The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader Histories and Debates

by Brackett, David

• ISBN13: 9780195125719
• ISBN10: 0195125711
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-11-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Tracing the diverse streams of American popular music from the 1920s to the present, The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates addresses such questions as: How did the musicians who made the music explain it? Who listened to popular music and why? What was the major impression madeby it on society at large? Why do some types of popular music still matter today? In this richly textured and chronologically organized anthology, well-known scholar David Brackett brings together more than 100 readings from a diverse range of sources and by writers who have played an integral part in the development of popular music criticism. He includes articles frommainstream and specialized magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers, as well as interviews and autobiographies of musicians and other music industry insiders. Representing a wide variety of time periods, styles, and genres--and including groundbreaking criticism on disco, hip-hop, rap, andtechno--the selections introduce students to important social and cultural issues raised by the study of popular music. Topics covered include the role of race, class conflict, gender roles, regional differences in the reception of popular music, and the relative value of artistry versus commerce.Extensive editorial introductions and headnotes supply context for the selections, provide links between different eras and genres, clarify the issues raised by the documents, and explain their historical significance. An ideal text for courses in popular music history, The Pop, Rock, and SoulReader: Histories and Debates will also be of interest in courses on American music, American studies, media studies, history, and sociology.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
PART 1 BEFORE 1950
1. Technology, the Dawn of Modern Popular Music, and the "King of Jazz"	1	(4)
Paul Whiteman and Mary Margaret McBride,
"On Wax"	2	(3)
2. Big Band Swing Music: Race and Power in the Music Business	5	(6)
Marvin Freedman,
"Black Music's on Top; White Jazz Stagnant"	6	(2)
Irving Kolodin,
"The Dance Band Business: A Study in Black and White"	8	(3)
3. Solo Pop Singers and "Der Bingle"	11	(2)
Bing Crosby (as told to Pete Martin),
from Call Me Lucky	12	(1)
4. Hillbilly and Race Music	13	(4)
Kyle Crichton,
"Thar's Gold in Them Hillbillies"	13	(4)
5. Blues People and the Classic Blues	17	(8)
Leroi Jones,
from Blues People: The Negro Experience in White America and the Music That Developed from It	18	(7)
6. The Empress of the Blues	25	(4)
Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff
from Hear Me Talkin' to Ya: The Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It	26	(3)
7. At the Crossroads with Robert Johnson, as Told by Johnny Shines	29	(4)
Pete Welding,
"Interview with Johnny Shines"	31	(2)
8. From Race Music to Rhythm and Blues: T-Bone Walker	33	(3)
Kevin Sheridan and Peter Sheridan,
"T-Bone Walker: Father of the Blues"	34	(2)
9. Jumpin' the Blues with Louis Jordan	36	(5)
Down Beat,
"Bands Dug by the Beat: Louis Jordan"	37	(1)
Arnold Shaw,
from Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues	38	(3)
10. On the Bandstand with Johnny Otis and Wynonie Harris	41	(3)
Johnny Otis,
from Upside Your Head! Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue	41	(2)
Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris,
"Women Won't Let Me Alone"	43	(1)
11. The Producers Answer Back: The Emergence of the "Indie" Record Company	44	(5)
Bill Simon,
