Reviews

Title:The Rough Guide Book Of Playlists
Publisher:Rough Guides
Pages:418
Rating:***

There is something about lists that capture the imagination, topten of this worst ten of that, twenty things you have to do before you thirty. Lists appeal to the psyche and playlists indulge both that and our love of music. Is this the path to utopia? A guru's guide to eternal happiness? A road to Xanadu. Well if it is it ain't a cheap one. 5000 songs you must download, well assuming you're the honest one that's an outlay of well over 4000 quid.
The actual book punts in at a far more reeasonable £7.99 and splits into four main areas, Artists, Genres and Themes, which sort of sub-divides into sensible and silly themes. All of the playlists get a pargraph of introduction and most have ten songs.
To be honest I think the publishers missed a trick. A lot of the artists lists are no more than someone's opinion of a 'best of' collection. I say 'best of' rather than greatest hits because the compilers often grab an album track or two. Far more interesting from the artists point of view are the playlists that artists put together of tracks that have inspired them. I think the publishers have missed a trick here.
So what do you replace the 'best of' playlists with? Well the rough guide have answered that question, themes, quirks and silliness. It's a wet wednesday and you're home from work. What's more fun? Ten songs by Kiss or ten songs on Kids TV? I think we all know the answer to that one, tral-la-lah etc.
The true strength of this book is not the what you know, the chances are you're more familiar with your favourite artist than the person that compiled the playlist. The true strength of this book is what you don't know. It's almost the start of a bluffers guide. Never heard of Fado, it's a Portuguese singing style, and want to impress your friends, well here's a starting point. A playlist of ten of the top names of the genre.
At a loose end with three crates of beer and an mp3 player, well why not go for drinking song playlists? Whilst being reminded that the Portman Group says drink responsibly
Push to shove this is a fine book, a bit out of whack, more "Songs That Include A Festival In The Title" and less 'best ofs' is the lesson to be learnt for the next edition and I'm sure there'll be a next edition.
The other question I sort of posed, would I fork out good wonga to assemble the playlists if they weren't already in my mp3 jukebox, well not if I had to get it through Apple. As I don't I'd have to say yep, there's a gap or two to fill here. Check out, "Knocked Down But I Got Up Again" what a sweet set of songs.

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