REYNOLDS, Simon. Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984.

(London): Faber & Faber, 2005. First edition. Softcover. 23.3cm by 15.3cm. 577 pages. Widely regarded as one of the definitive works on late twentieth-century popular music and British underground culture the volume beginning where punk’s initial explosion collapsed into self-parody, traces the emergence of a radically experimental generation of musicians who sought to extend punk’s disruptive possibilities into new musical and cultural territory. Covering seminal groups including PiL, Joy Division, Gang of Four, Talking Heads, Wire, Devo, Cabaret Voltaire, The Fall, Throbbing Gristle, Human League, Scritti Politti, and many others, the book explores the intersection of avant-garde ideas, electronic music, funk, dub, disco, politics, art theory, and independent production cultures that defined the post-punk era. Rich in interviews, criticism, anecdote, and social history. Illustrated. A very good copy in printed wrappers.