A Brief History of Rock, Off the Record

by Wayne Robins

The birth of rock ‘n’ roll signaled the blossoming of a new teenage culture, dividing generations and introducing a new attitude of rebellion and independence. From Chuck Berry to the Beatles, from punk rock to hip hop, rock ‘n’ roll has continuously transformed alongside or in reaction to social, cultural, and political changes. A Brief History of Rock, Off the Record is a concise introduction to rock history and the impact it has had on American culture. It is an easy-to-read, vivid account written by one of rock’s leading critics. Pulling from personal interviews over the years, Wayne Robins interweaves the developments in rock music with his commentary on the political and social events and movements that defined their decades.

326 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2007

Reviews

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information (some of it not as accurate as you would expect...) in a decade-by-decade format. It gives a over-view of the most influential performers of Rock (although it is clear which decades and artists the author personally prefers...the most recent "decades" receive the least attention as if the author, who constantly assures us that Rock and Roll is "not dead" and is constantly evolving, can only elaborate on music of the 60's -- guess we can't expect too much more from a baby boomer). Also, the editing totally sucked...many typographical and even some spelling errors exist. I would have preferred to give this 3 1/2 stars (especially since it _is_ brief and concise and the organization and presentation makes sense as a whole).

[Marjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book pretty much captures what it is about: a brief history of rock music. The author really only hits on the big (i.e. well-known)artists from the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and (very briefly) 90's. What I liked the most about the book was seeing rock music in the context of the time it was made. I liked watching the music evolve with each era. He also discussed how some bands were formed, the other bands that were influenced by them, and the bands they created when they broke up. Overall, an interesting book, though if you're looking for something more in-depth, this probably isn't your book.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Robins' intentions are admirable, and he deserves credit for tackling (most of) the rock era in (mostly) patient detail, but the book is dragged down by poor fact-checking (at one point, Robins says Johnny Van Zant was a member of .38 Special) and some of the sloppiest editing I've seen in years. There are a ton of grammatical errors, and some paragraphs appear to be missing entire sentences -- at one point, the 1980s are referred to as "the 1908s." Pretty embarrassing for something that aspires to "rock textbook" status.