Description: Here are the stories behind the most influential albums ever recorded, ranging from The Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) to Elephant (2003) by The White Stripes. Organized chronologically to capture the flow of culture from one album to the next, this volume reveals how these hundred-plus classic recordings reflected--and sometimes changed--the political, social, and economic culture of their eras. A timeline of important events, a selected bibliography for further reading, and an appendix of albums that almost made the cut round out this volume.
Review Quotes: "Well argued, Smith compiles a history of rock that is generally correct and identifies such important trends as the fertile interplay between the Beatles and Dylan, the transmogrification of communal '60s folk-rock into me-only '70s signer-songwriter and the punk's reaction against hippy hypocrisy and pompous arena rock."--Express Milwaukee
"Smith's diverting book is an upmarket version of the best-of lists that rock fans love to argue over."--Financial Times