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The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2 Lib/E: 1964-1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock
It's February 1964 and The Beatles just landed in New York City, where the NYPD, swarms of fans, and a crowd of two hundred journalists await their first American press conference. It begins with the question on everyone's mind: "Are you going to get a haircut in America?" and ends with a reporter tugging Paul McCartney's hair in an attempt to remove his nonexistent wig. This is where 'The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2' kicks off. Chronicling the years 1964 through the mid-1970's, this latest volume covers one of the most exciting eras of rock history, which saw a massive outpouring of popular and cutting-edge music.
Ed Ward weaves together an pause-resisting narrative told through colorful anecdotes and shares the behind-the-scenes stories of the megastars, the trailblazers, DJs, record executives, concert promoters, and producers who were at the forefront of this incredible period in music history. From Bob Dylan to Bill Graham, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Byrds, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, and more, everyone's favorite musicians of the era make an appearance in this sweeping history that reveals how the different players, sounds, and trends came together to create the music we all know and love today.
©2019 Ed Ward (P)2019 Tantor
Ed Ward weaves together an pause-resisting narrative told through colorful anecdotes and shares the behind-the-scenes stories of the megastars, the trailblazers, DJs, record executives, concert promoters, and producers who were at the forefront of this incredible period in music history. From Bob Dylan to Bill Graham, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Byrds, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, and more, everyone's favorite musicians of the era make an appearance in this sweeping history that reveals how the different players, sounds, and trends came together to create the music we all know and love today.
©2019 Ed Ward (P)2019 Tantor
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First published November 19, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 19, 2023
Worth reading.
But…
Very very not as good as volume I.
I think culture and music got so diverse in the late 1960’s that a book on the topic of this length (very brief for any type of history) can’t possiblypossibly feel complete or satisfying.
This book is interesting and entertaining.
But (I’m afaraid) contains nothing particularly earth shattering, eye opening or revelatory beyond the sheer (nearly incomprehensibl) number of (ridiculously talented) people, that died (ridiculously young) due to alcohol and other drug overdoses and automobile/airplane accidents.
Like I said, definitely read this thing if you’re curious and it if you liked the first one. But turn down the volume on your expectations, particularly if you (like me) loved volume I.
3/5 🤩
But…
Very very not as good as volume I.
I think culture and music got so diverse in the late 1960’s that a book on the topic of this length (very brief for any type of history) can’t possiblypossibly feel complete or satisfying.
This book is interesting and entertaining.
But (I’m afaraid) contains nothing particularly earth shattering, eye opening or revelatory beyond the sheer (nearly incomprehensibl) number of (ridiculously talented) people, that died (ridiculously young) due to alcohol and other drug overdoses and automobile/airplane accidents.
Like I said, definitely read this thing if you’re curious and it if you liked the first one. But turn down the volume on your expectations, particularly if you (like me) loved volume I.
3/5 🤩
June 12, 2019
Ed Ward never ceases to amaze me how much he knows about music history. I read his Rock of Ages, and I still learned more about classic rock from this book. I hope to keep reading his books until he stops publishing them because it brings back a lot of memories.
August 9, 2020
This is definitely a musichead's book, and not for the casual fan. But there's a caveat. As a hardcore music enthusiast, I found at least a dozen major factual errors, and that was without trying. As a result, it taints my enjoyment, because I wonder if I'm taking in any new "facts" that aren't factual. The author is to blame, but so is the editing staff. One egregious example: stating that the Beatles used a Mellotron on the intro to "Penny Lane," when it was clearly "Strawberry Fields Forever." The former doesn't even HAVE an intro. It begins with Paul's vocal. If something that obvious can escape the various levels of factual gate-keeping, you have to wonder.
The author makes assertions as if they're indisputable truths, but doesn't offer evidence to back them up, so they come off as simply opinions. The ride is still enjoyable, even with these not insignificant flaws, but with a more focused narrative thread, and some basic fact checking, it could have been a five-star product.
The author makes assertions as if they're indisputable truths, but doesn't offer evidence to back them up, so they come off as simply opinions. The ride is still enjoyable, even with these not insignificant flaws, but with a more focused narrative thread, and some basic fact checking, it could have been a five-star product.
September 11, 2023
While I really enjoyed volume one and tracing all the sources that gave rise to rock and roll, this book covers my childhood and adolescence, and I really liked it.
