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56-531: The Spin Alternative Record Guide is a music reference book compiled by the American music magazine Spin and published in 1995 by Vintage Books . It was edited by the rock critic Eric Weisbard and Craig Marks, who was the magazine's editor-in-chief at the time. The book has essays and reviews from a number of prominent critics on albums, artists and genres considered relevant to

112-482: A deal to publish three books through Vintage. Its release was roughly timed to commemorate the magazine's 10th anniversary. The book's suggested retail price was US$ 20 (equivalent to $ 40 in 2023). The price was comparable with its competitors, with most music reference books priced at or below $ 25 in 1995. It was published simultaneously by Random House of Canada , where it retailed for CA$ 27.95 (equivalent to $ 50 in 2023). According to Matthew Perpetua ,

168-435: A paper , book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents ), to which one can refer for information . The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually referred to for particular pieces of information, rather than read beginning to end. The writing style used in these works is informative; the authors avoid opinions and the use of the first person, and emphasize facts. Indices are

224-410: A 10 [ laughs ], and I thought that was a little excessive, so I remember taking all of his number scores down a couple of pegs—and that's probably in some ways reflective of me not being as close to Byron Coley—but in most cases, I didn't worry about it too much. I have a vague memory of arguing with Rob Sheffield about giving Madonna's Immaculate Collection less than a 10 when we were going to put it in

280-587: A 10 was deemed to be either "[a]n unimpeachable masterpiece or a flawed album of crucial historical significance". In October 1995, Vintage Books published the Spin Alternative Record Guide in the United States. It was the first book compiled by Spin . After nine years in the red , the magazine had its first profitable year in 1994. Looking to expand into other print media, its founder and publisher, Bob Guccione Jr. , struck

336-448: A combination of the experimentation of post-punk and new wave with a more melodic pop style and an underground sensibility. The A.V. Club explained, "Though hardly uniform in style, there were commonalities between the college-rock acts. Not really punk , hard rock , or art rock , most of these groups played conventionally hooky songs, heavy on jangle and twang , with lyrics steeped in poetic Americana ." College rock

392-950: A common navigation feature in many types of reference works. Many reference works are put together by a team of contributors whose work is coordinated by one or more editors, rather than by an individual author. Updated editions are usually published as needed, in some cases annually ( Whitaker's Almanack , Who's Who ). Reference works include textbooks , almanacs , atlases , bibliographies , biographical sources , catalogs such as library catalogs and art catalogs, concordances , dictionaries , directories such as business directories and telephone directories , discographies , encyclopedias , filmographies , gazetteers , glossaries , handbooks , indices such as bibliographic indices and citation indices , manuals , research guides , thesauruses , and yearbooks . Many reference works are available in electronic form and can be obtained as reference software , CD-ROMs , DVDs , or online through

448-520: A desperately needed alternative to the platinum tedium of ' classic ' and Top 40 drivel." Reflecting the erudite tastes of these students, college rock programs were generally less militant and blunt than punk, but often featured a degree of activist sensibility. In contrast with many indie and punk bands, college rock acts often signed to major labels, albeit without becoming flagship acts for their record companies. Other mediums began tracking college rock during this period. The CMJ New Music Report ,

504-567: A diverse array of regional scenes in several cities throughout the United States, particularly Minneapolis , home of the Replacements and Hüsker Dü , and Boston , home of Pixies and Throwing Muses . The genre also came to include several British alternative acts who incorporated elements of jangle pop or post-punk romanticism in their music, with bands such as the Smiths , the Cure , and

560-413: A gap in the literature of modern music" at a time when "alternative" has developed a ubiquitous presence in the marketing of popular music . In New York magazine, Kim France called it "a well-edited, unpretentious, and comprehensive look at all the crazy stuff the kids are listening to these days". Matt Kopka of Publishers Weekly wrote that Spin ' s guide "may be as close to a surefire hit as

616-512: A genre term and more as a signal of the medium -- college radio -- by which college rock acts were often heard. As a result, the genre featured a high degree of diversity and eclecticism, meaning that "on college radio ... screaming noise, retro country , avant-garde electronics , and power pop could coexist, linked by cheap-sounding singles recorded by local bands." Acknowledging this variety, some common aesthetics among college rock bands do exist, with some writers characterizing it largely as

