Rock and Roll: A Social History

In Rock and Roll: A Social History - a chronicle covering 30 years of one of the most important mass phenomena of the 20th century - Paul Friedlander shows how gospel, country and blues influenced everyone from Elvis and Marvin Gaye to The Who. The author revisits the classic, alternative, and punk rock scenes, tracing the history of the musical genre that has spanned five decades of uninterrupted success. The social power of rock and roll melodies flows from the pages, as Friedlander analyzes an entire historical and social movement based on hits like "Johnny B. Good" and "Walk on the Wild Side." On his musical journey, Friedlander offers the harmonic chords and notes played by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Who, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and others. He also offers insight into the world of major record labels, such as Motown, and key trends of recent decades—new wave, rap, soul, and folk. Rock and Roll: A Social History portrays the various musical styles as locations on a gigantic road map. Upon opening it, a journey begins from village to village, city to city, pausing in each chapter to exemplify each genre with its most expressive representatives. Filled with curious facts, stories, sounds and feelings from each location, the book explores how society reacted when it found itself between the heart of the drums and the hiss of the guitars.