Just as in the previous book, he takes us from year to year, showing the influences from the rest of the world and the rise of radio and television and its importance to rock. Similarly, concerts evolved and the festivals took hold, culminating in Woodstock (which is shown to have an outsized reputation).
We see the birth of rock journalism and rock journalists and their influence on artists and labels.
We also trace the decline and fall of the first generation of rockers right up to Elvis Presley's death in 1977 towards the end of the volume. He also points out that the rock era known as the 60s really lasted a handful of years (1964-67), and then rock moved on.
We see the coming of prog rock and heavy metal along with other splintering of the most popular music in the world. What he doesn't cover here, as he warns us at the outset, is the rise of disco. What's missing, though, is punk. The Ramones, beginning in 1974, and the importance of CBGB's as an east coast venue, are neglected.
While volume one was strictly year by year, Ed Ward deviates and gives us clusters of years as we move into the 1970s, tracing soul and funk, world music, and other trneds unique to the decade.
A third and final volume has been promised and I am eagerly looking forward to it.
Just as in the previous book, he takes us from year to year, showing the influences from the rest of the world and the rise of radio and television and its importance to rock. Similarly, concerts evolved and the festivals took hold, culminating in Woodstock (which is shown to have an outsized reputation).
We see the birth of rock journalism and rock journalists and their influence on artists and labels.
We also trace the decline and fall of the first generation of rockers right up to Elvis Presley's death in 1977 towards the end of the volume. He also points out that the rock era known as the 60s really lasted a handful of years (1964-67), and then rock moved on.
We see the coming of prog rock and heavy metal along with other splintering of the most popular music in the world. What he doesn't cover here, as he warns us at the outset, is the rise of disco. What's missing, though, is punk. The Ramones, beginning in 1974, and the importance of CBGB's as an east coast venue, are neglected.
While volume one was strictly year by year, Ed Ward deviates and gives us clusters of years as we move into the 1970s, tracing soul and funk, world music, and other trneds unique to the decade.
A third and final volume has been promised and I am eagerly looking forward to it.
May 24, 2020
Another painstakingly researched book about rock history from Ed Ward, although this time I had moments where I wished there was more depth and less breadth. That could be due to my own knowledge of late 60s/70s rock and a desire to learn something new. I can’t say I did in the final three chapters or so.
However, like Volume I, he promises a history of rock and roll and he delivered on that. Few stones are left unturned. If you are looking for a survey of rock history, this, with Volume I, will fit the bill.
However, like Volume I, he promises a history of rock and roll and he delivered on that. Few stones are left unturned. If you are looking for a survey of rock history, this, with Volume I, will fit the bill.
April 8, 2020
This book started off really well-stories of the Beatles, DC5, and the rest of the British invasion which was "my era" of music. The chapters which were arranged chronologically then became rather formulaic-the stories of the successes of the major groups and some stories about the songs or the groups. Then they would move to the different styles of "rock"-the influences, the small successes and the failures. As the styles of "rock" became more varied each style was given some attention in the succeeding chapters. But this became really repetitive-especially when it came to the bands and solo artists who had no success at all. Why bother?
I also found Ward to be very dismissive of most of the groups-even the Beatles and Stones. He seemed to find little to like trashing the Doors, most of the SF groups, the Laurel Canyon groups. No one seemed immune to his criticisms.
I found his writing style to be pompous and pedantic. You can only use words like solipsistic so many times (in one case it was 3 times within about 20 pages). After reading a book by a music critic, I always say to myself "never again" but I do. No one to blame but me on this one.
I also found Ward to be very dismissive of most of the groups-even the Beatles and Stones. He seemed to find little to like trashing the Doors, most of the SF groups, the Laurel Canyon groups. No one seemed immune to his criticisms.
I found his writing style to be pompous and pedantic. You can only use words like solipsistic so many times (in one case it was 3 times within about 20 pages). After reading a book by a music critic, I always say to myself "never again" but I do. No one to blame but me on this one.
September 23, 2021
Summary - "Read these, but read them last."
