Customer Reviews

The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock: Trouble Girls

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I have a radio show that focuses on women in popular music. I've been doing this show for 3 years, learning about women in music, reading books about it (She Bop is really good and complete), but I love the Rolling Stone book because it gives these personal accounts of women in music (check out Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight). It's also a great book to just learn about some of these people--people you might've thought you knew about--in a new light (the articles on Janis Joplin, Janet Jackson, and Liz Phair). It's very complete and even covers lesser known artists pretty well. If you're interested in the role women have had in music during the 20th century, make sure to check this book out.

This book is worth buying just for the wonderful essay on the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Ann Powers writes wonderfully of the arc of Aretha's stellar career. The insights on Aretha's magic are superb. I wish this book didn't stop in '98 so that Powers could have written about Aretha's devestating take on Nessun Dorma at the Grammy's or her many appearances on Divas on VH1.

As a self proclaimed femminist and girl rocker, this book gave me a firm look at how the world of music has changed for women, and where it is going. The portraits are worth the price of the book alone, with some lovely black and whites of your favorite singers. Highly reccomended, highly impressive.

I want to hear more influece on that ethnic woman has brought to the music. Many of the women on the cover fail to realize that the many of their style of music came from women and men of ethnic backround. If you don't belive me ask Maddona, Tina Turner, or Janis Joplin.