In 1958, Danny and the Juniors sang 'Rock and Roll is Here to Stay,' and so far, they're right. In 'Turning Points in Rock and Roll,' Hank Bordowitz celebrates this cultural phenomenon. He presents an intriguing selection of notable Rock events, though he readily admits that people could make good arguments for the importance of others choices. In the book's introduction, Bordowitz even comes up with a list of possible alternatives or additions himself.
Bordowitz divides the book into twenty chapters, each focusing on one of the chosen turning points. Although the author subtitles this work 'Key Events That Affected Popular Music in the Latter Half of the 20th Century,' he starts off with Thomas Edison's invention of the phonograph, which goes back to 1877. His next two chapters also cover events from a time period somewhat earlier than the advent of Rock & Roll itself-Robert Johnson's seminal blues recordings in 1936 and 1937, and Les Paul's invention of the solid body electric guitar, circa 1946. Amazingly, almost sixty years later, Les Paul still plays a weekly gig at the Iridium in New York City.
This smoothly written book mixes music, social change, business and technology as it proceeds chronologically, reviewing such happenings as Elvis Presley's and Chuck Berry's early recordings; Dick Clark's American Bandstand; Beatlemania; the Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Altamont music festivals; the Live Aid concert; and the growth of MP3s and Napster. Bordowitz wisely stops in 1995, as we probably don't know which more recent events will still seem important in years to come. It is notable that 'Rolling Stone' magazine, celebrating fifty years of Rock & Roll, earlier this year devoted most of one issue to its own selection of major events in Rock history. Can it be that a music so identified with youth culture is entering its old age?
In many of the chapters, Bordowitz uses particular events as jumping off points for discussions of broader subjects. This has its pros and cons. As a proud owner of some vintage issues of 'Crawdaddy' magazine for instance, I was overjoyed to see the title of chapter thirteen listed as 'Paul Williams Launches 'Crawdaddy' Magazine.' I can still remember reading a massive article in that magazine, published in sections over the course of three issues, about the Beach Boys' resident genius Brian Wilson. I was hoping Bordowitz would do an in depth reminiscence about this wonderful publication, but I was somewhat disappointed when he used the chapter to discuss rock journalism in general, writing at length about such other magazines as 'Rolling Stone' and 'Creem.' On the plus side, by setting his turning points in broader contexts, Bordowitz has virtually written a history of Rock & Roll.
Helpfully, the author includes a lengthy list of books, articles, and websites for those who want further reading. One small problem- the book's index leaves much to be desired. Before I started reading, I checked the index for some favorite groups such as the Mamas and the Papas and the Byrds, but neither was listed. While going through the book, however, I saw references to both groups. Some further spot checking also indicated that certain mentions in the text of the Beach Boys and the Who were not noted in the index. I have a strong suspicion that this is also true for other performers. But this is a quibble. In sum, this book is an informative stroll down the road of Rock history that fans will find entertaining.
William Keogan
Turning Points in Rock and Roll
In 1958, Danny and the Juniors sang 'Rock and Roll is Here to Stay,' and so far, they're right. In 'Turning Points in Rock and Roll,' Hank Bordowitz celebrates this cultural phenomenon. He presents an intriguing selection of notable Rock events, though he readily admits that people could make good arguments for the importance of others choices. In the book's introduction, Bordowitz even comes up with a list of possible alternatives or additions himself.
Bordowitz divides the book into twenty chapters, each focusing on one of the chosen turning points. Although the author subtitles this work 'Key Events That Affected Popular Music in the Latter Half of the 20th Century,' he starts off with Thomas Edison's invention of the phonograph, which goes back to 1877. His next two chapters also cover events from a time period somewhat earlier than the advent of Rock & Roll itself-Robert Johnson's seminal blues recordings in 1936 and 1937, and Les Paul's invention of the solid body electric guitar, circa 1946. Amazingly, almost sixty years later, Les Paul still plays a weekly gig at the Iridium in New York City.
This smoothly written book mixes music, social change, business and technology as it proceeds chronologically, reviewing such happenings as Elvis Presley's and Chuck Berry's early recordings; Dick Clark's American Bandstand; Beatlemania; the Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Altamont music festivals; the Live Aid concert; and the growth of MP3s and Napster. Bordowitz wisely stops in 1995, as we probably don't know which more recent events will still seem important in years to come. It is notable that 'Rolling Stone' magazine, celebrating fifty years of Rock & Roll, earlier this year devoted most of one issue to its own selection of major events in Rock history. Can it be that a music so identified with youth culture is entering its old age?
In many of the chapters, Bordowitz uses particular events as jumping off points for discussions of broader subjects. This has its pros and cons. As a proud owner of some vintage issues of 'Crawdaddy' magazine for instance, I was overjoyed to see the title of chapter thirteen listed as 'Paul Williams Launches 'Crawdaddy' Magazine.' I can still remember reading a massive article in that magazine, published in sections over the course of three issues, about the Beach Boys' resident genius Brian Wilson. I was hoping Bordowitz would do an in depth reminiscence about this wonderful publication, but I was somewhat disappointed when he used the chapter to discuss rock journalism in general, writing at length about such other magazines as 'Rolling Stone' and 'Creem.' On the plus side, by setting his turning points in broader contexts, Bordowitz has virtually written a history of Rock & Roll.
Helpfully, the author includes a lengthy list of books, articles, and websites for those who want further reading. One small problem- the book's index leaves much to be desired. Before I started reading, I checked the index for some favorite groups such as the Mamas and the Papas and the Byrds, but neither was listed. While going through the book, however, I saw references to both groups. Some further spot checking also indicated that certain mentions in the text of the Beach Boys and the Who were not noted in the index. I have a strong suspicion that this is also true for other performers. But this is a quibble. In sum, this book is an informative stroll down the road of Rock history that fans will find entertaining.
