Is It Still Good to Ya? sums up the career of longtime Village Voice stalwart Robert Christgau, who for half a century has been America's most widely respected rock critic, honoring a music he argues is only more enduring because it's sometimes simple or silly. While compiling historical overviews going back to Dionysus and the gramophone along with artist analyses that range from Louis Armstrong to M.I.A., this definitive collection also explores pop's African roots, response to 9/11, and evolution from the teen music of the '50s to an art form compelled to confront mortality as its heroes pass on. A final section combines searching obituaries of David Bowie, Prince, and Leonard Cohen with awed farewells to Bob Marley and Ornette Coleman.

Introduction. Robert Christgau's Greatest Hits: Volume UUU  1 Prologue. Good to Ya, Not for Ya: Rock Criticism vs. the Guilty Pleasure  9 I. History in the Making Ten-Step Program for Growing Better Ears  19 Dionysus in Theory and Practice  19 B.E.: A Dozen Moments in the Prehistory of Rock and Roll 27 Let's Get Busy in Hawaiian: A Hundred Years of Ragged Beats and Cheap Tunes  34 Rock Lyrics Are Poetry (Maybe)  42 "We Have to Deal With It": Punk England Report  48 Rock 'n' Roller Coaster: The Music Biz on a Joyride  65 Not My Fault, Not My Problem: Classic Rock  76 A Weekend in Paradise: Woodstock '94  81 Staying Alive: Postclassic Disco  96 Harry Smith Makes History: Anthology of American Folk Music  103 Getting Their Hands Dirty: Michael Azerrad's Our Band Could Be Your Life  107 A Month on the Town  111 U.S. and Them: Are American Pop (and Semi-Pop) Still Exceptional? And by the Way, Does That Make Them Better?  120 What I Listen for in Music  130 II. A Great Tradition Pops as Pop: Louis Armstrong  135 Not So Misterioso: Thelonious Monk  140 First Lady of Song: Billie Holiday  149 Folksinger, Wordslinger, Start Me a Song: Woody Guthrie  154 Caring the Hard Way: Frank Sinatra: 1915-1998  159 Like Ringing a Bell: Chuck Berry: 1926-2017  161 Unnaturals: The Coasters with No Strings Attached  165 Black Elvis: Same Cooke  172 Tough Love: Etta James  176 The Excitement! The Terror!: Miles Davis's '70s  181 Sister, Oh Sister: Kate and Anna McGarrigle  185 Two Pieces About the Ramones:  1901. Ramone2. Road to Ruin Nevermore: Nirvana  196 A Long Short Story: The Go-Betweens  200 Generation Gaps: The Spice Girls  204 Ooh, That Sound: The Backstreet Boys  206 Tear the Sky Off the Mother: 'N Sync  207 The World Is His Boudoir: Prince  208 Two Pieces About Aretha Franklin:  2091. Queen of Pop2. Familiar and Fabulous Two Pieces About Bob Dylan:  2141. Dylan Back: World Goes On2. Secrets of the Sphinx Ain't Dead Yet: Holy Modal Rounders  220 How to Survive on an Apple Pie Diet: John Prine  221 The Unflashiest: Willie Nelson  225 III. Millennium Music from a Desert Storm  231 Ghost Dance  238 The Moldy Peaches Slip You a Roofie  241 Attack of the Chickenshits: Steve Earle  245 Facing Mecca: Youssou N'Dour  249 Three Pieces About M.I.A1. Burning Bright2. Quotations from Charmin M.I.A.3. Right, the Record IV. From Which All Blessings Flow Full Immersion with Suspect Tendencies: Paul Simon's Graceland  259 Fela and His Lessers  267 Vendant l'Afrique  270 Dakar in Gear  275 A God After Midnight: Youssou N'Dour  278 Franco d Mi Amor  279 Forty Years of History, Thirty Seconds of Joy  285 Tribulations of St. Joseph: Ladysmith Black Mambazo  289 Music from a Desert War  292 V. Postmodern Times Growing by Degrees: Kanye West  301 The Slim Shady Essay: Eminem  303 Career Opportunity: The Perceptionists  314 Good Morning Little School Girl: R. Kelly  316 Master and Sacrament: Buddy Guy  319 The Commoner Queen: Mary J. Blige  321 A Hot Little Weirdo: Shakira  323 What's Not to Like?: Norah Jones  326 No-Hope Radio: Radiohead  330 Rather Exhilarating: Sonic Youth  334 Adult Contemporary: Grant McLennan: 1958-2006  337 Titan. Polymath. Naturalist: Ray Charles: 1930-2004  338 He Got Us: James Brown: 1933-2006  339 Old Master: Bob Dylan  342 Estudando Tom Zé  343 Gypsy Is His Autopilot: Gogol Bordello  349 Triumph of the Id: Lil Wayne  353 Brag Like That: Jay-Z  357 Paisley's Progress: Brad Paisley  362 Smart and Smarter: Vampire Weekend  367 The Many Reasons to Love Wussy  372 Hearing Her Pain: Fiona Apple  377 Firestarter: Miranda Lambert  381 Monster Anthems: Lady Gaga  384 Dancing on Her Own: Robyn  388 Three More Pieces About M.I.A.:  393 1. Spread out, Reach High: M.I.A.'s Kala 2. Illygirl Steppin Up 3. Spelled Backwards It's "Aim" The Unassumingest: Lori McKenna  400 VI. Got to Be Driftin' Along Who Knows It Feels It: Bob Marley  407 Shape Shifter: David Bowie: 1947-2016  411 The Most Gifted Artist of the Rock Era: Prince: 1958-2016  414 Forever Old: Leonard Cohen: 1933-2016  416 Sticking It in Their Ear: Bob Dylan  419 Don't Worry About Nothing: Ornette Coleman  420 Sensualistic, Polytheistic: New York Dolls  421 Index  425