own band and were appearing on a small stretch of the northeast HC circuit, with some modest success. My early experiences in the HC years fostered a love of creating and playing music that persists to this day. The overarching message of HC, as far as I was concerned, was this: YOU can do this yourself. YOU can make your own music and your own "scene." You don't have to sit back and wait for the big entertainment companies to spoon-feed you. Long after many other aspects of HC ceased to be relevant, this fundamental philosophy at its core continues to resonate with many kids, young and old, banging away on guitars and drums in basements and garages all over the nation. If you were involved in HC in the early or mid '80s, whether you were playing in a band, going to shows, pasting up flyers or getting your ass beat by violent jocks because of your "weird" appearance--then you will enjoy this book. If not, you might find the "I was THERE, man!" attitude that pervades some of the text off-putting.
Rating: 
Summary: American Hardcore: Inadequate History, Great Interviews
Review: You should at least read part of this book. IT is no masterpiece. It's full of questionable facts and irritating interjections, and is by no means a definitive account of the early hardcore scene. But so what?
The book itself is combination of interviews and short paragraphs explaining the background of the bands mentioned. Unfortunately, as others have stated, some of the "facts" that he puts out are questionable, but that is not why one gets it. The interviews make up the vast majority of the book, and are conducted with many big names (McKaye, Barile, Cadena, Danzig for a start). These interviews make up for the authors irritating attempts at insight, and really make the book. Fortunately he gets a number of views on some topics and the interviews themselves are just fascinating. And not all of them are conducted with the stars: members of different scenes are interviewed as well. I was fairly impressed with who he managed to pick up, especially Danzig, as well as their willingness to speak on certain topics. The interviews generally flowed well with the little "histories" that he gave before them, but the style was admitadly hard to get used to at first. Still, once you get past that, and past the introduction, the book begins to become an uncovered jewel. The history is indeed inadequate, but the book is worth picking up for the faces it brings with it. I recommend getting it, or at least borrowing it from a friend, because some of the people are not to be missed.
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