The 'Rip it up' review

Finally finished 'Rip it up and start again', Simon Reynolds' excellent history of post-punk and new pop. As someone whose first, formative experiences of pop music took place during the 78-84 period under Reynolds' microscope, it was great to find out about the recording process for The Human League's 'Dare' for instance, or the genesis of ZTT records, both personal favourites.
The test of any good music critic is whether or not you want to listen to the music he or she is describing. This is a test Reynolds almost always passes. Reading 'Rip it up', I was soon searching through my CD collection for old favourites such as Heaven 17's 'Penthouse and Pavement' or A Certain Ratio's 'The Graveyard and the Ballroom'. He also made me keen to hear more by bands I was only mildly familiar with, such as Subway Sect and Psychic TV.
I also particularly liked the afterchapter, detailing the aftermath of post-punk/New Pop, and eloquently explaining why 1985 was such a dismal year for alternative music. As a longtime fan of Reymolds' writing, it is interesting to note that the endpoint for 'Rip it up' is pretty much the starting point for his career as a critic. His first book, 1990's 'Blissed out: the raptures of rock', was a brilliant collection of essays about how underground music might escape its mid-80s impasse. Having come full circle, I wonder whether he might now hang up his keyboard and mouse, at least as far as music criticism is concerned? Or, as with boxers, is it the case that old rock journos always want one more tilt at the title? The Thomas Hearns of inkie-pop theorists, not a bad thing to be.