A History of Rock Music: 1951?2000
by piero scaruffi
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Book Summary Information
Author: piero scaruffiEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-10-15
ISBN: 0595295657
Number of pages: 566
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.
Book Reviews of A History of Rock Music: 1951?2000
Book Review: NEW EDITION AVAILABLE
Summary: 5 Stars
This edition should no longer be sold, but Amazon won't take it down. Be sure to get the latest edition, in two volumes:
Vol 1: http://www.amazon.com/History-Rock-Dance-Music-Vol/dp/0976553155
Vol 2: http://www.amazon.com/History-Rock-Dance-Music-Vol/dp/0976553163
Original review:
This most intellectually influencing book I've read this year. Though some may be turned off by Scaruffi - the ultimate rock snob (who was first a classical music snob) - I was won over by his unparalleled knowledge and analysis. This is an extremely brief history of important "popular" music after 1950. Not music that is important to the record industry or nations and cultures, but music that is important to music: its language and form. For example, Scaruffi argues that The Beatles merely wrapped pop cliches in pseudo-psychidelia, whereas Captain Beefheart wrote a post-Cage study of tonality and provided rock's most important contribution to music in Trout Mask Replica. Don't be too intimidated, though; he loves The Doors. With Scaruffi's rock history, you'll learn the origins of all the major styles (including country, electronica, hip-hop, rap, metal, world music, folk music, etc.). Sometimes, the origins are buried in a rarely-heard recording 20 years ahead of its time. If there's a fault in Scaruffi's stunning work, it's that it's too brief (even at 550+ pages); he doesn't take much space to explain just what the different styles sound like (okay, Scaruffi, what is "post-post-rock" or "jazzcore"?). Nevertheless, Scaruffi's encyclopedic knowledge and unfaltering vision have made me a convert. The free online version is fully hyperlinked to exhaustive artist profiles. I exhort you to (at the very least) read the preface to understand Scaruffi's vision of artstic rock.
Summary of A History of Rock Music: 1951?2000
This history of rock music is not a history of the charts (which I consider an aberration), but a history of the great ideas introduced by rock musicians over 50 years of relentless innovation, and the history of their greatest albums (regardless of how many copies were sold). It ends up being more focused on "alternative" rock than on "mainstream" rock, simply because alternative musicians tend to be more innovative and sincere than mainstream musicians.In a sense, rediscovering "alternative" rock and giving it its dues is also a way to restore the reputation of rock music among the more sophisticated audiences. Today, rock music is a genre that employs sampling techniques, electronic instruments, digital/computer technology, cacophony, and ethnic sources. The roots of today's rock music lie in the technical innovations brought about in the first half of the 20th century. Therefore, my "alternative" history of rock music begins much earlier than most books on the origins of rock'n'roll, and covers much more territory than guitar-driven rock'n'roll.History & Criticism Books
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