1973: Rock at the Crossroads

by Andrew Grant Jackson

A fascinating account of the music and epic social change of 1973, a defining year for David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Eagles, Elvis Presley, and the former members of The Beatles.

1973 was the year rock hit its peak while splintering—just like the rest of the world. Ziggy Stardust travelled to America in David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane. The Dark Side of the Moon began its epic run on the Billboard charts, inspired by the madness of Pink Floyd's founder, while all four former Beatles scored top ten albums, two hitting #1.

FM battled AM, and Motown battled Philly on the charts, as the era of protest soul gave way to disco, while DJ Kool Herc gave birth to hip hop in the Bronx. The glam rock of the New York Dolls and Alice Cooper split into glam metal and punk. Hippies and rednecks made peace in Austin thanks to Willie Nelson, while outlaw country, country rock, and Southern rock each pointed toward modern country. The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, and the Band played the largest rock concert to date at Watkins Glen.

Led Zep’s Houses of the Holy reflected the rise of funk and reggae. The singer songwriter movement led by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell flourished at the Troubadour and Max’s Kansas City, where Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, and Iggy Pop shared bill. Elvis Presley’s Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite TV special attracted more viewers than the moon landing, while Elton John’s albums dominated the number one spot for two and a half months.

Just as U.S. involvement in Vietnam drew to a close, Roe v. Wade ignited a new phase in the culture war. While the oil crisis imploded the American dream of endless prosperity, and Watergate’s walls closed in on Nixon, the music of 1973 both reflected a shattered world and brought us together.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Pop Culture, Rock N Roll, Cultural Studies, Cultural

448 pages, Hardcover

First published December 3, 2019

About the author

ANDREW GRANT JACKSON is the author of 1973: Rock at the Crossroads, 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music, Still the Greatest: The Essential Songs of the Beatles’ Solo Careers, Where’s Ringo? and Where’s Elvis?

He has written for Rolling Stone, Slate, Yahoo!,PopMatters, and Please Kill Me. He directed and co-wrote the feature film The Discontents starring Perry King and Amy Madigan. He lives in Los Angeles.

Jackson's websites:
www.facebook.com/1973book
www.facebook.com/1965book
www.facebook.com/solobeatlebook
https://www.facebook.com/whereselvisbook
www.1965book.com
www.solobeatles.com

Praise for 1973: Rock at the Crossroads

“Jackson's book paints a vivid portrait of the year through the lens of popular music ― mostly rock, but also country and hip-hop … His analysis of sexuality and rock music is particularly interesting ... Jackson also proves to have a real talent for evoking the places that made 1973 such a consequential year in music.” ―NPR

“A comprehensive account of the year of 1973 and its legendary music and momentous social change.” ―Rolling Stone

“It’s the excellent―and frequently hilarious―saga of a moment when the whole sprawling pageant of pop music was one great big band on the run.” ―Rob Sheffield, author of Dreaming the Beatles

Praise for 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music

“Jackson has a better ear than a lot of music writers, and one of the best parts of this book is his many casual citings of songs that echo others: Marvin Gaye’s first million-selling single, “I’ll Be Doggone,” builds on a riff used in the Searchers’ “Needles and Pins,” one also pinched by the Byrds for “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” … A lot of the best insights come from writers who show us the familiar through fresh eyes, as Jackson does when he returns us to a year when a lot of us were young and poor and not as happy as we thought we were, yet there was always a great song on the radio.”
-- Washington Post

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It was magic. That time in my life, that creative period will never, ever come back again. You search for it and you try to say, 'Oh, it would be great to do,' but it'll never happen like that again . . ." -- Sir Elton John, on his career in 1973 (during which he released not one but TWO eventually multi-platinum albums)

As other reviewers have pointed out, the book's title is a bit misleading - author Jackson covers not only rock music but pop, punk, R&B/soul, reggae, the then-burgeoning disco sound, and a little bit of country in his overview of the year 1973. And what a year it was! Though in some ways it marked the end of a certain era - FM was becoming more popular than AM format in broadcasting, and radio stations that regularly played multiple genres of music still existed (but were dwindling) - the musical output by major or soon-to-be major artists was simply astounding. Newcomers like Bob Marley, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen were beginning to attract critical and commercial attention while the 'old' guard - represented by the Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and the four ex-Beatles, among others - were still as popular as ever in sales, concerts and/or airplay. Oh, and then Pink Floyd drops their juggernaut The Dark Side of the Moon, which stays on the Billboard charts for 900+ weeks!

