Tunes: A Comic Book History of Rock and Roll

by Vincent Brunner (Editor), Mathias Malzieu (Preface)

Engaging as well as informative, Tunes traces the rise of rock and roll through the format of comics. Capitalizing on the immense popularity of the graphic novel, Vincent Brunner has assembled illustrators and cartoonists to visually depict the history of rock music through comics. This unique approach will not only appeal to those who grew up with the bands, but also to an entirely new generation of budding fans. Full of colorful personalities from larger-than-life divas to modest men who made it big, the story of rock is compelling and diverse. From Elvis and Little Richard to the British Invasion in the 1960s and onward through the eras of punk, heavy metal, new wave, and grunge, this series of black-and-white graphic depictions ranges from hilariously personal to absolutely wild. Each strip is accompanied by humorous yet informative text recounting the early struggles, successes, and challenges of each band. Also included is a selective discography for each band or artist, highlighting their biggest hits or most memorable songs.

Genres: Music, Graphic Novels, Comics, Nonfiction, Humor

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this book more than the implementation. The articles introducing each artist were great, and I often learned new things, but the comics themselves were a little spotty. Some of them really added to my understanding of the bands, others not so much.

[Joachim Stoop · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stars

1,5 for the band stories
3,5 for the drawing.
Could have been a lot better

[Cronicadelibros]

Nota real : 5/10

🎸 Si os pensabais que todas mis lecturas musicales eran buenas, hoy llega el primer tropiezo del año con un libro cuyo formato no me hacía preverlo.
📖 A pesar de titularse Historia del rock en cómic, su enfoque es relativamente sui géneris en comparación con lo que cabría esperar de este tipo de libros.
📑 El libro está estructurado por grupos y artistas, sin un orden cronológico claro. Cada uno de ellos tiene dos páginas que incluyen una referencia biográfica, un breve resumen con sus tres mejores discos y un listado de 20 canciones representativas. Posteriormente, la parte del cómic, dibujada por distintos artistas, varía en extensión y estilo, pudiendo ir desde una única página hasta ocho.
⚡Como estructura, es un producto interesante que podría haber dado mucho más de sí. Pero (y en este libro hay muchos “pero”) para empezar, no es un libro homogéneo. Muchas referencias biográficas buscan el sensacionalismo de forma burda y ruda, rozando lo truculento. Se centra en episodios de violencia, adicciones y altercados, temas que forman parte del mundo del rock, pero que aquí parecen enfatizarse de manera excesiva. Por suerte, también hay referencias más centradas en la música, lo que logra salvar mínimamente el conjunto.
🎭 En algunos casos, estos textos llegan a ser desagradables al tratar a ciertos artistas. El ejemplo más representativo es Elton John (del que no soy seguidor, pero no quita que me moleste el trato), cuya inclusión parece más una humillación que un homenaje. Incluso en la viñeta final del libro, sin relación alguna con él, el autor siente la necesidad de atacarlo.
🖍️ Lo mismo ocurre con la parte del cómic. En muchos casos, la referencia al grupo se limita a la experiencia de alguien que los vio en directo o a la interpretación subjetiva de una canción, dejando de lado el retrato de la banda o de momentos clave en su historia.
🖌️ En la parte de las viñetas hay trabajos bien logrados, pero también otros confusos y de difícil interpretación. Sin embargo, lo más problemático es el uso de fuentes tipográficas: algunas resultan adecuadas para la lectura de cómics, mientras que otras son tan complejas que hacen que descifrar el texto sea casi un reto
🇫🇷 Al tratarse de un libro francés, hay numerosas referencias a la vida cultural de ese país, lo que puede dejar desorientado a un lector ajeno, especialmente en las viñetas. Lo mismo ocurre con algunas historias basadas en canciones, incluso sin diálogos: si no conoces al grupo o la canción, es fácil sentirse perdido.
🎶 El criterio de selección de grupos y músicos daría para varias reseñas. Algunos parecen estar por mero gusto del autor, ya que su relevancia dentro del rock es cuestionable. Por otro lado, la ausencia de artistas como Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young u Oasis, entre muchos otros, resta credibilidad a su intención de ser una historia del rock. Según informa el propio libro, en esta nueva edición se han añadido Bob Dylan y Lou Reed, dos figuras clave de la música contemporánea, lo que dice mucho sobre el enfoque personal de la obra.
🚫 Una obra que no recomendaría a nadie, ni siquiera a mí mismo. Si alguna vez tuviera la oportunidad de viajar al pasado, aprovecharía para advertirme que no lo lea y así ahorrarme escribir esta reseña y ahorraros tener que leerla 🤣.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artist write-ups and essential listening lists are quality material. The comics didn't do much for me. I felt like the majority of them had nothing to do with the band, and I ended up skipping the last half of them outright.

