An amusing diversion. There's not a lot of information about the songs themselves, a bit more about ways that we might define the culture of a decade. Thus the discussion of the songs centers more on how they typify and idea than about their impact on culture. And there's a fair amount on Harvilla's own relationship with the music. A solidly conversational tone as well.

60 Songs That Explain the ‘90s
Written and Read by Rob Harvilla
Book 24/250
Genre: Non-Fiction, Music
Format: Audio, ARC
Pages/Time: 269/9hr 6min
Published: 2023
Rating: 9/10
Narration: 9/10

"Limp Bizkit covers George Michael the way Atilla the Hun covered Europe."

"The Lars Ulrich experience, particularly in the band's early thrash years, is one giant drum fill... Listening to an 80's Metallica album, is like falling down the stairs for an hour."

"I once referred to "Blood Sugar Sex Magic" (Red Hot Chili Peppers) in print as 'a raucous Mountain Dew enema.' Do I regret saying this? Well, I just said it again so clearly I don't."

This book was so fun! Based on the podcast of the same name, 60 Songs That Explain the ‘90s details the 100+ songs (yes lol) that capture the decade, by a Rock Critic that grew up during this time. And as you can see from the quotes, Harvilla is hilarious! I was cracking up throughout reading this book and have been annoying my wife talking about it since!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for my copy of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s by Rob Harvilla Narrated by Rob Harvilla in exchange for an honest review. It published November 14, 2023.
First off, Rob Harvilla is a skilled narrator and it definitely shines through in this audiobook.
This book was such a nostalgic blast from the past I kept having to tell other people to listen to it! I enjoyed the insightful look into so many songs, cultural happenings, people, etc. I loved being reminded of songs long forgotten, and history I forgot about as well, or maybe didn't know.
I will say, the language is R-rated, many songs discussed definitely had a "Parental Advisory" sticker on their albums, and this book is a no-holds-barred situation, everything is discussed. So if you are sensitive, you may want to approach this with caution.

I really enjoyed Harvilla's voice! Parts of this book I LOVED, other parts I couldn't relate to or were not interested in, but that's not to be held against the book nor author (some '90s music touched me more than others). I really liked that Harvilla listed the songs that would be covered in each section, so I knew what to expect. Listening to this book was also the way to go; I could skip over songs I didn't care about. Harvilla included his own personal memories and experiences with these songs, which is his prerogative as the author, so while I didn't necessarily need all of that information, I didn't mind it at all.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Despite all of his proclamations of being un-cool, I can promise you that Rob Harvilla is infinitely cooler than I could ever try to be. Anyone who has followed my reviews has picked up that my younger years weren't particularly easy. I was never a fan of grunge and the accompanying move of alternative music into the mainstream. Musical preferences aside, none of that was helped by the fact that I was bullied for (among other reasons) not liking alterna-grunge. So, it was with some gut-clenching that I began reading. Rob Harvilla immediately soothed me by beginning the book with kind words regarding Céline Dion. Yes, he drools all over the feet of Kurt Cobain et al., but he also mentions quite a bit of rap and pop. He even comments on the swing revival (maybe not as favorably as he could, but, hey, we're a niche fan group.) Fine, so you didn't buy Use Your Illusion. You probably wouldn't've been nice to me in school (we're the same age), but you probably wouldn't've openly bullied me, either. I won't regret reading your book. I will recommend it to others. I will consider reading other works you write. At the end of the day, I think that's the best we could hope for. I would like to thank Hachette Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.