. . . and that's not to mention David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers Band and many, many more. The story of the year's music is interspersed easily with occasional detours into notable world events and pop culture. For me, devouring 1973 was as comfortable as listening to my iPod on 'shuffle' mode for several hours.

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is encyclopedic in its breadth of information regarding the music scene in 1973. It is very detailed, not only in aspects of the music itself, but the culture, social and political climate at the time. I grew up as a Beatles fan in the sixties because of my older brother. Almost like one grows up in a religion, it was just part of me. However, I really grew up musically as my own person during the seventies. For that reason, I was keen on reading this book. However, I did not realize just how deep it was going to go, off into tangents of musical artists whose genres I was not particularly drawn to, and some of its surrounding cultural climate during that year. Therefore, I very much skimmed through parts I was not interested in. However, I must commend the extraordinary research conducted to execute such a thorough examination of the musical lexicon during the seminal year of 1973.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press / Thomas Dunne Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley

This was a wonderful book, although I do admit that the historical detail sometimes went over my head. There's A LOT of stuff about musical history from that time, and by a lot, I mean that only a true fan of rock will know ALL of the musicians that were talked about in this book. Regardless, I enjoyed it immensely because there was so much new information.

The thing I liked best about the book was that it wasn't solely about the music - there were so many cultural tidbits, little side stories about people who were influential - even the Watergate scandal is touched upon. Big movements and events are also discussed, for example, there are stories about how music influenced the women's equality movement, the LGBT movement and it seems all sorts of other freedoms that weren't even considered before made themselves apparent in the decade. It's like everything happened in 1973! Everything in the latest cultural history that matters... Basically had its roots then. Fascinating.

Anyway, this book is quite detailed and in depth and may prove to be a little much if you're expecting an easy read. But for a true fan or for someone who is curious about the detailed history of music throughout 1973 (and not only), this is a wonderful read. I really enjoyed it despite my lack of knowledge in the area.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

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[Phil Overeem · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some good stories in this book, and it was one helluva year, but the bulk is cobbled together from many, many sources that cannot obscure the author's lack of anything of his own to say about whatever he thinks the crossroads are. He also seems to take more joy in the foibles and weirdnesses of the artists than he does their work, and makes numerous errors that deeper (as opposed to broader) research would have helped him avoid. And stylistically, he is just desultory: smug and glib without intelligence or insight or imagination or verve.

This is the worst music book I have ever read all the way through, and I only managed to do that due to the stories, which are 98% lengthy quotes and paraphrases (in other words, HE doesn't tell them). His previous "yearbook" I intelligently quit reading 25 pages in; why did I persevere here?

[Karyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I opened this book with expectation that I would learn more about why 1973 ushered new music into our culture.

By page 37, however, the author states that Aretha Franklin’s “wailing on Old Landmark and Never Grow Old could blast Robert Plant and Paul McCartney off the stage.” Paul McCartney? Really? Can anyone imagine that Aretha Franklin could blow Paul McCartney off the stage? That statement is beyond my comprehension. Aretha Franklin, as we all know, was and remains a towering talent and is aptly named the Queen of Soul.
How does anyone compare the two?

Needless to say, this book was not my cup of tea, and the emphasis on the white males of rock and how endlessly wonderful they are (David Bowie, Aerosmith, etc.) left me wishing for another book by Holly George Warren.

[Janice Lombardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally, I thought this would be a book about rock bands, etc. I was so pleasantly surprised to find out that the book encompasses ALL genres of interest in the early 1970's. I admit that I was 22 that year yet a lot of that time holds fond (and some not so fond) remembrances for me.

A completely comprehensive, very detailed, account of the year 1973 (and a bit of 1972 and 1974). This read includes (but is not limited to) songs & artists, news, films, sports and more. Information from the mainstream newspapers to the Village Voice is depicted.

This is a NOT TO MISS read for those from that generation as well as anyone interested in this era.

Great Work, Andrew Grant Jackson!!!

Many Thanks to St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for a wonderful piece of nostalgia.

