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Rock Music, Authority and Western Culture, 1964-1980
The history of rock and roll music can be seen in a long arc of Western civilization's struggle for both greater individual expression and societal stability. In the 1960s, the West's relationship with authority ruptured, in part due to the rock revolution. Though the effects are still with us today, the lessons and implications of this era have yet to be fully grasped. This book tells the story of the key artists, music, and events of the classic rock era--defined here as 1964 to 1980--through a virtual psychoanalysis of the West. Over these years, important truths unfold in the stories of British Invaders, hippies, proto-punks, and more, as well as topics to include drugs, primal scream therapy, the occult, spirituality, and disco and its detractors, to name just a few. With a narrative that is equal parts entertaining, scholarly, and even spiritual, readers will gain a greater appreciation for rock music, better understand the confusing world we live in today, and see how greater individuality and social stability may be better reconciled moving forward.
296 pages, Paperback
Published February 7, 2024
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February 22, 2024
I’m a Rock and Metal fan. I have loved the genre since I could remember and I have consumed a lot of books and documentaries regarding its history. This book addresses a lot of the most memorable rock artists of all time but does so in a very specific manner.
Author James A. Cosby focuses on covering all the Rock and Roll greats while offering how their influence impacted several sociopolitical issues. The book can go from Elvis Presley in the 50s to Led Zeppelin in the 70s and many more significant individuals, often relying on his own knowledge but also offering clear insights and data that make things a lot more interesting.
Rock music was arguably the most influential genre when it comes to sociopolitical topics and Cosby seems to agree with that, which is reflected in this book. While a person who perhaps doesn’t listen to these groups and artists or is not aware of their long history is not going to enjoy a lot of different points in the book, I personally don’t take it as a deal-breaker to consume it.
On the other hand, it is fair to say that this is aimed at long-time fans of the genre and, specifically, those who enjoy finding out more about their favorite bands. This is something worth pointing out because it can give a lot of different perspectives and reactions from the public. The 60s, 70s, and 80s were the prime years of Rock music, so it makes a lot of sense that Cosby is focusing on those eras.
As one can imagine from reading the synopsis and what has been written in this review thus far, the book has a strong political focus and that can be a divisive point to a lot of people. If the potential Reader is not interested in discussing politics, this book is not going to be for them, which is all well and good but people need to know this before considering making the investment.
In terms of writing, Cosby is clearly a capable wordsmith and knows his Rock and Roll, which is constantly reflected on the pages of this book. It shows that this project was a labor of love and one that can be enjoyed by people who always want to know more about this type of music and their favorite bands.
It can be a very fun book for those who are looking for something different when it comes to documentation regarding Rock and Roll and its history. Furthermore, it also has to be pointed out that this book, due to its political focus, might be divisive to a lot of potential readers.
January 3, 2025
This is a very low 3 star rating.
This was a large undertaking and ultimately Cosby fell short of delivering what he establishes as the thesis.
As another reviewer touched on, Cosby attempted a huge scope to cover in this work-- not just the timeline (1964-1980), but all the content within the topics of "rock music", "authority" and "Western culture" and the respective contexts. The majority of the book is spent pre-1971 and the time that is spent on the 1970s is spent on bands that, to me, felt largely tangential rather than main points on the arc of Western culture and rock music.
The book started out rather strong, the author's voice really spoke to my taste in nonfiction. This continued, the factual yet well-flowing story, for a while... then when things got more to the point of the book, rather than just contextual background/set up, things began to degrade. The sections got shorter, more random, the commentary making less connections between rock music and society. And Cosby became increasingly more subjective in the things he included rather than staying mainly objective. (Two examples that immediately come to mind are his ongoing commentary on Christianity, as well as it's intersection with rock & the entire cultural checkpoint on 1970s sitcoms... this commentary didn't really go anywhere.)
By the finish of this book, I felt the author hadn't contributed anything original nor more eloquently than the numerous sources he pulled from. In fact, at times the book often felt more a paraphrased-scrapbook of other works than an original work.
An aside critique, I felt the use of sources outside the 1964-1980 context for, say, "best whatever of all time", e.g. Rolling Stone lists, to be a disservice to the work.
This was a large undertaking and ultimately Cosby fell short of delivering what he establishes as the thesis.
As another reviewer touched on, Cosby attempted a huge scope to cover in this work-- not just the timeline (1964-1980), but all the content within the topics of "rock music", "authority" and "Western culture" and the respective contexts. The majority of the book is spent pre-1971 and the time that is spent on the 1970s is spent on bands that, to me, felt largely tangential rather than main points on the arc of Western culture and rock music.
