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I liked confusion is next... and I haven't read this (or any other 33 1/3 book). I tend to think analysis of any kind of music is usually going to be kinda awkward, unless the musician himself gave lots of information of what he was trying to convey or what techniques he used in making the music. Music means different things to different people... and certainly, with lyrics like SY has, one can't always be clear of what the message really is; taken literally, there are contradicting statements on some of their songs. So, yeah, any description of the music -- especially things like "the guitars sound like a torrent of rabid wolves that stop to admire themselves in the mirror" or some other purple-prose-type garbage -- is probably going to be disagreeable. That's why I read mark prindle's review; he focuses on facts and he just tells why he likes or dislikes someting, rather than trying to be the be-all end-all source of album analysis (though he does occassionally offer brilliant rock insights; his reviews of "Trout Mask Replica" and "Spiderland" are amazing).
Anyway, "Who is this Rain King anyway?" probably sums up the book enough for me to realize that I don't need to check it out.
I am interested in the Loveless 33 1/3 book, though, only if it offers a lot of insight into the creations of the songs (which it probably doesn't).
One other thing.. and I'm sure this can be fact-checked really quickly, but.. does Daydream Nation HAVE an official lyrics sheet (besides this site's song database)? Because.. I mean, does he get the lyrics REALLY wrong or just misses a few words here are there? I know you're making the point that he is trying to write a detailed analyis of an album he's heard plenty of times and should know the lyrics by heart, but we mishear lyrics sometimes, so... just wondering.
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