Rating: 
Summary: A useful resource, but why buy the book?
Review: This book is the best (and, admittedly, the only) guide to electronic music I have ever seen in book form. However, all the information in this book is also available for free at allmusic.com. Since the website is updated and hypertextually cross-referenced, the book is actually a somewhat less useful format, albeit more convenient in some ways. Of course, buying it does give money to the people who thought to create such an exceptionally useful resource.
Rating: 
Summary: From Kraftwerk to Amon to Aphex Twin
Review: Well let's start off with the obvious good things about the book: It has hundreds of listings of artists and groups, and... um, hmmm... Now the bad things: Yes, although it does have loads of references and can be handy at the desk, this book is not quite the type of book that a true "Electronica" fan would appreciate. First of all: if you have a regular & reliable connection to the internet, then don't bother with this book, because all AMG did was cut & paste all the Biographical info from their website's (Allmusic.com) Electronica genre, and throw it into a book, except the book actually has less Discographical information than the website, and Discographies are what collectors are truely interested in. The website has much more info on releases from artists and groups. Secondly: I would say that a full 1/3rd of the book is full of total no-name junk, or groups & artists that do not belong in the Electronica genre. Yes a full 1/3rd I would say is junk, like loads of listing for groups in genres like "indie-pop", "Avant-Hard", and "Synth-pop" . Those aren't really Techno type styles. Speaking of wasted paper, AMG devoted nearly 2 and a half pages to a guy named "Amon Duul" Amon Duul??? Who the hell? Yet, they gave "The Prodigy" just over 1 page, yes the most famous Techno act of all time got one page, and Amon Duul got 2 1/2. Third: Let's not even get started on the dozens of Industrial and Drum N' Bass artists & groups that were left out of the book, however not to say that AMG might be doing a full book on those genres, because they include some Industrial and Drum N' Bass groups in this book. Fourth: For some inexsplicable reason AMG decided to leave out the following Techno artists, dj's and groups: Mauro Picotto, Giggi D'agostino, Mario Piu, N-Joi, AK1200, Blank&Jones, Seb Fontaine, Trip Theory, Messiah, Antiloop, Dj Venom, X-Dream, Armin van Buuren, Freaky Flow, Agnelli&Nelson, etc.. Fifth: I guess AMG forgot about most of the important Females of the Electronica genre, because these women were not in the book: Dj Irene, Sonique, Lisa Lashes, Anne Savage, etc.. And to think, I was almost employed with this firm... In conclusion, this book basically has an inkling of Biographical info on lots of Electronica artists, but it also wastes alot of paper with no-namers, and leaves out several important figures in the Techno scene. I recommend cutting out the middle man (this book) and sticking with the Allmusic.com website for quality info.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of info, but lots of junk, and lots missing....
Review: Well let's start off with the obvious good things about the book: It has hundreds of listings of artists and groups, and... um, hmmm... Now the bad things: Yes, although it does have loads of references and can be handy at the desk, this book is not quite the type of book that a true "Electronica" fan would appreciate. First of all: if you have a regular & reliable connection to the internet, then don't bother with this book, because all AMG did was cut & paste all the Biographical info from their website's (Allmusic.com) Electronica genre, and throw it into a book, except the book actually has less Discographical information than the website, and Discographies are what collectors are truely interested in. The website has much more info on releases from artists and groups. Secondly: I would say that a full 1/3rd of the book is full of total no-name junk, or groups & artists that do not belong in the Electronica genre. Yes a full 1/3rd I would say is junk, like loads of listing for groups in genres like "indie-pop", "Avant-Hard", and "Synth-pop" . Those aren't really Techno type styles. Speaking of wasted paper, AMG devoted nearly 2 and a half pages to a guy named "Amon Duul" Amon Duul??? Who the hell? Yet, they gave "The Prodigy" just over 1 page, yes the most famous Techno act of all time got one page, and Amon Duul got 2 1/2. Third: Let's not even get started on the dozens of Industrial and Drum N' Bass artists & groups that were left out of the book, however not to say that AMG might be doing a full book on those genres, because they include some Industrial and Drum N' Bass groups in this book. Fourth: For some inexsplicable reason AMG decided to leave out the following Techno artists, dj's and groups: Mauro Picotto, Giggi D'agostino, Mario Piu, N-Joi, AK1200, Blank&Jones, Seb Fontaine, Trip Theory, Messiah, Antiloop, Dj Venom, X-Dream, Armin van Buuren, Freaky Flow, Agnelli&Nelson, etc.. Fifth: I guess AMG forgot about most of the important Females of the Electronica genre, because these women were not in the book: Dj Irene, Sonique, Lisa Lashes, Anne Savage, etc.. And to think, I was almost employed with this firm... In conclusion, this book basically has an inkling of Biographical info on lots of Electronica artists, but it also wastes alot of paper with no-namers, and leaves out several important figures in the Techno scene. I recommend cutting out the middle man (this book) and sticking with the Allmusic.com website for quality info.
|
