Rock 'n' Roll London


Book Description

London's rock 'n' roll history is in many ways the world's rock 'n' roll history. It has given birth to some of the most influential rock bands ever -- The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Elton John, The Sex Pistols -- and many popular movements -- psychedelia, mod, punk, ska, and Brit-pop. This meticulously researched and entertaining guide explores London's long and occasionally sordid rock history from the 1950s to the present day, providing the casual traveler with a neighborhood-by-neighborhood look at the venues, clubs, pubs, people, studios, stores, and events that rocked the world. Where was David Bowie brought up? Where did the Beatles play their last gig? Where did Keith Moon spend his last night? Each chapter/neighborhood is accompanied by locator maps and detailed street directions, and is filled to the brim with stunning photographs, ephemera, and rock trivia.




Rock 'n' Roll Unravelled


Book Description




London, Reign Over Me


Book Description

It all started in London. More than fifty years ago, a generation of teens created something that would change the face of music forever. London, Reign Over Me immerses us in the backroom clubs, basement record shops, and late-night faint radio signals of 1960s Britain, where young hopefuls like Peter Frampton, Dave Davies, and Mick Jagger built off American blues and jazz to form a whole new sound. Author Stephen Tow weaves together original interviews with over ninety musicians and movers-and-shakers of the time to uncover the uniquely British story of classic rock’s birth. Capturing the stark contrast of bursting artistic energy with the blitzkrieg landscape leftover from World War II, London, Reign Over Me reveals why classic rock ‘n’ roll could only have been born in London. A new sound from a new generation, this music helped spark the most important cultural transformation of the twentieth century. Key interviews include: •Jon Anderson (Yes) •Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) •Rod Argent (The Zombies) •Chris Barber (Chris Barber Jazz Band) •Joe Boyd (Producer/manager) •Arthur Brown (Crazy World of Arthur Brown) •David Cousins (The Strawbs) •Dave Davies (The Kinks) •Spencer Davis (Spencer Davis Group) •Judy Dyble (Fairport Convention) •Ramblin’ Jack Elliott (Solo folk/blues artist) •Peter Frampton (Humble Pie, solo artist) •Roger Glover (Deep Purple) •Steve Howe (Yes) •Neil Innes (Bonzo Dog Band; Monty Python) •Kenney Jones (The Small Faces; The Who) •Greg Lake (King Crimson; Emerson, Lake & Palmer) •Manfred Mann (Manfred Mann) •Terry Marshall (Marshall Amplification) •Dave Mason (Traffic) •Phil May (The Pretty Things) •John Mayall (The Bluesbreakers) •Jim McCarty (The Yardbirds) •Ian McLagan (The Small Faces) •Jacqui McShee (The Pentangle) •Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits) •Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster; Emerson, Lake & Palmer) •Jan Roberts (Eel Pie Island Documentary Project) •Paul Rodgers (Free) •Peggy Seeger (Solo folk artist) •Hylda Sims (Club owner) •Keith Skues (DJ: Radio Caroline, Radio London, Radio One) •Jeremy Spencer (Fleetwood Mac) •John Steel (The Animals) •Al Stewart (Solo folk artist) •Dick Taylor (The Pretty Things) •Ray Thomas (The Moody Blues) •Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention) •Rick Wakeman (The Strawbs, Yes) •Barrie Wentzell (Photographer: Melody Maker)