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672-467: A hotbed of college rock, with acts such as Let's Active and Don Dixon achieving success. Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota spawned a large contingent of college rock acts, including the Replacements , Hüsker Dü , the Suburbs , and Soul Asylum . Boston , home to several American universities, was also a hotspot for college rock, with bands such as Pixies , Dinosaur Jr. , Throwing Muses , and

728-400: A major influence on the next generation of music critics. American pop culture critic Chuck Klosterman cited the Spin Alternative Record Guide as one of his five favorite books, saying in 2011, "I fear this might be out of print, but it's probably my favorite music book of all time. Since its 1995 publication, I doubt a year has passed when I didn't reread at least part of it." In response to

784-491: A new generation of listeners. His entry in the guide was written by Byron Coley, who had previously profiled Fahey for Spin in 1994 at a time when the musician lived in reclusion and was commonly believed to be dead. According to Ben Ratliff at the New York Times , Coley's writings helped to revive Fahey's career by drawing renewed attention from record labels and the alternative scene. For his part, Fahey appreciated

840-425: A number of future music critics and helped to revive the career of the folk artist John Fahey , whose music was covered in the guide. Spanning 468 pages, the Spin Alternative Record Guide compiles essays by 64 music critics on recording artists and bands who either predated, were involved in, or had developed from alternative rock . Each artist's entry is accompanied by their discography , with albums rated with

896-474: A publication that reported on the scene, created a chart which measured popularity of artists played on college radio. The journal's charts were used by Rolling Stone magazine and other media. In September 1988, Billboard introduced the Modern Rock Tracks chart which monitored airplay on modern rock and college radio stations. 120 Minutes began on MTV as a program to feature music of

952-510: A question from a 2019 interview with The New York Times Book Review , Klosterman named it as the one book he would require Donald Trump to read, providing no further explanation of his choice. Robert Christgau wrote that while most music guides and encyclopedia books were unremarkable, the Spin Alternative Record Guide was one of the few "useful exceptions" because of what he felt was the "sharpest writing" from contributors such as Weisbard and Sheffield. Idolator ' s Chris Molanphy, on

1008-403: A result, "alternative" was increasingly derided as a vague or even incoherent category. As summarized by the scholar Gayle Wald , the book's introduction defined "alternative" rock as "an aesthetic that disavows, or evinces critical mistrust of, earlier rock subjectivities as well as the music industry itself". Rather than limiting its scope strictly within the musical genre of "rock" per se ,

1064-548: A score between one and ten. Unlike the third edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992), which limited its discographies to albums currently in-print on CD, the Spin Alternative Record Guide offered more comprehensive album discographies. The entries are accompanied by album artwork . The book's editors included contributions from noted journalists and critics such as Charles Aaron , Gina Arnold , Michael Azerrad , Byron Coley , Ann Powers , Simon Reynolds , Alex Ross , Rob Sheffield and Neil Strauss . Sheffield wrote

1120-419: A social impact. The book's selection of music was shaped by the generation gap between the baby boomers and Generation X . Marks said that he and Weisbard "saw [the book] as a way to give definition to second-generation rock 'n' roll". In this respect, the book was both intended and received as a generational counterpoint to The Rolling Stone Album Guide . The guide has 379 entries in total. An entry in

1176-492: A variety of styles are given entries, including Culture Club , Duran Duran and Lenny Kravitz . Some pop musicians are afforded prominent placement and a perhaps surprisingly high degree of acclaim. For instance, the very first alphabetical entry is the Swedish pop supergroup ABBA . Madonna 's 1990 greatest hits album The Immaculate Collection is ranked as the 11th best alternative record. Other non-rock artists reviewed in

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1232-543: Is a computer program or data that is stored electronically, which is usually found on a computer, including information that is available on the Internet. Libraries offer numerous types of electronic resources including electronic texts such as electronic books and electronic journals , bibliographic databases , institutional repositories , websites , and software applications . College rock An outgrowth of hardcore punk , college rock originated less as