The book started out rather strong, the author's voice really spoke to my taste in nonfiction. This continued, the factual yet well-flowing story, for a while... then when things got more to the point of the book, rather than just contextual background/set up, things began to degrade. The sections got shorter, more random, the commentary making less connections between rock music and society. And Cosby became increasingly more subjective in the things he included rather than staying mainly objective. (Two examples that immediately come to mind are his ongoing commentary on Christianity, as well as it's intersection with rock & the entire cultural checkpoint on 1970s sitcoms... this commentary didn't really go anywhere.)
By the finish of this book, I felt the author hadn't contributed anything original nor more eloquently than the numerous sources he pulled from. In fact, at times the book often felt more a paraphrased-scrapbook of other works than an original work.
An aside critique, I felt the use of sources outside the 1964-1980 context for, say, "best whatever of all time", e.g. Rolling Stone lists, to be a disservice to the work.
July 15, 2024
3.5 stars. I'm not sure if I should round up or round down, yet here I am rounding down.
Cosby's reach exceeds his grasp. He's trying to do something bold -- look at the intersection of music and overall US culture in the period in question. It doesn't quite come together. Some moments work really well - like the racial dynamics at Stax Records and how that changed with the assassination of MLK; or how dance music gradually left white rock music, and there's an interesting section on the rise of Christian Rock. But it often feels more impressionistic than anything holistic. Frankly it feels a bit random, such as when he decides to devote several pages to the critically acclaimed band Big Star, that never sold anything in this period. Often his thoughts on music and culture don't really come together at all. He peppers the book with short little chapters about what was going on in the US in general, and these chapters read like awkward summaries of his notecards on the period.
Also, for a book that covers 1964-80, it sure takes him a long time to get to the 1970s. It's about two-thirds of the way through the book, so the 1970s get short shrift (which makes his extensive covearage of Big Star even odder).
Still, I'm tempted to give the book four stars. It is engaging and easy-to-read. It does have some nice insights. It just can't deliver on it's own promise.
Oh, the guy who invented primal scream therapy over a half-century ago admitted when he was in his 80s that he's a big fan of thrash metal gods Metallica. I liked that like nugget.
Cosby's reach exceeds his grasp. He's trying to do something bold -- look at the intersection of music and overall US culture in the period in question. It doesn't quite come together. Some moments work really well - like the racial dynamics at Stax Records and how that changed with the assassination of MLK; or how dance music gradually left white rock music, and there's an interesting section on the rise of Christian Rock. But it often feels more impressionistic than anything holistic. Frankly it feels a bit random, such as when he decides to devote several pages to the critically acclaimed band Big Star, that never sold anything in this period. Often his thoughts on music and culture don't really come together at all. He peppers the book with short little chapters about what was going on in the US in general, and these chapters read like awkward summaries of his notecards on the period.
Also, for a book that covers 1964-80, it sure takes him a long time to get to the 1970s. It's about two-thirds of the way through the book, so the 1970s get short shrift (which makes his extensive covearage of Big Star even odder).
Still, I'm tempted to give the book four stars. It is engaging and easy-to-read. It does have some nice insights. It just can't deliver on it's own promise.
Oh, the guy who invented primal scream therapy over a half-century ago admitted when he was in his 80s that he's a big fan of thrash metal gods Metallica. I liked that like nugget.
June 18, 2024
Here are some reviews so far:
"[Cosby] expertly weaves together an intriguing and coherent story of rock and roll’s evolution....Music historians will find much to like in this fantastic resource..." -Library Journal
"A rich, insightful account of how rock music catalyzed a new world." -Kirkus Reviews (*Editor’s Pick)
"seminal and ground-breaking" -Midwest Book Review
"[Cosby] expertly weaves together an intriguing and coherent story of rock and roll’s evolution....Music historians will find much to like in this fantastic resource..." -Library Journal
"A rich, insightful account of how rock music catalyzed a new world." -Kirkus Reviews (*Editor’s Pick)
"seminal and ground-breaking" -Midwest Book Review
June 17, 2025
Interesting social and cultural look at rock from the arrival of the Beatles to the beginning of disco. Interesting concept, but there are several errors that work against this book. Paul Katner of the Jefferson Airplane didn't come with the idea of the Woodstock festival, and Ozzy Osbourne was born in 1948, not 1938. Those flaws keep this from being a much better book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews