Billboard's American rock & roll in review /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Warner, Jay.
Imprint:New York : Schirmer Books, c1997.
Description:xvi, 305 p. ; 26 cm.
Language:English
Subject:
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/3010715
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Varying Form of Title:Billboard's American rock and roll in review
American rock & roll in review
American rock and roll in review
Other uniform titles:Billboard (Cincinnati, Ohio : 1963)
ISBN:0028726952
Notes:Includes index.
Review by Booklist Review

Here are three new titles for the rock-and-roll reference collection. Each one provides a different perspective on the genre. Billboard's American Rock 'n' Roll in Review presents more than 80 performers or groups the author considers to be "rock 'n' roll's founders and first-and second-generation stars"; for example, The 5th Dimension, Sonny and Cher, and Stevie Wonder. Entries begin with ready-reference information that includes real names when the performer is better known under a different name, birth date and place, and lists of musicians who influenced or were influenced by the performer. This is followed by a biographical profile and a survey of major recordings, interspersed with excerpts from selected Billboard reviews. Most entries are one to three pages long; Elvis rates seven. Only song titles are indexed; performers are listed alphabetically in the table of contents. This is a solid, readable source more likely to be browsed than consulted. The Rock and Roll Reader's Guide is an annotated bibliography of books about and by rock and pop stars. The basic criterion is availability; in other words, the author could examine the title. Both in-print and out-of-print sources are included, although status of individual titles is not always indicated. Entries are a paragraph in length and feature lively evaluations: "hokey stuff," "entertaining and surprisingly harmless." Reviews from sources such as Booklist and Publisher's Weekly are sometimes quoted. Titles identified but not examined are listed as "Other Titles of Interest." The first section lists reference books; books on special subjects, such as concert events and women in rock; and magazines. The second section is a list of publications on "the most influential names in all pop/rock genres," arranged alphabetically by individual performer or group. Where appropriate, titles in these entries are grouped under type of work: biography, critical commentary, pictorial, fanzines and fan clubs, and young adult, to name a few. Only authors and titles are indexed. See and see also references provide links between, for example, David and Shaun Cassidy and the entry for The Partridge Family. The author's aim to encourage reading is admirable, but librarians and educators may be the biggest users of this source, for title identification and readers advisory. The fact that in-print status is not consistently indicated detracts from its value as a collection-development tool. The Rock Song Index lists 7,500 songs, "hits along with all important B-sides and album tracks." Arrangement is alphabetical by performer. Under each performer, entries are organized by year; then, within each year, alphabetically by song. Entries include song title, producer, album, record label, songwriter(s), and a brief annotation. Emphasis is on first appearance of a song, rather than cover versions; for example, Not Fade Away is listed under the Crickets, who recorded it in 1957, and not under the Rolling Stones. A brief bibliography lists mainly very general books on recordings and various rock genres. The index lists song titles and, for each song, artist and year. Neither a discography nor an aid to finding printed lyrics and music, this title's greatest use will be as a tool for researching song histories, although the research value is lessened by the lack of indexing of anything but songs. Billboard's American Rock 'n' Roll in Review and The Rock and Roll Reader's Guide are inexpensive additions to high-school and public libraries on a popular but often underrepresented topic. Pop-culture and music collections can consider all three titles. Billboard's American Rock 'n' Roll in Review is likely to be the most used because of the appeal of biography, although there are better choices for biography, such as the second edition of The Rock Who's Who (Schirmer, 1996).

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review