Introduction xi
Prologue xvii
Part 1
1. Flip, Flop, and Fly: Bill Haley and Jump Blues 1
2. A Mess of Blues: Elvis Presley 9
3. Put Your Cat Clothes On: Sun Records and Rockabilly 15
4. Teenage Wildlife: Rock 'n' Roll 21
5. Rock with the Cavemen: Skiffle and British Rock 'n' Roll 33
6. Whispering Bells: Doo Wop 43
7. 1960: It Will Stand 49
8. Walk with Me in Paradise Garden
by Joe Meek 57
9. The Trouble with Boys: The Brill Building and Girl Groups 65
Part 2
10. Act Naturally: The Beatles 77
11. Needles and Pins: The Beat Boom 85
12. Who's Driving Your Plane? The Rolling Stones 96
13. 77m Is My Prayer: The Birth of Soul 102
14. The Rake's Progress: Bob Dylan 113
15. America Strikes Back: The Byrds and Folk Rock 121
16. Up the Ladder to the Roof: Tamla Motown 132
17. 1966: The London Look 139
18. Endless Summer: The Beach Boys 159
19. The Golden Road: San Francisco and Psychedelia 166
20. Pop Gets Sophisticated: Soft Rock 178
21. Crying in the Streets: Deep Soul 190
22. I Cant Sing, I Ain't Pretty, and My Legs Are Thin: Hard Rock 194
23. Bubblegum Is the Naked Truth: The Monkees 203
Part 3
24. 1970: Everything's Gone Gray 213
25. Freddie's Dead: Electrified Soul 220
26. State of Independence: Jamaica 228
27. It Came from the Suburbs: Glam 236
28. The Sound of Philadelphia: Soft Soul 250
29. Progressive Rock (and Simpler Pleasures) 260
30. Young Love: Weenyhoppers and Boy Bands 272
31. See That Girl: Abba 278
32. Beyond the Blue Horizon: Country and Western 283
33. Before and After the Gold Rush: Laurel Canyon 295
34. 1975: Storm Warning 305
Part 4
35. Courage, Audacity and Revolt: The Sex Pistols, the Clash, and Punk Rock 319
36. Cranked Up Really High: Punk Rock 327
37. Pleasantly Antagonistic: New Wave 332
38. Supernature: Disco 339
39. Islands in the Stream: The Bee Gees 348
40. Routine Is the Enemy of Music: Post-punk 356
41. A Shark in let's Clothing: America after Punk 367
42. This Is Tomorrow: Kraftwerk and Electropop 377
43. Adventures on the Wheels of Steel: Early Rap 383
44. Here Comes That Feeling: New Pop 390
45. American Rock (Ooh Yeah) 401
46. Just a King in Mirrors: Michael Jackson 409
47. Highs in the Mid-Eighties: Prince and Madonna 415
48. Some Kind of Monster: Metal 423
49. Poised over the Pause Button: The Smiths, REM, and the Birth of Indie 433
50. 1985: What the Fuck Is Going On? 443
51. We Were Never Being Boring: Pet Shop Boys and New Order 454
Part 5
52. Chicago and Detroit: House and Techno 461
53. Smiley Culture: Acid House and Manchester 468
54. 1991: Bassline Changed My Life 475
55. All Eyez on Me: Hip Hop 493
56. litis Is How You Disappear: Bristol, Shoegazing, and a New Psychedelia 506
57. As a Defense, I'm Neutered and Spayed: Grunge 513
58. Ever Decreasing Circles: Blur, Suede, and Britpop 525
59. A Vision of Love: R&B 536
Epilogue 547
Acknowledgments 553
Sources 555
Select Bibliography 557
Index 561