When rock n' roll first burst onto the music scene it caused an uproar. But how much more do you really know about it?This book traces the musical phenomenon through its most impactful years from 1945 to 1964. But it doesn't just look at what and who made the music, "The Rock 'n' Roll Age" looks at the bigger picture of the post-war world - the political and cultural changes that were happening, the mood of the times and the reasons behind rock 'n' roll.With explorations of civil liberties, space exploration, Cuba, the end of the Empire, Hollywood, the Beat Generation, Teddy Boy fashion, the rise of the teenager, not to mention The Beatles and Bob Dylan and so much more, this is music history at its most fascinating.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This illustrated look at life, politics and culture during rock 'n' roll's golden age, defined here as the period between 1945 and 1965, begins with big bands and bikinis and ends with the Civil Rights Act and the Beatles' psychedelic fall from innocence. While Evans (Elvis: A Celebration) offers details that may be new to some readers (Bo Diddley's excursion into surf music, Elvis wannabe Ral Donner's Top 20 breakthrough), much of the information here has been recycled numerous times already (the birth of Motown, the emergence of the Beatniks); Evans covers virtually every development in mainstream popular culture, addressing America's overseas conflicts and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as well as the first frozen TV dinner and the opening of the original McDonald's. Though handsomely presented, glorious full-bleed images leave little text space for style or obscure detail; considering Evans was a musician on the Liverpool rock scene during the Beatles era, it's surprising his insights aren't more personal or revealing. The book scores a much bigger hit with scads of archival photographs, iconic album covers, film stills and vintage book covers. Particularly compelling are images of white children in the South observing a cross burning, a candid moment on the set of American Bandstand, various product advertisements and numerous Photoplay magazine covers. Four-color and b&w photos throughout.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Liverpudlian Mike Evans was a beat musician in the 1960s and played alongside bands such as The Beatles and Merseybeats. A radio broadcaster and freelance writer, he has written for a variety of publications including Cream, Guardian and Melody Maker. He is the author of The Art of the Beatles, Elvis: A Celebration (with the Elvis Presley Estate) and Ray Charles: The Birth of Soul.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Rock & Roll History At It's Best !,
This review is from: The Rock 'N' Roll Age: The Music, the Culture, the Generation (Hardcover)
Mike Evans is a Brit who's been a musician & broadcaster as well as a writer. In this volume he starts with "the roots of rock" spawned in the 40's and carries its history to the time of the "British Invasion" of 1964.
On the way, this journey takes you through not only the music, but also the cultural & generational progression of our society: movies, books, politics, cars, advertising, news headlines...it's all covered, as well as how we sometimes connect it to music, and how it all shapes and changes the world we live in. If you have a personal library, love music - especially Rock & Roll - and want to read about our American History of R&R as viewed through the eyes of a knowledgeable, well-traveled Englishman, this IS a book you need for your collection !
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