Robert Thomas Christgau is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop, riot grrrl, and the import of African popular music in the West. He was the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice for 37 years, during which time he created and oversaw the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. He has also covered popular music for Esquire, Creem, Newsday, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Blender, and MSN Music; he was a visiting arts teacher at New York University. CNN senior writer Jamie Allen has called Christgau "the E. F. Hutton of the music world–when he talks, people listen."
Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper The Village Voice and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year absence from the Voice, each year from 1974 onward. The polls are tabulated from the submitted year-end top 10 lists of hundreds of music critics. It was named in acknowledgement of the defunct magazine Jazz & Pop, and adopted the ratings system used in that publication's annual critics poll.
Lucinda Williams is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, released in 1988, by Rough Trade Records.
In the Jungle Groove is a compilation album by American funk musician James Brown, released in August 1986 by Polydor Records.
The Moldy Peaches is the debut album by American indie rock band the Moldy Peaches. It was primarily recorded in a basement in Port Townsend, Washington, and was released in 2001. The album has the dubious distinction of being released in the United States on September 11, 2001, the date of the attacks on the World Trade Center, while coincidentally featuring a song called "NYC's Like a Graveyard".
The Birth of Soul: The Complete Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Recordings is a 3-CD box set compilation by Ray Charles, released in 1991.
The Rough Guide To The Music Of Afghanistan is a world music compilation album originally released in 2010. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release covers a wide breadth of the music of Afghanistan on Disc One, and contains a "bonus" Disc Two highlighting the Ahmad Sham Sufi Qawwali Group. The album was compiled by Simon Broughton, editor of world music magazine Songlines, who also compiled The Rough Guide to the Music of Central Asia.
The Rough Guide To Desert Blues is a world music compilation album originally released in 2010. Desert blues refers to the music of the Mandinka and related nomad groups of the Sahara, who perform a style of music considered the root of the American Blues genre. This was first popularized in the West by Ali Farka Touré and has more recently been carried by a new wave of artists such as Tinariwen.
The Rough Guide to the Music of Senegal is a world music compilation album originally released in 2013. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release presents an overview of the music of Senegal on Disc One, and contains a "bonus" Disc Two highlighting Daby Balde. The album was compiled by Daniel Rosenberg and was produced by Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network. Daniel Rosenberg and Rachel Jackson wrote the sleeve notes, and Brad Haynes was coordinator and designer.
The Rough Guide to Congo Gold is a world music compilation album originally released in 2008. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release focuses on the soukous genre of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with tracks from the 1960s to 90s. The compilation was produced by Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network. Martin Sinnock compiled the tracks and wrote the liner notes, and Brad Haynes & Marisa Lassman coordinated the project.
The Rough Guide to the Music of Indonesia is a world music compilation album originally released in 2000. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release covers a broad swathe of the music of Indonesia, both traditional and modern. The compilation was produced by Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network. Paul Fisher compiled the tracks and wrote the liner notes, and Duncan Baker coordinated the project.
The Rough Guide to the Music of Central America is a world music compilation album originally released in 2001. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, it has been described as the first comprehensive CD collection of Central American music. The album contains five tracks from Belize, three each from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, two from Panama, and one from Guatemala. The compilation was compiled by Daniel Rosenberg, co-ordinated by Duncan Baker and produced by Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network.
Ocean of Sound is a 1996 compilation album compiled and produced by English musician and author David Toop. The two-disc, cross-licensed "various artists" compilation contains 32 tracks culled from a variety of musical sources, including dub, exotica, free jazz, and field recordings. Toop compiled the recordings to serve as both a historical survey of ambient music and an aural companion to his 1995 book Ocean of Sound: Aether Talk, Ambient Sound and Imaginary Worlds.
The Rough Guide to Dub is a world music compilation album originally released in 2005. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release covers the roots of dub music, focusing on the period 1973-1980. Curation was performed by Steve Barrow, co-founder of the record label Blood and Fire, who also compiled The Rough Guide to Reggae and authored its companion book. Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network, produced the work.
The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia is a world music compilation album originally released in 2004. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release covers the music of Ethiopia, focusing largely on 1960s pop. The compilation was curated by Francis Falceto, who also produces Buda Musique's Éthiopiques series. Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network, was the producer.
The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia is a world music compilation album originally released in 2012. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release contains two discs: an overview of the music of Ethiopia—focusing mainly on 21st century pop—is found on Disc One, while Disc Two features dub-style musician Invisible System. The compilation was curated by Dominic Raymond-Barker and Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network, who was also the producer. It is the second compilation by this name: the first volume, focusing on music of the 1960s, was released in 2004.
The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco is a world music compilation album originally released in 2004. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release covers the music of Morocco, which had been receiving new-found attention on the world music circuit in the early 2000s. The compilation was curated by Andy Morgan, former manager of Tinariwen and organizer of the Festival in the Desert. Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network, was the producer. This album was followed by a second edition, which covered the same topic by showcasing different artists.
The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco is a world music compilation album originally released in 2012. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release contains two discs: an overview of the music of Morocco—featuring such genres as Chaabi and Malhun—is found on Disc One, while Disc Two features the modern rural-urban fusion band Groupe Mazagan. The compilation was curated by Andy Morgan, former manager of Tinariwen and organizer of the Festival in the Desert. Brad Haynes and Rachel Jackson coordinated the project, and Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network, was the producer.
Highlife is a studio album by American jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock. It was recorded at Jersey City's Quantum Sound Studio in October 1990 and released later that same year by Enemy Records.
The Best of the Classic Years is a compilation album by the Nigerian musician King Sunny Adé. It was released by Shanachie in 2003. The album showcases Adé's rawer pre-Island Records sound.