Read this and its volume 2 companion, but perhaps after reading other better-written books of rock history, using these two to finish the job with more details. I will describe this pair of books, then suggest a recommended path of reading to get to this pair
Volume 1 - The first half of part one reads mostly like lists of artists and recordings and timing of events. It is not written with any notable degree of storytelling, and while occasionally mentioning when one unknown meets someone and then suddenly "makes it big", it falls flat on giving much in the way of meaning to any of the events. It bounces around between various genres that influenced the evolution of rock and roll, including folk, blues, country, r&b, but in a way that misses the connections that other books make. And while sort of being chronological, it is not consistently so, so the jumping around is both between genres and back and forth in time. The second half of part one is mostly a reasonable detailed telling of the rise of Elvis Presley and then the formation of the Beatles. These are told more in story fashion and are much better done. Just in them selves these two stories make the book worthy of a read. That said, these are second or third hand, based on interviews with people who were around these acts at the time. I am no expert, but at least regarding the Beatles there were a few instances where these accounts had minor differences between what was described here as compared to other biographical accounts, including the very fine George Martin and Geoff Emerick books from their first-hand perspectives.
Volume 2 - This second half of the series read completely differently from the first book. In this book, there is somewhat less of the list approach and a bit more story telling, which was welcome, but suddenly the author was constantly injecting his critiques and preferences about what genres and whom he liked or didn't like. That aspect was distracting and off-putting. Certainly in a pair of books of this length not every group can be mentioned, not even every group that reached number one. But there are clearly groups that the author liked and includes but who failed to make an impact (and therefore are questionable for mention in summary books on the history of rock) and others that made an impact which the author dismisses. He even says so in his own words in the book, not my interpretation. It just felt strange to me, out of place for what I hoped would be an educational retrospective from a knowledgeable fan of the genre. This second volume possibly had even more jumping back and forth in time as the author bounced between genres within a given chapter of the book, things that could have been presented much more smoothly with better structuring/editing of the book.
Based on the stories in the second book, I can see where the author doing shorter segments on NPR of specific stories or groups could be interesting and well done. But taken as a whole, the pair of books fell far below my expectations based on the author's reputation and career to this point. That said, I still think these are worth reading, once other, better books have been read to give you a better sense of the "story" of how rock evolved from the influences not only of the various genres but of the societal events that shaped the happenings in those genres.
I'd recommend starting with Rockin' In Time, A Social History of Rock-and-Roll, by David Szatmary. It is shorter and therefore less super detailed (while still seeming to contain plenty of details and events) but immensely better written in terms of casting the history as a story, so that events and chance meetings between people that led to groups forming or record deals are given meaning, both in the moment and in their meaning to the evolution of the music. This book's use of social (and racial) history as the context makes all of the information much more meaningful and provides a solid foundation for the narrative. Let this book lead you to other books about particular groups or genres or periods of particular interest. At that point, I'd recommend reading more (auto)biographical types of books about particular artists and genres, getting insights directly from the people who were actually there in those moments. Certainly really big stars have biographical and autobiographical accounts that are far more detailed and satisfying. I'd also recommend books like Written In My Soul (Bill Flanagan), Off The Record (Joe Smith) and if you are a musician, Songwriters on Songwriting (Paul Zollo), the latter two being the many and varied artists speaking in their own words. These cover tons of ground and are very you--were-there story oriented.
Finally, read these two books to go back over the history with a fine-toothed comb, to fill in gaps and to trigger memories of groups that are memorable to you but who didn't necessarily move the historical narrative along in terms of their impact, once you have already gotten meaningful context from other readings. To be sure, there were lots of details and lots of great music mentioned, so a worthy part of the trip down memory lane.
Read this and its volume 2 companion, but perhaps after reading other better-written books of rock history, using these two to finish the job with more details. I will describe this pair of books, then suggest a recommended path of reading to get to this pair
Volume 1 - The first half of part one reads mostly like lists of artists and recordings and timing of events. It is not written with any notable degree of storytelling, and while occasionally mentioning when one unknown meets someone and then suddenly "makes it big", it falls flat on giving much in the way of meaning to any of the events. It bounces around between various genres that influenced the evolution of rock and roll, including folk, blues, country, r&b, but in a way that misses the connections that other books make. And while sort of being chronological, it is not consistently so, so the jumping around is both between genres and back and forth in time. The second half of part one is mostly a reasonable detailed telling of the rise of Elvis Presley and then the formation of the Beatles. These are told more in story fashion and are much better done. Just in them selves these two stories make the book worthy of a read. That said, these are second or third hand, based on interviews with people who were around these acts at the time. I am no expert, but at least regarding the Beatles there were a few instances where these accounts had minor differences between what was described here as compared to other biographical accounts, including the very fine George Martin and Geoff Emerick books from their first-hand perspectives.
