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YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! THE STORY OF FROM BILL HALEY TO BEYONCE 1ST EDITION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Bob Stanley | --- | --- | --- | 9780393351682 | --- | --- ‘Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!’ is a book you can dance to - The Boston Globe

Like most bands founded by former music journalists, Saint Etienne were a highly conceptual group. Led by songwriters and , and fronted by vocalist , the group managed to carry out their concept, and, in the process, Saint Etienne helped make indie dance a viable genre within the U. Throughout the early '90s, Saint Etienne racked up a string of indie hit singles that were driven by deep club beats -- encompassing anything from house and techno to hip-hop and disco -- and layered with light melodies, detailed productions, clever lyrics, and Cracknell's breathy vocals. They revived the sounds of swinging as well as the concept of the three-minute pop single being a catchy, ephemeral piece of ear candy, in post-acid house Britain, thereby setting the stage for Brit-pop. Though most Brit-pop bands rejected the dance inclinations of Saint Etienne, they nevertheless adopted the trio's aesthetic, which celebrated the sound and style of classic '60s pop. The origins of Saint Etienne date back to the early '80s, when childhood friends Bob Stanley born December 25, and Pete Wiggs born May 15, began making party tapes together in their hometown of Croydon, Surrey, England. After completing school, the pair worked various jobs -- most notably, Stanley was a music journalist -- before deciding to concentrate on a musical career in Adopting the name Saint Etienne from the French football team of the same name, the duo moved to Camden, where they began recording. By the beginning of , the group had signed a record contract with the indie label Heavenly. Cracknell was the main vocalist on the 's debut, Fox Base Alpha, which was released in the fall of Following that release, Cracknell officially became a member of Saint Etienne; she had previously sung in Prime Time. Saint Etienne were beginning to gain momentum, as the British press generally gave them positive reviews and their records gained them a strong fan base not only in England, but throughout Europe. Throughout , the group released a series of singles -- "," "People Get Real," and "Avenue" -- which maintained their popularity. In addition to writing and recording music for Saint Etienne, Stanley and Wiggs became active producers, songwriters, remixers, and label heads as well. In , Stanley founded Caff Records, which issued limited- edition 7" singles of bands as diverse as Pulp and the , as well as a number of other lesser-known bands like World of Twist. In , Stanley and Wiggs founded Ice Rink, which intended to put out records by pop groups, not rock groups. The label released singles from several artists -- including Oval, Sensurround, Elizabeth City State, and Golden, which featured Stanley's girlfriend Celina -- none of which gained much attention. Preceded by the single "You're in a Bad Way," Saint Etienne's second , , appeared in the spring of to generally positive reviews and sales. In , the trio began to lose momentum, as their third album, Tiger Bay, was greeted with decidedly mixed reviews, even as singles like "" continued to chart well. After completing a new track, "He's on the Phone," for their singles compilation Too Young to Die, as well as the French-only single "," Saint Etienne took an extended break during Sarah Cracknell pursued a solo project, releasing a single titled "Anymore" in the fall of the year. In the fall of , Saint Etienne released a remix album, ; a new studio effort, Good Humour, followed two years later, and the trio returned in with an EP, Places to Visit. After a successful U. A year later, the trio followed up with Finisterre, and Tales from Turnpike House arrived in Following a seven-year break during which the bandmembers worked on making films, doing remixes, and various solo projects, musical and otherwise, the band resurfaced in with Words and Music by Saint Etienne, an album loosely based on the concept of how music can affect and shape lives unexpectedly, both positively and negatively. It would be another five years before they released new music, but, as ever, the bandmembers kept themselves busy with other projects in the meantime. After the band played a series of shows in to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Foxbase Alpha, they decided it was time to record some new songs. They selected producer Shawn Lee and began writing songs inspired by the counties in the southeast of England where each of the bandmembers spent their teenage years. Working quickly with Lee and his studio full of vintage instruments, the record, titled Home Counties, was finished in three weeks and released in June of by Heavenly. Sign In. Saint Etienne. Top Songs See All. Essential . So Tough Foxbase Alpha Deluxe Edition See all 2 brand new listings. About