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"I couldn't put it down. It nailed me to the wall, not bad for a grand sweeping
in-depth exploration of American music with not one mention of myself.
Wald's book is suave, soulful, ebullient and will blow out your speakers."
"Wald's the only writer who ever got it right!" "If you're looking, as Wald's subtitle has it, for 'an alternative
history of American music'...you've found it.... Wald is a meticulous
researcher, a graceful writer and a committed contrarian...an impressive
accomplishment." "As an alternative, corrective history of American music ... Wald's book
is invaluable. It forces us to see that only by studying the good with
the bad—and by seeing that the good and bad can't be pulled apart—can
we truly grasp the greatness of our cultural legacy." "Brilliant and provocative... the most challenging, and head-clearing
history of American popular music to be published in decades." "a sophisticated, scintillating and subversive survey of popular
music in the United States... By eschewing aesthetic
judgments, he provides a more complete account of change, continuity and
conformity in American music." "A complex, fascinating and long-overdue response to decades of industry-driven
revisionism that's sure to outrage lemmings and invigorate lions." "A bracing, inclusive look at the dramatic transformation in the way
music was produced and listened to during the 20th century.... One of
those rare books that aims to upend received wisdom and actually succeeds." "Some of the smartest historiography I've ever read. The examples and
turns of phrase sometimes make me laugh out loud, and nearly every page
overturns another out-moded assumption. Elijah Wald just calls it like
he sees it and transforms everything as a result." "Wald explains musical and recording techniques and sociological phenomena
in an engaging style accessible to a wide range of readers. Throughout,
he makes a compelling case for why the figures most historians have disregarded
or footnoted need to be considered in order to understand the totality
of American popular music. This is an ideal companion to the plethora
of standard histories available. Highly recommended." "It's an ambitious project, but Wald's casual narrative style and
eye for a juicy quote give it a lightness that even a novice to pop, rock,
or jazz history can appreciate... The title is appropriate: This is a
provocative book, in all the right ways." "Wald is a sharp, fair critic eager to right the record on popular
music... deepens the appreciation of American popular music." "A smart, inclusive celebration of mainstream stars, such as 1920s
bandleader Paul Whiteman and the Fab Four, who introduced jazz, blues,
and other roughhewn musical forms to mass audiences." "A powerfully provocative look at popular music and its impact on
America." "As catchy and compelling as a great pop single, this revisionist
retelling is provocative, profound and utterly necessary... Clearly the
product of years of passionate research, it's so rife with references
and surprising anecdotes that it's potentially overwhelming, but Wald
makes a superlative tour guide-- frank, funny and generous but judicious
with his inclusions-- and his book is a beguiling, blasphemous breeze." "a book about the whole scope of American pop, from ragtime, swing
and foxtrots to teen idols, disco and the Twist – not to mention
how nightclubs replaced balls and barn dances; how radio ruined the sheet-music
business; how small combos and DJs replaced dance orchestras; and particularly
how records slowly became a bigger business than live music.
"Wald explores... 80 years of popular music, from the earliest days
of recorded sound, deftly navigating the evolving complexities of American
race relations and the social and economic upheavals of the last century.
It's a tour de force." "one of the many pleasures of this meticulously researched, lucidly
written, and sometimes startling book is that it makes you want to argue
with it....this is one of those rare books one wishes were longer." "Elijah Wald's provocative, meticulously researched new book, How
the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll: An Alternative History of American
Popular Music, turns the stock rock-and-roll narratives on their head." "Wald's arguments are as nuanced as his scope is wide, which makes
this a fascinating and useful volume--required reading for any fan of
pop music." "fascinating... By shining a light on the uncool music that helped
shape rock ’n’ roll, Wald has given us a more honest way to
imagine the music of the future." "Fascinating... It's hard to imagine any American music buff coming
away from this book without a fresh perspective and an overwhelming desire
to seek out Paul Whiteman CDs. Highly recommended." "Wald's book may be the literary equivalent of revisionist Civil
War histories which tell the war through the eyes of soldiers rather than
the generals, for he highlights how consumers actually heard and experienced
music over the years, whether as screaming teeny-boppers watching Dick
Clark's Bandstand or swing afficionados dancing to Glenn Miller at the
Roseland." "Wald's eminently readable book is a scholarly, provocative and
opinionated account of the history of pop music from Sousa to the Stones,
from genteel parlor piano recitals to arena rock spectacles." |