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The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates PDF

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TRACES THE EVOLUTION OF DIVERSE B DAVID E STREAMS OF AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC RA BRACKETT HPOP, C FROM THE 1920S TO THE PRESENT K T E “ I really appreciate the historical approach that David Brackett utilizes in The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader. I T think that students get a different perspective by reading rock’s history ‘in the time’ written by people as T R it occurred. Students enjoy this; it demonstrates that history is a process.” O C —Edward Whitelock, Gordon State College K, A “ The range of The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader is excellent. My students enjoy this book because the N T readings are manageable and engaging. The headnotes give enough context for students to be able to make sense of the issues raised by the readings. This is the strongest primary source reader on H D E popular music available.” P S —Gregory Weinstein, Davidson College O O U P L Featuring more than 100 readings from a wide range of , R sources and writers, The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader has O established itself as the #1 reader for popular music studies. C K , NEW TO THIS EDITION AN READER • A total of sixteen new selections from a variety of sources—including mainstream and specialized magazines, newspapers, scholarly journals, and more—exposes students to different styles of writing D and analysis S • New essays covering the impact of technology and mass media address topics like streaming O audio, the interconnectedness of social media, and the legal battles over file-sharing U L • New articles on the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Kim Gordon, Patti Smith, and “Riot Grrrls” R will inspire class assignments and discussions of classic rock, punk, and 1990s feminist indie music E • Critical overviews of the 1970s and 1980s by leading critics Lester Bangs and Robert Christgau A provide students with essential recent historical context D • New selections exploring today’s rap, hip-hop, and contemporary pop scenes include discussions E R of the resurgence of political engagement in recent African American popular music (with features on Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar) and an account of the meteoric rise in popularity of EDM Visit www.oup.com/us/brackett for student and instructor resources. EF DO ABOUT THE AUTHOR ITIOURT NH David Brackett is Professor of Musicology at McGill University. 1 ISBN 978-0-19-084358-8 FOURTH 90000 2 EDITION www.oup.com/us/he HISTORIES 9 780190 843588 1 AND DEBATES Cover Design: T. Williams Brackett_9780190843588_4e_finalCover.indd 1 6/17/19 1:57 PM THE POP , ROCK , AND SOUL READER Histories and Debates Fourth Edition David Brackett McGill University New York Oxford OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS bra43588_fm_i-xx i 05/24/19 04:12 PM Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. © 2020, 2014, 2009, 2005 by Oxford University Press For titles covered by Section 112 of the US Higher Education Opportunity Act, please visit www.oup.com/us/he for the latest information about pricing and alternate formats. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Brackett, David. Title: The pop, rock, and soul reader : histories and debates / David Brackett. Description: Fourth edition. | New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019] Identifiers: LCCN 2019017639 | ISBN 9780190843588 (pbk.) Subjects: LCSH: Popular music—United States—History and criticism. Classification: LCC ML3477 .B68 2019 | DDC 781.6409—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019017639 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed by LSC Communications, United States of America bra43588_fm_i-xx ii 05/24/19 04:12 PM Contents Preface ...........................................................xiii PART 1 Before 1950 1. Irving Berlin in Tin Pan Alley .......................................................1 Charles Hamm, “Irving Berlin and the Crucible of God” ...................2 2. Technology, the Dawn of Modern Popular Music, and the “King of Jazz” .........9 Paul Whiteman and Mary Margaret McBride, “On Wax,” ..................11 3. Big Band Swing Music: Race and Power in the Music Business ................14 Marvin Freedman, “Black Music’s on Top; White Jazz Stagnant” ...........15 Irving Kolodin, “The Dance Band Business: A Study in Black and White” ........................................................17 4. Solo Pop Singers and New Forms of Fandom ....................................21 Martha Weinman Lear, “The Bobby Sox Have Wilted, but the Memory Remains Fresh” ....................................................22 5. Hillbilly and Race Music ..........................................................25 Kyle Crichton, “Thar’s Gold in Them Hillbillies” ........................25 6. Blues People and the Classic Blues ..............................................30 LeRoi Jones, from Blues People: The Negro Experience in White America and the