this product Product Information As much fun to argue with as to quote, Yeah! Bob Stanley--musician, music critic, and unabashed fan--recounts the progression from to the Pet Shop Boys to the Beastie Boys; explores what connects doo wop to the sock hop; and reveals how technological changes have affected pop production. Working with a broad definition of "pop"--one that includes country and metal, disco and Dylan, skiffle and glam--Stanley teases out the connections and tensions that animate the pop charts and argues that the charts are vital social history. This book will have you reaching for your records or CDs or MP3s and discovering countless others. Additional Product Features Dewey Edition. An immensely entertaining pop-music survey course. The assemblage of irresistible, bite-size histories of top-of-the-charts stars is joyful, smart, and addictive, just like the best pop songs, and a must for music fans everywhere. He makes me want to run to the nearest record store--and move in. As good 'a story of pop music' as a fan could hope for. Like its sprawling subject, it invites everyone in for a listen. We're incredibly lucky to have this detailed map of [Stanley's] fandom. Stanley's bold positions connect pop's many dots in fresh and fascinating patterns. We're incredibly lucky to have this detailed map. Endlessly readable A book for the ages. Show More Show Less. Any Condition Any Condition. See all 9 - All listings for this product. No ratings or reviews yet No ratings or reviews yet. Be the first to write a review. Saint Etienne | Biography & History | AllMusic

Before getting down to business, he gives the genre a personal definition. Stanley, an English music scribe and musician who cofounded the indie- pop band Saint Etienne, keeps the pace brisk and lively, with each chapter skimming a specific era or artists emblematic of it and then making connections between them. Far from a drooling sycophant, Stanley is a true music fan in that he leaves room for doubt and debate. He acknowledges that pop music, by its fickle nature, evokes strong, subjective opinions. His own are occasionally barbed and refreshingly honest; he even dares to tip a few sacred cows. Led by songwriters Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs , and fronted by vocalist Sarah Cracknell , the group managed to carry out their concept, and, in the process, Saint Etienne helped make indie dance a viable genre within the U. Throughout the early '90s, Saint Etienne racked up a string of indie hit singles that were driven by deep club beats -- encompassing anything from house and techno to hip-hop and disco -- and layered with light melodies, detailed productions, clever lyrics, and Cracknell 's breathy vocals. They revived the sounds of swinging London as well as the concept of the three-minute pop single being a catchy, ephemeral piece of ear candy, in post-acid house Britain, thereby setting the stage for Brit-pop. Though most Brit-pop bands rejected the dance inclinations of Saint Etienne , they nevertheless adopted the trio's aesthetic, which celebrated the sound and style of classic '60s pop. The origins of Saint Etienne date back to the early '80s, when childhood friends Bob Stanley born December 25, and Pete Wiggs born May 15, began making party tapes together in their hometown of Croydon, Surrey, England. After completing school, the pair worked various jobs -- most notably, Stanley was a music journalist -- before deciding to concentrate on a musical career in Adopting the name Saint Etienne from the French football team of the same name, the duo moved to Camden, where they began recording. By the beginning of , the group had signed a record contract with the indie label Heavenly. Cracknell was the main vocalist on the band's debut, Fox Base Alpha , which was released in the fall of Following that release, Cracknell officially became a member of Saint Etienne ; she had previously sung in Prime Time. Saint Etienne were beginning to gain momentum, as the British press generally gave them positive reviews and their records gained them a strong fan base not only in England, but throughout Europe. Throughout , the group released a series of singles -- "Join Our Club," "People Get Real," and "Avenue" -- which maintained their popularity. In addition to writing and recording music for Saint Etienne , Stanley and Wiggs became active producers, songwriters, remixers, and label heads as well. In , Stanley founded Caff Records, which issued limited- edition 7" singles of bands as diverse as Pulp and the Manic Street Preachers , as well as a number of other lesser-known bands like World of Twist. In , Stanley and Wiggs founded Ice Rink, which intended to put out records by pop groups, not rock groups. Endlessly readable A book for the ages. Show More Show Less. Any Condition Any Condition. See all 9 - All listings for this product. No ratings or reviews yet No ratings or reviews yet. Be the first to write a review. Best Selling in Nonfiction See all. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey Hardcover 5. Save on Nonfiction Trending price is based on prices over last 90 days. You may also like. Hardcover Alex Haley. Hardcover Alex Haley Collectibles. This item doesn't belong on this page. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! : Bob Stanley :

