Music

(From the Publisher). Easy to use and fun to explore, this 1,400-page tome is the most complete guide ever published on the artists and recordings that really rock. Compiled by dozens of music critics, it reviews and rates more than 14,000 great albums by over 2,200 artists and groups in more than 400 styles both mainstream and alternative including bootlegs, import-only releases, important out-of-print recordings, and lesser-known cult artists. A brief profile details each performer's career, while insightful reviews of top recordings help define the musician's artistic development and impact on rock. Expanded biographies spotlight major figures, along with complete album discographies. Also features educational essays and "music maps" that chart the evolution of rock's diverse subgenres at a glance.

A guide to the key recordings in the rap and hip-hop genres is comprised of informative reviews of top artists, biographies, essays, and music maps that trace the history of hip-hop from its urban soul origins to its emergence in mainstream culture. (From the publisher)

Reviews and rates the best recordings of country artists and groups, provides biographies of the artists, and charts the evolution of country music.

Covers the famous and not so famous in the popular music industry, including rock, jazz, blues, soul and country artists, as well as musical theater and film music. Essays are biographical, usually critical, and include star-rated discographies.

Glitzy, magazine-style chronicle of pop music. 20 volumes of thematically grouped essays (vol. 21 is a useful index) attempt to trace the roots of pop music phenomena, their height of popularity and eventual demise or evolution. Index lists hit singles in the US and UK, 1955-1989.