Robert Christgau is known as "The Dean Of American Rock Critics," a title he long ago bestowed upon himself and still proudly embraces. I think, though, the most apt description I've heard of him came from the pen of Joe Gross, a critic for the Austin American-Statesman. Gross attended a conference of rock journalists (insert oxymoron joke here) featuring Christgau as a keynote speaker. Awestruck, Gross asserted that Christgau's influence on rock journalism has been so pervasive, "that there might as well have been a big picture of his brain on our ID badges."

Indeed, Robert Christgau's shadow looms far and wide across the now enormous industry known as the music press. In ways mundane (he helped codify the "capsule review" as formula) and profound (his theories about "semi-popular" music played midwife to the entire postmodern era), Christgau has shaped rock writing and rock music for more than thirty years. Through his consumers guide column in The Village Voice (and the books compiled from it), Christgau brings clarity to the world of popular music, embracing (or skewering) everything from bubblegum divas to twelve-tone experimentalists.

Christgau's writing can be dense and challenging or quick and hilarious (or all of that simultaneously), and it is always rigorously intellectual. He dismisses nothing nor accepts anything simply on appearance, and he consistently ignores the critical consensus. He frequently confounds our expectations of his own writing, and his opinions are entertainingly unpredictable (he loved Kriss Kross and hates Radiohead).

In the end, though, Christgau's persistence and determination may be as important as his celebrated prose. He has been relentlessly reviewing records since the 60's, arguably listening to more albums than anyone in history. Now, his considerable presence has extended to the world wide web (www.robertchristgau.com). One expects that, upon his death, his last review will be of his own funeral, graded B-plus (original grade: A-minus).

Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums Of The 70's
by Robert Christgau (1981)
The author began writing his consumer guide columns for the Village Voice in 1969; in 1974, he became Voice music editor, and his style and format (capsule reviews with letter grades) solidified over the course of the decade. This guide, which compiled and revised his work to date, seemed phenomenally important at the time of its publication. While the book is still an impressive achievement, Christgau's introductory statement that he "tried to grade every 70's rock album worth owning" seems almost quaint given the indecipherable tangle the record industry has become. More than anything, though, the readability of Christgau's writing shines through the utilitarian, consumer-oriented slant of the book. (Reprinted in 1990.) [top of page]

Christgau's Record Guide: The 80's
by Robert Christgau (1990)
In terms of format, Christgau's 80's guide is nearly identical to his book on the 70's. One can hear him, however - particularly in the introduction - grappling with the increasingly corporate, yet chaotic, world of popular music (note he dropped "rock" from the guide's title). Rock in the 80's became a complicated place for generalists like Christgau (and me), but it would seem comparably simple just 10 years later. [top of page]

Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums Of The 90's
by Robert Christgau (2000)
In the introduction to this, his third and latest consumer guide, Robert Christgau observes that more music is now released each year than could be played back-to-back in 365 solid days. This situation had its genesis in the 80's, but it reached critical mass during the 90's; Christgau has bravely soldiered on despite the deluge. In response to (or perhaps as a comment on) the situation, he introduces here a comically complicated set of symbols to augment his traditional letter grades. Works for me, but it could be tedious for casual readers. [top of page]

Any Old Way You Choose It: Rock and Other Pop Music 1967-1973
by Robert Christgau (1973, revised 2000)
Christgau became music editor at New York's Village Voice in 1974, beginning in earnest his weekly consumer guide to record albums - rock and otherwise. Since then, he has become best known for these pithy thumbnails, but he had already earned a reputation writing features for Esquire, Creem, Newsday, and other publications. Any Old Way You Choose It compiles the best of that work (and more) and is considered by many to be one of the best rock books ever. [top of page]

Grown Up All Wrong: 75 Great Rock and Pop Artists from Vaudeville to Techno
by Robert Christgau (2000)
Essentially a sequel to the author's earlier collection (Any Old Way You Choose It), Grown Up All Wrong reflects Christgau's relentless and enthusiastic universalism. He knows what he likes and has little regard for critical consensus; when a record (or an artist) moves him, that's what he writes about. Further, he writes with intellect and wit rarely matched among his peers. [top of page]