Authoritatively written (although at times with a sickly, rose-tinted yearning) this hefty tome charts its 400 featured artists in rounded (if not sometimes undersold) detail, providing bite-size biographies. As expected of any major encyclopaedic work, the more renowned and bigger-selling artists hog the column inches, but this is merely a minor quibble.
The biographies are beautifully adorned with original photography of the era, alongside an extensive illustrated discography and helpful, if somewhat impractical, ‘valuation’ guide which aims to chart the scarcity of the record and the financial clout required to make it yours.
The accompanying Baby Grandmothers CD, comprising three previously unreleased live recordings and tucked neatly on the inside cover, adds vibrant colour and an increased depth of understanding for those coming to the genre afresh. It’s unlikely, however, to ease the difficulty such a specialist title faces in balancing its appeal between the unenlightened and the knowledgeable. In this case, it’s a no-contest: the lack of engaging entry points into these rich, hedonistic days make for overwhelming and frustrating reading for the former, but equally compelling, essential reading for those that can stand toe-to-toe with its authors’ mountain of knowledge of, and love for, the genre.