The History of Canadian Rock 'n' Roll


Book Description

Rock and roll was born in the United States during the 1950s. Its popularity rapidly grew, spreading across the Atlantic to England. The Brits transformed rock, bringing it back to the States in a new form with the British Invasion. Since that time, the two countries have dominated headlines and histories, in terms of rock music. What's often forgotten in these histories is the evolution of Canadian rock and roll during the same period. Over the years, a huge contingent of Canadian artists has made invaluable contributions to rock and roll. The list of innovative Canadian artists is quite impressive: Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Paul Anka, Arcade Fire, The Band, Bryan Adams, Rush, Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion, Diana Krall, Gordon Lightfoot, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Tegan and Sara, Feist, Nickelback, and many others, not to mention the all-star producers, such as Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel), Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi), Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss), and David Foster (Michael Jackson, Celine Dion). The history of Canadian rock and roll is a lively, entertaining, and largely untold tale. Bob Mersereau presents a streamlined, informative trip through the country's rich history and depth of talent, from the 1950s to today, covering such topics as: Toronto's club scene, the folk rock and psychedelic rock of the 1960s, Canadian artists who hit major stardom in the United States, the challenges and reform of the Canadian broadcasting system, the huge hits of the 1970s, Canadian artists' presence all over the pop charts in the 1990s, and Canada's indie-rock renaissance of the 2000s.




The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2


Book Description

From rock and roll historian Ed Ward comes a comprehensive, authoritative, and enthralling cultural history of one of rock's most exciting eras. It's February 1964 and The Beatles just landed in New York City, where the NYPD, swarms of fans, and a crowd of two hundred journalists await their first American press conference. It begins with the question on everyone's mind: "Are you going to get a haircut in America?" and ends with a reporter tugging Paul McCartney's hair in an attempt to remove his nonexistent wig. This is where The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2 kicks off. Chronicling the years 1964 through the mid-1970s, this latest volume covers one of the most exciting eras of rock history, which saw a massive outpouring of popular and cutting-edge music. Ward weaves together an unputdownable narrative told through colorful anecdotes and shares the behind-the-scenes stories of the megastars, the trailblazers, DJs, record executives, concert promoters, and producers who were at the forefront of this incredible period in music history. From Bob Dylan to Bill Graham, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Byrds, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, and more, everyone's favorite musicians of the era make an appearance in this sweeping history that reveals how the different players, sounds, and trends came together to create the music we all know and love today.




The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 1


Book Description

An Epic Journey through the Golden Era of Rock & Roll Embark on a thrilling musical voyage with The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 1. The book traces the evolution of rock and roll from its humble origins in the 1920s, culminating in the seismic shift ushered in by the Beatles in the 1960s. This rollercoaster ride through the decades invites you to tap your feet to the music of vaudeville and minstrel acts, rhythm and blues, and the unmistakable sounds that defined post-World War II America. Our guide through this iconic era is none other than celebrated writer Ed Ward. With his definitive narrative style enriched by a profound knowledge of music, Ward spotlights lesser-known heroes and big-name legends alike. Uncover the fascinating stories of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Ray Charles. Delve into the unsung tales of pioneers such as the Burnette brothers, the “5” Royales, and Marion Keisker. For all music lovers and rock & roll fans, Ward spins story after story of some of the most unforgettable and groundbreaking moments in rock history, introducing us to the musicians, DJs, record executives, and producers who were at the forefront of the genre and had a hand in creating the music we all know and love today.




Lonnie Donegan and the Birth of British Rock & Roll


Book Description

When Lonnie Donegan first burst onto the scene early in 1956, his energetic brand of skiffle galvanised a generation and transformed the face of music. Before Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, there was Lonnie, guitar in hand, ready to kick-start the British pop and rock scene. From the traditional jazz bands of his early career to the blues and folk songs that secured his popularity, the sound of Lonnie Donegan was immediate and infectious, a long-awaited call to arms for those coming of age after the dark days of the Second World War. During a successful seven-year run, Lonnie racked up twenty-six Top 20 singles, became the first British act to have an LP enter the charts, the first to have a hit EP and the first ever to have a single enter the charts at no. 1. Here was a talent to emulate - and the youth of the 1950s did just that. Including exclusive interviews with music royalty, from Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Mark Knopfler to Brian May, Bill Wyman and the late John Peel, as well as Lonnie's first wife and daughter, Patrick Humphries reveals the extraordinary story of the skiffle king and godfather of British rock & roll.




