what's a good music dictionary/or reference?

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hi,
i was wondering if anyone could recommend a good music dictionary or reference book. i notice a lot of them are very classical-oriented, and don't cover contemporary music very well, and was hoping something out there may cover both in a well-rounded way. is this wishful thinking?
or else, is there a good music reference book that covers both?

― mira hebden, Wednesday, 3 March 2004 02:30 (twenty-one years ago)

What are you looking for, definitions of styles and so on? The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music I wouldn't describe as "good" necesarily (a ton of smarmy half-baked opinions), but I enjoy leafing through it.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 03:44 (twenty-one years ago)

AMG?

― Sasha (sgh), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 04:39 (twenty-one years ago)

One problem with contemporary music guides is that by the time they're published, they're outdated. Good luck though. I'm not sure what to tell you.

― Xii (Xii), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 06:19 (twenty-one years ago)

AMG = www.allmusic.com

― Jim Janse, Wednesday, 3 March 2004 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)

http://jahsonic.com

― donny dorko, Wednesday, 3 March 2004 13:03 (twenty-one years ago)

nine months pass...

Revive please...
Does anything fit the bill, that's not found on the internet? Specifically, a friend writes to me with this question: "I was wondering if you could recommend a good music encyclopedia from, say, the 1950’s to the present- American/ Euro Pop. I was thinking of something that would be more like a reference book, not a cover to cover read, with a brief entry for each musician/band; some cover-art of notable albums. I was thinking of this as a gift for my sister and her husband, who seem interested, but not that adventurous in listening to music. Maybe the kind of book to keep in the bathroom- read an entry, learn about a new band- that sort of thing. I guess it could be billboard chart based- top 10’s, top 40’s."

The format he's looking for sounds a lot like what's found in the Spin Alternative Record Guide but he's looking for something more wide-ranging than that. Any ideas?

― ianinportland (ianinportland), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 19:40 (twenty years ago)

I'm guessing the silence means that there isn't one, huh?

― ianinportland (ianinportland), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 20:03 (twenty years ago)

Ha, that SPIN book is in my bathroom right now!

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 20:05 (twenty years ago)

The Great Indie Discography.

― Shooz (shooz), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 20:29 (twenty years ago)

thats a pretty damn broad subject.. you better off with specifically targeted books, or an internet resource like allmusic if you really need something all-encompassing

― chris andrews (fraew), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 20:45 (twenty years ago)

I guess it could be billboard chart based- top 10?s, top 40?s.

well, there's fred bronson's "billboard book of number 1 hits, which features short articles on every song to hit #1 in the US from 1955 through 2002 or 2003 (or whenever the most recent edition was finished). by definition, it's entirely pop based and entirely lacking any artist who didn't hit #1 in the US, which means it's going to be somewhat short on entries for, say, the velvet underground, the smiths and dizzee rascal. on the other hand, it's also, by definition, extremely wide-ranging, you don't have to read it from cover to cover, and it's really, really good bathroom reading.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 20:48 (twenty years ago)

A History of Rock Music
a book written by Piero Scaruffi
http://www.scaruffi.com/history/purchase.html

scope
http://www.scaruffi.com/history/long.html

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 20:50 (twenty years ago)

Thanks Martian and FCC. Those both look like great possibilities.
Martian - what do you know of that Scaruffi guy? I haven't seen his name before...

― ianinportland (ianinportland), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 22:54 (twenty years ago)

Rock n Roll: an Unruly History by Robert Palmer is the best rock history overview I've read. Great chapter on the Bo Diddley beat and great definition of rocking the house. Plus, he was in the Insect Trust.

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 22:58 (twenty years ago)

all i know that he is a highly educated person with strong critical thinking skills

http://www.scaruffi.com/history/author.html

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 23:03 (twenty years ago)

I'm still trying to figure out what a music dictionary is.

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 23:04 (twenty years ago)

I think such a book tells you what the Italian terms in Classical Music mean.

Rock n Roll: an Unruly History by Robert Palmer
That sounds good. For the overview I always liked Charlie Gillett's The Sound of The City. And don't forget - the author discovered Holly and The Italians!

billboard book of number 1 hits
fcc on the money about this one.

― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 23:07 (twenty years ago)

You know what a music dictionary is... It's that thing that will help you figure out what the past tense of 'Depeche Mode' is.

― ianinportland (ianinportland), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 23:15 (twenty years ago)

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