Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the USA [Paperback]

Reebee Garofalo (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205137032 | ISBN-13: 978-0205137039 | Publication Date: September 26, 1996 | Edition: 1

This book proceeds from the assumption that music is always a social indicator; that is, it tells us something about the world around us. It responds to, mirrors, and influences the society in which we live. This is the only book that covers the total range of US popular music in the 20th century, locates them in their social context, and provides an interdisciplinary analysis of their significance. This comprehensive social history is organized chronologically around themes and issues which explicate the connection between music and other social processes. These include the multicultural influences in US popular music, the impact of technological advances, the significance of class, race, gender, ethnicity, and region, the importance of political context, and the power of consumer preferences. This book is necessarily encyclopedic; still, it balances information with analysis. Divided into two sections, “Historical Background” and “The Contemporary Era,” the book begins with the invention of sound recording and the rise of Tin Pan Alley, and proceeds through discussions of blues, country, and rhythm and blues as historical background, then discusses rock and soul, punk and disco, rap and metal, and alternative music as well as all of the sub-genres and stylistic variants of these sounds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"ROCKIN' OUT: Popular Music in the USA is a vital addition to the history of America's most popular product. Reebee Garofalo takes the reader from pop to rock 'n' roll through punk and rap, always careful to assign credit to African-American inspiration and pioneers. Everyone is here-performers, producers, engineers, salesmen, hucksters, and geniuses. If you want to know who put rock and roll in rock 'n' roll, and how and why it happened, read this book." - Julian Bond "Garofalo presents a fascinating account of American popular music-its evolution and exploitation by the music industry. While discussing the many forms that comprise this tradition, he explores the role of race, culture, class, technology, and profit in its production and mass marketing. The most comprehensive survey of post-World War II American popular music to date, ROCKIN' OUT is a book every popular music enthusiast must read." - -Portia K. Maultsby, Ethnomusicologist, Indiana University/Bloomington "ROCKIN' OUT is right on! Compelling, comprehensive, and complete, this book represents the history of popular music in the USA in a way that we've never seen before. Garofalo knows the artists, the audience, and the industry, and he tells their stories in original and insightful- ways. But he also connects popular music to the social world that gives it determinate shape, explaining how commercial forces, mass migration, urban life, and consumer culture have shaped the origins and evolution of the music we love. From Sinatra to Springsteen, from Motown to Madonna, from Tin Pan Alley to Tupac Shakur, Garofalo deftly mixes understanding and empathy with keen critical analysis..." - George Lipsitz, Professor, Ethnic Studies, University of California/San Diego, Author of TIME PASSAGES --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

This book proceeds from the assumption that music is always a social indicator; that is, it tells us something about the world around us. It responds to, mirrors, and influences the society in which we live. This is the only book that covers the total range of US popular music in the 20th century, locates them in their social context, and provides an interdisciplinary analysis of their significance. This comprehensive social history is organized chronologically around themes and issues which explicate the connection between music and other social processes. These include the multicultural influences in US popular music, the impact of technological advances, the significance of class, race, gender, ethnicity, and region, the importance of political context, and the power of consumer preferences. This book is necessarily encyclopedic; still, it balances information with analysis. Divided into two sections, “Historical Background” and “The Contemporary Era,” the book begins with the invention of sound recording and the rise of Tin Pan Alley, and proceeds through discussions of blues, country, and rhythm and blues as historical background, then discusses rock and soul, punk and disco, rap and metal, and alternative music as well as all of the sub-genres and stylistic variants of these sounds.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 484 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (September 26, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205137032
• ISBN-13: 978-0205137039
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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