[Diane Stultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would really rate this a 3.5. 1973 was the year that many new forms of rock began to emerge ( punk, disco, hip-hop, country outlaws, reggae, technopop, female rockers, glam, and gender benders) "Classic Rock stations today play more songs from 1973 than any other year"

I enjoyed portions of this well-researched book, but I got lost in many of the details. Although I was a freshman in college in 1973, I honestly do not remember many of the bands and musicians mentioned in this book...and I love Classic Rock! Apparently, I was too busy studying...hmmm. I suppose if you are an aficionado of rock history, you will find this book more relevant.

What I did like most about the book is that the author wrote about the historical events that were happening at the time. This feature helped put the music into perspective. Also, he included some biographical information and anecdotes about the artists that I always find interesting.

The structure of the book goes season by season in chronological order. I liked that it did not skip around. Also, do not skip reading the Introduction...it helps set the stage for the era.

[Russ Bertetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

in 1973, I was 24 and while I went down to the crossroads, I didn't fall down on my knees! I actually went to the other side!
I was a Beatles, Stones, CSNY, Who guy who was moving over to Carly Simon, Neil Young, dabbled a little in the solo works of Stills and Nash, and a bit of Elton John. I could not stand glam-rock, proto-punk, prog-rock or bands like Aerosmith, David Bowie (although I came to like a handful of his pieces), Iggy Pop, Ozzy, and a lot of the others Jackson writes about. I had yet to hear of Springsteen in '73 but love him now.
But in spite of these objections, I actually like the book. I liked the behind the scenes stories of their development and what inspired the songs. The gsossipy stuff about Bowie (and his wife) and Jagger basically confirmed a lot of the "stories" that have floated about them for decades.
One thing the book did for me has made me hit my Spotify to check out works by Jimmy Cliff (I liked a lot), Alex Chilton (not bad) and some of the others mentioned. Will continue to check those out.
Being a huge fan of social history, I really enjoyed the looks back at all the political and social goings on of 1973-most of which I remember but a few had slipped through the cracks.
Enjoyable and informative.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and gossipy. Covers a lot of ground, period, but includes acts that maybe hide in plain sight as far as music cognoscenti are concerned: Jim Croce, Aerosmith, Philly Soul, and Billy Joel. Could have talked more about Jesus Freak stuff (mentioned in the timeline) or prog rock, but prog (making fun of it, especially) has been exhaustively done elsewhere. The author likes to point out where artists sit in critic polls ("17th best guitarist of all time" or whatever) which actually does hark back to the prog virtuoso era. Very meta, as the whippersnappers say. 1973 is now over 50 years ago and the author does a good job putting music in context of Vietnam withdrawal, liberation movements, Roe v. Wade, Watergate, and the 1973 Arab/Israel war and related hike in oil prices. '73 is the midpoint of Gen X date-of-birth timeline and I remember it well, but younger music fans and musicians might read about things here that they can sink their teeth into.

[Mickey McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Allman Brothers Band, Elton John, Iggy Pop, the solo Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Pink Floyd. You get the idea. 1973 was a great year for music, and this book is a great read about the above mentioned artists and as well as the beginnings of disco, reggae, and hip-hop (yup all in 1973). A great music read, and a good read for people who like books in general. You'll want to go back and re visit the music.

[Julian Spivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan of these books, even if portions of them feel like it might just be regurgitated from Wikipedia pages. I have also read the one on 1965.

The audiobook narrator desperately needs to get pronunciations right though. Glenn Frey’s name is pronounced three different ways in this book and it’s not until the third time that it was correct. There were other mispronunciations in the book, as well.

[Marianne Mason Sievers · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for content, 3 for writing. I nearly got whiplash from the way the author bounced around in the chapters.

[Allan Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A captivating look at 1973 where the author makes a strong case for this year being one where batons are passed, with small events clearly feeding into significant future happenings.

Written from an American context, it provides an interestingly different perspective than would be the case for a UK-centric author.

[Richard Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a year in music.

[Amy Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

My God, rock stars did a lot of drugs in the Seventies. I know that is not a news flash but when it's presented to you in this format, well, it just hits you.

It took about 20 or 25 pages for the book to get into a flow, largely because it is a series of facts and anecdotes that initially feel like just that. However, once the book hits its narrative stride, it is very enjoyable. It is not just a rock and roll diary, although that is obviously the focus. It is also a detailed look at a pivotal year on the Seventies. Jackson has done an exhaustive amount of research. Not everything included in the book was new to me but I also read about Seventies music more than the average person (likely.) Still, he weaves it all together in a compelling way. I recommend it for fans of rock history or 70s history.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

1973: Rock at the Crossroads by Andrew Grant Jackson is an informative nostalgic read for those of us who remember the year and a wonderful glimpse into a landmark year for both rock music and society as a whole for those too young (not old enough?) to remember 1973.