Things I liked
-the humor. When a joke hit for me it was hilarious
-the range of songs

Things that weren't resonating:
-the tangents, the lists, the ebb and flow of the pace
-the POV: even though I also love 90s music I was much younger and so a lot of his experiences weren't resonating

If there's one hobby that I spend more time doing than reading, it's listening to music, so when I saw this title, I knew I needed to read this book! I loved how the author was also the narrator since he was telling stories and memories from his past related to these songs. At times, it was more podcast than book like, but I enjoyed it just the same. It was so much fun hearing experiences that someone else had with icon songs from my childhood and learning some more history about these songs as well. I would definitely recommend this book to any music lover!
Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Entertaining and engaging semi-autobiographical essays built around significant songs of the 1990s but incorporating other songs and cultural themes, too. I really enjoy Rob Harvilla’s perspective, passion, humor, and humility. This audiobook version of the SSTETNs Project (if I may) starts with a list that I found unlistenable because it sought to stake feminist ground (Yay! Yes! Thank you!) but did so by dragging us through the same disgusting mud (if shallowly). It was a hard start. Otherwise, I adore this project.

I was unaware that there was a podcast by the same name of this book, but after listening to the audiobook, I might start to listen.

As a 90s baby, it’s fun to revisit the songs you grew up on and learn the backstory of their creation/meaning and better understand the moment they were born out of.

Harvilla is a great narrator. He’s got a great voice, but his writing is really something to behold. It’s got a lyrical, musical nature of its own: his inflection, his sarcastic pauses, etc all add to the depth of the material here.

Thanks to Twelve Books and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

I have listened to several episodes of Rob Harvilla's podcast and have enjoyed them. That said, I felt I didn't get as much from the book. What I like about the podcast is how much time is put towards one song and it delves into the moment that the song was popular. I didn't get the same feel from the faster-paced book. The book was fine, just not as good as his podcast. I give this a solid 3.5/5 stars.

What drew me to this book was the drop quote on the cover by Chuck Klosterman. While I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I enjoy Klosterman’s work, it did scratch a similar itch. It’s intellectual candy.

I haven’t listened to the writer’s podcast. But that seems to be where most of this book was developed and written.

It is a breathless exploration of music that is important to the author. None of his ideas are terribly groundbreaking. He doesn’t wander too far from the accepted canon. He has a similar taste to what you’d expect.

I think I benefitted from him being my same age. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk so passionately about Third Eye Blind since the 1990s. Their first album is deeply important to me, but I didn’t think to anyone else. So I found myself vigorously nodding in agreement.

Where the author and this book excels are the descriptions. They are wild and wonderful. He compares Celine Dion to “a streetwalking cheetah with a heart full of napalm.” He says that when he listens to Blood Sugar Sex Magik that he wants to chase people down on foot or on a riding lawnmower to tell them it’s the greatest thing. He talks about how he wants to jetski behind a car on the interstate so he can crash, break an arm, and then write these lyrics on a cast. And so on. And so on.

I found myself sharing these and other descriptions with friends simply because of how wild and evocative they were.

For that alone, it was worth the trip.

OK I am a late Gen-Xer and was in high school in the early 90s, so this book is exactly the rostalgia trip I needed! I understand the stream-of-consciousness format isn't everyone's cup of tea, but because I listened to the audiobook, read by the author, it worked for me. There is a lot of humour, snark, tenderness, and thoughtfulness in this book (which has way more than 60 songs in it) which touches on so many songs and genres. If you grew up in the 90s and loved listening to the radio, you will probably enjoy this book.

I received a free audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Rob Harvilla's audiobook is a wonderful look at nostalgia for me as a 46 year-old. He is both witty with his breakdowns of songs, but also very informative. The book led me to immediately head to Spotify and start following his podcast. He discusses Shania Twain's desire to just have a normal evening at a bar, Mariah Carey's crazy marriage, the industry's general opinion of Third Eye Blind lead singer, and so much more. I loved this book, and was grateful that I got to experience it.

Thanks to Hachette Audio & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a fan of Rob Harvilla's podcast, 60 Songs That Explain the '90s, and if you like that, but get bored with the cultural experts he has after his initial discussion of the song, then this could work for you. It still has Harvilla's deadpan wit and off the cuff delivery - the guy is a pro and it's an easy listen.