Volume 2 - This second half of the series read completely differently from the first book. In this book, there is somewhat less of the list approach and a bit more story telling, which was welcome, but suddenly the author was constantly injecting his critiques and preferences about what genres and whom he liked or didn't like. That aspect was distracting and off-putting. Certainly in a pair of books of this length not every group can be mentioned, not even every group that reached number one. But there are clearly groups that the author liked and includes but who failed to make an impact (and therefore are questionable for mention in summary books on the history of rock) and others that made an impact which the author dismisses. He even says so in his own words in the book, not my interpretation. It just felt strange to me, out of place for what I hoped would be an educational retrospective from a knowledgeable fan of the genre. This second volume possibly had even more jumping back and forth in time as the author bounced between genres within a given chapter of the book, things that could have been presented much more smoothly with better structuring/editing of the book.
Based on the stories in the second book, I can see where the author doing shorter segments on NPR of specific stories or groups could be interesting and well done. But taken as a whole, the pair of books fell far below my expectations based on the author's reputation and career to this point. That said, I still think these are worth reading, once other, better books have been read to give you a better sense of the "story" of how rock evolved from the influences not only of the various genres but of the societal events that shaped the happenings in those genres.
I'd recommend starting with Rockin' In Time, A Social History of Rock-and-Roll, by David Szatmary. It is shorter and therefore less super detailed (while still seeming to contain plenty of details and events) but immensely better written in terms of casting the history as a story, so that events and chance meetings between people that led to groups forming or record deals are given meaning, both in the moment and in their meaning to the evolution of the music. This book's use of social (and racial) history as the context makes all of the information much more meaningful and provides a solid foundation for the narrative. Let this book lead you to other books about particular groups or genres or periods of particular interest. At that point, I'd recommend reading more (auto)biographical types of books about particular artists and genres, getting insights directly from the people who were actually there in those moments. Certainly really big stars have biographical and autobiographical accounts that are far more detailed and satisfying. I'd also recommend books like Written In My Soul (Bill Flanagan), Off The Record (Joe Smith) and if you are a musician, Songwriters on Songwriting (Paul Zollo), the latter two being the many and varied artists speaking in their own words. These cover tons of ground and are very you--were-there story oriented.
Finally, read these two books to go back over the history with a fine-toothed comb, to fill in gaps and to trigger memories of groups that are memorable to you but who didn't necessarily move the historical narrative along in terms of their impact, once you have already gotten meaningful context from other readings. To be sure, there were lots of details and lots of great music mentioned, so a worthy part of the trip down memory lane.
October 9, 2020
typical party line recitation re: what was and what not authentic music. nothing new or insightful.
August 11, 2022
The book has a lot of good information but the presentation isn't very good. The writer presents the information as a rambling non-stop stream. His presentation makes it difficult to retain anything.
January 20, 2020
I took a while reading this because I kept stopping to listen to bands and songs mentioned. Loved the musical journey!
Ward packs a whole lot of information into these pages. This period in rock history is tumultuous, with an explosion of new sounds, the ever-shifting band members, and music labels seeking the best way to capitalize on it all. While the approach is academic, the narrative is engaging and conversational.
For the most part, this is an unbiased look at the rise and fall of bands and music styles, though now and then Ward is a little dismissive of bands he clearly doesn't think much of. (I'm guessing he's not a Doors fan.) I chuckled at the brief glossing over of a few bands because, while I didn't always agree, I thought it humanized Ward as a listener beyond his position as an established music critic.
I haven't read Volume 1, but now I definitely want to, and I'm looking forward to Volume III!
*I received a review copy from the publisher.*
Ward packs a whole lot of information into these pages. This period in rock history is tumultuous, with an explosion of new sounds, the ever-shifting band members, and music labels seeking the best way to capitalize on it all. While the approach is academic, the narrative is engaging and conversational.
For the most part, this is an unbiased look at the rise and fall of bands and music styles, though now and then Ward is a little dismissive of bands he clearly doesn't think much of. (I'm guessing he's not a Doors fan.) I chuckled at the brief glossing over of a few bands because, while I didn't always agree, I thought it humanized Ward as a listener beyond his position as an established music critic.