As someone who remembers 1973 quite clearly, my opinion of the book will be heavily colored by that fact. One of the things happening during this time was the shift from AM stations to FM stations for rock and, eventually, other popular music. This book almost reads like a hybrid of those two formats. AM radio, while having some stations that were more narrowly focused on one type of music, was dominated by Top 40 stations, usually with a slight emphasis in one direction or another. On these stations you would hear a mix of different types of rock as well as different types of R&B and even some country. FM, starting with Album Oriented Rock stations, began the era of the separation of genres more clearly. This had positives and negatives. You could listen to more music in whatever genre you preferred, but it also meant far fewer opportunities to expand your tastes unless you consciously changed to a station playing a different genre. Which brings me to why I think of this book a lot like a hybrid of those formats.

While the book is chronological it also can't be strictly chronological and still tell a decent story. So each chapter uses something that occurred on this timeline but, in telling the story (of an album or a song), it moves back to what led to the event and moves forward to tell what it foreshadows. So each segment (of which there were several in each chapter) might be primarily about rock or R&B, the next segment often changed genres. So you did get some immersion in a specific genre but you also read about what was happening in a different genre. So many books, understandably, focus on a particular narrowly defined type of popular music, mainly because those books are telling a history of that genre. This book, because it is describing a specific and short period of history covers a wider range because that more accurately portrays what was going in most areas of the music business as well as society.

As for the actual information, there is a lot here that isn't so much new as presented within a holistic context. For example, it hadn't occurred to me that Bette Midler's Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy might not have been as popular had it been released just a little sooner while the Vietnam War was still claiming American lives. It might not have made a difference but it is something to consider. There are many such connections made in the book that make this nostalgic trip something more than just a passive ride down memory lane.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in the period, whether limited to music or more societal and cultural. And of course those of us of a certain age can both reminisce and learn some things.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

An exhaustive (and sometimes exhausting) coverage on that was the year that was. Picking 1973 as a focal point makes sense. Jackson notes at the outset that a study (by 538.com) of classic rock stations shows that this is the year that receives the most plays on those stations. That makes sense: The big names from the 1960s were still around (ex-Beatles, Stones, Who, some old Motown warhorses), and the big 1970s names were in high gear (Bowie, Zep, Pink Floyd, Elton John). Also, Jackson points out that you see the beginnings of new movements occurring. The Stooges and the New York Dolls help presage punk. A house party in NYC helps kick off hip-hop. Disco is a rising force.

So there is a lot of good things about this. Yet I rounded down to 3 stars instead of rounding up to 4. Why? Well, maybe I'll reconsider sometime later, but for now it comes down to how the material is presenting. One of my favorite phrases for understanding material is the old line: you can't see the forest through the trees. Jackson is so bloodminded determined to give us a little bit on EVERYONE in 1973 that it's hard to have any sense of a bigger picture. It's all tree, and no forest. You learn a little bit about this guy and a little bit on that guy and a little bit on so many - but it's so low on so many that it ends up being too little on too many. The book is an inch deep and a mile wide. He may have been better off focusing on some of the key players and then giving a paragraph or two on all the others.

I read a book on the year 1971 in rock a few years ago. That worked better precisely because it took a bigger picture, focused on some themes and didn't try to give equal coverage to every damn act under the sun.

I mean, I might still revise my opinion and think it deserves four stars. But my main impression: This is like reading a lengthly encyclopedia article on the year of rock: 1973.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. It was very informative, and I learned a lot about music and musicians -- I really enjoyed reading about bands and songs and genres I wasn't very familiar with him. It was also written in a very easy-to-read and accessible style, but that also led me to get confused quite a bit because of all the names and people. I think it's good to come in with some pre=existing music knowledge, to clear some of it up. Overall though, I did quite like it. I'm such a massive music fan, especially of rock and punk, so this was a real delight for me.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Steve Turner's Beatles '66 organized an in-depth survey of that year's events within the goings on of the band, giving his narrative focus, and Dave Hepworth's 1971 book argued for that as a pivotal moment when AoR took momentum, and left the Sixties behind as corporate rock began its conquest, Andrew Grant Jackson's successor to his 1965 study of when psychedelic sounds began to filter in tries to elevate one of the last times that rock and roll dominated the charts, airwaves, clubs, and arenas.

