01-29-2024, 09:26 PM
Despite the title the Beatles figure only a bit in this. The author later said that he regretted the title, but that the publisher wanted it. The title comes from the fact that as rock and roll evolved in the 60s and 70s, it became "rock," and largely lost the connection to black music it had in the 50s, becoming more white.
It's a history of 20th century American popular music, from ragtime to the 1970s. But it's not told like most, looking backward and giving importance to music that might not have been popular at the time. Instead, he uses charts, sales records, music magazine readers polls and more to look at what people were actually listening to. Perhaps a bit to much on the earliest period and not enough at the end, but interesting. I particularly enjoyed the part about the swing era.
Recommended if you are interested in music history, but be warned that it is a bit dense, so not a light read.
It's a history of 20th century American popular music, from ragtime to the 1970s. But it's not told like most, looking backward and giving importance to music that might not have been popular at the time. Instead, he uses charts, sales records, music magazine readers polls and more to look at what people were actually listening to. Perhaps a bit to much on the earliest period and not enough at the end, but interesting. I particularly enjoyed the part about the swing era.
Recommended if you are interested in music history, but be warned that it is a bit dense, so not a light read.
the hands that guide me are invisible