Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll

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Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 1,271 ratings · 61 reviews

When it was first published, critic after critic called this brilliant study of rock 'n' roll and American culture the best book on the subject. Now, firmly established as a classic, the fourth edition features a completely new introduction as well as an entirely updated discography that includes CDs for the first time.

Paperback, 336 pages

Published May 1st 1997 by Plume (first published 1975)

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Nov 20, 2011 Adam rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: art-and-music

What a strange book. Nearly as much discographic information as storytelling and commentary, Mystery Train is a book by and for obsessive music listeners and record collectors. I was excited to read my first Greil Marcus book (I had enjoyed his column in The Believer magazine and had heard others praise him as a genius), but was disappointed for two principal reasons. First, part of my attraction to the book in the first place, was its subtitle, “Images of America in Rock ’n Roll.” I took the ti...more What a strange book. Nearly as much discographic information as storytelling and commentary, Mystery Train is a book by and for obsessive music listeners and record collectors. I was excited to read my first Greil Marcus book (I had enjoyed his column in The Believer magazine and had heard others praise him as a genius), but was disappointed for two principal reasons. First, part of my attraction to the book in the first place, was its subtitle, “Images of America in Rock ’n Roll.” I took the title literally, and expected to drawn into America as portrayed through its music. Ostensibly, this in fact occurs in the book, albeit opaquely, but I found Marcus’ prose too tiresome to work hard enough to find it. With the minor exception of his section on Sly Stone, Marcus’ writing did not give me new insight of America or how its experience is refracted through its music.

Second, I found it difficult to match his emotions and feelings for the music he described. The artists he covers in this book are beloved to him: Robert Johnson, Elvis Presley, The Band, Randy Newman, Sly Stone. And Marcus is in LOVE with these artists. I love to read people’s writing about music the love (see my review of Simon Reynold’s celebration of post-punk). See, I am a fierce music lover and great musical explorer—I seek out new artists, read up on old artists, swap records with aficionados, even go crate-digging at thrift stores, picking up records based on their covers alone. However I’ve never been a fan of the music contained in this book. I never liked Johnson, Presley, The Band, Newman, or Sly (though I love many peer artists in their respective genres including Chicago bluesman, Carl Perkins, Neil Young, David Bowie, etc.), but came to this book open-minded and open-eared, ready to be swept-away by Marcus’ irresistible praise and unmatched enthusiasm. But it never happened. I feel like I understand the novelty and excitement of 50’s rock ‘n roll, and especially rockabilly, but I’ve never felt that magic moment with Elvis. And Marcus failed to bring me any closer. After enjoying his description of the evolution of The Band, I checked out some of their albums from the library. After just a few minutes of listening, I felt so let down by the vast distance between Marcus’ celebration of them and the way they sounded in my speakers. It actually caused me to dislike The Band even more! I’ve long been interested in reading Lipstick Traces, Marcus treatment of 70’s punk (and more). It will be interesting to see if I like his writing when he covers one of my favorite genres.(less)

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Mar 26, 2013 Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Over several readings, this book has not remained what it once was to me, a necessary book about the force of rock and roll in American culture. The '76 pb edition I read first, when I was in college in Ohio, just starting to write rock criticism, early Eighties. As Marcus himself recommends, I read it alongside of Pauline Kael's I Lost It At the Movies and Leslie Fiedler's Love and Death in the American Novel,. A college teacher encouraged me to study at Iowa with Sherman Paul, whose coursework...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Kip Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Marcus's book, the definitive work on rock n roll's influence on American culture, has been expanded and now in it's 4th edition, with all new discographies and notes, and a new introduction. Far from bloating the original work, the additions illuminate and explore even more the subjects introduced in the first chapters.
Marcus, by exploring the work of Elvis Presley, The Band, Randy Newman, Sly Stone and others and cross-referencing both the artist and the work to pertinent sociological trends a...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-more-than-once

I opted out of the notes and discographies this time around, mostly just wanting to read something familiar at the end of the semester. But reading the main body of the book by itself was a revelation, not least of how much the back matter is, in its way, both looser and more dense. It's also clearer to me than ever how well the main text stands on its own.

Since I last read the book a couple years ago, I've listened to Randy Newman with increased enthusiasm, so I think I was able to appreciate t...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Matthew rated it 2 of 5 stars

The latest edition is two books in one: the first half is a spotty analysis of Marcus' favorite groups that barely holds together; the other half is a discography section that succeeds mostly because it's not weighed down by Marcus' own sense of self-importance. Then again, if your opinion supported every baby boomer's claim that modern music ceased to be relevant once they hit 30, you'd think every notion that came to you was important too.

