The ultimate guide to one of the most revered periods and movements in American rock history.The 1980s are one of the most ridiculed and parodied epochs in popular music—what with all the skinny lapels, synthesizers, spandex, and Aqua Net. However, music fans in the know recognize that beneath the glossy veneer broiled a revolutionary movement of self-directed, anti-corporate, punk-influenced bands that created a nationwide network from the ground up, thanks to independently recorded releases, photocopied fanzines, and self-financed tours.In Gimme Indie Rock, music journalist Andrew Earles describes 500 essential indie-rock albums released by 308 bands and artists from coast to coast in markets large and small. From giants of the movement (Black Flag, the Minutemen, Mission of Burma, Fugazi, Superchunk, Melvins, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr., Big Black, the Pixies), to more obscure bands which nonetheless...