A scintillating collection of previously published essays on rock music since the mid-'70s by the author of Lipstick Traces .
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
What distinguishes Marcus from his rock critic peers is his innate ability as a social cryptographer to decode popular music symbols and their significance within a larger context. The big-picture-window connections that illuminate Lipstick Traces ( LJ 4/15/89), the classic Mystery Train ( LJ 4/1/75), and his recently published Dead Elvis (Doubleday, 1991) are apparent in this collection of punk and post-punk influence pieces, written between 1977 and 1991 for periodicals like New West (later California ) , Artforum, and the Village Voice. The Gang of Four, Delta 5, the Mekons, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, X-ray Spex, and, of course, the Sex Pistols and the Clash, are prominently featured, and looming throughout in the background are the creepy specters of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. A revelatory compendium of bands, records, and performances, this work, along with Jon Savage's England's Dreaming ( LJ 1/92), significantly contributes to the evolving documentation and elucidation of punk rock. For most music collections.
- Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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