There's no clear thesis (despite the subtitle of the b

...more The latest edition is two books in one: the first half is a spotty analysis of Marcus' favorite groups that barely holds together; the other half is a discography section that succeeds mostly because it's not weighed down by Marcus' own sense of self-importance. Then again, if your opinion supported every baby boomer's claim that modern music ceased to be relevant once they hit 30, you'd think every notion that came to you was important too.

There's no clear thesis (despite the subtitle of the book), leading his analysis into strange digressions that he lazily attempts to connect to the artists: the biggest disappointment is the Sly Stone section, which could have lost the entire Stagger Lee component and still been a decent portrayal of black American's trying to find an identity in the early 1970s. The section on The Band nearly dispenses with any analysis after a few pages and instead traces how disappointed Marcus became with them after their 2nd album. The prose is tepid, refusing to delve into a deep critical analysis of the artists while neglecting any autobiographical elements that could shed light on the author's opinions. Marcus wants it both ways: His only support for the importance of these artists is their popularity (though Elvis was the only one to achieve a long-lasting version of it) and his own opinion of them; Billboard chart positions and record sales can support the former, but we aren't left with much to support the latter.

The discography section (which is about the same length as all of the preceding essays) does a better job of tracing the lineage of American music, though entire pages are simply a list of every version of "Stagger Lee" that Marcus could find. While the album & book suggestions are helpful, they are also extremely subjective, and his dismissive tone is off-putting.

If you are interested in the musicians listed on the cover (Elvis, Sly Stone, The Band, Randy Newman), consider a separate biography about them. This isn't about rock 'n' roll as much as it as about how Greil Marcus sees rock 'n' roll.

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Dec 27, 2012 M. Milner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: essays-and-reportage, nonfiction-you-ought-to-read, music-reads

A series of essays about America, rock music and the cultural history between the two, Greil Marcus' Mystery Train is an attempt to place music in the greater context. It sounds mote high-handed than it is and it's a blast to read, to boot.

In a series of essays about bands and musicians - Sly Stone, The Band, Robert Johnson and Elvis, among others - Marcus looks at the roots of music and the traditions between each, tying together disparate elements like Moby Dick and the legend of Stagger Lee t...more A series of essays about America, rock music and the cultural history between the two, Greil Marcus' Mystery Train is an attempt to place music in the greater context. It sounds mote high-handed than it is and it's a blast to read, to boot.

In a series of essays about bands and musicians - Sly Stone, The Band, Robert Johnson and Elvis, among others - Marcus looks at the roots of music and the traditions between each, tying together disparate elements like Moby Dick and the legend of Stagger Lee to musicians role in culture. It's thought provoking and gave me, someone who's been listening to some of these acts for years, a new angle to look at their output.

One good example is The Band: Marcus makes the case that their long experience and travels through America, first as the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins and later for Bob Dylan, gave them the breadth and exposure to America to become commentators on it; only an outsider could write as nuanced a look at the south as The Night They Drove 'ol Dixie Down. There are others: he ties the literature of Los Angeles to the music of Randy Newman and the legend of Stagger Lee to Sly Stone.

The heart of this book is his in-depth look at Elvis, which ties together all the elements of America: he cuts through the bullshit and hype to look at how one man came to represent so much, mean everything to a style of music and almost leave it as quickly - even if he still gave glimpses of his raw power here and there.

Also of note is a giant Notes and Discographies section, which offers a more straightforward history of each act, breaking down their careers and discorgraphies (often with pointed opinions towards them), literature about them and suggestions for further reading. It's nice to have a reference like this and having a seasoned critic like Marcus not only offer suggestions on where to go for everything (he seems to have an opinion on thousands of records), but what to read and to make it completely readable is a nice bonus. Recommended for music fans.(less)

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Sep 02, 2011 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars

Greil Marcus’ Mystery Train is the closest thing to literature that I’ve ever experienced reading rock criticism. That may be because it’s also the closest to fiction. Defiantly subjective, Marcus assumes his readers are already familiar with his subjects and dives right into his primary thesis, that rock music is a lens by which we can understand American culture as a whole and vice versa.

