FUTURE POP: MUSIC FOR THE EIGHTIES Peter L. Noble Toronto, Musson, c1983. 160pp, paper, $11.95. ISBN 0-7737-1062-0. Grades 7 and up. Reviewed by Sue Easun. Volume 11 Number 6. 1983 November. The uninitiated among us, who nevertheless take great pride in maintaining an open mind, are likely reading this review with a mixture of apprehension, curiosity, and annoyance. If the latter in particular is your reaction, feel justified, and don't be looking at this item for biographical meat on which to cut your teeth. While coverage is commendable, international in scope and unbiased in approach—you'll meet those who've made it, those who haven't, and those who never will—long after the introductions have been made, their characters are no more defined than they were simply as names on an album cover. Indeed, this book is a fitting reflection of the music it celebrates: there is a lot of talk about the harsher realities of life, with nothing of an aesthetic nature to soften the blow. The photographs are black and white (is this, too, reality?), each subject sporting a deadpan expression and exaggerated eyes. The artists respond to all this attention with terse commentary on the state of their art:          One thing I'm really looking forward          to is the day when I'll be able to plug          an electrode into my brain and just think          the music and let it come out that way. This sentiment is shared many times over, by others who are not always so (ahem) cerebrally minded. Is this really how you want to spend your precious budget dollars? We might better give the new music its due by buying a tape or two instead. Sue Easun, Toronto, ON.