Product Description

All entries in this reference are fully revised and updated with expanded discographies in which the CD reviews are preceded by quickly-accessible, biographical three-liners on the artists and bands.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3279481 in Books
• Binding: Paperback

Amazon.co.uk Review
Once you start flipping through World Music, there's no stopping. Unlike other genres, world music spans so huge a territory that there are surprises and new pleasures for everyone. The table of contents sets the tone. Laid out as a map of the world, the chapters are located directly on the map. This is followed, however, by a traditional table of contents, laid out in linear one to 13 format for those who don't go for the visual approach. However you choose your dive-in point, you won't be disappointed. A tremendous amount of work has gone into this guide, covering a remarkable number of sub-genres and groups. Search for a group you've heard of, read up on a specific genre like klezmer or flamenco, get CD recommendations or troll for new finds like Altan, the Irish band of the 1990s, and Ibrahim Tatlises, the premier Kurdish performer. There's a wealth of sounds out there that Rough Guide makes accessible and with this exclusive book and CD package, you won't have to shift far from your front room to find them. --Stephanie Gold

Excerpted from The Rough Guide to World Music vol 1: Europe, Africa and the Middle East by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, Richard Trillo. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
Introduction

It's fitting that this new edition of the Rough Guide to World Music coincides with the start of a new millennium, for it deals with the oldest and newest music in the world - from centuries-old traditions to contemporary fusions. It includes the most sacred and profound music and the most frivolous and risque, music of healing, music of protest, the loudest music you'll ever hear, the softest and most intimate, and maybe also the most moving and enjoyable.

The Guide sets itself a clearly impossible task: to document and explain the popular, folk and (excluding the Western canon) classical music traditions around the globe. However, since the first edition appeared in 1994 it has been the chief handbook for enthusiasts and become a resource for those working in and around the World Music business itself. In producing a new edition we were aware of omissions and shortcomings in the first edition and we have added many new pieces on countries that weren't covered before - France, Germany, Italy, Iran, Israel, Angola, Mozambique, Burundi and Uganda, to name a handful in this volume. Other articles were expanded, revised and rewritten; Scandinavia, for example, turned from one piece into five, as did the former Yugoslavia.

In addition, the new edition reflects the huge expansion of the whole World Music market over the past five years. There are more concerts and festivals than ever before - and many would say that there is actually a surfeit of CDs. In preparing this edition, we surveyed the lot, completely overhauling our discographies, adding biographical entries for artists, and reviewing and highlighting the best discs available.

That's the main reason why this new edition of the Rough Guide is not one book, but two: this volume covers Africa, Europe and the Middle East, while Volume Two has the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. Even with two books, each volume has turned out longer than the entire first edition.

The articles - from more than eighty contributors - are designed to provide the background to each country's music styles, explaining how they relate to history, social customs, politics and identity, as well as highlighting the lives and sounds of the singers and musicians. We hope you'll find this enriches the whole experience of listening to World Music.

How this book works

This volume is divided into three geographical sections: Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Within each section the entries are arranged alphabetically by country or by ethnic group (for instance the entries on Gypsy, Jewish Sephardic, Kurdish and Pygmy music). There are running heads and an index to help you find your way.

Our discographies follow the arrangment of each article and when it makes things clearer by style (for example, Nigeria has sections for Traditional, Juju, Fuji, Highlife, and Afro-beat). Compilations are listed first and artists follow (listed A-Z), with a brief biography and reviews of their key discs.

Each section has one or two 'star discs' which are indicated by a larger than usual CD symbol ( p). These are the ones to buy first. All other selections are preceded by a CD (p), cassette (A) or vinyl (V) symbol: those specified as cassette or vinyl are not available on CD but worth checking out all the same. To avoid any conflict of interest, as some of our contributors are professionally involved with bands or record labels, the selections are the responsibility of the editors. In the directories at the end of the book we've included addresses and websites of the most important record labels releasing the music featured in this volume, as well as the best specialist shops to track down CDs.