Music that Developed from It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 7. The Empress of the Blues ........................................................39 Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff, from Hear Me Talkin’ to Ya: The Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 8. At the Crossroads with Son House ...............................................43 Jerry Gilbert, “Son House (part 1): Living King of the Delta” ..............45 iii bra43588_fm_i-xx iii 05/24/19 04:12 PM iv Contents 9. Jumpin’ the Blues with Louis Jordan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 DownBeat, “Bands Dug by the Beat: Louis Jordan” ......................48 Arnold Shaw, from Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 10. On the Bandstand with Johnny Otis ..............................................52 Johnny Otis, from Upside Your Head! Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue .........52 11. The Producers Answer Back: The Emergence of the “Indie” Record Company .................................................................54 Bill Simon, “Indies’ Surprise Survival: Small Labels’ Ingenuity and Skill Pay Off” .........................................55 Arnold Shaw, from Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 12. Country Music as Folk Music, Country Music as Novelty ........................60 Billboard, “American Folk Tunes: Cowboy and Hillbilly Tunes and Tunesters” .....................................................61 Newsweek, “Corn of Plenty” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 PART 2 The 1950s 13. Country Music Approaches the Mainstream .....................................67 Rufus Jarman, “Country Music Goes to Town” ..........................68 14. Rhythm and Blues in the Early 1950s: B. B. King ................................70 Arnold Shaw, from Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 15. “The House that Ruth Brown Built” ...............................................73 Ruth Brown (with Andrew Yule), from Miss Rhythm: The Autobiography of Ruth Brown, Rhythm and Blues Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 16. Ray Charles, or, When Saturday Night Mixed It Up with Sunday Morning .......78 Ray Charles and David Ritz, from Brother Ray: Ray Charles’ Own Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 17. Jerry Wexler: A Life in R&B .......................................................85 Jerry Wexler and David Ritz, from Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 18. The Growing Threat of Rhythm and Blues ........................................90 Variety, “Top Names Now Singing the Blues as Newcomers Roll on R&B Tide” ..................................................91 Variety, “A Warning to the Music Business” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 bra43588_fm_i-xx iv 05/24/19 04:12 PM Contents v 19. From Rhythm and Blues to Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Songs of Chuck Berry ............95 Norman Jopling, “Chuck Berry: Rock Lives!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 20. Little Richard: Boldly Going Where No Man Had Gone Before ...................99 Charles White, from The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Quasar of Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 21. Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips, and Rockabilly .....................................105 Elizabeth Kaye, “Sam Phillips Interview” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 22. Rock ‘n’ Roll Meets the Popular Press ..........................................112 23. The Chicago Defender Defends Rock ‘n’ Roll ...................................114 Rob Roy, “Bias Against “Rock ‘n’ Roll” Latest Bombshell in Dixie” . . . . . . .115 24. The Music Industry Fight Against Rock ‘n’ Roll: Dick Clark’s Teen-Pop Empire and the Payola Scandal ......................................117 Peter Bunzel, “Music Biz Goes Round and Round: It Comes Out Clarkola” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 New York Age, “Mr . Clark and Colored Payola” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 PART 3 The 1960s 25. The Brill Building and the Girl Groups .......................................... 125 Charlotte Greig, from Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Girl Groups from the 50s On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127 26. From Surf to Smile ..............................................................134 Richard Cromelin, “Interview with Brian Wilson” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135 27. Urban Folk Revival ..............................................................138 Gene Bluestein, “Songs of the Silent Generation” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 Time, “Folk Singing: Sybil with Guitar” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143 28. Bringing It All Back Home: Dylan at Newport ...................................147 Irwin Silber, “Newport Folk Festival, 1965” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150 Paul Nelson, “Newport Folk Festival, 1965” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151 