PROS:
Rob Harvilla
Funny
Lots of amusing anecdotes
Actual analysis of pop culture/music

CONS:
No music to illustrate points
Not all songs are actually all that influential (to me; YMMV)
Heavy on the (timely but not charting) rap/hip hop (again, a personal preference)

Overall, I'm not mad I listened, but I definitely fast-forwarded through boring bits. With the podcast, I get to pick and choose which song analyses I'm going after.

An absolute joy to read and a terrific companion to author Rob Harvilla’s podcast covering the same topic.

Part nostalgia trip, part music theory, and part paean to the zeitgeist, this is a fun adventure down memory lane if you were alive in the ‘90s and a wonderful thinkpiece on the decade whether you actually witnessed it or not.

I really appreciated the eclecticism of music discussed, with Harvilla ranging around to just about every genre of popular music, and making some surprising connections between songs and artists that don’t necessarily appear to have much in common at first blush.

Harvilla is also just objectively hilarious, and he has a wonderful way of poking fun at singers and songs while still appreciating their contributions.

You certainly don’t need to have listened to the podcast to appreciate the book, though I recommend that you do because it’s fantastic. And fear not, fans of the pod: There’s plenty of new material in the book that hasn’t already been covered on the podcast.

Try this one on audio if you’re able. Harvilla narrates and it only enhances the experience.

This was such a great read- I feel like I just walked down the most intense of memory lanes with a thoughtful friend who knows a lot about music from the 90's.

Harvilla admits up front that everyone thinks the music they grew up with was the best music. But also communicates his belief that the music from the 90's was really, actually the best. I agree on both counts. This admission at the beginning lets you truly sit back and enjoy his grandiose and super detailed musings.

The structure was very essay-like, which I really enjoyed. The themes at the beginning of each section made the book fun and easy to read.

I listened to this as an audiobook and although there were a few clunky moments in the narration, I'm glad the author read it himself. The connections he has to these songs and to this era are so personal and deep, and it comes out in his passionate and conversational style.

This would be a great companion to The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman.

A wonderful trip down memory lane for songs that shaped a decade. The background and analysis was great and the narrator did a nice job walking through the songs.

60 Songs that Explain the 90's was a great listen and read-along. I liked the variety of genres presented and the different perspectives. I probably would have liked longer discussion of each song and maybe cut down on the # overall, like the podcast is so thorough.

I had no idea this was a podcast when I requested this audiobook from
NetGalley, which by the way, a BIG THANK YOU to NetGalley for introducing me yo this book. I am now a subscriber. What’s great about what the author, Rob Harvilla, has done in this book that he really balances the sort of gravitas that you would get with someone who has dedicated serious mental energy to studying and appreciating music, but also can approach these songs and these artists with a levity that is contagious. At first, it is easy for the reader to assume that he is a pretentious music journalist, but that first impression is shattered when he immediately owns up to all of the mistakes he made in his podcast even down to mispronunciation. Rob Harvilla comes off as a delightful paradox and eventually, the King of Hyperbole.

There are certain times in this book where I found myself laughing, and then also there were moments where Harvilla offers such incredibly insightful tidbits of knowledge about a song, artist or movement that feels so profound that I had to revisit a musical moment, which now I feel I’ve taken for granted. For example, the music video to “Earl Had to Die,” the song “Waterfalls” by TLC, and when Outkast said, “the South has something to say.” He was able to do this repeatedly throughout this book. As an English teacher, I was also consistently delighted by creative way he strung together to describe artists, songs, and movements.

I was listening to the audiobook, which feels appropriate because of its connection to the podcast, but then I realized that I wanted more. I found myself wanting to flip back and share with my husband a moment Harvilla discussed or a description he used - particularly the one of Celine Dion. So, here I am listening to this audiobook, but also going to buy the book when it comes out. This is hands-down the best book that I have read in 2023, and that is no hyperbole.

sadly did not get to listen to this really because i received it on the archive date, but love the concept - will pick up when it hits shelves!