He divides his subjects into “ancestors” and “inheritors,” the former being legendary bluesman, Robert John...more

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May 31, 2011 matt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: america-f-k-yeah, historyonics-american, literary-crit, musicalities, social-crit, favorites

wonderful book. I hope one day to follow in Marcus' footsteps. He combines (or better to say assimiliates) varying traditions and social forces within American history and popular culture, beginning with an artist, a moment, a tone, a mood, an instance and expanding it outward into larger and more elegant circles of reference and obscure historical connection until we get a sort of folk gestalt, an x-ray if you will, of another seemingly endless angle on the American consciousness, which is expe...more wonderful book. I hope one day to follow in Marcus' footsteps. He combines (or better to say assimiliates) varying traditions and social forces within American history and popular culture, beginning with an artist, a moment, a tone, a mood, an instance and expanding it outward into larger and more elegant circles of reference and obscure historical connection until we get a sort of folk gestalt, an x-ray if you will, of another seemingly endless angle on the American consciousness, which is experiemntal to the bone.

If you're going to talk about rock and roll, you've got to confront the obscure. A whole chapter on Harmonica Frank? I'm pretty well-versed in rock n roll and I've never so much as heard of him. But Marcus makes him come alive. The chapter on Staggerlee- the man, the myth, the legend is absolutely essential, I think, to getting at the heart of a certain kind of American poetry (in this case, a folk ballad) and American violence (bad man, cruel Stagolee...don't mess with his Stetson hat)...

It has been fairly said of Marcus that "everything reminds him of everything else"...if this sounds like goop for cultural criticism this ain't your book. If this sounds sort of like what one of his blurbs says of him: 'Marcus writes criticism like Dylan writes songs' then this just well be the book for you. (I think you can take quite a bit from the nature of the blurbs on a book jacket, their number and tone and the who and the where, but that's another issue altogether)...

The drawback as such to a book like this is that it does contain an extensive (almost larger than the main course itself! 'notes and discography' section which EXAUSTIVELY documents the textual background for the musicians he covers (I learned more about bootlegs for 'The Band' than I ever wanted to thought possible). This can be enthralling if you're a fan or scholar of the artist in question- I was actually pretty riveted to his discussion of Robert Johnson. I do think it's somewhat annoying to read discriptions of songs and records which you know you'll never actually get around to hearing....this is a very strong drawback for any literary person, since after all how much culture can one take in in a lifetime? It got a little jarring at points (see parenthesis above) but- here's the kicker- Marcus writes so damn well about obscure novels and bootlegs and concerts that even if one did actually hear them or attend them Marcus' phrases are so distinct and so tastefully sketched that they envelop the music in a poetic aura of interpretation which becomes a thing of its own. He makes the music (or, if one wants to be uncharitable) his impression of the music vivid, incisive, tough-minded, and profound.

I would love to see this kind of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink, artistic style of criticism more often. Especially in academia.

It's sort of an accepted truism that the critic is really just a frustrated artist- 'those who can, do, etc'...always a bridesmaid never a bride'- but I think a case can very easly and poignantly made (there is some truth to this slander after all) that criticism is its own form of poetics, aesthetics, its own artform. If you read the best it has to offer the reason for its very being is more than present, its obvious, and makes such distinctions irrelevant to say the least.

Criticism is, or should be, about making the thing discussed more vivid, more alive, more complex and writhingly real. Juxtaposition is not eclipse.

Marcus is one of the critics who make criticism MATTER. Rave on(less)

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Nov 29, 2009 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Heralded as the first academic examination of pop music and it's relationship to American life/culture, I had high expectations. Not all of these were met. The front is the examination, done in a socio-politico-economic-philosophic style that tends to sink under the weight of its own self importance and lofty language at times. The original edition, with a definitely shorter section of notes and discography, must have been a let down to many people when they finished reading it. Tracing pop musi...more Heralded as the first academic examination of pop music and it's relationship to American life/culture, I had high expectations. Not all of these were met. The front is the examination, done in a socio-politico-economic-philosophic style that tends to sink under the weight of its own self importance and lofty language at times. The original edition, with a definitely shorter section of notes and discography, must have been a let down to many people when they finished reading it. Tracing pop music to someone named Harmonica Frank seems like a reach, and raising Randy Newman to some high place as mirror on America reads like the work of a devoted fan rather than anything else. And while as a fan I enjoyed seeing that Sly Stone was included as one of the principals in the book, his section drifted from its named subject more so than any other, which was disappointing.

In the plus column was his essay on Elvis. Long before many others cashed in on Elvis books after he died, Marcus carefully and respectfully illustrated Presley's influence on American culture and music. It also gets into Sam Phillip's influence on these things, which cannot be overlooked. Furtheri, Appreciated the scholarship (yes, scholarship) on Robert Johnson. I remembered how blown away I was when I first heard Johnson after buying the double cassette "King of the Delta Blues Singers" from a discount bin when I was in high school. I wore them out and no longer have cassettes, so this book put me on a path back to buying that collection or another simple collection of 29 songs.

