Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981–1996

by Andrew Earles

The ultimate guide to one of the most revered periods and movements in American rock history.

The 1980s are one of the most ridiculed and parodied epochs in popular music—what with all the skinny lapels, synthesizers, spandex, and Aqua Net. However, music fans in the know recognize that beneath the glossy veneer broiled a revolutionary movement of self-directed, anti-corporate, punk-influenced bands that created a nationwide network from the ground up, thanks to independently recorded releases, photocopied fanzines, and self-financed tours.

In Gimme Indie Rock, music journalist Andrew Earles describes 500 essential indie-rock albums released by 308 bands and artists from coast to coast in markets large and small. From giants of the movement (Black Flag, the Minutemen, Mission of Burma, Fugazi, Superchunk, Melvins, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr., Big Black, the Pixies), to more obscure bands which nonetheless made their own impacts (Jesus Lizard, Cows, Low, Mercury Rev, Polvo, Squirrel Bait, Karp, Bongwater, Naked Raygun, Sun City Girls, and many others) and scores of artists who still await their proper due (Fly Ashtray, Dumptruck, Truly, Man-Sized Action, Steel Pole Bathtub, godheadSilo, Sorry, Team Dresch, Further, Grifters, World of Pooh, Trumans Water, Malignus Youth, Eggs, and many more), Earles provides an exhaustive album guide to the era. Earles also features those bands that cut their teeth on the indie circuit but graduated to a greater degree of mainstream recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s (acts like R.E.M., Soul Asylum, Urge Overkill, Hole, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nirvana), making Gimme Indie Rock is the definitive manual for the best of American indie music made between 1981 and 1996.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

682 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2014

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun browsing and reading about bands I know and don't know. Love the inclusion of The dB's, The Feelies, Tortoise, Built to Spill, The Sea and Cake and Sunny Day Real Estate. Some relatively lesser known texas rock as well via the Trance Syndicate label. I'm not sure the 'essential' tag applies to all here, but very cool to see one man's take. My shopping list now includes Archers of Loaf, Halo Benders, Tree People, and The Embarrassment amongst probably too many others. Some bands that I think would fit perfectly in this book would be For Against, Sixteen Deluxe, and Pylon. Let me be the first to pre-order "1000 Essential American Rock Albums 1997-2012".

[Shant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this book. Straightforward indie rock (instead of anything vaguely alternative) isn't my favorite music genre, and American bands/artists was kind of a limitation, but this book still worked for me. Some of it was more successful when I already knew the works (Sonic Youth, Helium, Nirvana), but others I was more interested in due to the descriptions that Earles gave. I liked playing connect the dots for people mentioned in each other's projects.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I read propped open in front of me with a pen and paper in one hand and my phone's Youtube app open in the other. So many albums and artists I had never heard of that are actually mind-blowing when you discover them. Highly recommend this for music addicts like me.

[Thomas Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still need to finishing listening to all of the albums (mostly done) but this was an absolute educational thrill ride and a blast to read. May revisit every 5-10 years as continuing education.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

For decades now, books like this at first glance seem obsolete, given, obviously, the internet. On the other hand, music journalism has all but disappeared and it's difficult to find even well-informed, well-written amateur music commentary online. I checked out this book with the hope that I'd find strong writing and insights, but was disappointed.

The entries are incredibly short. This is understandable given the writer is cramming in 500 albums! Nonetheless, the resulting prose feels rushed. The author focuses on delivering factual content, (how many other albums the band released, which member joined or left during the making of the album), which I find less interesting. It feels more encyclopedia-like. Aside from listing facts, when the author does uses descriptors, they tend toward cliches and fail to convey a strong feeling for the music.

Within the enormous category of underground rock 1981-1996, Earles includes albums from many subgenres, though it is evident that his tastes tend to reside in different corners than mine. Speaking broadly, he seems most enthused by what I'd describe as the heavier-grungier-metalic-uglier side of indie rock (late Black Flag, The Jesus Lizard, Melvins, etc.).

Whereas, in the 80-90s underground rock universe I tend to most frequently visit the neighborhoods of what I'd describe as ambient, drone, post-rock, post-punk, psych, jangle pop, and garage.

Of course, every reader is going to debate the inclusion or exclusion of certain albums, and that's part of the fun of reading list-oriented music writing. If I'm not mistaken, albums he leaves out that I’d absolutely include are: June of 44’s Engine Takes to Water (1995) and Tropics and Meridians (1996), Lily’s Better Can’t Make Your Life Better (1996), The Rain Parade’s Third Rail Emergency Third Rail Power Trip (1983) and Explosions in the Glass Palace (1984), and The Sea And Cake’s The Biz (1995).

Where we most often overlap is the region of the more melodic and experimental variants of hardcore punk, like those featured in Michael Azerrad"s This Band Could Be Your Life: Husker Du, Fugazi, Minutemen, Mission of Burma, etc.

In light of our (perceived) different musical tastes, it causes me to realize that so many of the underground rock bands I love from this era and who fit my (incredibly broad) hyphenated description are from the UK: Close Lobsters, Cocteau Twins, The Fall, Felt, Flying Saucer Attack, Slowdive, Spacemen 3, Television Personalities, The Wedding Present, etc. It causes me to wish for a version of this book that focuses on UK bands. That would be fun.

[tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

high-volume sloppy typographical and factual errors combine with obvious deep knowledge and passion for the subject to give the impression of a classic zine, which is appropriate. some great selections and some real deep cuts here. particularly pleasing is an inclusive approach to “indie rock” also taking in punk, post-punk, hardcore, grunge, riot grrrl, college rock, noise rock, post-rock, &c.

Spotify (some albums missing): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0fg...

[Tobin Wait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential

[Jeremy Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this may become my new record buying guide. This is the type of book that you can pick up and thumb through; great causual reading. Earles does a bang up job of hyping albums that he feels are important to the scene. His writing never comes across as elitist; an attitude that tends to plague the Indie scene. For me, his list falls into three categories : bands I listen to, bands I should check out, and bands that I've never heard of. Naturally, I feel that he left out some key groups, but it is all subjective. Lastly, this book has nostalgic value because many of the bands listed within the pages were discussed with my cohorts during my record store days.

[ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read in the moment, but I didn't really discover anything new from it. Found several errors in it as well, nothing major, but enough to stick out. As always with books of this sort, it's ultimately a subjective selection, so your take on the book will likely be influenced by how much your taste aligns with the author's. For me, there was definitely some key albums I think got passed over, as well as some groups receiving more attention than is really their due (looking at you, Superchunk).

[Serge · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is just a magazine with album reviews mutated into book.

[Andrew Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've bought way more of these than I should have. Only regretted a few.