The Rolling Stone Album Guide was a complete rewrite of both 1979's The Rolling Stone Record Guide and 1983's The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. The title change reflects the fact that by the time this edition was published in 1992, records were almost completely replaced by CDs. This edition employs three new editors and reduces the number of reviewers from more than 50 as seen in previous editions to a mere four. This edition also included reviews of Jazz albums, which had been removed from the previous edition for the sake of publishing a separate Jazz guide. Unlike both previous editions, this edition did not include comedy artists.
Table of contents[edit] Introduction Ratings Contributors The Rolling Stone Album Guide Anthologies Soundtracks Acknowledgments Rating System[edit] Similar to the first edition, it employed a five star rating scale (without the "zero stars" (▪) rating), but this edition had new definitions of what the number of stars meant, and employed the use of 1/2 stars in the reviews. The descriptions of the markings used in the third edition of the guide are:[3]
5/5 stars Classic: Albums in this category are essential listening for anyone interested in the artist under discussion or the style of music that artist's work represents. 4/5 stars Excellent: Four star albums represent peak performances in an artist's career. Generally speaking, albums that are granted four or more stars constitute the best introductions to an artist's work for listeners who are curious. 3/5 stars Average to Good: Albums in the three-star range will primarily be of interest to established fans of the artist being discussed. This mid-range, by its very nature, requires the most discretion on the part of the consumer. 2/5 stars Fair to Poor: Albums in the two-star category either fall below an artist's established standard or are, in and of themselves, failures. 1/5 stars Disastrous: Albums in the range of one star or less are wastes of vital resources. Only masochists or completists need apply. Reviewers[edit] Mark Coleman J.D. Considine Paul Evans David McGee[3] Artists omitted from the third edition[edit] Some of the artists included in the previous editions but omitted in this edition include:
Hawkwind Magma Olivia Newton-John Scorpions Steeleye Span Van der Graaf Generator John Williams