The greatest plus here, though, are the Notes and Discographies that form the second half (or more) of "Mystery Train." The notes are the greater of the two add-ons, as the historical and anecdotal information contained within are of greater value to me than the social commentary. Still, I think Marcus exhausted all of his Newman knowledge in the main, as the second section is an unreadable list of Newman's records, writing credits and guest appearances.
Ultimately, "Mystery Train" has its place in the pantheon of rock books as a first-of-its-kind, and as a decent history in places. Just not as a best-of-its-kind. (less)

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Jun 29, 2008 Brett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: music

I had never read Greil Marcus before and I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting. You should know this book focuses mostly on four particular artists and does not address "Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll" in some kind general fashion. If you are passionate about Sly Stone, the Band, Randy Newman, or Elvis, then this book has an essay that will intrigue you, but it's best to know something about these artists--the essays aren't really for the uninitiated.

Marcus writes with some serious verv...more

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Sep 05, 2007 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Geoff Rice correctly assesses Invisible Republic as where the Marcus voodoo choo-choo goes off the rails and re-reading this vividly recalled the many strange feelings one can get receive via the Holy Greil – from 'this is obviously the best thinking ever about music' to 'if I read one more evocation of the paradoxical nature of the South, I'm gonna choke myself on a chitlin.' I read this in high school and a couple things jumped out as I reread back home on vacation. One: apparently I wasn't a...more Geoff Rice correctly assesses Invisible Republic as where the Marcus voodoo choo-choo goes off the rails and re-reading this vividly recalled the many strange feelings one can get receive via the Holy Greil – from 'this is obviously the best thinking ever about music' to 'if I read one more evocation of the paradoxical nature of the South, I'm gonna choke myself on a chitlin.' I read this in high school and a couple things jumped out as I reread back home on vacation. One: apparently I wasn't a very bright teenager. I have all these passages highlighted in yellow but they're all completely random and usually not very interesting, sometimes just factual. I'll underline a totally nugatory line right next to a brilliant observation. I guess at seventeen years old I didn't know what the main idea in a paragraph was yet. Scary. On a more positive front, I was reminded of the way he makes criticism part of artistic process, especially in the chapter on the Band. His imagination helps make Big Pink a better record. I was also reminded how much this guy demanded of the art he cared about. After reading this I used to listen to even the most average post-REM college rock records dozens of times because Greil told me that if you couldn't play it five hundred times and keep finding something new it was either your fault or the record's (In the case of Guadalcanal Diary's Walking In the Shadow of the Big Man it was probably the record.) Anyway, now I never ask or expect anything from anyone ever. Thanks context.

In other news, everyone loves the Elvis chapter but, except for the end where he explains his theory of American popular culture, it's my least favorite. The Sly chapter, especially the section about conservatism in '70s soul (which I kinda forgot) has plenty of balls for a white cat from Berkeley. I'd totally forgot about the great LBJ-Huck-Ahab digression, the '60s vs. 'the 70s section (winner" the '60s!), the Westerns/Orsen Welles comparison, lines like "the Band don't refer to their sources anymore than we refer to George Washington when we vote." Of course, there's also lines like "all the beauty of the world and the terror of losing it is in Eric Clapton's rock and roll." Yep, that's ALL the beauty. ALL OF IT. So, if you like ALL THE BEAUTY IN THE WORLD, get down to the record barn and pick up a copy Slowhand by Eric Clapton on Columbia Records and Tapes. That is, if you can stand the THE TERROR!!!!
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Mar 06, 2009 Matt Comito rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is something of the magic that Randall Jarrell brings to his poetry criticism here in Marcus's book. His approach in discussinng any given song is synthetic and creative, not just a description but an imaginative 'reading' that adds to your experience of that song. This is one of Marcus's gifts. He is able to add dimension to the work he discusses while at the same time educating the reader not just in the specifics of a song or an act but also in how to hear and experience the work.

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Nov 29, 2008 Marxist Monkey rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was the first academic book about rock I ever read. I still think that it is among the prime examples of the American Studies myth/symbol method applied to popular music. There are some awkward moments here--the discussion of Robert Johnson makes me cringe some now. But this book established the possibility for me of thinking deeply and knowledgeably about rock and roll as a cultural form.

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Aug 03, 2008 Dan rated it 1 of 5 stars

I might as well just write a book about the exact same bands Marcus talks about and claim whatever it is I want to claim about them. For god's sake....he devotes an entire chapter to Randy Newman. (Randy Newman!) Unfortunately, that is Marcus's most cogent chapter because he actually provides evidence for his "analysis" of Newman, which is more than I might say for his other chapters.

