So You Think You Know Rock and Roll?
An In-Depth Q&A Tour of the Revolutionary Decade 1965-1975
Peter E. Meltzer
- 416 Pages
- June 6, 2017
- ISBN: 9781510717664
- Imprint: Skyhorse Publishing
- Trim Size: 6in x 9in x 0in
Description
Rolling Stone magazine recently released its list of the 100 greatest albums in rock music history, a period spanning more than fifty years. Nearly 60 percent of those albums were released in the decade from 1965 to 1975the golden age of classic rock. This book is a wide-ranging portrait of that transformative and remarkable time, from the dawn of the singer-songwriter era to days before disco.
This book is presented in a question-and-answer format, but it is hardly a trivia” book. It covers such diverse topics as censorship, chart phenomena, album covers, rock groupies, manufactured bands, one-hit wonders, rock festivals, supergroups, novelty songs, and the Beatles.
All of the major figures of the 60s and 70s are here: Cream, CCR, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Neil Young, the Eagles, the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, James Taylor, Carole King, Aretha Franklin, Lou Reed, Carly Simon, Laura Nyro, and many others.
Exhaustively researched, So You Think You Know Rock and Roll? is filled with I never knew that!” moments on every page.
Authors
Reviews
—Bob Spitz, bestselling author of The Beatles: The Biography
“I love this subject and thought I knew rock and roll from era from this era cold, but Peter Meltzer's very entertaining book made me realize all that I didn’t know. Still, every page brought back a memory and the stories are fascinating.”
—Michael Smerconish, CNN and Sirius XM host
“What is that song? Who’s the performer? How did they get that name? What inspired those words? So You Think You Know Rock and Roll? is absolutely packed with insightful, fascinating fun facts about the songs and stars who made the music magic during rock's greatest era.”
—Gary Theroux, award-winning host of The History of Rock and Roll
“This is an impressive piece of analysis by anyone’s standards. Meltzer breaks down the big data of 1965–75 with the most detailed look to date at rock’s greatest decade.”
—Joel McIver, author of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Deep Purple and Beyond: Scenes from the Life of a Rock Star, and Spider from Mars: My Life with David Bowie
“This is a particularly impressive analysis of rock and roll during an era in which a lot of extraordinary new music was created. Clearly, Peter Meltzer has done a great deal of research, and he presents it in a compelling and interesting way. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes or lives rock and roll.”
—David Kalish, keyboardist, Social Distortion, producer, engineer
“Who knew? From songs inspired by slavery, Charles Manson’s desire to be a musical artist, Duane Allman’s escape from the draft to tales of sexual exploits, Peter E. Meltzer has compiled a book that is informative, interesting and fun. As a ‘baby boomer’ who grew up listening to most of the music referenced, it brought back so many fond memories. It’s a GREAT read for anyone who lived that period and everyone who’s interested in rock and roll history!”
—Sheila Elaine Anderson, author of The Little Red Book of Musician’s Wisdom
“So You Think You Know Rock and Roll is a fun and informative deep dive into the ’60s and ’70s music we all know and love. Metzler’s passion for the subject matter is infectious and gives the book a unique charm.”
—Candy Leonard, author of Beatleness: How the Beatles and Their Fans Remade the World
“If you love rock & roll, I guarantee you will not be able to put this book down. There is no musical genre missing from these pages from pop, to disco, to hard rock, to classic rock, to Motown, to soul, and back again. Not only are all of your favorite stars discussed here—such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Supremes, the Monkees, the Who, Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, and Cyndi Lauper—but all of the footnote characters are here too. Fascinating sections on rock & roll festivals, groupies, the guitarists, the composers, and the one-hit-wonders make it impossible to not learn something new from this well-researched volume.”
—Mark Bego, New York Times bestselling author of sixty-two books on rock & roll, including:Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul and Eat Like a Rock Star
“Some of the best music came out of the years between 1965 and 1975 and Meltzer has captured the times. You may have trouble putting it down!”
—Denny Somach, producer, rock historian, author of Get the Led Out: How Led Zeppelin Became the Biggest Band in the World
“So You Think You Know Rock and Roll? is a deep dive into a fertile decade’s worth of music. The questions and answers are as informative as they are surprising. This book is filled with addictive nuggets of trivia and stats that will have you saying, ‘Huh—who knew?’”
—Joyce Millman, music blogger, The Mix Tape
“Once you start reading these fascinating stories you won’t be able to stop. This book has tons of great information that will deepen your appreciation for the best decade in music, whether you’re a casual fan or hard-core aficionado. Challenge your friends with some of these questions and find out how much you all really know.”
—Andrew Grant Jackson, author of 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music
“Talk about a magical mystery tour! Peter E. Meltzer’s book is a raucous romp, a medley of fascinating insights about the pop music that powered the Baby Boom, presented in a Q-and-A format that you can start just about anywhere but is impossible to put down. These songs are the essence of what it was like to be alive during the years when the music mattered.”
—Will Bunch, columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News
“If you are a fan of 1965–1975 rock and roll, and like to read about rock and roll, I think you are going to love this book. The book is full of what might be called music ‘trivia’ but much more than that. Tons of fun facts about every aspect of that decade’s music that you could ever want to know. So You Think You Know Rock and Roll? is of those fun books you could just read forever, in any order you desire. It is written by a man who really, really, really loves the subject matter.”
—Country Joe McDonald, lead singer of Country Joe and the Fish