"Indies' Surprise Survival: Small Labels' Ingenuity and Skill Pay Off"	45	(2)
Arnold Shaw,
from Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues	47	(2)
12. Country Music as Folk Music, Country Music as Novelty	49	(6)
Billboard,
"American Folk Tunes: Cowboy and Hillbilly Tunes and Tunesters"	51	(1)
Newsweek,
"Corn of Plenty"	52	(3)
PART 2 THE 1950's
13. Country Music Approaches the Mainstream	55	(2)
Rufus Jarman,
"Country Music Goes to Town"	55	(2)
14. Hank Williams on Songwriting	57	(1)
Hank Williams (with Jimmy Rule),
from How to Write Folk and Western Music to Sell	58	(1)
15. Rhythm and Blues in the Early 1950's: B.B. King	58	(3)
Arnold Shaw,
from Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues	59	(2)
16. "The House That Ruth Brown Built"	61	(4)
Ruth Brown (with Andrew Yule),
from Miss Rhythm: The Autobiography of Ruth Brown, Rhythm and Blues Legend	62	(3)
17. Ray Charles, or, When Saturday Night Mixed It Up with Sunday Morning	65	(7)
Ray Charles and David Ritz,
from Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story	66	(6)
18. Jerry Wexler: A Life in R&B	72	(4)
Jerry Wexler and David Ritz,
from Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music	72	(4)
19. The Growing Threat of Rhythm and Blues	76	(4)
Variety,
"Top Names Now Singing the Blues as Newcomers Roll on R&B Tide"	77	(2)
Variety,
"A Warning to the Music Business"	79	(1)
20. Langston Hughes Responds	80	(2)
Langston Hughes,
"Highway Robbery Across the Color Line in Rhythm and Blues"	81	(1)
21. From Rhythm and Blues to Rock 'n' Roll: The Songs of Chuck Berry	82	(6)
Chuck Berry,
from Chuck Berry: The Autobiography	83	(5)
22. Little Richard: Boldly Going Where No Man Had Gone Before	88	(6)
Charles White,
from The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Quasar of Rock	89	(5)
23. Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips, and Rockabilly	94	(6)
Elizabeth Kaye,
"Sam Phillips Interview"	96	(4)
24. Rock 'n' Roll Meets the Popular Press	100	(2)
New York Times,
"Rock-and-Roll Called Communicable Disease"	101	(1)
Times,
"Yeh-Heh-Heh-Hes, Baby"	101	(1)
New York Times,
"Rock 'n' Roll's Pulse Taken"	102	(1)
Gertrude Samuels,
"Why They Rock 'n' Roll-and Should They?"	102	(1)
25. The Chicago Defender Defends Rock 'n' Roll	102	(2)
Rob Roy,
"Bias Against 'Rock 'n' Roll' Latest Bombshell in Dixie"	103	(1)
26. The Music Industry Fight Against Rock 'n' Roll: Dick Clark's Teen-Pop Empire and the Payola Scandal	104	(6)
Peter Bunzel,
"Music Biz Goes Round and Round: It Comes Out Clarkola"	106	(3)
New York Age,
"Mr. Clark and Colored Payola"	109	(1)
PART 3 THE 1960's
27. Brill Building, the Girl Groups, and Phil Spector	110	(8)
Tom Wolfe,
"The First Tycoon of Teen"	111	(7)
28. From Surf to Smile	118	(5)
Brian Wilson (with Todd Gold),
from Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story	119	(4)
29. Urban Folk Revival	123	(5)
Gene Bluestein,
"Songs of the Silent Generation"	125	(2)
Time,
"Folk Music: They Hear America Singing"	127	(1)
30. Bringing It All Back Home: Dylan at Newport	128	(5)
Irwin Silber,
"Newport Folk Festival, 1965"	130	(1)
Paul Nelson,
"Newport Folk Festival, 1965"	131	(2)
31. "Chaos Is a Friend of Mine"	133	(7)
Nora Ephron and Susan Edmiston,
"Bob Dylan Interview"	135	(5)
32. From R&B to Soul	140	(4)
James Baldwin,
from The Fire Next Time	142	(1)
Jerry Wexler and David Ritz,
from Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music	143	(1)
33. No Town Like Motown	144	(6)
Berry Gordy,
from To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown	145	(5)
34. The Godfather of Soul and the Beginnings of Funk	150	(10)
James Brown (with Bruce Tucker),
from The Godfather of Soul	152	(8)
35. "The Blues Changes from Day to Day"	160	(4)
Jim Delehant,
"Otis Redding Interview"	161	(3)
