Rock Chronicles: Every Legend. Every Line-up. Every Look

The year-in, year-out grind of rock stardom is meticulously mapped in this prosaic encyclopedia of notable bands. The AC/DC-to-ZZ Top selection includes 250 groups from the classic rock era and later (just a handful of stars from the 1950s appear), comprising all the familiar names along with influential obscurities%E2%80%94Captain Beefheart! Einst%C3%BCrzende Neubauten!%E2%80%94 and representative Asian, continental and Brazilian ensembles. (The visually flamboyant groups%E2%80%94especially heavy-metal divas%E2%80%94get ogled in color photo spreads of grimacing long-hairs.) Colorful graphics detail album releases, sales figures, and shifting rosters of bandmates (16 people have staffed Iron Maiden over the years, only one permanently), but the focus on details tends to bog down the uneven interpretive essays: while some entries offer stimulating commentary on the music, others are mainly a record of personnel turnover among small fry. (Gossip is disappointingly sparse.) Casual data-mining reveals striking patterns: rock music is almost as male-dominated as pro baseball; bands are such onerous workplaces that their members can't wait to quit; and they always come back for sextagenarian reunion tours. At its best, this hit-and-miss medley will introduce browsers to music they hadn't realized they would like. (Oct.)