I entered adolescence then, so as a kid with my giant can-size headphones glued to both AM top 40 and FM "classic" album tracks, the songs the author explores, the fashions, fads, and tensions all remain vivid over five decades later. But too much of his pacing falters into documentation of issues such as "women's lib," Watergate, the OPEC crisis, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam, and the racial strife in the cities across the U.S. It's hard to integrate this then-current, now naturally very dated summation of events with the musical genres of country, R+B, nascent disco and punk, glam, heavy metal, reggae, and the strands of crossover Southern, L.A., and heartland rootsier innovation.

He oddly scants prog, as ELP gets brief notice, while Yes, and increasingly Genesis, loomed large then. Not my favored niche even as a boy, but one today wouldn't realize within these pages their popular importance, for ill or good, that they assumed. Jethro Tull, for instance, gets barely an aside, too, and while these warhorse ensembles lack the cheerleaders among critics then or now, their place deserves fair coverage in 1973. Instead, the outré underground of Gotham City is disproportionately excavated. In retrospect, sure, it mattered more to cultural evolution, but at that moment, it remained marginal.

And highlights such as Quadrophrenia, Court + Spark, Brothers + Sisters, or The Harder They Come, to name a few, don't get the focus that Dark Side of the Moon, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Band on the Run, or Greetings from Asbury Park, to name a few more. It'd have worked better if the writer had taken standout LPs and used these as foundations for his arguments, rather than a hodgepodge of back and forth snippets of factoids, biographical anecdotes (admittedly many fascinating to a fan), and potted short takes on singers, songwriters, svengalis, and scenesters. Also, the text needed more careful editjng, as slips in style conventions, incomplete indexing, missing identifiers, and gaps in transition leave the results, while readable (takes about 25% before he finds his voice, and starts cracking a few jokes about the catty glitter and gay subcultures in NYC's demimonde), incomplete.

That being said, despite the scattershot nature, the fun I had reliving youthful enthusiasms on the air won't stop me from checking out his other tribute to a formative twelve months in tunes, as after all that's the first I recall much of, so a visit further back into my childhood will find its own soundtrack.

[Gregory Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In '73 I was Living Free and I Called the Road my Own
It is an objective fact that the '70's was the best decade for popular music. It is also an objective fact that I came of age in the '70's and that my opinions are unbiased. I have previously read and enjoyed Ron Brownstein's examination of 1974 in Los Angeles when the music industry was centered on the west coast - check out my review here of RockMeOnTheWater. This book takes a more academic approach to the music of 1973 and is dense with trivia related to the songs and artists (how many people would know of the Aussie band "Daddy Cool" and their major hit, "Eagle Rock"?). The author covers the bases between the U.S. and U.K. scenes comprehensively -- not only do the big bands get their due but he covers bands like Slade, which was an OK Brit band, but nothing more - he must have watched all Top of the Pops from '73!
The author reviews the hits of the day chronologically (Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall) and in the social context of the time. It was a tumultuous era coming out of the sixties. The end of the Vietnam war, women's liberation, the oil crisis, Watergate, baby boomers coming of age, the post-Beatles era and more all contributed to a variety of musical styles gaining traction.
In 1973 I was finishing my high school years in Austalia and, if there was one album you could not escape at that time, it was Hot August Night by Neil Diamond. This album did not get a mention, although, to be fair, it was released in the prior year. That omission did cause me to think that providing a list of the top albums by sales in the year would have been a nice addition.
The best chapter in the book is the Epilogue (Keep on Truckin') as it puts the year of music into a broader context compared to the industry today. I guess we all know that rock and roll has been supplanted by rap and hip-hop, and the economics of the business are now dictated by singles and streaming, but Jackson unearths some interesting stats on the state of today's industry:
- Fifteen of the year's nineteen top albums were rock albums (compared to 8 of 41 in 2018).
- Album sales today only make up 4.3% of total music revenue compared to 61.8% in 1973. Streaming now accounts for 75% of music industry revenue.
- Technology, such as Garageband, is now omnipresent in recording process.
- Rock acts still dominate the concert circuit. Bruce, the Stones, the Eagles, Billy Joel and more still pack in the boomer crowd.
Overall, the book contained more information than I could absorb, but I loved the chapters on the "Laurel Canyon" troubadours. And, for what it is worth, I'm glad I came of age in 1973

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.5 of 5

One of my children is very much interested in music and, because I listened to a lot of what we now call 'classic rock', he is also quite fond of this music period. We've talked about it quite often and how I always felt that there was a real strength of music and musicians in the early 1970's. I don't think I realized quite a how strong that period actually was.