29. “For a Man to Be at Ease, He Must Not Tell All He Knows, Nor Say All He Sees” .............................................................153 John Cohen and Happy Traum, “An Interview with Bob Dylan” . . . . . . . . . . .155 30. From R&B to Soul ................................................................163 Jerry Wexler and David Ritz, from Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165 bra43588_fm_i-xx v 06/04/19 10:33 PM vi Contents 31. No Town Like Motown ...........................................................166 Harvey Kubernik, “Berry Gordy: A Conversation with Mr. Motown” ......168 32. The Godfather of Soul and the Beginnings of Funk .............................172 James Brown (with Bruce Tucker), from The Godfather of Soul ..............173 33. “The Blues Changes from Day to Day”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183 Jim Delehant, “Otis Redding Interview” ..............................183 34. Aretha Franklin Earns Respect ..................................................187 Phyl Garland, “Aretha Franklin—“Sister Soul”: Eclipsed Singer Gains New Heights” ...............................................188 35. The Beatles, the “British Invasion,” and Cultural Respectability ............... 193 William Mann, “What Songs the Beatles Sang . . .” ......................194 Theodore Strongin, “Musicologically . . .” ..............................196 36. A Hard Day’s Night and Beatlemania ............................................198 Andrew Sarris, “Bravo Beatles!” ......................................198 Barbara Ehrenreich et al., “Beatlemania: Girls Just Want to Have Fun” .......201 37. Two Takes on Sergeant Pepper .................................................206 Tom Phillips, “Review of Sergeant Pepper: The Album as Art Form” ...........................................208 Richard Goldstein, “I Blew My Cool through the New York Times” .........210 38. The British Art School Blues .....................................................213 Giorgio Gomelsky, “The Rolling Stones Stake a Claim in the R&B Race” ..................................................216 39. The Stones versus the Beatles ..................................................220 Ellen Willis, “Records: Rock, Etc.—The Big Ones” ......................222 40. If You’re Goin’ to San Francisco . . . ............................................226 Ralph J. Gleason, “Dead Like Live Thunder” ...........................228 41. The Kozmic Blues of Janis Joplin ...............................................231 Nat Hentoff, “We Look at Our Parents and . . .” ........................232 42. Jimi Hendrix and the Electronic Guitar ..........................................236 Bob Dawbarn, “Second Dimension: Jimi Hendrix in Action” .............237 bra43588_fm_i-xx vi 06/04/19 10:35 PM Contents vii 43. Rock Meets the Avant-Garde: Frank Zappa .....................................240 Sally Kempton, “Zappa and the Mothers: Ugly Can Be Beautiful” . . . . . . . . .241 44. Festivals—The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ...................................245 Mike Jahn, “Recollected in Tranquility: Woodstock” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246 PART 4 THE 1970S 45. Where Did the Sixties Go? .......................................................253 Lester Bangs, “Of Pop and Pies and Fun” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255 46. The Sound of Autobiography: Singer-Songwriters, Carole King ................260 Robert Windeler, “Carole King: ‘You Can Get to Know Me Through My Music’” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262 47. Joni Mitchell: The Power of Insight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265 Penny Valentine, “Joni Mitchell: An Interview (part 1)” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266 48. Sly Stone: “The Myth of Staggerlee” .............................................269 Greil Marcus, from Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock ‘n’ Roll Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271 49. Not-so-“little” Stevie Wonder ...................................................277 Chris Welch, “Stevie Wonder: ‘Hah—the boy is getting MILITANT! You get back to ‘Fingertips’ now!’” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278 50. Parliament Drops the Bomb .....................................................281 W. A. Brower, “George Clinton: Ultimate Liberator of Constipated Notions” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282 51. Heavy Metal Meets the Counterculture ..........................................288 John Mendelsohn, “Review of Led Zeppelin” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .290 Ed Kelleher, “Black Sabbath Don’t Scare Nobody” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292 52. Led Zeppelin Speaks!