Customer Reviews

Essential
Along with The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD by Richard Cook & Brian Morton, the original edition of this has acted as my Bible over the last 5 years or so, costing me a small fortune in recordings that I didn't know I needed along the way! So, here is the new edition - expanded, updated and now in two volumes. In keeping with the original edition, the people at Rough Guide have commissioned a wide variety of writers to contribute individual chapters on their own particular area of expertise, resulting in a truly authoritative body of work. The first volume which is now in the shops covers Africa, Europe and the Middle East, with Volume II (Americas, Asia and the Pacific) following later in the year. It is a sign of how interest in World Music has grown over the last few years that each individual volume is now larger than the original book. As a result, even if you already own the original, the fact is that you are going to have to buy the new version as well, because there is so much new information. The huge growth in the availability of CD's from various parts of the globe is one of the reasons for this, but the new volume also covers areas which the original did not touch.

Inevitably there is (quite literally) a price to pay for this growth. One of the frustrations for myself, is that my main interest lies in African and Latin music. Unfortunately, while African music is contained in Volume I along with European music, which is not one of my major passions, Latin music is contained in Volume II. Similarly when looking at Klezmer music, for example, the Eastern European areas from which it is derived are in Volume I, but you will have to wait until Volume II to find out about developments on the New York scene. Still these are minor irritations in what is a major piece of work.

Despite the awesome size of these tomes, the Rough Guide to World Music succeeds on two levels: it can be used as a reference book to check out details about artists and their body of work; however, the easy style, characteristic of the whole Rough Guide series, allows it to be read as an informative and entertaining book in its own right. An extensive directory of record labels and shops, including internet addresses is included.

In addition to the vast amount of new information, the Second Edition is arranged in a more sensible and accessible order than the original. If you haven't already got it and you have any interest in this type of music, then this book has to go at the top of your "wants" list. Then there's just a small matter of a few CD's to listen to while you're reading... Stewart@cdrecords.co.uk

"Not Just a Lunatic fringe but Academic & Scholarly fringe Book!"
I must admit that I was not aware of the existence of this awesome reference book on World Music - when I wrote my own understanding of music from across the globe. On reading Andy Kershaw's front cover quote: "A work of lunatic scholarship" reminded me of the 1981 Fun-Boy Three hit single: "Lunatics have taken over the asylum"!

More seriously, as my main interests are contained in Volume 2 in terms of Music from Asia, luckily, the section on Europe included a sub-section on: "England/UK - Bhangra/Asian Beat: One way ticket to British Asia" by DJ Ritu on p83-90 was a bonus for me, as being my main area of interest.

Initially, I was also looking out for the mention of the first Asian presence in mainstream charts with "Ever so lonely" by Monsoon & sung by Sheila Chandra who appeared on BBC TV Chart show Top of the Pops in 1982 and this historical event is referred to in the book: Dis-Orienting Rhythms (The politics of New Asian Music) by Sanjay Sharma, as well Apart from this the success other most recent success was by Apache Indian when he reached No 5 in the British Charts with "Boom-Shak-a-lak" in 1993!

Other Asian artists who are mentioned in the section on England/UK Bhangra/Asian Beat include some familiar names I have not hear for while like Najma Akhtar and whose Ghazal & Jazz album - "Qareeb" one of my favourites. Groups & artists like Cornershop, Nithin Sawney, Talwin Singh, Sangeeta, Joi & groups like Sohtas, Safri Brothers to name a few, are all there.

Also, I was struck by the section on the music from Czech & Slovak Republics at p49 in the sense of the title "east meets west" as I also quote this line in a review of Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens & friends compilation: "I have no canons that roar" not far from the east meets west fault line of Bosnia. After reading other sections, I now know who Cheb Khalid & Thomas Mafumbo are & what Music they play and so on...

As someone, who had subscribed to Sound lines magazine on and off over the years - I was familiar with one of the main editors: Simon Broughton and I found the book fascinating, informative and entertaining with some very extensive information on record labels, shops and web-site addresses.

Overall, there is so much information from across the globe & it is put together in easy and digestible format with over 80 expert contributions, almost 200 biography-notes on world musician & review of their best available CDs.

It goes without saying - you must buy Volume 2 edition of the World Music the Rough Guide to complement this volume & it is well-worth buying. I am looking forward to reading volume 2!

Superb comprehensive guide to music
I've just purchased this brilliant book. It's a vast improvement on it's predecessor,as it is a lot more comprehensive, with vitually every country in Africa ,Europe and the Middle Easy, represented. All in all, if you like World Music, this is an essential buy