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

By David Brackett

Book Overview

The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates, Second Edition, traces the evolution of diverse streams of American popular music from the 1920s to the present. In this richly textured anthology, well-known scholar David Brackett brings together more than 100 readings from a wide range of sources and by writers who have played an integral part in the development of popular music criticism. Brackett includes articles from mainstream and specialized magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals, as well as interviews and autobiographies of musicians and other music industry insiders. Organized into broad time periods, the chapters are divided into sections by genre, and these sections are organized chronologically. The chapter divisions parallel those found most frequently in textbooks on popular music.
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. The second edition of this captivating anthology features eleven new source readings and introductions, further reading and discography selections for each chapter, and a companion website containing student and instructor resources.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195365933
• ISBN13: 9780195365931
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
• Length: 574 Pages
• Weight: 1.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.0" x 1.4" x 9.2"

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.