This is an incredibly detailed account of the pop/rock (with some crossover to other genres) music scene in one very specific year. Author Andrew Grant Jackson has selected 1973 for a reason, which he expresses in the book (I won't spoil the read).

I listened to a lot of music on radio in 1973 (there weren't a lot of options for a junior high student back then) and I've long felt that this was a great period for music and Jackson proceeds, month by month, to show just why this really was a remarkable year. Putting it together like this, really provides a nice timeline for everything that was happening. More than once I had the thought: "That was in 1973, too?!"

There were moments that I found just a bit dull, but this was specifically only when Jackson was writing about artists whose work I personally didn't care for or follow. Even so, it was really interesting to note that such music and performers were working at this same time.

I requested this book based on the theme of rock music, but this book works very well as a history book (narrowly focused on music, of course) and as a social studies book of 1973. So many different things were happening in 1973 and music, specifically rock music, was at the forefront of commentary about what was happening.

It was interesting to me that (according to Jackson), "In 1973, AM still garnered more listeners than FM. On many AM Top 40 stations, rock, R&B, pop, easy listening, and country coexisted." When my small town got their FM station I couldn't say, but I did listen to it a LOT during my high school years. Back when live DJ's and call in shows/requests were common.

Really a great book and easy to recommend.

Looking for a good book? 1973: Rock at the Crossroads by Andrew Grant Jackson is a well-researched, fascinating history of a really important year in rock music. You should read it.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Kemp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expect whiplash reading this book. I’ll tell you why but first a bit on what I learned.

I can’t say I liked it but the epiphany I had was how little I knew and how one dimensional I was as I came of age musically. 1973 is about the right time frame but a whole lot of other musical genres were evolving or developing while I stayed in my narrow channel. In this regard the book was enlightening.

The book lacked a story. It’s a brain dump of random events and conversations with a music expert along with a bunch of irrelevant topics unrelated to music. Some of the tangents are relevant to the evolution of song like the Vietnam War and protest songs but other things like the oil embargo and inflation didn’t fit. And Jackson didn’t connect the music to them or them to the music. Nor was I willing to do Jackson’s work for him.

He is either a genius or a person so chuck full of trivia and memories that he wanted to dump on us. Topics seemed to bounce randomly though the book is organized chronologically across the year with chapters representing months and seasons. But within the chapter the flow is uneven, even within some paragraphs. I had to back up and go wait, “where were we and how is this related to what I just read”. Well, it isn’t related. We’ve just blasted off in another direction. If you wanted to read a specific genre you can’t because they are interspersed wildly in the book. While that fits the seasonal order of the book it is exasperated by the random jumps.

Beyond the epiphany mentioned I did pick up pieces of interesting trivia and reinforcement of things I already knew. Jackson gave me a greater appreciation how artists’ music evolves. He seems super well informed of the industry but what he said about the relationship between Elton John and David Bowie differs from what Elton wrote in Me. I’ll consider this a one off or that the comments came from different time periods.

An average book at best, two and a half Goodread stars.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