The icons have been sufficiently covered, which might explain why so many of them render only fleeting mentions. Connie Francis, Etta James, and Janis Joplin are all glorified footnotes, even though they cast long shadows over the pop landscape. Stanley has a clear and emphatic perspective, as if every opinion were delivered with his chest puffed out. James Reed, a staff pop music critic, can be reached at james. Follow him on GlobeJamesReed. By the beginning of , the group had signed a record contract with the indie label Heavenly. Cracknell was the main vocalist on the band's debut, Fox Base Alpha, which was released in the fall of Following that release, Cracknell officially became a member of Saint Etienne; she had previously sung in Prime Time. Saint Etienne were beginning to gain momentum, as the British press generally gave them positive reviews and their records gained them a strong fan base not only in England, but throughout Europe. Throughout , the group released a series of singles -- "Join Our Club," "People Get Real," and "Avenue" -- which maintained their popularity. In addition to writing and recording music for Saint Etienne, Stanley and Wiggs became active producers, songwriters, remixers, and label heads as well. In , Stanley founded Caff Records, which issued limited-edition 7" singles of bands as diverse as Pulp and the Manic Street Preachers, as well as a number of other lesser-known bands like World of Twist. In , Stanley and Wiggs founded Ice Rink, which intended to put out records by pop groups, not rock groups. The label released singles from several artists -- including Oval, Sensurround, Elizabeth City State, and Golden, which featured Stanley's girlfriend Celina -- none of which gained much attention. Preceded by the single "You're in a Bad Way," Saint Etienne's second album, So Tough, appeared in the spring of to generally positive reviews and sales. In , the trio began to lose momentum, as their third album, Tiger Bay, was greeted with decidedly mixed reviews, even as singles like "Like a Motorway" continued to chart well. After completing a new track, "He's on the Phone," for their singles compilation Too Young to Die, as well as the French-only single "Reserection," Saint Etienne took an extended break during Sarah Cracknell pursued a solo project, releasing a single titled "Anymore" in the fall of the year. In the fall of , Saint Etienne released a remix album, Casino Classics; a new studio effort, Good Humour, followed two years later, and the trio returned in with an EP, Places to Visit. After a successful U. A year later, the trio followed up with Finisterre, and Tales from Turnpike House arrived in Following a seven-year break during which the bandmembers worked on making films, doing remixes, and various solo projects, musical and otherwise, the band resurfaced in with Words and Music by Saint Etienne, an album loosely based on the concept of how music can affect and shape lives unexpectedly, both positively and negatively. It would be another five years before they released new music, but, as ever, the bandmembers kept themselves busy with other projects in the meantime. After the band played a series of shows in to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Foxbase Alpha, they decided it was time to record some new songs. They selected producer Shawn Lee and began writing songs inspired by the counties in the southeast of England where each of the bandmembers spent their teenage years. Working quickly with Lee and his studio full of vintage instruments, the record, titled Home Counties, was finished in three weeks and released in June of by Heavenly. Sign In. Saint Etienne. But already by the s advance plays of singles on the radio meant that its first-week sales were always the biggest. These days singles enter the charts at the top and then swiftly fall away into obscurity. A tiny fraction of hits enter the canon and are played for decades; the rest are largely forgotten. Like Mr Ross, Mr Stanley is generally a genial and generous tour guide, a man in love with his subject. But "Yeah Yeah Yeah" is often at its most entertaining when he slips from being a slightly detached historian and becomes a more candid critic. It seemed that they hated being themselves. She had a habit of cramming more words in than were actually necessary, and delivering them in a flustered schoolma'am voice". If there is a problem with "Yeah Yeah Yeah", it involves the sheer impossibility of finding space for all of the voices that have shaped pop within a single volume. Mr Hendrix is discovered, records three seminal albums, goes off the rails and dies in the space of a page. And Mr Stanley appears to run out of steam near the end. Most likely, Mr Stanley does not yet know what to make of pop's most recent developments.

