Slint's Spiderland (33 1/3)

This is my first 33.3 since my extremely disappointing experience with the Master of Reality (Sabbath) entry a few years ago. That one was so god freaking awful that it nearly soured me on the series for good. I might never have come back for more, but as soon as I saw that there was a Slint/Spiderland 33.3, there was no way I could resist. Spiderland has been one of my Top 5 all time favorite records for 20 years now and I've always wanted to know more about Slint. Somehow for all these years they've managed to stubbornly remain one of the most obnoxiously mysterious bands ever. Not anymore.This book is a perfect example of exactly what I think the 33.3 series should be. While the author is guilty of a bit of fanboy gushing and his analysis of specific songs maybe could have been edited out, that's par for the course. He clearly did a ton of research and interviews with people who were there, including band members Ethan Buckler, Todd Brashear, and David Pajo. (figures that McMahan and Walford would be no-shows) This little book actually covers the entire history of Slint and all three of their records, not only Spiderland. In fact the first section extensively covers the band's pre-history, going far deeper than the usual Squirrel Bait stuff everybody has known for ages. In many cases this would be inappropriate, but when you consider how relatively brief Slint's existence was and how limited their body of work is (two albums and a posthumous single) and you weigh their enormous impact against those things- I think the author absolutely did the right thing. If one of the reasons you love Slint is their impenetrable aura of mystique, you might consider avoiding this book. It blows the doors wide open on all of Slint's secrets. Well, almost all of them. Still need to find out exactly who's Saab that was on the cover of Tweez...

I snatched this addition to 33 1/3 series for curiosity's sake. It has been the most satisfying read from said series for me. As a previous reviewer stated, the book is not just about "Spiderland," but about a mid-western band whose time was too short. Also, it is a good story.I did not honestly understand Slint's impact on alternative music until the early summer of 1995. My girlfriend's high school class/band-mate was home from college and, meeting me for the first time, was examining my CD collection. He was suprised I had the three Slint releases. I pointed out that I still had my Jennifer Hartman Records "Tweez" LP given to me by one of the band members just after its release in 1989. The guy exploded.Even after having passing association with one of the members of Slint, if one would call it that, I didn't really know much about Slint. I missed seeing them perform, but had the available recordings. They were often played for other people who found them interesting. I knew a bit about the other bands from Louisville and others associated with the band. Still, Slint remained an enigma. Or, at least until I finished reading Scott Tennent's biographical essay.

Well written amd informative. Great little book about a little album that changed the world.

I thought Scott did a great job describing various aspects of this wonderful album. He gives you background info on all of the contributors, the scene they came from, and even describes (a little) what was going on in the larger underground scene. From there, he goes into detail about Slint's music and their experience as a band. Since there isn't a ton of info out there about Slint, fans of the band should really get into that. My favorite part was where he sheds a little light on the nuts and bolts of how they approached their instruments and wrote songs.

I received this book today and finished it in one sitting. It went into detail about the bands the preceded and came after Slint as well as an in depth look into the songs on Spiderland.What I really liked was that Tennent even managed to include details on the bands songwriting process with information straight from most of the band members (Brian McMahan was the exception as he rarely gives interviews). This extra insight made me realize how much work went into the book as well as the making of a one of a kind album. Any fan of the album has to buy this!

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the band and album. Highly recommended.

If you like slint and 90’s indie music in general this is a fascinating insight into this ground breaking album.

Great book on a mystical and highly important band, and a needed one at that. They're still pretty mystical to me though, but that's ok.

You can smell those times, you can almost hear music dripping out of that book. There's not much about "Spiderland" itself as one might expect, but all pre-Spiderland history gives you another perspective. Great book for any Slint afficionado.

Great trade. Quick. A ++++

bought for son in law for xmas. he loved it. but it WAS what he wanted.not my cup of tea but each to their own. i dont read thois sort of thing myself so not a good review. if you like this sort of book then you will probably like this one. he did