1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Neutral Review, December 9, 2002
This review is from: Station To Station : The Secret History of Rock & Roll on Television (Paperback)
For a Gen-X (or younger) pop-culture fan, there is much that will be new and worth a perusal here. For instance: there is a good chapter on the mid-sixties equivalents of MTV, which were shows like Shindig, Hullabaloo, and Where the Action Is, and a chapter, also good, on the machinations behind the Beatles appearances on Ed Sullivan.
Weingarten is at times very good writer (or has a very good editor, although see my comments below about editorial fact checking)--take this passage, for example: "In 1969 singer Tom Jones was every mother's secret sex fantasy, a darkly handsome Welsh testosterone bomb who had a knack for squeezing every last ounce of raw emotion from a lyric until it grew knuckle hair" (I'll forgive the mixed metaphor of squeezing ounces out lyrics like juice from oranges and then having the lyrics grow knuckle hair).
On the down-side, a good bit of this book seems to be broad summaries of trends reported in other, more detailed treatements of the chapters' topics. At times, Weingarten's writing sounds like VH-1-styled pablum history, and at times its just lazy with the facts--for example: "The harmonic convergence between pop music and animation lasted until the mid-1970s, when bubblegum pop fizzled out and kids turned their attention to Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Asteroids" (Pac-Man? In the mid-1970s?), or "Weird Al Yankovic, an accordianist from Lynwood, California, who father was a polka star" (10 seconds on AllMusic.com would have revealed that Yankovic "was born October 23, 1959 in Lynwood, California. An only child, he began playing the accordion at age seven, following in the tradition of polka star Frank Yankovic (no relation)..." I don't really care about Weird Al and Frank, I just think one should do a little fact-checking before one sells a manuscript to Simon and Schuster.
My favorite story comes in the chapter on 1960s TV Rock Shows. It's the mid-sixties, and Shindig producer Jack Good is trying to persuade Col. Parker to let Elvis (who is rapidly becoming a joke due to his film career and the resultant schlocky soundtrack albums) appear on the show for a reasonable fee, and fellow producer (and former Eddie Cochran girlfriend) Sharon Sheeley reports that "Jack went into his spiel and told Parker, 'I'll make Elvis look better than he's ever looked in his career.' When he was done, Parker told him 'I don't care if you put him on his knees and make him sing "Mammy," I want a million dollars.' So Jack didn't get Elvis. It was Elvis's favorite show, though--we used to go to his house and watch it with him."
So, do check this book out of your library if you have a casual-to-semi-serious interest in pop-culture history and save your dollars for another work to add to your library. There's so many good books out there, and this one doesn't warrant revisiting over and over.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Secret is Released, March 24, 2001
This review is from: Station To Station : The Secret History of Rock & Roll on Television (Paperback)
Station to Station was incredible. Reading this book was like being back stage at a concert. The insight that Marc Weingarten has about the music industry is remarkable. This is a must read for everyone who is interested in the past, present, and future of Rock-n-Roll.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfull Perpective On History Of Rock 'n' Roll, July 4, 2001
This review is from: Station To Station : The Secret History of Rock & Roll on Television (Paperback)
The story of Rock and Roll is the story of Television, and the author knows it. He shows every major development in rock and roll through how it appeared on Television. It starts off in the most logical place, Elvis on Ed Sullivan, and ends with MTV. Any major development is in here. My personal favorite was the chapter titled, "Couch time with the Counterculture". This chapter had, Mamas and the Papas on Ed Sullivan, John Lennon and Yoko Ono on Mike Douglas, as well as The Smother's Brothers. It also covers the variety shows, Ricky Nelson, the Monkees, Schoolhouse Rock and the Partridge Family. I recomend this book to any fan of rock music, regardless of what decade interests you
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
