Is It Still Good to Ya?: Fifty Years of Rock Criticism, 1967-2017

Contents

• Introduction. Robert Christgau's Greatest Hits: Volume UUU 1
• Prologue. Good to Ya, Not for Ya: Rock Criticism vs. the Guilty Pleasure 9
• I. History in the Making
• Ten-Step Program for Growing Better Ears 19
• Dionysus in Theory and Practice 19
• B.E.: A Dozen Moments in the Prehistory of Rock and Roll 27
• Let's Get Busy in Hawaiian: A Hundred Years of Ragged Beats and Cheap Tunes 34
• Rock Lyrics Are Poetry (Maybe) 42
• "We Have to Deal With It": Punk England Report 48
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster: The Music Biz on a Joyride 65
• Not My Fault, Not My Problem: Classic Rock 76
• A Weekend in Paradise: Woodstock '94 81
• Staying Alive: Postclassic Disco 96
• Harry Smith Makes History: Anthology of American Folk Music 103
• Getting Their Hands Dirty: Michael Azerrad's Our Band Could Be Your Life 107
• A Month on the Town 111
• U.S. and Them: Are American Pop (and Semi-Pop) Still Exceptional? And by the Way, Does That Make Them Better? 120
• What I Listen for in Music 130
• II. A Great Tradition
• Pops as Pop: Louis Armstrong 135
• Not So Misterioso: Thelonious Monk 140
• First Lady of Song: Billie Holiday 149
• Folksinger, Wordslinger, Start Me a Song: Woody Guthrie 154
• Caring the Hard Way: Frank Sinatra: 1915-1998 159
• Like Ringing a Bell: Chuck Berry: 1926-2017 161
• Unnaturals: The Coasters with No Strings Attached 165
• Black Elvis: Same Cooke 172
• Tough Love: Etta James 176
• The Excitement! The Terror!: Miles Davis's '70s 181
• Sister, Oh Sister: Kate and Anna McGarrigle 185
• Two Pieces About the Ramones: 190
• 1. Ramone
• 2. Road to Ruin
• Nevermore: Nirvana 196
• A Long Short Story: The Go-Betweens 200
• Generation Gaps: The Spice Girls 204
• Ooh, That Sound: The Backstreet Boys 206
• Tear the Sky Off the Mother: 'N Sync 207
• The World Is His Boudoir: Prince 208
• Two Pieces About Aretha Franklin: 209
• 1. Queen of Pop
• 2. Familiar and Fabulous
• Two Pieces About Bob Dylan: 214
• 1. Dylan Back: World Goes On
• 2. Secrets of the Sphinx
• Ain't Dead Yet: Holy Modal Rounders 220
• How to Survive on an Apple Pie Diet: John Prine 221
• The Unflashiest: Willie Nelson 225
• III. Millennium
• Music from a Desert Storm 231
• Ghost Dance 238
• The Moldy Peaches Slip You a Roofie 241
• Attack of the Chickenshits: Steve Earle 245
• Facing Mecca: Youssou N'Dour 249
• Three Pieces About M.I.A
• 1. Burning Bright
• 2. Quotations from Charmin M.I.A.
• 3. Right, the Record
• IV. From Which All Blessings Flow
• Full Immersion with Suspect Tendencies: Paul Simon's Graceland 259
• Fela and His Lessers 267
• Vendant l'Afrique 270
• Dakar in Gear 275
• A God After Midnight: Youssou N'Dour 278
• Franco d Mi Amor 279
• Forty Years of History, Thirty Seconds of Joy 285
• Tribulations of St. Joseph: Ladysmith Black Mambazo 289
• Music from a Desert War 292
• V. Postmodern Times
• Growing by Degrees: Kanye West 301
• The Slim Shady Essay: Eminem 303
• Career Opportunity: The Perceptionists 314
• Good Morning Little School Girl: R. Kelly 316
• Master and Sacrament: Buddy Guy 319
• The Commoner Queen: Mary J. Blige 321
• A Hot Little Weirdo: Shakira 323
• What's Not to Like?: Norah Jones 326
• No-Hope Radio: Radiohead 330
• Rather Exhilarating: Sonic Youth 334
• Adult Contemporary: Grant McLennan: 1958-2006 337
• Titan. Polymath. Naturalist: Ray Charles: 1930-2004 338
• He Got Us: James Brown: 1933-2006 339
• Old Master: Bob Dylan 342
• Estudando Tom Ze 343
• Gypsy Is His Autopilot: Gogol Bordello 349
• Triumph of the Id: Lil Wayne 353
• Brag Like That: Jay-Z 357
• Paisley's Progress: Brad Paisley 362
• Smart and Smarter: Vampire Weekend 367
• The Many Reasons to Love Wussy 372
• Hearing Her Pain: Fiona Apple 377
• Firestarter: Miranda Lambert 381
• Monster Anthems: Lady Gaga 384
• Dancing on Her Own: Robyn 388
• Three More Pieces About M.I.A.: 393
• 1. Spread out, Reach High: M.I.A.'s Kala
• 2. Illygirl Steppin Up
• 3. Spelled Backwards It's "Aim"
• The Unassumingest: Lori McKenna 400
• VI. Got to Be Driftin' Along
• Who Knows It Feels It: Bob Marley 407
• Shape Shifter: David Bowie: 1947-2016 411
• The Most Gifted Artist of the Rock Era: Prince: 1958-2016 414
• Forever Old: Leonard Cohen: 1933-2016 416
• Sticking It in Their Ear: Bob Dylan 419
• Don't Worry About Nothing: Ornette Coleman 420
• Sensualistic, Polytheistic: New York Dolls 421
• Index 425