Customer Reviews

Sixties Rock: Garage, Psychedelic, and Other Satisfactions (Music in American Life)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having been a musician in the 60s to the present, it was a real treat to read this book. Admittedly, none of us players never knew what "flat VII" chords were, but I still related to the musical examples and such. As a guitarist, I can agree with Mr. Hicks' belief that garage musicians arrived at their chord progressions because of the natural tuning of the guitar (i.e. in 4ths). I guess this book is going to be quickly and pleasantly understood by any primitive musician who eventually got degrees in music...!

I don't normally write reviews for amazon, but I felt I had to say something about this book being that only one of its three reviews on amazon is positive. I recently checked this book out from the music library at Florida State University hoping to find out some information on psychedelic music. What I got was much more than I hoped. The book is incredibly well-researched, well-written, and thought provoking. It was easy to tell that the author is passionate about his subject matter, something I found when reading another one of Hicks's books on Henry Cowell, which always makes for an exciting read. Granted the book is aimed toward musicologists and music theory mongers--not your average dilettantes--so it is understandable that the theoretical language that Hicks so often uses is enough to alienate some. No flowery journalistic writing one would find in Rolling Stone Magazine here. Bravo!

I got this book because it had a picture of the Music Machine on the cover,but this is one boring book.It's hard to believe someone could write a book about 60's garage bands and make it boring,but Michael Hicks has done it.I was mildly interested in the chapter on the evolution of the song "Hey Joe",but that's about it.When will authors stop writing pompously about rock'n roll?(See an old issue of "Kicks" magazine to see how it should be done!)

Pseudo intellectual freshman psych major. Nuf said