Glenn C. Altschuler

A fairly strong critique of the cultural influence of Rock 'n' Roll. It does a good job with the 1950s explaining the multiple music traditions that would blend into what would be come described as Rock and R. Most prominent of these were of course recordings by black musicians that would have tremendous impact on Elvis and other icons of the Rock pantheon. As Rock mutated it would serve the rebellious undercurrent of 50s and 60s teens and blend with the Civil Rights movement, anti-war movement, and other segments of the emerging counterculture.
The narrative is first rate when it covers the ascent of the early rockers, the upheaval in the record industry, and the religious and conservative forces that attempted to stifle the growth of R and R. It is suspect and much too cursory in evaluating the 1960s and such performers as Dylan. To suggest that Dylan's career as a political protest singer commenced in '65 with " Like a Rollin' Stone" is way off the tracks. He was well established by then and had recorded his most famous protest songs before that.
One other noteworthy defect is the organization of the chapters. There are rarely any markers or breaks between ideas and themes, and the paragraphs often run on interminably, containing lists and artists, and do not effectively transition between topics.
Those criticisms aside, it is a good snapshot of the era and has enough engaging content to earn a good but not outstanding rating.… (more)

Altschuler is at his best when writing about the sociolgy of how Rock'n'Roll impacted the wider cuture of the time; be it as a lighting rod for adults disconcerted by galloping social change, a tool for adolescents making an identity statement, or a bone of contention between rival commercial syndicates. What Altschuler is less than good at is writing about the music itself. At that point your attention is going to wander, though Altschuler does have some interesting remarks to make about the limits of Rock'n'Roll as an instrument of integration. It also would have been helpful if he had spent more time earlier in the book discussing the social stresses of the time from the perspective of the critics; particularly the period obsession with juvenile delinquency that flavored so much of the social opposition to the new music (instead of about half way through the text).… (more)