36. Aretha Franklin Meets the Mainstream	164	(6)
Times,
"Lady Soul: Singing It Like It Is"	165	(5)
37. The Beatles, the "British Invasion," and Cultural Respectability	170	(4)
William Mann,
"What Songs the Beatles Sang..."	172	(1)
Theodore Strongin,
"Musicologically..."	173	(1)
38.A Hard Day's Night	174	(3)
Andrew Sarris,
"Bravo Beatles!"	174	(3)
39. England Swings, and the Beatles Evolve on Revolver and Sgt. Pepper	177	(5)
Richard Goldstein,
"Pop Eye: On 'Revolver'"	178	(3)
Jack Kroll,
"It's Getting Better..."	181	(1)
40. Art School and the British Blues Revival	182	(5)
Ray Coleman,
"Rebels with a Beat"	185	(2)
41. The Stones Versus the Beatles	187	(6)
Ellen Willis,
"Records: Rock, Etc.-the Big Ones"	189	(4)
42. If You're Goin' to San Francisco...	193	(5)
Ralph J. Gleason,
"Dead Like Live Thunder"	195	(2)
Ralph J. Gleason,
"Grace Slick, Vocals, Composer"	197	(1)
43. The Kozmic Blues of Janis Joplin	198	(5)
Nat Hentoff,
"We Look at Our Parents and..."	200	(3)
44. Santana's Psychedelic Salsa	203	(2)
Greg Tate,
"Call Me Abraxas: Santana"	203	(2)
45. Jimi Hendrix and the Electronic Guitar	205	(4)
Bob Dawbarn,
"Second Dimension: Jimi Hendrix in Action"	207	(2)
46. Rock Meets the Avant-Garde: Frank Zappa	209	(4)
Sally Kernpton,
"Zappa and the Mothers: Ugly Can Be Beautiful"	210	(3)
47. Pop Bubblegum Monkees	213	(3)
Robert Christgau,
from Any Old Way You Choose It: Rock and Other Pop Music, 1967-1973	214	(2)
48. The Aesthetics of Rock	216	(7)
Paul Williams,
"Get Off of My Cloud"	217	(1)
Richard Goldstein,
"Pop Eye: Evaluating Media"	218	(3)
Ellen Willis,
"Musical Events-Records: Rock, Etc."	221	(2)
49. Festivals: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly	223	(7)
J.R. Young,
"Review of Various Artists, Woodstock"	225	(2)
George Paul Csicsery,
"Altamont, California, December 6, 1969"	227	(3)
PART 4 THE 1970's
50. Where Did the Sixties Go?	230	(7)
Lester Bangs,
"Of Pop and Pies and Fun"	232	(5)
51. The Sound of Autobiography: Singer-Songwriters, James Taylor	237	(5)
Time,
"James Taylor: One Man's Family of Rock"	239	(3)
52. Joni Mitchell Journeys Within	242	(5)
Malka,
"Joni Mitchell: Self-Portrait of a Superstar"	243	(4)
53. Sly Stone: "The Myth of Staggerlee"	247	(7)
Greil Marcus,
from Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music	249	(5)
54. Not-so-"Little" Stevie Wonder	254	(5)
Ben Fong-Torres,
"The Formerly Little Stevie Wonder"	255	(4)
55. Parliament Drops the Bomb	259	(7)
W.A. Brower,
"George Clinton: Ultimate Liberator of Constipated Notions"	260	(6)
56. Heavy Metal Meets the Counterculture	266	(3)
John Mendelsohn,
"Review of Led Zeppelin"	267	(2)
57. Led Zeppelin Speaks!	269	(7)
Dave Schulps,
"The Crunge: Jimmy Page Gives a History Lesson"	270	(6)
58. "I Have No Message Whatsoever"	276	(6)
Cameron Crowe,
"David Bowie Interview"	277	(5)
59. Rock Me Amadeus	282	(8)
Domenic Milano,
"Keith Emerson"	284	(3)
Tim Morse,
from Yesstories: Yes in Their Own Words	287	(3)
60. Jazz Fusion	290	(8)
Miles Davis (with Quincy Troupe),
from Miles: The Autobiography	292	(6)
61. Get On Up Disco	298	(10)
Andrew Kopkind,
"The Dialectic of Disco: Gay Music Goes Straight"	300	(8)
62. Punk: The Sound of Criticism?	308	(6)
James Wolcott,
"A Conservative Impulse in the New Rock Underground"	310	(4)
63. Punk Crosses the Atlantic	314	(5)
Caroline Coon,
"Rebels Against the System"	315	(4)
64. Punk to New Wave?	319	(3)
Stephen Holden,
"The B-52s' American Graffiti"	321	(1)
65. UK New Wave	322	(7)
Allan Jones,
"The Elvis (Costello, That Is) Interview"	323	(6)
PART 5 THE 1980's
66. A "Second British Invasion," MTV, and Other Postmodernist Conundrums	329	(11)
Robert Christgau,
"Rock 'n' Roller Coaster: The Music Biz on a Joyride"	331	(9)
67. Thriller Begets the "King of Pop"	340	(4)
Greg Tate,