In the chapter on Robert Johnson, for instance, Marcus claims that when Eric Clapton, in "Layla," hopes that his...more

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Aug 25, 2010 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Obviously, someone looking to pick up Mystery Train for the first time should go straight to the fifth edition and behold the expanded discography, which I'm pretty sure is now longer than the main part of the book. But the first edition is a triumph, and amply demonstrates why Marcus keeps going back to it once a decade or so.

Basically, if you care about American music, literature, culture, history, and mythology, you have to read this book. And that's not something I'll say all that often.

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Jun 27, 2012 Andy Troyanos rated it 5 of 5 stars

The best book on music I've ever read. But not just music, but about America and the loss of innocence in our country. Dated? Yes. Overally verbiose? Absolutely. There's a few problems, but I can't think of another author whose words have made think differently about not only music, but all art and life in general. I'm going to read it again.

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Sep 02, 2010 Tanya rated it 5 of 5 stars

A fascinating look at the origins and development of five musical acts: Elvis, Sly Stone, Robert Johnson, Randy Newman, and The Band. Sometimes his detailed history and mythology is hard to plow through, but it is a fascinating read for those who are obsessed with music. Because you will go to itunes and buy each album featured and listen with a new appreciation.

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Oct 24, 2011 Steve Bennett rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is hailed as one of the best books on rock music and I fully expected to love it. For whatever reason, I was not too impressed. Probbaly just had too high expectations. The book comes off as artificial as Marcus tries way too hard to advance the mythology of rock music. Tries to make too big a symbolic statement regarding American culture to be enjoyable.

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Apr 02, 2013 Edwin Mcallister rated it 2 of 5 stars

Technically this book should not be in my finished llist since I did not finish it. Full of overblown self-important vapid blatherings about American character and American music that made me want to hurl. It sounds like Greil Marcus read about three books and has spent the rest of his life mining them for ideas.

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Nov 13, 2012 Lynn Vannucci rated it 5 of 5 stars

"I wanted to raise the question of the relationship between rock 'n' roll and American culture as a whole..." the author wrote in the introduction to the second edition of the book. He does so in clear words and thrumming images. Essential, captivating reading.

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May 17, 2010 Lynn Vannucci rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Feb 24, 2009 Padraic rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-and-loved, books-about-sound

Academic,perhaps, although only for those terrified of footnotes. Dense, surely. Interesting, absolutely. For me, the reason I went back and listened to Thank You For Talking To Me (Africa). And for that alone, brilliant.

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Feb 05, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, historical, music

Interesting read, but difficult to really follow as only an amateur musicologist with a limited prior knowledge of some of the musicians. May have been more helpful to have the notes/discography woven into the critiques.

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Jul 01, 2012 Tacky rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just recently re-read this book, so much information about the early roots of blues music & the very early influences of rock and roll. Well written, and a very fine discography & bibliography for future reading.

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Mar 26, 2012 Paul Secor rated it 1 of 5 stars

Perhaps the most overrated writer on popular music - no, wait - that would be Dave Marsh. Both of those guys are more pimps than writers.

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Jun 07, 2012 Ben rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Greil Marcus is one of my favorite music critics and this book is a fine example of his capabilities of critical analysis, with essays on Sly Stone, The Band, Elvis, Robert Johnson, and Harmonic Frank Floyd, linking them up to American myth and literature: Stagger Lee, Moby Dick, Gatsby. It is rock criticism at its finest.

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Jan 29, 2009 Roman rated it 2 of 5 stars

Too much academic talk for Rock n Roll. Feel the writing saps the visceral power of music discussed.

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Aug 03, 2011 Paul Sisler rated it 3 of 5 stars

From Jeremy's History of Rock and Roll class - actually loved the Elvis chapter and bits about Stagger Lee

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Mar 10, 2009 senator jensen added it

Marcus really gets off on that rock and/or roll, I tell ya. Good stuff about Randy Newman and Sly Stone.

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Jan 05, 2013 Burt Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Some sections are better than others. Some of Marcus' analysis shows great insight.

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About Greil Marcus

Greil Marcus is the author of Mystery Train (1975), Lipstick Traces (1989), The Shape of Things to Come (2006), When that Rough God Goes Riding and Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus (both 2010), and other books. With Werner Sollors he is the editor of A New Literary History of America (2009). In recent years he has taught at Berkeley, Princeton, Minnesota, NYU, and the New School in New York. He lives in...more

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