This thoroughly revised second edition of Allan Moore's ground-breaking book features new sections on melody, Britpop, authenticity, intertextuality, and an extended discussion of texture. Rock's 'primary text' - its sounds - is the focus of attention here. Allan Moore argues for the development of a musicology particular to rock within the context of the background to the genres, the beat and rhythm and blues styles of the early 1960s, 'progressive' rock and subsequent styles. He also explores the fundamental issue of rock as a medium for self-expression, and the relationship of this to changing musical styles. Rock: The Primary Text remains innovative in its exploration of an aesthetics of rock.

This thoroughly revised third edition of Allan F. Moore's ground-breaking book, now co-authored with Remy Martin, incorporates new material on rock music theory, style change and the hermeneutic method developed in Moore’s Song Means (2012). An even larger array of musicians is discussed, bringing the book right into the 21st century. Rock's 'primary text' – its sounds – is the focus of attention here. The authors argue for the development of a musicology particular to rock within the context of the background to the genres, the beat and rhythm and blues styles of the early 1960s, 'progressive' rock, punk rock, metal and subsequent styles. They also explore the fundamental issue of rock as a medium for self-expression, and the relationship of this to changing musical styles. Rock: The Primary Text remains innovative in its exploration of an aesthetics of rock.

This title was first published in 2001: Revised to respond to developments within the discipline and with new material added to reflect the author's and others' further work in this field, this book's focus remains British rock. Its aims are: to establish analytic criteria for rock as a whole; to provide a historicized discussion of British rock; and to enable a critical re-evaluation of progressive rock itself. This book has been written in the conviction that, with "rock" criticism and commentary in general, insufficient attention is paid to what the author calls the "primary text" - that constituted by the sounds themselves, as opposed to commentaries on them. In the first chapter, Allan Moore argues for the development of a musicology particular to rock, which may share aspects of established musicology, but which acknowledges that rock differs in its purposes, publics and aims. The primary elements of such a musicology are then laid out in Chapter 2. Next, there are critiques of rock myths of authenticity and unmediated expression. These are centred on the ideological appropriation of the ethos and techniques of the "blues", and extend to discussions of a range of more recent rock styles. The crucial role played by authenticity in the reception of rock is considered at more length in Chapter 5.

Although David Bowie has famously characterized himself as a "leper messiah," a more appropriate moniker might be "rock god": someone whose influence has crossed numerous sub-genres of popular and classical music and can at times seem ubiquitous. By looking at key moments in his career (1972, 1977-79, 1980-83, and 1995-97) through several lenses-theories of sub-culture, gender/sexuality studies, theories of sound, post-colonial theory, and performance studies Waldrep examines Bowie's work in terms not only of his auditory output but his many reinterpretations of it via music videos, concert tours, television appearances, and occasional movie roles. Future Nostalgia looks at all aspects of Bowie's career in an attempt to trace Bowie's contribution to the performative paradigms that constitute contemporary rock music.

The DJs and laptop performers of electronic dance music use preexistent elements such as records and digital samples to create extended improvisations. Analysis of these technologically mediated performances reveals a complex dynamic in which a modular approach to musical structure enables flexible adaptation and transformation of seemingly 'fixed' products in live contexts. This book covers the following topics: ontology; interface design and liveness in performance; the interaction of the preexistent and the novel within improvisation; and musical design as performative technology.

This eclectic compilation of readings tells the history of rock as it has been received and explained as a social and musical practice throughout its six decade history. This third edition includes new readings across the volume, with added material on the early origins of rock 'n' roll as well as coverage of recent developments, including the changing shape of the music industry in the twenty-first century. With numerous readings that delve into the often explosive issues surrounding censorship, copyright, race relations, feminism, youth subcultures, and the meaning of musical value, The Rock History Reader continues to appeal to scholars and students from a variety of disciplines. New to the third edition: Nine additional chapters from a broad range of perspectives Explorations of new media formations, industry developments, and the intersections of music and labor For the first time, a companion website providing users with playlists of music referenced in the book Featuring readings as loud, vibrant, and colorful as rock ‘n’ roll itself, The Rock History Reader is sure to leave readers informed, inspired, and perhaps even infuriated—but never bored.

Few styles of popular music have generated as much controversy as progressive rock, a musical genre best remembered today for its gargantuan stage shows, its fascination with epic subject matter drawn from science fiction, mythology, and fantasy literature, and above all for its attempts to combine classical music's sense of space and monumental scope with rock's raw power and energy. Its dazzling virtuosity and spectacular live concerts made it hugely popular with fans during the 1970s, who saw bands such as King Crimson, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull bring a new level of depth and sophistication to rock. On the other hand, critics branded the elaborate concerts of these bands as self- indulgent and materialistic. They viewed progressive rock's classical/rock fusion attempts as elitist, a betrayal of rock's populist origins. In Rocking the Classics, the first comprehensive study of progressive rock history, Edward Macan draws together cultural theory, musicology, and music criticism, illuminating how progressive rock served as a vital expression of the counterculture of the late 1960s and 1970s. Beginning with a description of the cultural conditions which gave birth to the progressive rock style, he examines how the hippies' fondness for hallucinogens, their contempt for Establishment-approved pop music, and their fascination with the music, art, and literature of high culture contributed to this exciting new genre. Covering a decade of music, Macan traces progressive rock's development from the mid- to late-sixties, when psychedelic bands such as the Moody Blues, Procol Harum, the Nice, and Pink Floyd laid the foundation of the progressive rock style, and proceeds to the emergence of the mature progressive rock style marked by the 1969 release of King Crimson's album In the Court of the Crimson King. This "golden age" reached its artistic and commercial zenith between 1970 and 1975 in the music of bands such as Jethro Tull, Yes, Genesis, ELP, Gentle Giant, Van der Graaf Generator, and Curved Air. In turn, Macan explores the conventions that govern progressive rock, including the visual dimensions of album cover art and concerts, lyrics and conceptual themes, and the importance of combining music, visual motif, and verbal expression to convey a coherent artistic vision. He examines the cultural history of progressive rock, considering its roots in a bohemian English subculture and its meteoric rise in popularity among a legion of fans in North America and continental Europe. Finally, he addresses issues of critical reception, arguing that the critics' largely negative reaction to progressive rock says far more about their own ambivalence to the legacy of the counterculture than it does about the music itself. An exciting tour through an era of extravagant, mind-bending, and culturally explosive music, Rocking the Classics sheds new light on the largely misunderstood genre of progressive rock.