1288-498: Is alternative, period. I object to another categorization.   ... For many years I was listed in the Schwann Catalogue [ sic ] under popular. That is a much more accurate category than folk or new age. But, the most accurate category is Alternative. If you will only take the time to read the spread on me in the 1995 Spin Alternative Record Guide   ... and look at who is included in this book and who

1344-403: Is not, and what it says about various people, then you will have a very clear understanding of what I have always tried to do. These people understand what I am doing more than any other group of people ever has. The book has been cited as a bellwether of trends in critical consensus from the time of its publication. For example, the book's favorable treatment of ABBA marked a significant step in

1400-530: The Internet . Misplaced Pages , an online encyclopedia , is both the largest and the most-read reference work in history. In contrast to books that are loaned , a reference book or reference-only book in a library may only be used in the library and may not be borrowed from the library. Many such books are reference works (in the first sense), which are usually used briefly or photocopied from and, therefore, do not need to be borrowed. Keeping reference books in

1456-400: The Spin Alternative Record Guide as a "must to avoid" and dismissed it as a "flimsy, shallow   ... slicked-up cash-in job". Having edited the book, Weisbard put his pursuit of a PhD at UC Berkeley on hold and accepted a job offer from Spin , which was the beginning of his career as a rock critic. Meanwhile, the guide's entry on the folk guitarist John Fahey introduced his music to

1512-444: The alternative music movement. Contributors who were consulted for the guide include Ann Powers , Rob Sheffield , Simon Reynolds and Michael Azerrad . The book did not sell particularly well and received a mixed reaction from reviewers in 1995. The quality and relevance of the contributors' writing were praised, while the editors' concept and comprehensiveness of alternative music were seen as ill-defined. Nonetheless, it inspired

1568-429: The "alternative sensibility" by recognizing and connecting music from disparate genres in "an inclusive, open-minded survey, but it's defined as much by what's left out — pretty much all Boomer -oriented rock — as what it includes". According to Perpetua, the "number of young readers [who] pursued music criticism" because of the book was far greater than the copies it sold. Matthew Schnipper, editor of The Fader , bought

1624-598: The Del Fuegos building a following. Though these cities were major hubs, college rock acts proliferated throughout the US, from areas ranging from California ( Red Hot Chili Peppers , Camper Van Beethoven ) to New Jersey ( the Smithereens , Dramarama ). Although not considered college rock bands in their native country, several UK-based acts also achieved success on the college rock circuit. Many of these acts, including

1680-479: The FCC issued many Class D radio licenses to universities, which allowed them to create noncommercial stations on the little-used left side of dial (typically 88.1–90.5 FM). Many college radio stations during this period sought to promote music that went against the commercial style of the 1980s. Svenonius characterized these stations as being "staffed by music enthusiasts who worked without pay, and who saw college rock as

1736-496: The La's achieving success on American college radio stations. Key to the success of college rock was the success of college radio stations throughout the United States. In The New Republic , Ian Svenonius attributed the proliferation of college rock stations to the FCC 's decision to issue radio licenses to universities during the 1960s: In the sixties, when FM radio was less typical,

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1792-580: The Smiths , the Cure and the La's , grew out of the UK's alternative scene and achieved greater mainstream success there. Other acts, such as Elvis Costello and Graham Parker , grew out of the British initial new wave scene and transitioned to the underground college circuits during the 1980s. Similarly, Australian acts such as the Hoodoo Gurus and Midnight Oil appeared in college rock circles in

1848-487: The Top 100   ... Rob is somebody who very much has his own vision of things, but has earned the right to have that. But so, if I remember correctly—and I might not, it's been twenty years—we let that one go and it's just a difference of opinion within the book. The following 172 records received the guide's highest score from the reviewer who rated the discography of the given artist, compilation series, or genre. A record with

1904-412: The back of the book. Each write-up in the guide has a single author with the exception of the entry on the 1976 album Have Moicy! and its associated artists, co-written by Marks and Salamon. The table below notes the number of entries written by each contributor, as well as the number-one record on their top ten list (if one was provided). Reference book A reference work is a work, such as

1960-490: The book after it was published and said he used it as a consumer guide for ten years. Along with its influence on future critics, the book was cited by the guitarist William Tyler as his only source of music education growing up in the pre- Internet age , having found it in a bookstore around the time it was published. "They had entries for all these different people that I had never heard of: Can , John Zorn , [John] Fahey, whatever." The full list of 64 contributors appears at

