About the Book
This one-of-a-kind reference investigates the music and the musicians that set the popular trends of the last half century in America.
Many rock fans have, at one time or another, ranked their favorite artists in order of talent, charisma, and musical influence on the world as they see it. In this same spirit, author and music historian David V. Moskowitz expands on the concept of "top ten" lists to provide a lineup of the best 100 musical groups from the past 60 years. Since the chosen bands are based on the author's personal taste, this two-volume set provokes discussion of which performers are included and why, offering insights into the surprising influences behind them.
From the Everly Brothers, to the Ramones, to Public Enemy, the work covers a wide variety of styles and genres, clearly illustrating the connections between them. Entries focus on the group's history, touring, membership, major releases, selected discography, bibliography, and influence. Contributions from leading scholars in popular music shed light on derivative artists and underscore the overall impact of the performers on the music industry.
Table of Contents:
VOLUME 1
Introduction,
Acknowledgments,
Essays
Girls That Rock,
How the Evolution of Recording Technology Changed the Way Bands Work,
How YouTube Changed the Music Industry,
Important Early Record Labels,
Rap Crosses Over: Hip-Hop Takes Over White America,
The Best Bands You Never Heard of: Famous Studio Bands,
The Role of Woodstock,
The Midas Touch and Rick Rubin,
The Supergroup,
Video Killed the Radio Star: The Role of MTV,
A–Z Entries
ABBA,
AC/DC,
Aerosmith,
The Allman Brothers Band,
Bad Company,
The Band,
The Beach Boys,
The Beastie Boys,
The Beatles,
Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin,
Bill Haley and His Comets,
Black Sabbath,
Blind Faith,
Bob Marley and the Wailers,
Bon Jovi,
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,
Buddy Holly and the Crickets,
Buffalo Springfield,
The Byrds,
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band,
The Cars,
The Clash,
Cream,
Creedence Clearwater Revival,
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young,
The Cure,
Dave Matthews Band,
Deep Purple,
Depeche Mode,
Devo,
The Doors,
Eagles,
Earth, Wind & Fire,
The Everly Brothers,
Fleetwood Mac,
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention,
Genesis,
The Grateful Dead,
Green Day,
Guns N' Roses,
Heart,
INXS,
Iron Maiden,
The Jackson 5,
Jane's Addiction,
Jethro Tull,
The Jimi Hendrix Experience,
Journey,
Judas Priest,
VOLUME 2
The Kinks,
Kiss,
Led Zeppelin,
Little Feat,
Lynyrd Skynyrd,
MC5,
Metallica,
Mötley Crüe,
Motörhead,
Nirvana,
Parliament Funkadelic,
Pearl Jam,
Pink Floyd,
The Police,
The Pretenders,
Primus,
Prince and the Revolution,
Public Enemy,
Queen,
Radiohead,
Rage Against the Machine,
The Ramones,
Rancid,
Red Hot Chili Peppers,
R.E.M.,
The Replacements,
The Rolling Stones,
The Roots,
Run-DMC,
Rush,
The Sex Pistols,
Simon and Garfunkel,
Slayer,
Sly and the Family Stone,
Steely Dan,
Stone Temple Pilots,
The Stooges,
Talking Heads,
The Temptations,
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,
Tool,
Traffic,
U2,
Van Halen,
The Velvet Underground,
The Ventures,
The Who,
Wu-Tang Clan,
The Yardbirds,
Zombies,
ZZ Top,
About the Editor and Contributors,
Index,
About the Author :
David V. Moskowitz, PhD, is professor and graduate coordinator of music at the University of South Dakota.
Review :
Overall, this is both a fun and useful resource that is suitable for most public libraries.
[T]he work is very useful as a reference tool for its fine treatment of major artists. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.
