Terminated for Reasons of Taste : Other Ways to Hear Essential and Inessential Music

In Terminated for Reasons of Taste, veteran rock critic Chuck Eddy writes that "rock'n'roll history is written by the winners. Which stinks, because the losers have always played a big role in keeping rock interesting." Rock's losers share top billing with its winners in this new collection of Eddy's writing. In pieces culled from outlets as varied as the Village Voice, Creem magazine, the streaming site Rhapsody, music message boards, and his high school newspaper, Eddy covers everything from the Beastie Boys to 1920s country music, Taylor Swift to German new wave, Bruce Springsteen to occult metal. With an encyclopedic knowledge, unabashed irreverence, and a captivating style, Eddy rips up popular music histories and stitches them back together using his appreciation of the lost, ignored, and maligned. In so doing, he shows how pop music is bigger, and more multidimensional and compelling than most people can imagine [Publisher description] Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction: Sold a Decade at a Time 14 Chapter 1: B.C. 18 The Best Songs of 1930 24 Depression Music 26 Country Rap Prehistory 28 Country Songs I 30 Niela Miller: Songs of Leaving 38 ’60s Catholic Folk Mass 40 Country Songs II 41 CB Jeebies 52 Can’t Fool Mother Nature 53 Prog on the Prairie: Midwestern Bands Roll Over Beethoven 54 Past Expiry Hard Rock Dollar Bin 57 Sonic Taxonomy: Fake New Wave 69 Inventing Indie Rock 77 Urinals → No Age 80 Chapter 2: ’80s 84 Sonic Taxonomy: Unsung ’80s R&B Bands 90 Country Rap: The ’80s 98 Sonic Taxonomy: Old Old Old School Rap Albums 100 Public Enemy Do the Punk Rock 109 Beastie Boys: Lay It Down, Clowns 111 Aerosmith, Endangered No More 118 Metallica: Kill ’Em All Turns 30 123 Fates Warning and Possessed Open Up and Say ... Ahh! 126 Dead Milkmen vs. Thelonious Monster: Battle of the Lame 127 Einstürzende Neubauten / Killdozer: The Graystone, Detroit, 11 June 1986 129 New Wave über Alles 131 Frank Chickens → M.I.A. 137 Owed to the Nightingales 140 Mekons Stumble toward Oblivion 143 Mekons: So Good It Hurts 145 Pet Shop Boys: 18 Shopping Days Left 146 Billy Joel: It’s Not His Fault! 148 John Hiatt: Bring the Family 152 John Anderson Serves the Doofus Majority 153 Country Songs III 155 The ’80s: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back 158 Chapter 3: ’90s 166 TLC and Kris Kross: Women and Children First 170 Cause & Effect: Trip 173 The Cure: Spectrum, Philadelphia, 16 May 1992 174 SOS from the Metal of Nowhere 176 Motörhead Überkill 177 Pankow and Treponem Pal Ring in Desert Storm 181 How Nirvana Didn’t Kill Hair Metal 183 Sponge: From Grunge to Glam 184 Radio On Reviews I 185 Travis Marries a Man! 191 John Mellencamp: Dance Naked 192 Sawyer Brown: Café on the Corner 194 Patricia Conroy: A Bad Day for Trains 195 Grupo Exterminador: Dedicado a Mis Novias 196 When FSK Play, Schnitzel Happens 197 Radio On Reviews II 198 Alanis Morissette: Addicted to Love 202 Chapter 4: ’00s 206 Singles Again: Backstabs in the Material World 210 Bruce Springsteen: Working on a Dream 215 Frat Daze, Clambake, Anyways, It’s Still Country Soul to Kenny Chesney 217 Country Music Goes to Mexico 217 September 11: Country Music’s Response 225 Battle of the Country Hunks 227 Country Songs IV 230 The Ladies of Triple A 235 Anvil Won’t Go Away 238 Excellent Boring Metal from Germany 240 The Many Ideas of Oneida 241 Next Little Things 245 Chapter 5: ’10s 252 Singles Jukebox Reviews 261 The Dirtbombs: Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey! 265 Redd Kross: Researching the Blues 269 Mayer Hawthorne ← Robert Palmer 271 Kanye West: VEVO Power Station, Austin, 20 March 2011 274 Taylor Swift and Ke$ha: Not So Different 276 Ke$ha: Warrior 280 Strange Brew: Metal’s New Blare Witch Project 282 Metal’s Severed Extremities 288 Walking Dead: The Divided States of Metal 291 Voivod: Target Earth 294 Merchandise: Totale Nite 298 Mumford and Sons: Babel 300 The Gospel Truth 302 Southern Soul Keeps On Keepin’ On 306 Jamey Johnson Sprawls Out 310 Country Songs V 313 Bro­Country Isn’t as Dumb as It Looks 315 Ashley Monroe and Kacey Musgraves Are What They Are 317 When the Angels Stopped Watching Mindy McCready 321 Conclusion: I Am the World’s Forgettin’ Boy 324 Index 328 Introduction: sold a decade at a time -- The best songs of 1930 -- Depression music -- Country rap prehistory -- Country songs I -- Niela Miller: Songs of leaving -- '60s Catholic folk mass -- Country songs II -- CB jeebies -- Can't fool Mother Nature -- Prog on the prairie : Midwestern bands roll over Beethoven -- Past expiry hard rock dollar bin -- Sonic taxonomy : fake new wave -- Inventing indie rock -- Urinals --> no age -- Sonic taxonomy: unsung '80s R & B bands -- Country rap: the '80s -- Sonic taxonomy : old old old school rap albums -- Public enemy do the punk rock -- Beastie boys : lay it down, clowns -- Aerosmith, endangered no more -- Metallica : kill 'em all turns 30 -- Fates warning and possessed open up and say ... ahh! -- Dead Milkmen vs. Thelonious Monster: battle of the lame -- EinstuÌ8rzende Neubauten/Killdozer: The Graystone, Detroit, 11 June 1986 -- New wave uÌ8ber alles -- Frank Chickens --> M.I.A -- Owed to the nightingales -- Mekons stumble toward oblivion -- Mekons : so good it hurts -- Pet Shop Boys: 18 shopping days left -- Billy Joel: it's not his fault! -- John Hiatt: bring the family -- John Anderson serves the doofus majority -- Country songs III -- The '80s: one step forward, two steps back -- TLC and Kris Kross: women and children first -- Cause & effect: Trip -- The Cure: Spectrum, Philadelphia, 16 May 1992 -- SOS from the Metal of Nowhere -- Motorhead Oberkill -- Pankow and Treponem Pal Ring in Desert Storm -- How Nirvana didn't kill Hair Metal -- Sponge : from grunge to glam -- Radio on reviews I -- Travis marries a man! -- John Mellencamp: dance naked -- Sawyer Brown: cafe on the corner -- Patricia Conroy: a bad day for trains -- Grupo Exterminador: dedicado a mis novias -- When fsk play, schnitzel happens -- Radio on reviews II -- Alanis Morissette: addicted to love -- Singles again : backstabs in the material world -- Bruce Springsteen : working on a dream -- Frat daze, clambake, anyways, it's still country soul to Kenny Chesney -- Country music goes to Mexico -- September 11: country music's response -- Battle of the country hunks -- Country songs IV -- The ladies of triple A -- Anvil won't go away -- Excellent boring metal from Germany -- The many ideas of Oneida -- Next little things -- Singles jukebox reviews -- The Dirtbombs : ooey gooey chewy ka-blooey! -- Redd Kross: researching the blues -- Mayer Hawthorne no age '80s. Sonic taxonomy : unsung '80s R & B bands Country rap : the '80s Sonic taxonomy : old old old school rap albums Public enemy do the punk rock Beastie Boys : lay it down, clowns Aerosmith, endangered no more Metallica : Kill 'em all turns 30 Fates warning and possessed open up and say ... ahh! Dead Milkmen vs. Thelonious Monster : battle of the lame Einstürzende Neubauten/Killdozer : The Graystone, Detroit, 11 June 1986 New wave über Alles Frank Chickens > M.I.A Owed to the nightingales Mekons stumble toward oblivion Mekons : So good it hurts Pet Shop Boys : 18 shopping days left Billy Joel : it's not his fault! John Hiatt : Bring the family John Anderson serves the doofus majority Country songs III The '80s : one step forward, two steps back '90s. TLC and Kris Kross : women and children first Cause & Effect : Trip The Cure : Spectrum, Philadelphia, 16 May 1992 SOS from the metal of nowhere Motörhead Überkill Pankow and Treponem Pal ring in Desert Storm How Nirvana didn't kill hair metal Sponge : from grunge to glam Radio on reviews I Travis marries a man! John Mellencamp : Dance naked Sawyer Brown : Café on the corner Patricia Conroy : A bad day for trains Grupo Exterminador : Dedicado a mis novias When FSK play, schnitzel happens Radio on reviews II Alanis Morissette : addicted to love '00s. Singles again : backstabs in the material world Bruce Springsteen : Working on a dream Frat daze, clambake, anyways, it's still country soul to Kenny Chesney Country music goes to Mexico September 11 : country music's response Battle of the country hunks Country songs IV The ladies of triple A Anvil won't go away Excellent boring metal from Germany The many ideas of Oneida Next little things '10s. Singles jukebox reviews The Dirtbombs : Ooey gooey chewy ka-blooey! Redd Kross : Researching the blues Mayer Hawthorne < Robert Palmer Kanye West : Vevo Power Station, Austin, 20 March 2011 Taylor Swift and Ke$ha : not so different Ke$ha : Warrior Strange brew : metal's new Blare witch project Metal's severed extremities Walking dead : the divided states of metal Voivod : Target Earth Merchandise : Totale Nite Mumford and Sons : Babel The gospel truth Southern soul keeps on keepin' on Jamey Johnson sprawls out Country songs V Bro-country isn't as dumb as it looks Ashley Monroe and Kacey Musgraves are what they are When the angels stopped watching Mindy McCready Conclusion. I am the world's forgettin' boy. In Terminated for Reasons of Taste, veteran rock critic Chuck Eddy brings lost, ignored, and maligned pop music to the fore, considering marginalized styles and artists right alongside pop music's heavyweights like Bruce Springsteen, the Beastie Boys, and Taylor Swift.