The aesthetics of rock / by Richard Meltzer ; new foreword by Richard Meltzer ; new introduction by Greil Marcus.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Meltzer, Richard.

Contributor:

Gotham Book Mart Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Series:

Da Capo paperback

A Da Capo paperback

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rock music--History and criticism.

Rock music.

Music--20th century--Philosophy and aesthetics.

Music.

Popular culture--History--20th century.

Popular culture.

History.

Penn Provenance:

Gotham Book Mart (former owner) (Gotham Book Mart Collection copy)

Physical Description:

xxv, 346 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Da Capo, [1987]

Summary:

This infamous book has enjoyed a lively underground reputation since its first publication in 1970. Richard Meltzer (a.k.a. R. Meltzer) took his training as a young philosopher and applied it with unalloyed enthusiasm to the lyrics, sound, and culture of rock and roll. Never before had anyone noticed the relationship between the philosophy of Heidegger and a tune by Little Anthony and the Imperials, heard the cries of agony in the Shangri Las' Remember (Walkin' in the Sand), or transcribed every "papa-ooma-mow-mow" in the Trashmen's Surfin' Bird. From Dionne Warwick to Plato, Jim Morrison to Bert Brecht, Conway Twitty to Miguel de Unamuno, Meltzer subverts high and low culture in his search for meaning, emotion, codes in popular music. At once an earnest investigation and a crypto put-on, the book can be read for its nuggets of information and insight or its humor. Here with Greil Marcus's new introduction, a new generation of readers can be outraged or inspired.

Notes:

Reprint. Originally published: New York : Something Else Press, 1970.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

0306802872

OCLC:

15133162