- Paperback: 540 pages
- Publisher: Souvenir Press Ltd; 3rd Revised edition edition (14 Nov 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0285633430
- ISBN-13: 978-0285633438
- Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 13.8 x 4.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 798,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Sound of the City: Rise of Rock and Roll
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More About the Author
Product Description
The Guardian
Has never been bettered as the definitive history of rock.
Jon Landau, Rolling Stone
The one essential work about the history of rock 'n' roll...provocative enough to send the reader back to the turntable again and again.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
In tracing the history of rock and roll, it is useful to distinguish rock 'n' roll-the particular kind of music to which the term was first applied-both from rock and roll-the music that has been classified as such since rock 'n' roll petered out around 1958-and from rock, which describes post-1964 derivations of rock 'n' roll. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In tracing the history of rock and roll, it is useful to distinguish rock 'n' roll-the particular kind of music to which the term was first applied-both from rock and roll-the music that has been classified as such since rock 'n' roll petered out around 1958-and from rock, which describes post-1964 derivations of rock 'n' roll. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb book written by a major rock authority,
By Mr. T. L. Williams "Fuzzfox" (Pembury, Kent, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Sound of the City: Rise of Rock and Roll (Paperback)
A bit prejudiced in places where rock purity is threatened, but Charlie was one of the greatest UK authorities on the genre and a real music fan. A faultless and well written book in all respects. Learned a lot and I sometimes think I know it all!
2 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A essential book for those who want to dig the rock history,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll (Paperback)
same as above
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews) 19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book on Rock 'n' Roll ever written,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll (Paperback)
As rock 'n' roll recedes into the past, what actually was rock 'n roll becomes less and less clear. The Sound of the City, first written some thirty years ago, remains the best book on the subject. Period. I know. I was there listening to it all as it unfolded.Gillett weaves the various forms together -- vocal group, jump blues, southern pop gospel, urban big band blues, rockabilly -- and constructs a means to understand it as a musical movement. An important strength is the emphasis on location and record label, something few younger critics understand today. We called it all rock 'n' roll then, although as Gillett relates, it all turned into blues for teenagers. The Sound of the City remains the best overall description of the music of the 1946-1964 era. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST I HAVE READ ON THIS SUBJECT BY FAR,
By D. Blankenship - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll (Paperback)
This work is comprehensive, well researched and just as importantly, well written. Not only is the music addressed, but the problems this music encountered in the early years, something that is now often forgotten, is throughly examined. The social impact of this music, one of the most important aspects in my way of feeling, is examined in great detail. Of less personal interest to me was the business end, but that is just me, but I feel that many would find this fascinating as well as the rest. This work goes along way in helping understand R&R, our society in general and our culture in particular. I found this to be a well organized, easy read and one that I do recommend for your library.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A music wonk's history of rock `n' roll,
By hyperbolium - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll (Paperback)
Gillett's treatise on the roots and growth of rock and roll has been lauded by the New York Times, Melody Maker, Rolling Stone and many more. To be blunt: I do not understand their enthusiasm. I've tried reading this book a half-dozen times, and have never made it all the way through. Gillett is obviously well-versed in the subject and has invested considerable research into his work, but the output is a record collector-y music wonk's view of the history of rock `n' roll. Gillett's writing is dry and uninvolving, and even his most opinionated passages resound as inarguable pronouncements of an academic rather than debate-inspiring ideas of a passionate fan. His focus on records and record companies fails to animate the human subjects (artists, writers, producers, promoters) at the core of this story, draining a good deal of color from the music's history. The supplementary lists of "records that moved rock `n' roll another inch or two forward" is very useful, as are the scene- and genre-centric lists of recommended records. There is plenty of meat here, but it's surprisingly unseasoned. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]
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