Bob Stanley’s history of pop Yeah Yeah Yeah, reviewed.

Trends in music have sustained this balance, with America importing British psychedelic rock in the s and big beat in the s, while Brits get down to American disco and hip-hop. Late-bloomers, like the Bee Gees, are the exception. This helps explain why pop musicians care little for repetition or mastery, and the music itself has a short shelf life. Pop is driven by a relentless search for the new, and the music has become more disposable through the decades. When the Jam's single "Going Underground" instantly topped the charts in , this achievement was rare the last time a song went straight to number-one was But already by the s advance plays of singles on the radio meant that its first-week sales were always the biggest. These days singles enter the charts at the top and then swiftly fall away into obscurity. A tiny fraction of hits enter the canon and are played for decades; the rest are largely forgotten. Like Mr Ross, Mr Stanley is generally a genial and generous tour guide, a man in love with his subject. But "Yeah Yeah Yeah" is often at its most entertaining when he slips from being a slightly detached historian and becomes a more candid critic. It seemed that they hated being themselves. Most troubling, though, is Stanley's sometimes patronizing attitude towards women and people of colour. There is some uncomfortable discussion of rap; he argues that "something was lost" with rap without a message: he actually says, of Straight Outta Compton , "There was no Nation of Islam revolution in their words - this was a world of dope deals ho's, and violence And let's not pretend that drugs, sex, and violence are not present in other genres! And he makes a lot of troubling statements about women; generally nothing, like, overtly disgusting, but just small condescending remarks. Case in point: "I roll my eyes at Patti Smith for constantly mentioning Rimbaud, so why do I find it OK for the Human League to use an obscure term for silk manufacture and open a song with the line "Listen to the voice of Buddha"? Why do I find one good pop and the other bad? Maybe because Patti Smith was using Rimbaud as a prop, a symbol of rebellion" vs. The quoted Rimbaud and Debord in interviews More: " eventually channeled her attention away from media-baiting, until 's Celebrity Skin felt like a proper record rather than just a vehicle for her problems Could he have been a little more patronizing?! Fuck Courtney Love for not using her music for the exact purpose Bob Stanley thinks is "proper", right? I mean, do these things ruin the book? No, it was still packed full of good information and written well. But is it annoying to NEVER be able to escape the pervasive sexism and racism that's embedded in the music industry and every other part of society? For its sheer comprehensiveness I'd certainly recommend this book to someone interested in modern pop music, but I didn't think it was as good as the reviews made it out to be, and not just because I have my feminist hat on. View 2 comments. Mar 06, Kristen rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites , Packing 40 years of pop history into a single volume is no easy feat. Bob Stanley covers an amazing amount of material in this page book and mentions an absolutely incredible number of songs along the way. For that reason, the experience of Yeah! It's also quite a feat that Stanley managed to write a book that is so informative, while remaining consistently engaging, insightful, and pithy. I Packing 40 years of pop history into a single volume is no easy feat. I tackled the book by keeping a running Spotify playlist. I would read each chapter, then go back and review it and add songs to the playlist. To add every song mentioned would be way too much, so I focused on songs I wanted to hear and songs that sounded intriguing. The resulting playlist clocked in at more than 36 hours and totaled songs. I listened to them all. Even the one by Foreigner. Each chapter of the book sums up a trend, era, or artist. Parker works chronologically through the pop era, but he has to backtrack a lot, especially for artists who were way ahead of their time. There was a point where I was well into the 70s and I thought to myself, "he skipped the Velvet Underground?! The result is an interweaving of influences, innovations, fads, and revivals that follows the threads of pop's development and cultivates a deeper understanding of the overall narrative. Questions answered: What's the difference between house and techno? Why did everyone hate disco? What's the deal with Northern Soul? Perhaps the most interesting were the chapters devoted to