The Guinness Rockopedia: The Ultimate A-Z of Rock and Pop - Softcover

Already well established in the music reference market, Guinness launches its Rockopedia, which, as the title suggests, is an encyclopedia of rock and pop. Listed alphabetically, it contains fairly lengthy biographies of more than 700 artists and also features entries on musical styles, events and festivals, record labels, and key industry people such as producers and songwriters. Although there are no discographies, all major releases are listed in the main text for each entry. Also provided is an extensive index and useful information not often featured in similar works such as further reading, internet sites, and fan club addresses.

Image is crucial to the music industry and the text is brought to life by more than 400 superb photographs, many of which are unusual or rare, all of which capture the diversity and excitement of the pop world and its participants.

Any non-exhaustive encyclopedia will inevitably court debate concerning who does and who doesn't warrant an entry but this achieves a good balance mixing former and current artists with popular and influential artists. It is also packed full of trivia and littered with interesting quotes either from the artists themselves or from others commenting upon them; the most peculiar and funniest of which is taken from an episode of The Simpsons where Homer Simpson informs Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins that "my kids think you're the greatest. And thanks to your gloomy music, they've finally stopped dreaming of a future I can't possibly provide".

Snappy and visually stimulating, The Guinness Rockopedia is both an informative and entertaining guide to the world of popular music. From Bill Haley to the Wu-Tang Clan, from the Lollapalooza festival to Factory records, more than 40 years of rock and pop is accurately represented here. For those about to rock, use this to learn about your predecessors. For those unable to, it is an excellent substitute. --Robert Brookes