Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s

Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s
The cover of the book, showing half of a gramophone record in front of a yellow background; a red stripe is placed on its left. Information and details on the book are superimposed on the picture in different writing styles.
AuthorRobert Christgau
LanguageEnglish
Subject
Published1990 by Pantheon Books
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages514
ISBN0-679-73015-X
Preceded byChristgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies 
Followed byChristgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s 

Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s is a music reference book by American music journalist and essayist Robert Christgau. A follow-up to Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), it was published in October 1990 by Pantheon Books.

The guide compiles approximately 3,000 capsule album reviews, most of which were originally written by Christgau for his monthly "Consumer Guide" column in The Village Voice through the 1980s. It covers a variety of genres and musical developments from the decade, which are given an overview in his introductory essays. Further insight is also given into his grading criteria.

The book was received positively by critics. Christgau's sensibility and the qualities of his judgements were deemed entertaining and insightful, although some regarded the writing as too challenging for most readers. Another guide was published in 2000, called Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s, forming a three-volume series of "Consumer Guide" collections.