The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates

By David Brackett

Book Overview

Tracing the diverse streams of American popular music from the 1920s to the present, The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates addresses such questions as: How did the musicians who made the music explain it? Who listened to popular music and why? What was the major impression made by it on society at large? Why do some types of popular music still matter today?
In this richly textured and chronologically organized anthology, well-known scholar David Brackett brings together more than 100 readings from a diverse range of sources and by writers who have played an integral part in the development of popular music criticism. He includes articles from mainstream and specialized magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers, as well as interviews and autobiographies of musicians and other music industry insiders. Representing a wide variety of time periods, styles, and genres--and including groundbreaking criticism on disco, hip-hop, rap, and techno--the selections introduce students to important social and cultural issues raised by the study of popular music. Topics covered include the role of race, class conflict, gender roles, regional differences in the reception of popular music, and the relative value of artistry versus commerce. Extensive editorial introductions and headnotes supply context for the selections, provide links between different eras and genres, clarify the issues raised by the documents, and explain their historical significance. An ideal text for courses in popular music history, The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates will also be of interest in courses on American music, American studies, media studies, history, and sociology.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195125711
• ISBN13: 9780195125719
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 1.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.4" x 1.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Great Shape

Book in great shape, but never received a "shipped" confirmation and could not follow the delivery time.

Hard to Beat

This book does a shockingly good job of covering the whole 20th century in music. If there's one gap that could be filled, I wish the author had added more of himself. Choosing to view his task as being more of an editor than an author, he provides a minimum of connective material, just enough to tie things together. Tell us more, David!

Pop, Rock and Soul Reader

This book arrived on time and was in good condition. It was cheap to get which is a blessing for a college student.

A nice round-up of articles on rock history

I'm using this book for a Social History of Rock and Roll class, and it's an incredibly easy read without being dumb. The subject matter is complex, but it's done in a way that's presented with a good setup to give you the proper background and context for each article and why it's important. We're skipping around for the class, but I'll be putting this book on my nightstand/in my house for quick 10-min reads. Superb collection.