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Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but...
Review: Bromell was there.So was I. But Bromell goes wild analyzing the spaces between words in Beatles or Dylan songs. While the spirit of the 60s is amenable to me and I agree that rock was an integral part of the times (and quite meaningful - quite "lived" as Bromell would say), it can be overdone. Nevertheless, it's an interesting read and at times Bromell's analyses of songs are more interesting than how I experienced the songs back when they were released (I think his PhD helped him look back with a keener eye than I'll ever have).
Rating: 
Summary: Postmodernism Prevails
Review: I came across this book in the bookstore of the Student Union at my university, and I'm so glad I did. I have devoted a lot of time to the study of the music of the '60s, and I've learned a lot of facts of the times. However, I've always been lacking in the etiquette of that decade (i was born in 1980 about 7 months before Lennon was assassinated). Well, I have to say that this book has changed some of that. It gives such a rich feeling of what it was like to be a teenager in the 1960s in middle class white America. But the best factor about this book is that it lacks nostalgia--it isn't a happy-dappy weren't-the-old-days-grand portrait. What you get is a *feeling* of what it was like (as well as a lot of good and original analysis of the music of the Beatles, Dylan, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Band, and more). Now when I hear Dylan wailing, "How does it feeeel?" I can give a much better answer than I ever could have before reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The bindings that tie.
Review: Just like to add that this book is also a joy to look at. Beautifully produced example of the book binders' art. Check out the multi-coloured threads holding the pages together, someone put a great deal of thought into the production values here. Congratulations!
Rating: 
Summary: Dull regurgitations and sterile ruminations
Review: This book is the equivalent of an overly long and wannabe-contemplative VH1 "documentary." With the acknowledgment of how hard it is to capture the essence of the 60s' music and its society, this book then goes on to underwhelmingly live up to that observation. With self-important theorizing on the meaning of this-and-that, and hackneyed philosophizing on the significance of some banal lyrics or events, this book attempts to pass off various cliches as meaningful metaphors for other cliches. Nothing much is really said, nothing interesting is really brought out by his observations, and his attempts at capturing meaning leave one with the sense of "So What?". This book is another in a tired line of works on the sixties based on repititious mythologies and platitudes. It's useful if you are looking for some form of validation; however, one would be better off sticking to VH1.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but...
Review: This book is the equivalent of an overly long and wannabe-contemplative VH1 "documentary." With the acknowledgment of how hard it is to capture the essence of the 60s' music and its society, this book then goes on to underwhelmingly live up to that observation. With self-important theorizing on the meaning of this-and-that, and hackneyed philosophizing on the significance of some banal lyrics or events, this book attempts to pass off various cliches as meaningful metaphors for other cliches. Nothing much is really said, nothing interesting is really brought out by his observations, and his attempts at capturing meaning leave one with the sense of "So What?". This book is another in a tired line of works on the sixties based on repititious mythologies and platitudes. It's useful if you are looking for some form of validation; however, one would be better off sticking to VH1.
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