Rock and Roll: A Social History

As rock and roll enters its fifth decade, critics and scholars have taken up the gauntlet to chart its evolution and examine it within the context of late-20th century civilization. Friedlander, a professor at the Conservatory of Music/University of the Pacific, has done his research, reading Robert Palmer on blues, Dick Hebdige on punk and Tricia Rose on rap, among many others. Still, his tome, despite its subtitle, is better read as a catalogue of rock trivia than as a critique. At the outset, Friedlander traces how gospel, country and blues have influenced everyone from Marvin Gaye and Elvis to the Who. Looking back across classic, alternative, punk and folk rock, Friedlander postulates a rather obvious recipe for success: seizing the moment and having a team approach (talent, manager, producer label support). In his conclusion, he speculates on the oligarchy of the few record labels which now dominate the industry. Although not the definitive cultural critique of rock and roll, this does have an appealing tone as Friedlander combines the ebullience of an amateur with the technical fluency of a musician.(Jan.)