What this book has: Too much for a simple list

For starters, let's just say that the title, 1973: Rock at the Crossroads , is off. This book covers so much more than rock and roll. Rather, it is a wide-ranging cultural look at the year, some of what led to these changes and a touch of what was yet to come. The year in music and culture is blocked by season, giving the reader a better frame of reference to when things happened throughout 1973, which helps, because the book covers a lot of ground.
The introduction alone covers some ground and sheds some light on the power of music, such as this quote from Civil Rights leader Andrew Young: "I say all of the time, that rock and roll did more for integration than the church and if I was going to choose who I was going to let into the Kingdom...I might have to choose Elvis."
For instance, it covers the earliest rise of Springsteen and the record label's lack of belief in Aerosmith. The triumph of Bowie and Elton John, the nascent Kiss, and the coming together of hippies and country folk at Willie Nelson's annual barbecue in Texas. "The Harder They Come" with Jimmy Cliff hit the theaters and became an international hit, while Bob Marley shared a bill at Maxwell's with Springsteen (oh to have caught some of those shows!) But it also gets into some of the ugliness, like the rape of Keith Richards' wife in a Jamaican jail (which, incidentally, he did not mention in his book Life. Bowie's androgyny and open marriage, not to mention full-on orgies get covered here, too.
And as the California sound of the Eagles and Jackson Browne came together, so, too, was the punk vision starting to coalesce around artists such as Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell. Meanwhile, as Stax fell apart, Philadelphia International Records was born. Motown's Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye rose to greater heights as they shook off Berry Gordy's influence. The Jackson 5 was hard at work doing its thing while the Osmonds were doing their thing for white audiences (and these guys became friends - who knew?).
No book about this musical era would be complete without delving into the work of all four ex Beatles. , jumpsuited and hard working (167 shows) Elvis, "Quadrophenia," and the demise of free-form radio. There was a time when radio stations would play rock alongside R&B or soul and everyone got a taste of everything out there. Then the programmers took over, with DJs required to follow specific formats and play specific songs at specific times. Today, radio stinks (my own take).
Like I said, 1973 covers a lot of ground, so I can understand the title and even the thesis. A good, informative travelogue worth a read, especially at a time when rock seems to be in its death throes.

[Under Milkwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the sort of reference book that should not be read like a novel. Which I did! And that is why I gave it three stars instead of four. Even though I enjoyed the book, it just didn't flow smoothly enough. Granted, neither did that particular year, 1973, in music. Maybe it was Jackson's slightly erratic, conversational tone that at times felt like Holden Caulfield on a rant. Maybe it was the way he made too many unverified assumptions. Maybe it was because Jackson was four years old in 1973! Maybe I'm just being churlish!?!
Personally I'll back any year between 1965 and 1975 as a great year for rock music but Jackson didn't convince me that 1973 was 'Rock at the Crossroads". That doesn't mean to say that he didn't entertain me with some gob-smacking behind the scenes tales and a swag of titillating revelations.
After all, everyone who was anyone at the time earns a 'well-fitted' guernsey here. Dylan, Young, Lou Reed, Bowie, Elton, the solo Beatles, the Stones, Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Floyd, Black Sabbath. Even Hawkwind! And a veritable cast of thousands that come and go and come again as the year progresses.
Whether you read this book in random chapters or as a "meandering month by month musical diary", you're guaranteed to find something rewarding. Try not to labour over the awkward introduction of
Danny Whitten in Chapter One. As I did, and as you can see, it still rankles!

[Trace Reddell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another ambitious project by Andrew Grant Jackson, using a focal year in rock history to thread together a wide variety of musical forms and genres along with significant historical events. At times we jump back prior to 1973 to briefly learn how an artist, group, or event evolved, and occasionally we go post-'73 to discover the consequences of this year of transformation and change.

As with the previous "1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music," the writing in "1973" feels a bit bland, undercooked, and reliant on too many patched-together sources, with an unexpected (but not unnoticed) reliance on Wikipedia and AllMusic reviews. Again, as with "1965," the author's voice feels disengaged and second-hand rather than inspired and personally invested. The only thing I can really tell that has seemingly informed Jackson's individualized take on this time period is Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous," which crops up with an absurd frequency and, at least to this reader, doesn't feel as such an honest, useful, or accurate barometer of 1973 as Jackson seems to think it does. (Though about 1976, I would suggest that Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused" is the far superior film with a more vital take on how pop and rock informs and affords lived experience.) At any rate, "Almost Famous" stands out as a marker of the way that Jackson's experience is far removed, both historically and as a research experience, from personal engagement with the musical subject matter.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

So what’s so important about 1973 to rock? A lot of bands and cultural icons began that year. From the first Dick Clark New Year’s Rockin’ Eve to the first albums of diverse acts like Bruce Springsteen, Queen, the New York Dolls, and Aerosmith, music had plenty to celebrate while Nixon was impeached and left the White House. Punk, disco, and hip-hop all began in NYC in 1973. The Vietnam War ended. And Ziggy Stardust died.

Readers who remember 1973 are in for a treat and a trip down memory lane. It helps if you have a subscription music service to play the music discussed in the book. Pandora even has a playlist for the book!

