- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd; New edition edition (5 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0099409925
- ISBN-13: 978-0099409922
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,826,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
From its beginnings in the 1940s, rock music has grown into the distinctive music of the latter half of the 20th century. Today, it is an integral part of the entertainment industry. This book explores the history of the genre from Elvis to Sid Vicious.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Almost Grown is an exciting and fascinating chronicle into perhaps the ultimate defining cultural force in the twentieth century. From the very beginning, a record called 'Good Rockin' Tonight' by Wynonie Harris in 1947, to the Sex Pistols and the death of Elvis in 1977, Miller charts the path of the major players in the growth of rock and roll music.
Structured as a series of short chapters, each section reveals the forces behind the flow of rock and roll culture. From mini-biogs of the obvious - Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Stones to the not so obvious - Robert Johnson, Ricky Nelson, Frankie Lymon- Miller provides a blow-by blow account of rock's explosive growth.
Having cut his teeth as a reviewer on Rolling Stone and now working as a political and cultural historian, Miller writes enthusiastically and places all his information within the greater framework of post-war society. Rock is explored as both the cause and the consequence of new social phenomenon such as the new teenage culture of the 1950s, the rise of LSD in the 1960s and punk in the 1970s. Miller takes care to build background information, including mentions of the invention of the Fender guitar, influential radio and tv shows and concerts such as the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
Given the scope of the book, Miller succeeds in correctly balancing between weight and brevity by steering clear of self-indulgence. The writing is both fresh and cliché-free and breathes new life into tired subjects - his treatment of the death of Jim Morrison is startlingly affecting.
Arguably many artists are omitted, although the author does take care to justify this by stating his clear intentions of including only the people who symbolised the "cultural essence" of rock. Also, the severe cut-off point of 1977 does seem a bit harsh considering the role of Prince and U2 and the advent of 'stadium rock' in the early 1980s, but perhaps by this stage rock had stopped being dynamically new, becoming instead off-shoots of an established genre.
At best, Miller gives a startling insight into how quickly music and musicians became inextricably linked to popular culture. Undoubtedly, you will be left reaching deep into your pocket for a trip down to HMV.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Miller gives background on the Blues, Jazz and Country styles that fused into Rock'n'Roll. But he wisely moves swiftly to the 1950'S when Bill Haley, Little Richard, Fats Domino and Elvis Presley came to the fore. He presents some wonderful anecdotes involving not just the most influential musicians but also the key music industry players. Setting his book at all times in a social context, Miller's analysis of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and drug culture is fascinating and makes it hard to put the book down. The book more-or-less winds up with punk and new wave, and includes an hilarious account of a notorious Sex Pistols tv debacle. I was surprised that The Who and Led Zeppelin didn't feature more prominently in this book, and I don't think Miller puts sufficient emphasis on the disaffection felt by young people in the UK due its economic decline in the 1970's. But this book is a gem.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Exposing rock's managed, amateur soul
15 Jun 2007
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent book. Miller takes us to the behind the rock scenes where the real decisionmakers managed and provided our 'authentic' experience. Much of what we want from rock is pretty simple, just rhythm to dance to and some dreams to escape into. But rock's managers hyped it into so much 'more' than that. It's good and refreshing to read something that brings down the overblown edifice that rock is in many minds.
A key scene in the book is when a be-feathered 'hippie' Jimi Hendrix runs into a record exec who'd known him a couple years earlier as a 'normal' rhythm-n-blues guy. Jimi sheepishly explains, "It's for the show."
Miller probably should've given punk some recognition that it was intended as a rejection of the indulgent, decorated, overly pretentious rock of the early 70s and late 60s. Yeah, maybe a short chapter on the Ramones woulda been nice. But I can see the point that they never had a big impact, never had the numbers.
And as for criticism of Miller for stopping at the end of the 70s: I think that is perfect, since the rock 'culture' had really ended, split forever into multiple subcultures. In fact, the split had occurred in the early 70s, but Miller rightly marches on for the sake of several 'great hopes', the next Beatles, who never panned out.
A key scene in the book is when a be-feathered 'hippie' Jimi Hendrix runs into a record exec who'd known him a couple years earlier as a 'normal' rhythm-n-blues guy. Jimi sheepishly explains, "It's for the show."
Miller probably should've given punk some recognition that it was intended as a rejection of the indulgent, decorated, overly pretentious rock of the early 70s and late 60s. Yeah, maybe a short chapter on the Ramones woulda been nice. But I can see the point that they never had a big impact, never had the numbers.
And as for criticism of Miller for stopping at the end of the 70s: I think that is perfect, since the rock 'culture' had really ended, split forever into multiple subcultures. In fact, the split had occurred in the early 70s, but Miller rightly marches on for the sake of several 'great hopes', the next Beatles, who never panned out.
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