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barnesstorming's review
4.0
Some 600 pages of essays on rock 'n' roll and I, who for years was a professional music writer, had read maybe 3 of these before. That's probably all you need to know about the eclectic, deep-dive curation that's happening here (and about my career as a music writer). I guess that shouldn't be a surprise, considering Jonathan Lethem is the core editor of this collection. But, I mean, seriously: Even the piece on doo-wop is gripping. My only grouse is that the only piece on Springsteen is a very short, dismissive essay. But that's personal. I spent nearly a year with this book, taking the pieces one at a time as the mood fit, and it was worth it.
j3mm4's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
drivingman's review
4.0
While I didn't read the whole book, what I did read was very good. I mostly jumped around and chose what piqued my interest, so I imagine that aided my overall opinion.
Some thoughts:
-I had never read Greil Marcus before. He is a superb writer. His piece on Christian Marclay's Guitar Drag was one of the most engrossing reads in this collection.
-Another highlight was Peter Guralnick's piece on the fantastic Solomon Burke, who was quite a character. Easily the funniest read.
-In an otherwise well-done article on Memphis soul, Stanley Booth coughs up this terrible take: "Elvis Presley in his earliest recordings combined the music of the country whites with rhythm and blues, and therefore probably deserves to be remembered as the first modern soul singer." I haven't stopped shaking my head since I read that.
-It seems like nearly everyone wrote for The Village Voice back in the day, a shame it's not around anymore.
-I would've liked more than just two hip-hop-related pieces, but those two were strong; Greg Tate comments positively on the arrogance of Kanye and 50 Cent, and Kelefa Sanneh counters the idea that hip-hop deserves respect only because it is akin to poetry.
-Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Elvis take up a lot of pages, maybe too many.
Some thoughts:
-I had never read Greil Marcus before. He is a superb writer. His piece on Christian Marclay's Guitar Drag was one of the most engrossing reads in this collection.
-Another highlight was Peter Guralnick's piece on the fantastic Solomon Burke, who was quite a character. Easily the funniest read.
-In an otherwise well-done article on Memphis soul, Stanley Booth coughs up this terrible take: "Elvis Presley in his earliest recordings combined the music of the country whites with rhythm and blues, and therefore probably deserves to be remembered as the first modern soul singer." I haven't stopped shaking my head since I read that.
-It seems like nearly everyone wrote for The Village Voice back in the day, a shame it's not around anymore.
-I would've liked more than just two hip-hop-related pieces, but those two were strong; Greg Tate comments positively on the arrogance of Kanye and 50 Cent, and Kelefa Sanneh counters the idea that hip-hop deserves respect only because it is akin to poetry.
-Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Elvis take up a lot of pages, maybe too many.
supereric's review
2.0
It’s hard to find nuggets of gold in collections of rock criticism. But still I try. This book is really only for true fans of the genre who also have a library card.
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