a single artist. They give a good sense of what Parker values as a listener and of his attitude toward pop. I was delighted to see him single out both the BeeGees and , who he describes as "one of pop's greatest achievements. Finally, Parker has a nice philosophical take on the end of the pop era which for him came with the end of music as a physical artifact : "The modern pop era is there to be enjoyed and pilfered, curated, compiled, and recompiled in an endless jigsaw puzzle for the generations. This book should be an impossibility. Instead its merely insanely ambitious; the equivalent of attempting to simultaneously scale Everest on physical and philosophical levels. Not only does it seek to scale the mountain it seeks to admire and understand it. The only other person remotely qualified to write something of this breadth and depth with the same level of understanding is Neil Tennant This book should be an impossibility. Naturally he covers all the well-worn territory that these books have to cover but the twin joys of the book are the unexpected angles he finds to appreciate records and the nuggets dug up along the way; the relationships and patterns he draws out from pop history that only a book of this scale would allow him to draw. This is a book designed to open eyes and actually properly assess pop music. As it stands this is likely as close as there will ever be to a definitive, joyous history of what looks like a bygone age of shared musical culture. As an epic recounting of the ever churning, ever hungry pop machine this is likely to stand as far above other pop books as Everest does above all other mountains; physically and philosophically. View 1 comment. It is surely no coincidence that the title of this book comes from one of the most exuberant and joyful pop records ever made, because this is certainly written with boundless enthusiasm and a real love of music, which shines through. In five parts, the author takes you on the journey of popular music from until the early 's. The book begins with the first UK singles chart, the advent of the 45 and early rock 'n' roll. In the first part the author looks at the importance of skiffle, It is surely no coincidence that the title of this book comes from one of the most exuberant and joyful pop records ever made, because this is certainly written with boundless enthusiasm and a real love of music, which shines through. Generally, each part of the book concentrates on a decade - the fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties and the start of the nineties. I have to admit that I found the first half of the book the most interesting, but that probably just reflects my musical tastes. Although the author obviously cannot give detailed biographies of every artist involved in popular music, he puts bands and styles of music in context and assesses their legacy. Also, despite the huge time period and amount of musical styles and bands covered, there is an abundance of interesting and funny stories, which bring each section to life. This is a book that you will be quoting from for some time if you read it and I cannot think of a better gift for a music lover. Considering the task that the author set himself, this is a magnificent achievement. View all 9 comments. A staggering project to even attempt, of course - especially when you define 'pop' as widely as St Etienne's Stanley obviously does. Elsewhere I've compared it to David Thomson on film, but that was meeting the mainstream audience halfway - what this really reminds me of is those ludicrous projects of scholarship like the Anatomy of Melancholy, enormous and necessarily incomplete yet packed with so much arcane knowledge and sudden, startling new perspectives that you can hardly begrudge the A staggering project to even attempt, of course - especially when you define 'pop' as widely as St Etienne's Stanley obviously does. Elsewhere I've compared it to David Thomson on film, but that was meeting the mainstream audience halfway - what this really reminds me of is those ludicrous projects of scholarship like the Anatomy of Melancholy, enormous and necessarily incomplete yet packed with so much arcane knowledge and sudden, startling new perspectives that you can hardly begrudge the inevitable omissions, small errors and questionable interpretations. I would say it doesn't pretend to objectivity, but that's not quite right; it does, but often with a footnote by way of a wink that acknowledges otherwise. Definitive, if only because nobody else could be fool enough - or know enough - to even attempt to supplant it. One hell of a rollercoaster ride through the second half of 20th century pop music