Rip it Up and Start Again: Post-Punk 1978-84

Rip it Up and Start Again: Post-Punk 1978-84, by Simon Reynolds

In the book's introduction Reynolds states "As I recall it now, I never bought any old records. Why would you? There were so many new records that you had to have that there was simply no earthly reason to investigate the past. There was too much happening right now."
That was exactly the way I felt during that time. My family was a drag, school sucked but... there was the music. I was 14 in 1978 and missed out on punk but eagerly devoured the new wave and post-punk music which followed.
Reynolds critiques, deconstructs and revels in the music he listened to in his formative music listening years. The coverage is incredibly broad, and the sheer fascination of the music really comes alive through his writing. This book is an almighty slab at over 500 pages but it never gets tired or repetitive although the chapters on British bands are stronger than those covering American bands. Maybe that's because those bands, for the most part, were far better than their American counterparts. But...reading this sent me back to my vinyl collection to rediscover the gems from that time. PIL's Metal Box, my Fall records, my Orange Juice records! There is one major problem with this book: I should have written it.
-Stephen