23 hours and 39 minutes
Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984
Arts & Entertainment
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Audiobook series
Faber Greatest Hits: Audiobooks in Order
As series titles go, Faber Greatest Hits does exactly what it says: a showcase for landmark music writing. The entry in our catalogue is Simon Reynolds’s Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984, widely treated as the definitive account of the era that followed punk’s detonation, from its art-school experiments to its chart invasions. At nearly twenty-four hours, it is music journalism at symphonic length, and 323 listeners rate it a 4.4.
- 1 audiobooks
- 23 hours of listening
- 4.4/5 average (323 ratings)
- narrated by Liam Wheatley
- Arts & Entertainment
The Faber Greatest Hits audiobooks in order
23 hours and 39 minutes
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Series at a glance
| # | Title | Length | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984 | 23 hours and 39 minutes | 4.4/5 (323) |
Why listen to Faber Greatest Hits?
There is a pleasing circularity in hearing a book about music rather than reading it, and Liam Wheatley has the unenviable task of keeping twenty-three hours and thirty-nine minutes of cultural history airborne. Long-form music writing works surprisingly well in audio; band names, scenes and singles flow past like a very well-informed radio documentary.Start with this volume without hesitation, since it is the one we hold and each book in a greatest hits line stands entirely alone. My ideal listener is anyone whose record collection leans on the late seventies and early eighties and who wants the connective tissue between the scenes explained, though it also rewards general history listeners who enjoy an era reconstructed in detail. Keep a streaming service within reach; you will want to pause and play the records.
Clara’s verdict
★★★★☆ 4.0/5
Music books this long usually sag; the 4.4 average across 323 ratings tells me this one largely does not, and that matches its standing as serious, passionate criticism rather than nostalgia. In audio the sheer density of names occasionally demands a rewind, which is my only real caveat and the reason I stop short of a higher mark. For listeners invested in the period this is essential; for everyone else it is still very good company.
Clara Whitmore, Founder & Literary Critic
Frequently asked questions
How many audiobooks are in the Faber Greatest Hits series?
Our catalogue lists 1 Faber Greatest Hits audiobooks, adding up to around 23 hours of listening.
Which Faber Greatest Hits audiobook should I start with?
Listeners rate Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984 highest (4.4/5 across 323 ratings), but reading order usually starts with book 1.
Who narrates the Faber Greatest Hits audiobooks?
Most of the series is narrated by Liam Wheatley.
Are the Faber Greatest Hits audiobooks worth listening to?
Across the series, listeners average 4.4/5 from 323 ratings on Audible and Amazon.
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