history. An era when you physically bought something, took it home and cherished it until your next pocketmoney. Then you could go out again and buy yet another single, album or compilation. A slow appreciation proces could start over new. That proces had usually begun after you picked something up from the radio, a magazine, MTV or at a friend's house. Today, everything is at your fingertips every second. The One hell of a rollercoaster ride through the second half of 20th century pop music history. But that's how I love it. Everything is available and possible like it never was before. It really is a great era to be alive, to be reading this book and listening to everything Bob Stanley mentions has been one of the best music book experiences I've had until now. The problem with today is that many people don't have any concentration span and approach music as an easy listening side commodity, that has to appeal immediately to their liking. Average listeners don't seem to care to broaden their tastes, they want ready-made, instant gratifying pleasures. There's no wide popular music consensus any more. Outside of that, you're already entering specialized niches which is thin ice when you spin records for an average all-ages audience. I am a DJ mostly weddings and corporate parties and my motto is to play what my audience wants to hear. That moment, I will not try to teach or rather force my so-called knowledgeable views on good music onto anyone. But I must confess I have a hard time with this decade's popular music, there is so much great stuff out there today but it is so scattered and fragmented all over the place. People only seem to know random stuff they picked up via spotify, or other streaming websites. So to play new music everyone knows, offers a rather limited repertoire to choose from. But nostalgia is bigger than ever, everybody knows the classics, so that's an easy path to happiness when I'm DJ'ing to many generations at once. But I sometimes long to that era that everyone listened to that same bunch of new groundbreaking genre specific singles. And most of it is produced by Max Martin, Dr. Luke or Benny Blanco anyway. To end my review, I would like to share my 25 favorite, to me most exciting pop singles from the 's that are too risky to spin on most parties : 1. Danny L Harle - Broken Flowers 2. Grimes - Oblivion 3. - Ain't it Funny 4. Jamie XX - Gosh great tune that seems to work, although more than half of the crowd just doesn't know it 5. Todd Terje - Inspector Norse 8. Death Grips - I've Seen Footage 9. Azealia Banks - M83 - Midnight City you can be lucky with this one Sky Ferreira - Everything is Embarrassing Deerhunter - Desire Lines Crystal Castles - Baptism Waka Flocka Flame - Hard in da Paint Moderat - Bad Kingdom Blawan - Getting Me Down Wavves - King of the Beach Cook - Beautiful Sentinels - Love Rhythm Bicep - Glue Apr 10, Joachim Stoop rated it really liked it Shelves: music. Pop music is broader than the genre itself. All music that once was popular from the 40s till now. Only the last chapters came across a bit hurried and haphazardly done. Stanley looks at pop and all of it's many strains through the decades, including rock, soul, folk, electronica, hip-hop, disco and others, and endeavors to show how the origins, influences, and evolutions of each were threads in a wider, ever-changing tapestry of popular music as a whole. The book forms its narrative by looking at the monthly and yearly pop charts chronologically, examining what was popular, then using the charts as a framework to zoom in on key songs, people, record labels, and events to illuminate his points. Stanley aims to follow two broad themes here. The first has to do with the fact that, unlike many pop or rock history books, "Yeah Yeah Yeah" is not another appraisal of the established "canon" that has been built up by critics over the years. Volumes have been written about what critics think is important, but Stanley is much less concerned with asking "What is the critical consensus" than with "What were people actually listening to? The second overarching theme is the relationship between different genres under the broad umbrella of "pop", and their influence on each other over the decades. Whether it's dance, rock, reggae, hip-hip, punk, or electronica, no genre exists in a vacuum. Stanley endeavors to show not only how the different styles of pop music developed, but how they developed in relation to each other, drawing influence from what came before or concurrently and setting the stage for what came later. Even with close to pages to work with, fitting everything in is still a daunting task. Stanley helps to sketch