I haven't read Volume 1, but now I definitely want to, and I'm looking forward to Volume III!
*I received a review copy from the publisher.*
March 14, 2020
I had loved Volume I, and if I was let down at all by Volume II, it's only because I know more about these years and wanted him to make more connections. This is still a terrific overview of pop music in the years covered (though he's saving disco and punk for a projected Volume III), and I love the chance to put all this music into context and chronology. He offers a really good brief history of reggae up to the onset of Bob Marley's international stardom, but then drops that story, which is slightly disappointing. I don't agree with all his opinions, but I think he's really sharp most of the time, and he's also really even-keeled about telling what happened whether he likes it or not. He's also frequently very funny, although I suspect actual Pink Floyd fans wouldn't have laughed as hard as I did in his page covering their career. Given the volume of music that came out in these years, he could probably have made a much larger book.
April 1, 2022
Ward has done a staggering amount of research in this history of rock and roll, starting out with the Beatles and ending with the death of Elvis Presley. The pacing is fast and you keep turning pages. The Mop Tops arrive in the U.S., do a gig in Washington DC, and make a big splash on the Ed Sullivan Show. After a while, the Rolling Stones follow suit, and the British Invasion is on full force. The Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, and the various groups comprising the Mercy Beat are covered. Artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez managed to hang on with their folky creds. Motown, with Barry Gordy, at the helm, thrives as well. The San Fran Scene erupts, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, etc. are discussed. Jimi Hendrix goes to England, comes back and establishes himself as a knockout guitarist. Ed Ward used to cover music for NPR's Fresh Air, and he knows the territory. He writes in a kind of jazzy, improvisational manner. If you're into pop or rock music, you should like this book.
March 10, 2024
I can recall the late Ed Ward's commenatary on npr's "Fresh Air" for years, until he quit the show when it declined to focus an entire program about this book, a sequel to his earlier work. I acknowledge the producer's wisdom. This appears less of a history and more a collection of anecdotes. While he relates many "nice to know" facts of rock and roll groups, personalities, and trends, it falls short, as he fails to knit them together. As this was written circa 2017, a third volume was needed - to explain the demise of rock and roll (see the "honorees" in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame- rap and country artists galore, but several very deserving acts (Guess Who?)- omitted). To be fair, Ed passed before a third volume could be released where he could address this and other issues, and this reader does not know whether he had made progress on this volume covering 1977 to present day (I am sure devotees of Robert Caro can emphathize)
November 21, 2019
If you have ever wanted a history of some of the greatest bands, singers, songwriters, producers, and songs that comprise the classic rock genre, look no further. The History of Rock & Roll is extremely comprehensive for the amount of pages that make it up, and obviously well researched. I enjoyed learning some rather neat little facts about bands and singers I did not know. Sometimes it could feel like an information overload, and I had to take a break, but I enjoyed it none the less.
If you, or someone you know, is a fan of classic rock, go read this book! It is available now!
Thank you Flatiron Books for an ARC of The History of Rock & Roll Volume II: 1964-1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock, given in exchange for an honest review.
If you, or someone you know, is a fan of classic rock, go read this book! It is available now!
Thank you Flatiron Books for an ARC of The History of Rock & Roll Volume II: 1964-1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock, given in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2023
I mostly enjoyed this book but found it frustrating to cram so much Rock and Roll history (1964-1977) into just 300 pages. The author does state in his introduction that the book is is just an overview and is meant to show how movements arise and how they die. That's okay but he seemed to sometimes focus on some pretty small, obscure movements and not enough on some others. Perhaps that's the nature of a basic overview. I will admit that I had a lot more interest in the earlier half of this history and was pretty unenthused about the music of the 70's. I'm sorry that Ed Ward died before he could write Volume III. I would have liked to see what he thought of the music of the 80's and 90's.
September 27, 2022
The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2 picks up where it left off with The Beatles. Ward backtracks a bit in the first part of the book, but then goes on to detail the period with insite and expertise. Given the nature of such a survey, he doesn't go into great detail on every artist, but he certainly tracks trends and show how the music evolved. He also covers the business aspects of music and the distribution as the industry turns toward LP records and radio goes from playing hits to album oriented rock.
