Shine: How a MuchMusic Compilation Came to Define Canadian Alternative Music and Sell a Zillion Copies

by Mark Teo

Shine: How a MuchMusic Compilation Came to Define Canadian Alternative Music and Sell a Zillion Copies examines the creation and cultural impact of Big Shiny Tunes, the legendary Canadian compilation record released by MuchMusic in 1996. Big Shiny Tunes left a massive cultural imprint on Canada, one that can be found in cover bands, tribute nights, YouTube playlists, and used record bins from coast to coast. For a generation of Canadians, Big Shiny Tunes represented a unifying time when one disc stretched across genres and musical tastes and ultimately led to a transition towards personal curation in pop music. Through extensive interviews and criticism, Shine dives into the era of the compilation, the album’s origins, its status as the ultimate gateway record, and its still unfolding influence on Canadian music—one track at a time.

Genres: Music

166 pages, Paperback

First published May 26, 2018

Reviews

[Patrick Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light, nostalgic confection of a book that satisfies a very specific itch. It suffers from a lack of available information about the albums creation, but that’s hardly Teo’s fault and he does a very good job with what is available to him.

[Chris Wedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who had a copy of Big Shiny Tunes in the 90’s. A really enjoyable read from start to finish. I really enjoyed the tidbits of interviews and introspection of Canadian acts that were on the compilations and how their careers were impacted by the compilation.

I read a lot of music books and my only minor complaint is the author injects his opinion frequently instead of just giving us strictly a history of the compilation and it’s impact. Knowing that the author has a history of writing for alt weeklies, the writing definitely matches what you would find in one though.

For all it’s flaws, it’s a very enjoyable read and worth your time if you’re a music fan.

[Ashley Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

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