Grade 9 Up–This chronological overview of rock music history is divided into six volumes:
The Early Years, 1951-1959;
Folk, Pop, Mods, and Rockers, 1960-1966;
The Rise of Album Rock, 1967-1973;
From Arenas to the Underground, 1974-1980;
The Video Generation, 1981-1990; and
The Grunge and Post-Grunge Years, 1991-2005. Each book's preface, introduction, and time line explain the scope of the text and set the stage for the thematic chapters that follow. The encyclopedic A-Z of Rock at the end of each volume contains brief biographical entries, information on record companies, and definitions of musical styles. Appendixes of the top-selling and most significant records of the period are included. Each title concludes with an extensive Reference Guide that lists related books, articles, Web sites, organizations, museums, events, films, and recordings, followed by a detailed index. Scattered throughout the texts are black-and-white portraits and shaded text boxes with information on influential musicians, musical styles, and more. In addition to being excellent reference tools, these volumes are so readable that libraries will want to consider circulating them. An outstanding set.
–Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
It's been 50 years since the blues had a baby and they named it rock 'n' roll,^B and the rock genre has matured enough to merit its own thorough examination, as exemplified by the many colleges offering courses in rock 'n' roll history as well as by the "hybridization" of rock into countless forms, such as alternative rock, classic rock, glitter rock, punk rock, folk rock, roots rock, etc. As explained in the set foreword, content in these six volumes is organized into narrative chapters that tell the different stories of rock's development, beginning with early influences (ragtime, blues, gospel, country) through its historical forms (southern rock, new wave, progressive rock, heavy metal) and all the way up to its more current iterations (grunge, Britpop, industrial, garage rock).
Each volume has its own author and represents a different historical snapshot in rock's photo album: we see the very first steps made by rock in volume 1, "The Early Years, 1951-1959"; explosive growth caused by the British invasion in volume 2, "Folk, Pop, Mods, and Rockers, 1960-1966"; adolescent experimentation with psychedelic rock in volume 3, "The Rise of Album Rock, 1967-1973"; signs of maturity in the form of corporate commodification in volume 4, "From Arenas to the Underground, 1974-1980"; a whole new phase defined by MTV in volume 5, "The Video Generation, 1981-1990"; and, finally, the recent innovations of alternative and indie rock in volume 6, "The Grunge and Post-Grunge Years, 1991-2005."
A preface for each volume lets the reader know what to anticipate in terms of coverage, and the breadth of topics in the set includes important musicians, personalities, songwriters, places, films, producers, trends, terms, genres, and concerts as well as some technical aspects of music (e.g., a section explaining the 12-bar blues structure).
Each volume contains a number of resources, such as a time line and a dictionary called the "A-to-Z of Rock," both of which cover the historical era encompassed within a specific volume. Text is supported by a number of black-and-white photos (mostly publicity shots of artists); discographies of seminal recordings; interesting sidebars; resource guides, which include books, articles, Web sites, and special collections; and a comprehensive index.
Topic selection is sometimes an issue. As rock's time line progresses, it becomes more a matter of author subjectivity as to which artists deserve inclusion. Fans of certain artists--especially current artists--may find their darlings given short shrift or overlooked entirely and wonder what provoked the exclusion. Never mind. By giving rock music the spotlight, the authors ultimately attain their goal of presenting an insider's view of the rock genre and its many forms. The set is a unique reference source and downright addictive in terms of browsing and should appeal to researchers, music historians, students, and, finally, the kids inside many of us who just like everything about rock music. Reading it reminds us that those kids are still alright. Jerry Eberle
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
