Out of Our Heads: Rock 'n' Roll Before the Drugs Wore Off

by George Case

(Book). Take a trip through rock 'n' roll's haziest, craziest period, beginning with the Beatles and Bob Dylan "turning on" in a New York hotel, and continuing on through two decades of wonderful, colorful, history-changing music. From psychedelic Woodstock warriors like Hendrix and the Jefferson Airplane to psycho-stereo adventurers Pink Floyd; from the post-hippie bliss of Neil Young and cosmic cowboy Willie Nelson to the druggy blues of Black Sabbath and the hemp-happy rhythms of Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, Out of Our Heads gleefully celebrates music's most creative minds and their chemically induced expansion. This is the rare book that is unafraid to bask in the groovy good times of rock 'n' roll without the politically correct preaching that has helped stifle the party. To all those who have ever listened to Dark Side of the Moon on a pair of headphones and said "Wow": this book is for you.

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction

269 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2010

Reviews

[Marco · Rating 5 out of 5]

a definitive look at drugs effects on the music we have listened to for over 40 years now. Whats up. A good perspective on where we are going as oppposed to whats been.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This readers low score is not based on the author but on the subject matter. Being an old fart from the 60's. Reading the news about the audio "stars" as they were being set in the cold earth was sad. Some actually brought tears but I can not separate from the book and personal emotion. My bad. The newer generation of music fans,other then the generation of old farts, as my self, will be able to view the book as a historical message about the harm of drugs and music. I can not. Later. Keep Reading.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic book jam packed with anecdotes, quotes, quips and references that digs deep into a golden era without ever feeling like the author was injecting his own obsessions or ego into the mix. will need to take a break from music books for a while after this one 🍳

[Jesika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved the content of this book. If you don’t like biographies, you probably won’t enjoy this.

[Drew Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember seeing George Case’s 2010 book, Out of Our Heads: Rock ‘n’ Roll Before the Drugs Wore Off, on a shelf in my local big-box book store some years ago. According to GoodReads, my first documented reading was in April 2013, and probably for the same reason I read it in April 2018. To be fair, I think I’ve read this a few times over the years. Case’s book isn’t groundbreaking, nor was it written to disclose any major secrets. If you’re into this sort of thing, a lot of what’s here if not all you already know, but if you don’t it serves as a good introduction to those new to the “classic rock” era. What could be an easy above average read falls to the average shelf for a few minor reasons, and one major one. I’ll get to them...

To read the rest of this review go to https://drewmartinwrites.wordpress.co...

[David Bedno · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of "classic" rock and roll, from the perspective of the drugs that were taken. Interesting from a gossip perspective, it starts with Bob Dylan introducing The Beatles to pot (which they took to like ducks to water) and nebulously ends in the early 80s. Amusing reading if you want to know just how much drugs were involved in the making of "Rumors" or any Crosby, Stills and Nash album, but the stories really are hardly news. The last chapter, in which the author goes all rock critic on us, is worth skipping, but it explains why he stops the book when he does.

Not bad, but don't feel obliged to pick it up, unless you really want the gossip.

[Kyle Pennekamp · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty basic, broad overview of the rock scene's drug use. It starts with the meeting of Dylan and the Beatles (and is very detailed here, but not with anything you haven't read before), and then just works its way through the next decade. It seems like Case just read a bunch of articles, then put the highlights in chronological order. Which, given the subject, is still a light, fun read.

[Laurence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knew all this before.