The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock

by Simon Frith (Editor), Will Straw (Editor), John Street (Editor)

This companion presents a kaleidoscopic view of the world of pop and rock. Expert writers follow the rise of fifteen global stars from Elvis to Public Enemy, Nirvana to the Spice Girls. They chart the changing patterns in production and consumption, and they trace the way new technologies have changed the sounds and practices of pop. Alive to areas of current debate, they also focus on issues such as race and ethnicity, politics, gender and globalization. The anthology contains profiles of major figures from the pop and rock field. But at the heart of this companion is the music itself--rock, pop, black music, dance music, world music--its impact, its power and its pleasures.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Cultural Studies

303 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2001

Reviews

[ziva razpet · Rating 1 out of 5]

what if i k*lled myself, broji samo govorijo besede

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapters in this volume concentrate more on the popular music industry and the sociological aspects of popular music more than on analyzing the music itself. It's a credit to the authors and editors that, even though it was published in 2001, the book is not completely outdated. I found the chapter on gender and sexuality particularly interesting in that it focused on an obscure indie band and the expression of masculinity. I do wish British musicologists had a better understanding of how racism operates in America, but at least the chapter on race was written by an American scholar, so there were no missteps.