"I'm White! What's Wrong with Michael Jackson"	342	(2)
68. Madonna and the Performance of Identity	344	(7)
Camille Paglia,
"Venus of the Radio Waves"	345	(4)
Jane Dark,
"Madonnica"	349	(2)
69. Bruce Springsteen: Reborn in the USA	351	(10)
David Marsh,
"Little Egypt from Asbury Park-and Bruce Springsteen Don't Crawl on His Belly, Neither"	352	(3)
Simon Frith,
"The Real Thing-Bruce Springsteen"	355	(6)
70. R&B in the 1980's: To Cross Over or Not to Cross Over?	361	(10)
Nelson George,
from The Death of Rhythm and Blues	362	(5)
Steve Perry,
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough: The Politics of Crossover"	367	(4)
71. Heavy Metal Thunders On!	371	(5)
J.D. Considine,
"Purity and Power-Total, Unswerving Devotion to Heavy Metal Form: Judas Priest and the Scorpions"	373	(3)
72. Metal in the Late Eighties: Glam or Thrash?	376	(5)
Richard Gehr,
"Metallica"	377	(4)
73. Postpunk Goes Indie	381	(4)
Al Flipside,
"What Is This Thing Called Hardcore?"	382	(3)
74. Indie Brings the Noise	385	(4)
Kim Gordon,
"Boys Are Smelly: Sonic Youth Tour Diary, '87"	385	(4)
75. Hip-Hop, Don't Stop	389	(5)
Robert Ford, Jr.,
"B-Beats Bombarding Bronx: Mobile DJ Starts Something with Oldie R&B Disks"	390	(1)
Robert Ford, Jr.,
"Jive Talking N.Y. DJs Rapping Away in Black Discos"	391	(2)
Time,
"Bad Rap"	393	(1)
76. "The Music Is a Mirror"	394	(7)
Harry Allen,
"Hip Hop Madness: From Def Jams to Cold Lampin', Rap Is Our Music"	395	(4)
Carol Cooper,
"Girls Ain't Nothin' but Trouble"	399	(2)
77. Where Rap and Heavy Metal Converge	401	(5)
Jon Pareles,
"There's a New Sound in Pop Music: Bigotry"	401	(5)
PART 6 THE 1990's AND BEYOND
78. Hip-Hop into the 1990's: Gangstas, Fly Girls, and the Big Bling-Bling	406	(7)
J.D. Considine,
"Fear of a Rap Planet"	408	(5)
79. Nuthin' but a "G" Thang	413	(4)
Touré,
"Snoop Dogg's Gentle Hip Hop Growl"	414	(3)
80. Keeping It a Little Too Real	417	(4)
Sam Gideon Anso and Charles Rappleye,
"Rap Sheet"	418	(2)
Selwyn Seyfiu Hinds,
"Party Over"	420	(1)
Natasha Stovall,
"Town Criers"	420	(1)
81. Sample-Mania	421	(3)
Neil Strauss,
"Sampling Is (a) Creative or (b) Theft?"	422	(2)
82. Women in Rap	424	(8)
Christopher John Farley,
"Hip-Hop Nation"	425	(7)
83. The Beat Goes On	432	(3)
Renee Graham,
"Eminem's Old Words Aren't Hip-Hop's Biggest Problem"	433	(2)
84. From Indie to Alternative to...Seattle?	435	(3)
Dave DiMartino,
"A Seattle Slew"	436	(2)
85. Riot Girl	438	(3)
Bikini Kill,
"riot grrrl"	439	(2)
86. Grunge Turns to Scrunge	441	(8)
Eric Weisbard,
"Over & Out: Indie Rock Values in the Age of Alternative Million Sellers"	443	(6)
87. Two "Postalternative" Icons	449	(7)
Jon Pareles,
"A Dylan in Slacker's Clothing"	450	(2)
Jonathan Van Meter,
"The Outer Limits"	452	(4)
88. "We Are the World"?	456	(10)
George Lipsitz,
"Immigration and Assimilation: Rai, Reggae, and Bhangramuffin"	458	(8)
89. A Talking Head Writes	466	(4)
David Byrne,
"Crossing Music's Borders: I Hate World Music"	466	(4)
90. Genre or Gender? The Resurgence of the Singer-Songwriter	470	(5)
Robert L. Doerschuk,
"Tori Amos: Pain for Sale"	471	(4)
91. Public Policy and Pop Music History Collide	475	(5)
Jenny Toomey,
"Empire of the Air"	477	(3)
92. Electronica Is in the House	480	(14)
Simon Reynolds,
"Historia Electronica Preface"	482	(10)
Irvine Welsh,
"Lorraine Goes to Livingston: A Rave and Regency Romance"	492	(2)
93. R&B Divas Go Retro	494	(5)
Ann Powers,
"The New Conscience of Pop Music"	495	(4)
94. What Have We Come To? (On Continuing Moral Panics in Late 1990's Popular Music and Other Strange Developments)	499	(6)
Neva Chonin,
"Bay Area Goths Say Media Has It Wrong (Many Teens Offended by Snap Association of Subculture and Suspects)"	500	(2)
Mark Morford,
"Is Shania Twain Human?"	502	(3)
Select Bibliography	505	(8)
Index	513