Acknowledgments - PDF document

1 Contents Acknowledgments . . . . . . . .
Contents Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 1. Some Notes on Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 1.1. Criticism: An Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 1.2. Music Criticism Before Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 1.3. The Frames of Rock Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Chapter 2. Theoretical Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 2.1. High CultureÑLow Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 2.2. Introducing Bourdieu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 2.3. Applying Bourdieu to the Study of Popular Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 2.4. Rock Criticism as a Legitimizing Discursive Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 2.5. ÒAuthenticityÓ in Rock Critical Discourse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 2.6. The Spatial Distribution of Rock and Rock Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 2.7. Themes and Questions for a Historical Study of Rock Criticism . . . .51 Chapter 3. The Social and Cultural Background of Rock and Rock Criticism in the 1960s and 1970s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 3.1. The Discontents of Modernization: Cultural Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 3.2. The Social Background of Rock Culture and Rock Discourse . . . . . . .56 3.3. The Aesthetic Climate of the 1960s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Chapter 4. The Formative Period: Absolute Beginners (1964Ð1967) . . . . 69 4.1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 4.2. The English ÒGentlemanÓ Critic: Chris Welch and the Prehistory of Rock Criticism at Melody Maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 4.3.The Serious Fan: Paul Williams and the Birth of Rock Criticism in the U.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 4.4. ÒReporting the CountercultureÓ: Richard Goldstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 4.5. Rock ÕnÕ Roll as ÒStyleÓ: Nik Cohn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 Chapter 5. Founding Fathers in the Promised Land (1967Ð1975) . . . . . . 131 5.1. The Rock Press 1967Ð1975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 5.2. The First Dean of Rock Critics Lays Down the Basic Rules: Jon Landau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141 Rock Criticism from the Beginning vi 5.3. Taste Inc.: Rober

2 t Christgau, the Dean of New York Rock C
t Christgau, the Dean of New York Rock Critics . . . .151 5.4. On a Mystery Train Through the History of America and Art: Greil Marcus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159 5.5. Hit Man and Radical: Dave Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170 5.6. The Holy Madman of Rock Criticism: Lester Bangs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175 5.7. Other Voices of the Late 1960s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184 5.8. Young Men with a Vocation: Shaping a New Field and Inventing Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188 Chapter 6. British Brats (1972Ð1978) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 6.1. The NME Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197 6.2. Punk: A Moment of Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210 Coda: The Boy Looked at Johnny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215 Chapter 7. Style It Takes. Criticism and New Pop (1978Ð1985) . . . . . . . . 219 7.1. The Social and Cultural Background of Late 20th Century Rock Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219 7.2. Into the Pop Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226 7.3. The Standards of Postmodern Pop Sensibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231 7.4. Music Magazines in the Early 1980s: New Agents and Growing Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243 7.5. The Critics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249 Chapter 8. Academic Leanings and Consumer Guides (1986Ð2004) . . . . 259 8.1. A Wealth of Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259 8.2. The Critics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271 8.3. The Magazine Market in the 1980s and 1990s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300 8.4. The State of the Field Since the Turn of the Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323 Chapter 9. Concluding Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 9.1. The Field of Rock Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329 9.2. Aesthetic Beliefs and Discursive Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337 References Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345 Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359