2016-455: The book include the jazz composer Sun Ra , the country singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett and the Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan . The guide's 10/10 records by decade, not including compilations. Records received a rating between one and ten points based on the judgment of the reviewer. A red dingbat beside a record's title indicated that it also appeared in the Top 100 at the back of

2072-586: The book typically covers a single artist or band, a set of closely affiliated artists, a multi-volume series of various artists compilations or a selected discography representing an entire musical genre. Records in the guide were chosen from a variety of genres considered relevant to alternative music's development. These include 1970s punk rock , 1980s college rock, 1990s indie rock , noise music , reggae , electronic , new wave , heavy metal , krautrock , synthpop , disco , alternative country , hip hop , grunge , worldbeat and avant-garde jazz . Acknowledging

2128-498: The book. Several records in the Top 100 received a score lower than 10, while many records that received a 10 did not appear in the Top 100, because an individual reviewer's assessment could conflict with the list's collective consensus (and vice versa). Still, there was some editorial oversight and control of the ratings, as Weisbard later explained: I don't remember messing too much with what writers said. I remember Byron Coley wanted to give every single thing he wrote about practically

2184-656: The book. The musicians who provided their own top-ten lists are Mark Arm , Lori Barbero , Lou Barlow , Kurt Bloch , King Coffey , Digable Planets (members Craig "Knowledge" Irving and Mariana "Ladybug" Vieira), Tanya Donelly , Greg Dulli , Gordon Gano , Greg Graffin , Kristin Hersh , Georgia Hubley , Calvin Johnson , Jon Langford , Courtney Love , Barbara Manning , Mac McCaughan , Buzz Osborne (listed as King Buzzo), Joey Ramone , Jim Reid , Lætitia Sadier , Sally Timms , Steve Turner and Josephine Wiggs . Even by

2240-596: The bulk of the guide's entries, while Powers "allowed her home to become command central on the book for many months". Though he did not contribute his own writing, Robert Christgau assisted in the creation of the guide by loaning out records from his personal collection as needed. The contributors curated an overall "Top 100 Alternative Albums" list in an appendix, ranking the Ramones ' 1976 self-titled debut album at number one. A few dozen personal top-ten record lists from contributors and musicians are interspersed throughout

2296-465: The college rock style and compilations branded with the 120 Minutes name were released and featured several college rock bands. By the early 1990s, college rock as a genre had been surpassed by grunge and indie rock in the alternative sphere. Svenonius points to NPR 's aggressive campaign against left of the dial college stations as a cause: seeking to remove competition in this airspace, NPR reduced many college stations to closed circuit formats, if

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2352-650: The guide omits the Beatles , the Beach Boys , Cream , Peter Gabriel , Jimi Hendrix , Led Zeppelin , Pink Floyd , the Rolling Stones , Van Halen and Frank Zappa — even though each of these artists meaningfully influenced "alternative" music to some extent. However, a handful of artists associated with the "classic rock" era can be found in the guide, among them Iggy Pop , Lou Reed , Neil Young and AC/DC . A range of mainstream pop artists spanning

2408-458: The guide was reportedly "not a huge seller". Reviewing the book in 1995, Adam Mazmanian from Library Journal recommended the Spin Alternative Record Guide to "both public and academic libraries". He found its reviews superior in "length and scope" to The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992), which also offered complete discographies of artists ranging from Jonathan Richman to Throbbing Gristle . Mazmanian further argued that "this guide fills

2464-516: The guide's coverage encompassed a wide range of non-rock artists who had adopted an anti-commercial stance or were aligned with a particular subculture . In an introductory essay titled "What Is Alternative Rock?", Weisbard explored the genre's origins and, more broadly, "alternative sensibilities" in other musical traditions. "Alternative rock lacks the proud boundaries that rock's original tradition kept so well guarded," he wrote: More than jazz, blues, country, or any other musical genre, old-style rock

2520-497: The guide's effect on his career and especially its association of his music with contemporary alternative subculture. With the arrival of a younger audience, Fahey felt vindicated in his long-standing misgivings about the marketing of his back catalog to an older demographic of listeners interested in traditionalist folk and new-age music . He wrote about the Spin guide in the liner notes of his 1997 album City of Refuge : My category

