Rating: 
Summary: Expanded multi-volume "Coll. Guide to Heavy Metal"
Review: A few years back Martin compiled all the reviews that he'd written (and could still find) and published them under the title "The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal". And while he may have missed a few items he hit all the essentials and more, all the while earning himself a somewhat ambiguous reputation due to his praised inclusions of various grunge and punk albums not to mention his unabashed distaste for entire sub-genres of heavy metal.
After a few "fluff" books over the years ("The 500 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs"? Talk about dragging a magazine article out for far too long) he's finally back to update what may be his only seminal work in the genre. This time "The Collector's Guide" is being broken down by decade to allow for the inclusion of more obscure groups Taking full advantage of this, Popoff is now including anything remotely connected with hard rock, let alone heavy metal. I'm not sure this is such a bad idea on the evidence of "Coll. Guide: 70's", but then there was a much more blurry line between plain vanilla hard rock and dyed in the wool heavy metal in those halcyon days. To his credit, Popoff does trot out some true obscurities, but as per his previous volume these obscurities lean heavily toward Canadian artists. But, when you have to rely on the efforts of one man to get the job done no one out there has done a finer job for the genre than Martin Popoff (I may have to amend this statement when AMG finally puts out their own metal guide). His musical prejudices notwithstanding, I've always felt that musical criticism should be taken with a grain of salt, and assuming you're one of the wise ones who consults more than one critic before rushing out to buy an album you should be able to enjoy "The Collector's Guide..." for exactly what it is: one very informed man's opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Expanded multi-volume edition of "Coll. Guide"
Review: A few years back Martin compiled all the reviews that he'd written (and could still find) and published them under the title "The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal". And while he may have missed a few items he hit all the essentials and more, all the while earning himself a somewhat ambiguous reputation due to his praised inclusions of various grunge and punk albums not to mention his unabashed distaste for entire sub-genres of heavy metal.
After a few "fluff" books over the years ("The 500 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs"? Talk about dragging a magazine article out for far too long) he's finally back to update what may be his only seminal work in the genre. This time "The Collector's Guide" is being broken down by decade to allow for the inclusion of more obscure groups Taking full advantage of this, Popoff is now including anything remotely connected with hard rock, let alone heavy metal. I'm not sure this is such a bad idea on the evidence of "Coll. Guide: 70's", but then there was a much more blurry line between plain vanilla hard rock and dyed in the wool heavy metal in those halcyon days. To his credit, Popoff does trot out some true obscurities, but as per his previous volume these obscurities lean heavily toward Canadian artists. But, when you have to rely on the efforts of one man to get the job done no one out there has done a finer job for the genre than Martin Popoff (I may have to amend this statement when AMG finally puts out their own metal guide). His musical prejudices notwithstanding, I've always felt that musical criticism should be taken with a grain of salt, and assuming you're one of the wise ones who consults more than one critic before rushing out to buy an album you should be able to enjoy "The Collector's Guide..." for exactly what it is: one very informed man's opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Great One From Martin
Review: I am a HUGE fan of Martin Popoff's work, having purchased several of his books, all of which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. This latest tome features all the hallmarks of Martin's work, detailed reviews of records both well-known and obscure, all delivered with a style that is both conversational and comprehensive. Martin has a true love and respect for the heavy metal genre, yet he's not afraid to poke a little fun at it when warranted, which is more often than you'd think. Once again, Martin treats his reviews with loving care, none seem slapped together, even reviews for recordings he doesn't care for. Chances are, this book will help you discover an unknown band (or twenty) that you didn't know you needed to love. Then again, you may be forced to reasses a sacred cow or two. I can't wait for the future installments (80s, 90s, 00s), because I know Martin is one of the only people (besides myself) who found some good in Motley Crue's "Generation Swine" from 1997.