1973’s real change was the merging of different music styles together. 1973: Rock at the Crossroads covers all types of music from punk to hip-hop to country outlaws like Willie Nelson.

If you love music, especially 1970s music, you need to read this book. It is filled with a bunch of insider stories. For example, a backup singer for Ike and Tina Turner’s band was the inspiration for the Stones’ “Brown Sugar” as well as Bowie’s “Lady Grinning Soul”.

Overall, 1973: Rock at the Crossroads is an excellent gift for music fans and a fascinating look at a different era. 5 stars!

Thanks to Thomas Dunn Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) At first glance, I wouldn’t consider 1973 a key year. Granted, there was a lot that happened that year, from the US withdrawal from Vietnam to Watergate. Yet, for music, it proved to be a significant year. It was when rock ruled supreme, with some performers and groups at their zenith (The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Beatles as single performers, Elton John). It was also the year that some other groups got their start (Aerosmith). However, outside of rock, other musical forms were either in full swing (Soul, African-American musicians, outlaw country) or the start of some other forms (rap can trace its origins to this time, which would begat R&B, etc). There was a lot going on in the music scene. It was also reflective of the social upheaval of the era, from swingers, to acceptance of homosexuality, women’s liberation, the end of the hippie regime to the rise of disco and metal.

The book read like a chronology of music history, but it attempts to put it into context. Yet, for an audiobook, would have been far stronger to incorporate audio tracks. Perhaps in this vein, the hard-copy book would rate a little higher. I learned a number of things, but I didn’t treat as a must-read. Still, if you are a fan of music, especially of groups that reigned supreme, you might enjoy it. (Although, most of the stories key fans would know by heart anyway).

[Cassie’s Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love talking about the 70s with my mother in law, she talks about how different it was and she still loves the music from during that time period . So when I spotted this book I was so excited! I’ve been making it a point to spread my wings and add some non fiction and this book was perfect! I loved that this book wasn’t just about music but how the world during this time affected the music and how the music played a part of its history! You can tell the author did an amazing job researching the facts and I didn’t feel like I was reading a non fiction book at all , it held my interest and of course I would hit my mother in law with a text and tell her what I was reading about. There was some spots that the author discussed outside of 1973 and I enjoyed some of the backstories as well! I also thought that it was neat that it didn’t just focus on the music but added in some spots that included the news and sports. The pictures that were also in this book made me want to go back and witness these amazing stars first hand! I give this a solid five stars! Highly recommend you add this to your Christmas list for anyone that would enjoy reading this gorgeous book!

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alternately brilliant and frustrating, at times evoking a musical version of Rick Perlstein’s ‘70s histories, at other times seemingly dashed off from Wiki entries.

Pluses: I had no idea how tight some artists were with others, if only playing in the same bill. (Springsteen and Bob Marley? Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin? Everybody — Stones, Elton — trying to record in Jamaica?) It made me realize that there was a whole world between these guys (most were guys, though there were also key relationships between notable women like Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt and the Laurel Canyon gang) and the industry. A small world where you saw one another at small clubs, recording studios and festivals.

Minuses: Lazy editing — there’s at least one repeated sentence and some paragraphs that seem like rewritten encyclopedia entries — an overabundance of “per xxx” (that’s what endnotes are for) and noting that a record made the Rolling Stone Top 500, a very flawed list that detracts from contemporary critical appraisals. I would dismiss these as tics, but after awhile, they got in the way of some thoughtful ideas.

I’m glad I read it, but O, what might have been.

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading for any fan of Classic Rock. This book doesn't go into deep, deep depth on any particular artist or event, but Jackson definitely provides enough coverage and facts to make this a fun read. Given the amount of attention placed upon them, fans of Bowie, Springsteen, McCartney and Elton John will especially appreciate "1973". Jackson (mostly) chronologically tells the story of how the year unfolded, with some 'senior' rockers reaching their peaks while new voices emerged. He also sets the context of the music, with chapters concerning Nixon, Watergate, gay pride, and the gas crisis, to name a few background stories.

While most attention goes toward classic rockers, Jackson also discusses soul music and the emergence of reggae, disco and punk rock. Truthfully, 1973 was a more important year for rock than I realized. The book is around 350 pages but could have easily been 700. Still, I give it a solid 4 stars.