in the big picture by focusing in on little details here and there. He excels at brief, thumbnail descriptions: Chuck Berry had the "look of a card sharp blessed with luck" whose songs "sounded like the tail fins on Cadillacs". had "a wood-carved face and a look of resolute danger; when he sang his voice could go deeper than a coal mine". Sly Stone's early records had the "feel of a Sunday-school riot", while the harmonies of CSN sounded "like the first rays of dawn". The book is peppered with illuminating anecdotes and observations that serve to illustrate the larger points, such as a suitably apocalyptic description of Altamont, or a charming account of a Christmas Day charity show played by the Sex Pistols. There are a couple of things to be aware of. The author is British, so the book takes a very British point of view in many respects, emphasizing some artists or movements that were never as big in the States as they were in England. Not that this should be a problem; readers used to an America-centric outlook will simply have to recalibrate their point of view. Second, rather than providing a strictly detached outlook, Stanley frequently takes the opportunity to express his personal tastes and opinions. On the one hand, this allows his passion to shine through, giving a fervent eloquence to his writing when talking about those things that he feels strongest about, both positively and negatively. On the other hand, some of his opinions are bound to meet some resistance with different readers. When describing the music that has really moved him, be it a Beach Boys song, a Motown track, a punk anthem, a pioneering techno track, or a 70s bubblegum pop song, his eloquence and unabashed enthusiasm are infectious, drawing the reader in. Stanley is both professional critic and professional musician, but he is also at times simply a fan, eager to share his discovery of joy with others. One might not agree with Stanley's personal opinions, but any music fan knows the giddy rush that only comes when getting lost in a favorite song. No matter your musical preference, that is a universal feeling that this book ultimately seeks to celebrate, and in that it does a remarkable job. Pop music: we all know what it is, we all know what we like and dont like, and we all have an opinion on it. But we dont really know much about it. The shelves of libraries are well stocked with chunky hardbacks about the legends of rock, the story of the blues and the significance of jazz, but pop - the very stuff that turned most of us onto music in the first place - is seriously under represented. Perhaps it is its very popularity that has meant that until now nobody has attempted to write about the history of modern pop in its entirety. This is a big book that does a great job of describing the very finest in pop music. His aim is to tell the whole story within certain parameters and at the same time to distil pop music into its purest form, so that we might come to a greater understanding of pop and to give the respect it is due as an art form. Stanley gives his history of modern pop a clearly defined beginning and end. Modern pop, he says, began in the early fifties with the advent of seven inch singles and the music charts, and ends fifty years later, when downloads replace shop-bought singles and the charts lose their relevance. Stanley is able to take us through fifty years of chart successes, the talents that were fulfilled and those that were squandered, the inspired touches of genius and the awkward failures, without ever letting his own infectious enthusiasm drop. The lives and works of some of the most famous people on the planet, as well as plenty of those who enjoyed nothing like the same level of recognition, are told to us in a steady flow of facts, anecdotes, and never failing to include the US and UK chart position for each and every song that is mentioned. A thread throughout the bank is the tension that has always existed in pop concerning authenticity. T he music sections of most bookstores are full of titles focused on single artists or specific movements in pop music. What, then, to make of a book that sets out to deconstruct the entire genre of pop music? Before getting down to business, he gives the genre a personal definition. Stanley, an English music scribe and musician who cofounded the indie-pop band Saint Etienne, keeps the pace brisk and lively, with each chapter skimming a specific era or artists emblematic of it and then making connections between them. Far from a drooling sycophant, Stanley is a true music fan in that he leaves room for doubt and debate.

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