[Shannon S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, enjoyed thoroughly. Some of the comics are gold and I learned a bit!!!

[Irrealidad Dfg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es interesante para conocer artistas y grupos que me sonaban de lejos.
Le doy baja puntuación por no tener un orden lógico, por mezclar artistas de rock con otros más techno y obviar artistas y grupos de relevancia como Bruce Springsteen o Gun’s & Roses.

[M.L.D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well...the bios to the selected artists/bands were interesting, though brief (2 pages dedicated to each group). The comics less so. Quality of art and storyline varied wildly; there were only a few that I enjoyed.

Band selection was puzzling, but I believe certain bands made the cut based on their attitude--i.e., bands with what the author has determined to be the "right" rock 'n' roll attitude have been included. Bands who are too commercial (i.e. successful) were not included. The exceptions are the Beatles and Elvis, because really, a book on rock 'n' roll history isn't going to be taken seriously if those two aren't included. Even so, Elvis basically has an asterix next to his entry, as does Elton John (they only had the proper rock attitude for a few years). This selection process explains the disproportionate representation of punk and the inclusion of new wave pop.

The author did the bare minimum to include black and female artists. There wasn't room for both Little Richard and Chuck Berry? And where's Prince?

[Dusty Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not the definitive history, more of a collection of artistic statements and recollections. That's not necessarily a bad thing. While there are certainly more bands that could have been added, I was happy for the surprise/unconventional additions. I think these are really what made the book (see Nick Cave, Nick Drake, Johnny Thunders, PJ Harvey, etc.). I actually hadn't listened to Johnny Thunders before this book and now I'm addicted to his "So Alone" album. Any book that can convince me to check out an artist has done a good job. The comics are less what I thought they would be and were hit or miss. Some were excellent (Johnny Thunders, LCD Soundsystem, The Beatles, Nick Drake etc.) but some were too far out for me to connect with (Little Richard, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, etc.).

All in all, a worthy read. Would love to see a sequel with more additions.

[Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any book that talks about the history of rock n roll should always include the Smiths. Maybe i'm biased but if you're trying to pick out the 30 most important bands in rock n roll, they need to be included. Also, if the lead singer of Sonic Youth happens to mention to Kurt Cobain that they should leave Sub Pop to sign with a major label, maybe they should be mentioned. Then again any book about the greatest bands ever may always be biased based on the author's taste or opinion. It was a fun fast read though.

[Anthonyrosado · Rating 4 out of 5]

2# Vincent,Brunner. A Comic Book History of Rock and Roll. Universe,2010. Paperback.

I've read this book before I can't wait to read it again.I tought this book captured the essence of each of the famous and original rockers of thier time. The reason why I want to read it again is so that I can get a better understanding on what the author was trying to distribute as the point of each rocker. Another reason is so that I can write down thier songs and maybe even put them on my Ipod because I already have most of it.

[Amy Adams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, the French. So, this comic book was originally written in French and was translated to English. It's got a handful of different comics about a handful of different musical artists. Each comic is introduced with a short essay about the act. Here's the thing, the comics are all pretty weird, and the essays are uninformative dribble. I'm not a crazy Elvis fan or anything, but the Elvis comic was really in poor taste, and the essay basically said that his movies were all crap. I mean, come on. I was just really disappointed in the whole thing.

[Lucas Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A comprehensive but highly inconsistent book. The artist biographies at the beginning of each chapter give me lots to add to my Spotify playlists, but the comics themselves seem to be extremely esoteric, and vary wildly in quality. Instead of a graphic history, the comics can be based on a single line from a lyric, or an anecdotal story from someone who once saw the band, or a dream by one of the band members. Sometimes beautiful, but often boring and disconnected.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like history and then comic book. An artist is profiled and then a comic artist then has a story inspired by them, usually not a real life story. That's okay, I guess. I enjoyed reading it, though I felt there were some omissions.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The quality of these portraits really varies from chapter to chapter. Fun overall though.

[Betty]

for Bookpeople's rock n roll book club Feb. 2011

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly variable based on my interest in the band at hand or the artwork of each cartoonist. Definitely interesting to skip around in this one if not to read through cover to cover.

[Mercer Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The comics were cute, and this was a quick read, but there was nothing groundbreaking here.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as cool as I'd hoped.

[Phoebe Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is how the bext zines should be made. Less historic and more of a brilliant artist statement. Clever, funny, stylish and rather cute.

[Joann(san diego shutterbug) · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved reading this book. i have taken history of rock and roll at college.but this is a totally new perspective. loved it. definatly worth what i paid for it.

[Berslon Pank · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most of the graphic elements felt like a missed opportunity.