Rating:
Summary: The Undisputed Guru of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal
Review: If hard rock and proto heavy metal are your thing, then you NEED this book, period. In fact, you need anything ever written by this man including his forthcoming 80's and 90's volumes. Forget the other tripe out there, Martin really knows his stuff. I mean, REALLY. Anyone could compile a list of hard rock wax from the 70's. Martin's not only got it all in there, he then reviews each title with a knowledge you would reserve for those essential key LP's in your collection. This is no mean feat considering the amount of titles listed in this book. Most importantly, he truly understands what constitutes a great record in this genre, be it a Sabs or Zep-style cruncher from the dawn of the genre (covered supremely by this book) or a speed-infused modern 90's slab (see his earlier guides). He's lived this music, no doubt. His reviews also contain enough touchstone reference points back to the big names for the casual fan to get an idea as to whether a particular title is worth finding. In closing, an essential purchase for anyone looking to truly learn about the cream of the 70's crop from the giants of the era or those obscurities you may have missed and now need to find...and good luck finding some of 'em, 'cause it won't be easy anymore.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice try, but it comes up short
Review: It's great that someone would love hard rock and heavy metal so much that they'd do a guide like this, and include obscure groups. But this guide also falls short on a number of levels.Number one, Popoff is not a top-flight rock critic or writer, and these reviews offer little insight into how any of these albums actually SOUND. More often, they're his attempts at creative writing -- usually trying to be clever but sounding contrived. A good rock critic, like say Nick Tosches, Lester Bangs, Dave Thompson, or even Robert Christgau (who I almost never agree with), will be able to not only divulge his opinion, but tell you if you'll like the record. Popoff is not in their league at all. But from a more selfish standpoint, I have to wonder if this guy likes '70s hard rock much. He implies that Captain Beyond (debut album = classic) is overrated, but praises corporate wimps like Foreigner (yeah, they rock REALLY hard). He underrates cool bands like Earth Quake, Toad, Coloured Balls, Marcus, and Blue Cheer. He leaves out some great hard rock bands, like Damnation and Chicken Shack and others (too many to list, actually), saying they're "not heavy," yet includes pop like Artful Dodger and Nick Gilder, Coven (a terrible Midwest bar band), plus more AOR crap. But on a more positive note, he knows his stuff, and this book could be useful as a discography for beginners. And indeed, a project like this is a difficult task given the breadth of material to cover. It's WAY better than that egocentric waste of pulp by Chuck "I'm Smarter than You" Eddy, 'Stairway to Hell.' If Popoff proves anything in the long run, however, it's that knowledge and fandom will only get you so far. You also have to have something compelling to say, and too often, he doesn't. Given its subject matter, I wanted to like this book more, but unlike Dave Thompson's guide to funk (highly recommended), this doesn't really offer a lot of insight or tell me much that I don't already know. There are just too many undigested opinions and unresolved tangents.
Rating:
Summary: Excellente guia Hard rock
Review: Martin decide reeditar su ya conocido Collector Guide Book to Heavy Metal en una forma expandida. Para ello lo ha pensado dividiendolo en tres diferentes libros cubriendo los 70s, 80s y 90s.
Este libro cubre los 70s donde el Heavy Metal da sus primeros pasos y trata de explicar o mostrar las diferencias de grupos tales como Motorhead, Judas Priest con grupos de estilo mas hardrock, progresivos, punk, sicodelicos de estilo pesado. Incluye ciertas rarezas de paises europeos, latinoamericanos y asiaticos aunque faltan algunas obras de los 70s.
Mi lista de los discos faltantes son:
Tapiman-Tapiman
Three Man Army-Mahesha
Fire-Could you understand me?
Trettioariga Krihet-Krigssang
Nu-Cuentos de ayer y de hoy
Speed,Glue and Shinki-Speed Glue and Shinki
Flower Travelin Band- Made in Japan
Rating:
Summary: The Best Guide To 70's Rock
Review: This book covers albums from a variety of groups ranging
from rock to hard rock and progressive rock. Even some late
60's albums are reviewed. Martin includes two ratings, one
for heaviness and one for his overall opinion of the album.
Some cool album pictures are included too. My cd collection
continues to expand as I discover bands I never knew about
from the early 70s. If you liked Matin's Encyclopedia Of
Heavy Metal you will enjoy this book because it takes a
closer look at 70s rock. The Bonus cd has some gems on it
too. I can't wait for the 80's book!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Guide To 70's Rock
Review: This book covers albums from a variety of groups ranging from rock to hard rock and progressive rock. Even some late 60's albums are reviewed. Martin includes two ratings, one for heaviness and one for his overall opinion of the album. Some cool album pictures are included too. My cd collection continues to expand as I discover bands I never knew about from the early 70s. If you liked Martin's Encyclopedia Of Heavy Metal you will enjoy this book because it takes a closer look at 70s rock. The Bonus cd has a few gems on it too. I can't wait for the 80's book!
Rating:
Summary: essential for any 70's obscure freak!
Review: this is nothin' short of essential,if you're interested in those lost 70's obscurities!...trying to find 'em,though could be another matter!(LOL)),but seriously,i think Martin is the best music critic,hands down...and he has become much better,IMO as a detailed music expert,probably alot better in this regard than his last book(from '97...this disc at hand is a little flip-in my opinion..only truth and janey,poobah and the cain track stand out!..the rest sounding either nwobhm poverty stricken(pre-cursor,eh?...i don't like that genre of music anyways)or cave-man metal beaten on card-bord sounding drums(witness negative space)...get this mostly for the book and start searching for these lost classics!
Rating:
Summary: Loud and Proud
Review: This is THE book to buy for fans of hard rock before it became the big hair, MTV 80s music identified with Bon Jovi, Warrant etc. This book reviews the early roots of this musical genre and brings to light its evolution from psychedelic fuzz and distortion. Martin Popoff provides insight into some totally obscure and impossible to find (or at least afford) rarities such as Leaf Hound and Euclid. One may not agree with his reviews always, or his heaviness/overall ratings, but the author definitely succeeds in dispelling myths but more importantly, identifying some excellent and obscure music for us to seek.
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