2576-436: The library assures that they will always be available for use on demand. Some reference-only books are too valuable to permit borrowers to take them out. Reference-only items may be shelved in a reference collection located separately from circulating items. Some libraries consist entirely, or to a large extent, of books which may not be borrowed. These are the main types and categories of reference work: An electronic resource

2632-523: The low point of that group's reputation among American critics. Personally, the book introduced me to a wide range of artists, gave me historical perspective, and got me hooked on a style of criticism that is extremely knowledgeable but also conversational and funny. — Matthew Perpetua The Spin Alternative Record Guide was a landmark in the construction of an "alternative canon", alongside The Trouser Press Record Guide and Martin C. Strong 's The Great Alternative and Indie Discography . It exerted

2688-478: The other hand, said in retrospect that the book's list of the 100 best albums catered to "hipper, Gen-Xier tastes". In 2011, the Spin Alternative Record Guide was included in the Pitchfork staff's list of their favorite music books. In an essay accompanying the list, Perpetua said the book's writers — either top critics at the time or those who have since become important figures in music journalism — outline

2744-452: The possibility that their selections and exclusions would be objectionable to some readers, Weisbard wrote in the introduction, "Not all these choices are defensible: As stated at the onset, alternative lacks strong boundaries. But we had to draw the line somewhere." Weisbard and Marks said the book was meant to be "suggestive" of alternative music, rather than "comprehensive". Most artists associated with classic rock are excluded. For example,

2800-539: The revival of the band's reputation among critics. While ABBA had always been massively popular on an international scale, earlier critics had tended to dismiss their music as frivolous, unhip, or otherwise unworthy of serious attention. Conversely, the guide's omission of the English band Talk Talk — who had released commercially successful synth-pop before adopting an experimental approach on their last two albums, which were later seen as forebears of post-rock — signaled

2856-420: The season can offer". The Booklist critic Gordon Flagg was more qualified in his praise. He applauded the accuracy of the artist entries and the quality of the contributors' reviews, but found Weisbard's conception of "alternative" ill-defined and recommended The Trouser Press Record Guide (1991) as a more comprehensive option. Even more critical was Billboard magazine's Beth Renaud, who called much of

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2912-503: The standards of the time, the Spin Alternative Record Guide took an unusually inclusive approach to the boundaries of what "alternative" could mean. Before 1991, the genre "alternative rock" conventionally referred to post-punk and college rock . Within a few years, "alternative" had broadened into a catchall term for any rock bands outside the mainstream, regardless of their particular style — even as, paradoxically, "alternative" music became hugely popular and commercially successful. As

2968-472: The stations were continued at all. Many remaining stations reformatted to capture the more abrasive styles of indie rock. Many 1980s college radio music directors went on to pursue successful careers in the mainstream American music industry. American artists came from a variety of regions, with many succeeding in college towns. Spurred by the success of bands such as R.E.M. , the Athens, Georgia area became

3024-476: The writing biased and the organization unencyclopedic. She said Weisbard's "obligatory" essay is outdated and vague in defining alternative rock and that the contributors "gush" over artists usually covered by Spin ' s magazine publication, with many relevant artists omitted in place of more perplexing additions. In a 1999 survey of various music guides for the Riverfront Times , Jason Toon labeled

3080-508: Was an outgrowth of the new wave and post-punk musical scenes that developed in the late 1970s. Though not as avant-garde as post-punk or abrasive as hardcore punk , the genre tended to veer further from the synth-heavy mainstream. As explained by Rolling Stone , college rock's origins can be placed in Athens, Georgia , home of the University of Georgia and several college rock bands, such as R.E.M. The genre would expand to include

3136-492: Was defined by a mass appeal you didn't have to sneer at, the mythic popularity of the universal youth music that turned the repressed fifties into the rebellious sixties   ... Alternative rock, on the other hand, is still anti-generationally dystopian, subculturally presuming fragmentation; it's built on an often neurotic discomfort over massified culture, takes as its archetype bohemia far more than youth, and never expects that its popular appeal, such as it is, will have much of

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