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297 Dave Schulps, “The Crunge: Jimmy Page Gives a History Lesson” . . . . . . . .298 53. “I Have No Message Whatsoever” ...............................................305 Cameron Crowe, “David Bowie Interview” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306 54. Rock Me Amadeus ...............................................................312 Tim Morse, from Yesstories: Yes in Their Own Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314 bra43588_fm_i-xx vii 06/04/19 10:37 PM viii Contents 55. The Global Phenomenon of Reggae .............................................318 Robert Hilburn, “Third-World Theme of Bob Marley” ...................319 56. Get On Up Disco ..................................................................323 Andrew Kopkind, “The Dialectic of Disco: Gay Music Goes Straight” ......325 57. Punk: The Sound of Criticism? ..................................................334 James Wolcott, “A Conservative Impulse in the New Rock Underground” ...............................................336 58. The Punk Rimbaud ...............................................................340 Robin Katz, “Patti Smith: Poetry in Motion” ...........................341 59. Punk Crosses the Atlantic .......................................................346 Caroline Coon, “Rebels Against the System” ...........................347 60. Punk to New Wave? .............................................................352 Stephen Holden, “The B-52s’ American Graffiti” ........................354 PART 5 THE 1980S 61. A “Second British Invasion,” MTV, and Other Postmodernist Conundrums .....357 Robert Christgau, “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster: the Music Biz on a Joyride” ....359 62. Thriller Begets the “King of Pop” ................................................369 Greg Tate, “I’m White! What’s Wrong with Michael Jackson” ............370 Daryl Easlea, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough: Bruce Swedien Remembers the Times with Michael Jackson” .................374 63. Madonna and the Performance of Identity ......................................378 Camille Paglia, “Venus of the Radio Waves” ...........................379 64. Bruce Springsteen—Reborn in the USA ........................................383 Dave Marsh, “Little Egypt from Asbury Park–and Bruce Springsteen Don’t Crawl on HisBelly, Neither” ..................384 Simon Frith, “The Real Thing—Bruce Springsteen” ....................387 65. R&B in the 1980s—To Cross Over or Not to Cross Over? ......................394 Nelson George, from The Death of Rhythm and Blues .....................395 66. Heavy Metal Thunders On! .......................................................401 J . D . Considine, “Purity and Power—Total, Unswerving Devotion to Heavy Metal Form: Judas Priest and the Scorpions” ..........................402 bra43588_fm_i-xx viii 05/24/19 04:12 PM Contents ix 67. Metal in the Late Eighties: Glam or Thrash? ....................................405 Richard Gehr, “Metallica” ...........................................406 68. Parents Want to Know: Heavy Metal, the PMRC, and the Public Debate over Decency ............................................................411 Record Labeling: Hearing before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, 99th Congress, September 19, 1985 ...................................414 69. Postpunk Goes Indie .............................................................420 Al Flipside, “What Is This Thing Called Hardcore?” ....................421 70. Indie Brings the Noise ...........................................................424 Kim Gordon, “Boys Are Smelly: Sonic Youth Tour Diary, ’87” ...........425 71. Hip-Hop, Don’t Stop .............................................................430 Robert Ford, Jr ., “B-Beats Bombarding Bronx: Mobile DJ Starts Something with Oldie R&B Disks” ..................................431 Robert Ford, Jr ., “Jive Talking N.Y. DJs Rapping Away in Black Discos” ....432 72. “The Music Is a Mirror” ..........................................................433 Harry Allen, “Hip Hop Madness: From Def Jams to Cold Lampin’, Rap Is Our Music” ................................................436 Carol Cooper, “Girls Ain’t Nothin’ but Trouble” ........................440 73. Where Rap and Heavy Metal Converge ..........................................442 Jon Pareles, “There’s a New Sound in Pop Music: Bigotry” ...............443 PART 6 THE 1990S 74. Hip-Hop into the 1990s ..........................................................449 J . D . Considine, “Fear of a Rap Planet” ................................451 75. Nuthin’ but a “G” Thang ..........................................................457 Touré, “Snoop Dogg’s Gentle Hip-Hop Growl” ........................458 76. Keeping It a Little Too Real ......................................................462 Sam Gideon Anso and Charles Rappleye, “Rap Sheet” ....................463 Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, “Party Over” ....................................464 Natasha Stovall, “Town Criers” ......................................465 77. Women in Rap ...................................................................466 Christopher John Farley, “Hip-Hop Nation” ............................468 bra43588_fm_i-xx ix 05/24/19 04:12 PM

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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.