NZ Rock 1987-2007

Random House New Zealand, 2008. Good secondhand copy.

The highly talented Gareth Shute (Hip Hop in Aotearoa, Making Music in NZ, Insights) returns with what will be a seminal book on the history of guitar music in this country. The book begins in 1987 at the point where Crowded House's track 'Don't Dream it's Over' had just reached the top of the singles charts in the United States. It traces the history of guitar music in NZ from this time until the present, showing how local bands have tried to follow this example or have sought different routes to success - either locally or internationally. This is thorough and includes extensive information on a wide variety of artists such as the Flying Nun bands, rock acts like Shihad and Head like a Hole, highly commercial artists like Bic Runga, Zed and Brooke Fraser, newer acts like The Mint Chicks and Goodnight Nurse and the older statesmen of NZ rock like Don McGlashan, the Finn brothers and Dave Dobbyn. It also looks at a wide range of genres from reggae and dub to heavy rock. Along the way Shute discusses both independent and larger labels and then examines NZ's success in the international marketplace. This book takes over where John Dix's 'Stranded in Paradise' left off.