In rock's twenty-five-year existence, hundreds of books have attempted to define the music or some part of the experience of hearing it. But until now rock has lacked a basic reference work keyed to its central unit of consumption: the LP. Here at last is the first critical guide to rock records by the people best qualified to write it – the editors of Rolling Stone.

The Rolling Stone Record Guide not only reviews almost 10,000 albums currently available but assigns a rating to each one – from five stars (Indispensable) to one (Poor), down to a bullet (Worthless). For the neophyte rock fan whose budget is limited, this book is a must. If you want to own one record by the Beach Boys or the Rolling Stones, the Guide will tell you which to buy – and which to avoid. Hard-core enthusiasts will turn to it for evaluations of performers too often dismissed or ignored, and for re-evaluations of the most celebrated stars. As the editor, Dave Marsh, writes in his introduction: "We hope that we have uncovered a certain amount of unsuspected genius, and we have been compelled to deflate the reputations of certain previously overestimated performers."

Since rock influences, or has been influenced by, so many musical forms, the book also reviews and rates a rock-related selection of country & western, mainstream pop, blues, gospel and jazz records. Other features are a decidedly critical bibliography of books on rock music, a glossary of rock terms, and a separate listing of the 300-odd five-star albums – a basic library of rock.

The Guide is true to the spirit of Rolling Stone, the world's most authoritative rock magazine: witty, opinionated and, above all, knowledgeable.

The Mothers Of Invention / Frank Zappa catalog is rated on pages 257-259. An interesting read by Bart Testa about the views on Frank Zappa's work from those years. Several albums were excluded from the catalog by 1979, such as Hot Rats and Waka/Jawaka, and therefore did not receive a rating.

The best-selling first critical guide to rock records has been updated, streamlined and totally revised. The New Rolling Stone Record Guide is just that – virtually a new book. It's not just the thousands of fresh entries but the revision of old ones. As the editor, Dave Marsh, writes, "We have changed judgments of the first edition with a free hand... in some cases, this has resulted in upgrading our assessment of a performer's work; in others, it has resulted in downgrading it. We feel that the new version more accurately describes what a listener will experience."

The New Rolling Stone Record Guide reviews more than 12,000 albums currently available and assigns a rating to each one – from five stars (Indispensable) to one (Poor), down to a bullet (Worthless). For the neophyte rock fan whose budget is limited, this book is a must. If you want to buy one record by the Rolling Stones or the Elvises, Presley or Costello, the Guide will tell you which to buy – and which to avoid. Hard-core enthusiasts will turn to it for evaluations of performers too often dismissed or ignored, and for reevaluations of the most celebrated stars.

Since rock influences, or has been influenced by, so many musical forms, the book reviews and rates a rock-related selection of country & western, mainstream pop, blues, folk and gospel. The New Rolling Stone Record Guide also emphasizes the older figures of rock and rhythm & blues, many of whose records were not available when the original came out in 1979. And for the first time it lists foreign labels, many of which are now available on the American market.

The Guide is true to the spirit of Rolling Stone, the world s most authoritative rock magazine: witty, opinionated and, above all, knowledgeable.

Frank Zappa albums moved from M to Z compared to the first edition. The description of the Zappa/The Mothers catalog from 1966-1978 is exactly the same Bart Testa article that appeared in the first edition. All album ratings are the same. A review of the newer albums from 1978-1981, written by John Swenson, has been added.

THE ROLLING STONE ALBUM GUIDE is the bible of popular music criticism. Now, for this new edition, ROLLING STONE’s critics and editors have gone back, listened to everything with a fresh ear and produced a book of completely new reviews. The result is an encyclopedic guide to the best compact discs, cassettes and records, with complete coverage of music by today’s most popular stars – Madonna, R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, U2, Public Enemy, Guns n’ Roses, and many others – as well as authoritative critical reevaluations of older albums and newly reissued classics available on CD.

Rock, pop, soul, rap, country, jazz, blues, folk, gospel – for every taste in popular music, THE ROLLING STONE ALBUM GUIDE steers listeners to the best with concise, informed evaluations and one- to five-star ratings. The result is the ultimate consumer music guide: witty, forceful, knowledgeable and true to the spirit of ROLLING STONE, the world’s leading rock magazine. For music listeners, THE ROLLING STONE ALBUM GUIDE is an invaluable and indispensable resource.

The third edition has been thoroughly updated. Album ratings have been revised and the entire review has been rewritten by a new author Paul Evans. Several in previous editions missing albums that were out of print have returned to the list.

For the first time since 1992, Rolling Stone's definitive classic returns to the scene, completely updated and revised to include the past decade's artists and sounds. When it comes to sorting the truly great from the merely mediocre, the enduring from the fleeting. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide provides music buffs and amateurs alike with authoritative guidance from the best voices in the field. Filled with insightful commentary, it not only reviews the most influential albums of all time, but also features biographical overviews of key artists' careers, giving readers a look at the personalities behind the music.

This fourth edition contains an impressive – 70 percent – amount of new material. Readers will find fresh updates to entries on established artists, hundreds of brand-new entries on the people and recordings that epitomize the '90s and the sounds of the 21st century – from Beck to OutKast to the White Stripes and beyond – along with a new introduction detailing changes in the music industry.

Celebrating the diversity of popular music and its constant metamorphoses, with thousands of entries and reviews on every sound from blues to techno, The New Rolling Stone Album Guide is the only resource music lovers need to read.

The Zappa section is essentially the same as in the third edition. A number of new albums released after 1992 have been added. The reviews have been expanded, and a second author, Mac Randall, has joined Paul Evans. The album ratings are slightly changed.