All Shook Up


Book Description

The birth of rock 'n roll ignited a firestorm of controversy--one critic called it "musical riots put to a switchblade beat"--but if it generated much sound and fury, what, if anything, did it signify? As Glenn Altschuler reveals in All Shook Up, the rise of rock 'n roll--and the outraged reception to it--in fact can tell us a lot about the values of the United States in the 1950s, a decade that saw a great struggle for the control of popular culture. Altschuler shows, in particular, how rock's "switchblade beat" opened up wide fissures in American society along the fault-lines of family, sexuality, and race. For instance, the birth of rock coincided with the Civil Rights movement and brought "race music" into many white homes for the first time. Elvis freely credited blacks with originating the music he sang and some of the great early rockers were African American, most notably, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. In addition, rock celebrated romance and sex, rattled the reticent by pushing sexuality into the public arena, and mocked deferred gratification and the obsession with work of men in gray flannel suits. And it delighted in the separate world of the teenager and deepened the divide between the generations, helping teenagers differentiate themselves from others. Altschuler includes vivid biographical sketches of the great rock 'n rollers, including Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly--plus their white-bread doppelgangers such as Pat Boone. Rock 'n roll seemed to be everywhere during the decade, exhilarating, influential, and an outrage to those Americans intent on wishing away all forms of dissent and conflict. As vibrant as the music itself, All Shook Up reveals how rock 'n roll challenged and changed American culture and laid the foundation for the social upheaval of the sixties.




History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs


Book Description

The legendary critic and author of Mystery Train “ingeniously retells the tale of rock and roll” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Unlike previous versions of rock ’n’ roll history, this book omits almost every iconic performer and ignores the storied events and turning points everyone knows. Instead, in a daring stroke, Greil Marcus selects ten songs and dramatizes how each embodies rock ’n’ roll as a thing in itself, in the story it tells, inhabits, and acts out—a new language, something new under the sun. “Transmission” by Joy Division. “All I Could Do Was Cry” by Etta James and then Beyoncé. “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” first by the Teddy Bears and almost half a century later by Amy Winehouse. In Marcus’s hands these and other songs tell the story of the music, which is, at bottom, the story of the desire for freedom in all its unruly and liberating glory. Slipping the constraints of chronology, Marcus braids together past and present, holding up to the light the ways that these striking songs fall through time and circumstance, gaining momentum and meaning, astonishing us by upending our presumptions and prejudices. This book, by a founder of contemporary rock criticism—and its most gifted and incisive practitioner—is destined to become an enduring classic. “One of the epic figures in rock writing.”—The New York Times Book Review “Marcus is our greatest cultural critic, not only because of what he says but also, as with rock-and-roll itself, how he says it.”—The Washington Post Winner of the Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award in Music Criticism, given by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers




Roots, Radicals and Rockers


Book Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PENDERYN MUSIC BOOK PRIZERoots, Radicals & Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World is the first book to explore this phenomenon in depth - a meticulously researched and joyous account that explains how skiffle sparked a revolution that shaped pop music as we have come to know it. It's a story of jazz pilgrims and blues blowers, Teddy Boys and beatnik girls, coffee-bar bohemians and refugees from the McCarthyite witch-hunts. Billy traces how the guitar came to the forefront of music in the UK and led directly to the British Invasion of the US charts in the 1960s.Emerging from the trad-jazz clubs of the early '50s, skiffle was adopted by kids who growing up during the dreary, post-war rationing years. These were Britain's first teenagers, looking for a music of their own in a pop culture dominated by crooners and mediated by a stuffy BBC. Lonnie Donegan hit the charts in 1956 with a version of 'Rock Island Line' and soon sales of guitars rocketed from 5,000 to 250,000 a year. Like punk rock that would flourish two decades later, skiffle was a do-it-yourself music. All you needed were three guitar chords and you could form a group, with mates playing tea-chest bass and washboard as a rhythm section.