Terminated for Reasons of Taste

Chuck Eddy is an independent music journalist living in Austin, Texas. Formerly the music editor at the Village Voice and a senior editor at Billboard, he is author of Rock and Roll Always Forgets: A Quarter Century of Music Criticism, also published by Duke University Press; The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music; and Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe.

Acknowledgments  xi

Introduction. Sold a Decade at a Time  1

1. B.C.
The Best Songs of 1930  11
Depression Music  13
Country Rap Prehistory  15
Country Songs I  17
Niela Miller: Songs of Leaving  25
'60s Catholic Folk Mass  27
Country Songs II  28
CB Jeebies  39
Can't Fool Mother Nature  40
Prog on the Prairie: Midwestern Bands Roll Over Beethoven  41
Past Expiry Hard Rock Dollar Bin  44
Sonic Taxonomy: Fake New Wave  56
Inventing Indie Rock  64
Urinals→No Age 67

2. 80s
Sonic Taxonomy: Unsung '80s R&B Bands  77
Country Rap: The 80s  85
Sonic Taxonomy: Old Old Old School Rap Albums  87
Public Enemy Do the Punk Rock  96
Beastie Boys: Lay It Down, Clowns  98
Aerosmith, Endangered No More  105
Metallica: Kill 'Em All Turns 30  110
Fates Warning and Possessed Open Up and Say . . .  Ahh!  113
Dead Milkmen vs. Thelonious Monster: Battle of the Lame  114
Einstürzende Neubauten / Killdozer: The Graystone, Detroit, 11 June 1986  116
New Wave über Alles 118
Frank Chickens→M.I.A.  124
Owed to the Nightingales  127
Mekons Stumble toward Oblivion  130
Mekons: So Good It Hurts  132
Pet Shop Boys: 18 Shopping Days Left  133
Billy Joel: It's Not His Fault!  135
John Hiatt: Bring the Family  139
John Anderson Serves the Doofus Majority  140
Country Songs III 142
The '80s: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back  145

3. 90s
TLC and Kris Kross: Women and Children First  157
Cause & Effect: Trip 160
The Cure: Spectrum, Philadelphia, 16 May 1992  161
SOS from the Metal of Nowhere  163
Motörhead Überkill  164
Pankow and Treponem Pal Ring in Desert Storm  168
How Nirvana Didn't Kill Hair Metal  170
Sponge: From Grunge to Glam  171
Radio On Reviews I 172
Travis Marries a Man!  178
John Mellencamp: Dance Naked  179
Sawyer Brown: Café on the Corner  181
Patricia Conroy: A Bad Day for Trains  182
Grupo Exterminador: Dedicado a Mis Novias  183
When FSK Plays, Schnitzel Happens  184
Radio On Reviews II 185
Alanis Morissette: Addicted to Love  189

4. '00s
Singles Again: Backstabs in the Material World  197
Bruce Springsteen: Working on a Dream  202
Frat Daze, Clambake, Anyways, It's Still Country Soul to Kenny Chesney  204
Country Music Goes to Mexico  204
September 11: Country Music's Response  204
Battle of the Country Hunks  214
Country Songs IV  217
The Ladies of Triple A  222
Anvil Won't Go Away  225
Excellent Boring Metal from Germany  227
The Many Ideas of Oneida  228
Next Little Things  232

5. '10s
Singles Jukebox Reviews  248
The Dirtbombs: Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey!  252
Redd Kross: Researching the Blues  256
Mayer Hawthorne←Robert Palmer 258
Kanye West: VEVO Power Station, Austin, 20 March 2011  261
Taylor Swift and Ke$ha: Not So Different 263
Ke$ha: Warrior  267
Strange Brew: Metal's New Blare Witch Project   269
Metal's Severed Extremities  275
Walking Dead: The Divided States of Metal  278
Voivod: Target Earth  281
Merchandise: Totale Nite  285
Mumford and Sons: Babel  287
The Gospel Truth  289
Southern Soul Keeps On Keepin' On  293
Jamey Johnson Sprawls Out  297
Country Songs V  300
Bro-Country Isn't as Dumb as It Looks  302
Ashley Monroe and Kacey Musgraves Are What They Are  304
When the Angels Stopped Watching Mindy McCready  308

Conclusion. I Am the World's Forgettin' Boy  311

Index  315