This is the second volume of what seems to be a three part series. I am looking forward to the next installment. Both the first and second were excellent.
This is the second volume of what seems to be a three part series. I am looking forward to the next installment. Both the first and second were excellent.
June 4, 2023
Vol II has both the vices and virtues of Vol. I. Ward might be peerless in his encyclopedic chronicling of "all this stuff was happening at the same time," and makes a nice stab at the nearly impossible task of making a coherent narrative of it all. Meanwhile, though he's more than entitled to his opinions, I found myself disagreeing with an unusually high proportion of them. The one that jumps to mind from this book is his hatchet job on Woodstock, which certainly had its flaws but doesn't get its due here. (He even mocks Joni for daring to write a song about it even though -- gasp -- she wasn't there.) Eh, will I read vol. III anyway? Probably!
January 15, 2020
I have enjoyed these books by Ward. This second volume certainly has more contemporary acts that we are familiar with, focusing much more on The Rolling Stones and Beatles.
That said it is really just a listing of various acts and songs, the dynamics of the various connections between one act and mother, the constant fluctuating of members from one group to another is constantly interesting.
A small audience for this book, that said, it is enjoyable.
That said it is really just a listing of various acts and songs, the dynamics of the various connections between one act and mother, the constant fluctuating of members from one group to another is constantly interesting.
A small audience for this book, that said, it is enjoyable.
July 1, 2020
51-2020. Very short bits of info on tons of the major figures in rock music for the aforementioned 1964-1977 time frame. It ends with Elvis’s death. Entertaining, and some new information to nibble on. I’ve read too much about these groups and subjects, so it’s hard to be surprised. Still, the new bits were solid, especially the family trees tracing members of groups as they merged into groups (like Bad Company), and let other groups implode (like Blind Faith or Mott The Hoople).
November 2, 2022
Strange book. Tons of great information and interesting linkages, as well as strong copy editing, offset by some strange choices of what to focus on, often bizarre hipster patois, a clear loss of interest as the 70s plowed forward (which actually kind of makes sense because the music of the decade got worse and worse), and for me an unforgivable mistake — calling the great Boston band Orpheus “Orphan.”
April 2, 2020
An impossible Task, A Workmanlike Job.
I'm a fan of Ed Ward from way back (about 50 years in fact) and still believe he was one of the very best rock critics ever. So I really wish I liked this book better. But it is simply way too much material to cover in way too little space and Ed's unique voice too often gets lost in the rush to cram in every little fact.
I'm a fan of Ed Ward from way back (about 50 years in fact) and still believe he was one of the very best rock critics ever. So I really wish I liked this book better. But it is simply way too much material to cover in way too little space and Ed's unique voice too often gets lost in the rush to cram in every little fact.
June 4, 2025
I was ready to give this book 4 stars, but there was a big mistake: Ward says Wizzard became ELO, but it did not. Wood and Lynne were in The Move, which morphed into ELO in 1970. Wood left and formed Wizzard in 1972. After finding this mistake, I wonder if there are others that I don't know enough about are in the book ... a fun read, but now I have doubts about veracity ...
November 17, 2019
It's well written, entertaning and informative. I learned a lot about rock history and I look forward to reading the next book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
January 16, 2020
Enjoyable overview just like Volume I. I hesitate to say that I did find a few factual errors specifically regarding the Beatles (only because I've read far too many Beatles bios over the years), but looking past that, it was a fun and fast-paced read.
July 15, 2021
Ward moves away from the "cataloguing singles year-by-year" mode of the first volume, and the change is much welcome, though there's still a tension (maybe unavoidable in this kind of book) between an attempt at a comprehensive overview and a clear narrative arc.
August 12, 2021
I ended up not being able to finish this one because I had to return it to the library so I can't really wrote a full review. But what I did read of this book was pretty informative and I enjoyed reading a bit about one of my favorite music genres.
December 27, 2024
Good continuation of the first one. I think I was expecting a little more depth on the making of actual classic songs/albums in both of these but as a fan of music in general I'd recommend both Vol 1 and 2 to anyone who has an interest.
December 3, 2025
An excellent history of Rock and Roll. Very detailed about the record industry and the bands during the period of 1964 through 1977. Highly recommended for anyone who lived during this period and was influenced by Rock & Roll.
December 10, 2019
THESE GUYS ROCK ED AND ROLLED. IN THE DAY.
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