Understanding Rock Music: Essays in Musical Analysis

Rating:
Summary: Finally--a book that takes rock music seriously as music!!
Review: This is a great book for anyone who has always suspected that there is more to rock music than just 3 chords, tough-guy posturing, and stories of wild lifestyles. As a working musician for over 20 years, I've seen first-hand how much skill goes into making even the simplest-sounding records. I especially liked the chapters on Yes and the Beach Boys. Let's have more of this kind of writing!!

Rating:
Summary: Misleading Title, Too Academic for Rock and Roll
Review: Unfortunately, many so-called "rock journalists" are nothing more than sociology majors who let their devotion to an artists or group cloud their vision of unbiased criticism. In this case, we get a bit of that from the contributing writers as well as a bias toward progressive "rock," which is in most cases nothing more than classical music composer wannabees who don't want to miss out on the fabled rock lifestyle. Perhaps "Understanding Irrevalent Prog Rock" would have been a better title. And why would anyone analyze a four-minute song in 20 pages? Does any true rock song need more than a couple of paragraphs? This ain't Mahler, y'know!