A Century of Pop: A Hundred Years of Music That Changed the World - Softcover

In previous works, British writer and researcher Gregory has taken on compilations of country music (Who's Who in Country Music, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1994), soul music (Soul Music A-Z, Da Capo, 1995), and guitarists (1000 Great Guitarists, Miller Freeman, 1997). His latest effort synthesizes the entire 20th century of popular music in a sumptuously illustrated coffee-table book. Citing the gramophone as a primary technological and cultural milestone, Gregory proceeds chronologically by decade to identify and investigate the connections between musical styles, influences, and artists. Sidebars containing a CD checklist and world news for the corresponding time period accompany the text. Invariably, such a sweeping survey is grist for the argument mill regarding subjective who's-in-and-who's-out selections, but Gregory hits the mark more often than not. The narrative is informative if brief, but it is the visually stunning profusion of over 500 photographs and illustrations, 300 in color, that earn this book its stripes and make it essential for any popular music/culture collection.?Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

YA-A browser's delight with good historical information. A magazinelike layout with loads of photos will draw students into the double-page spreads that discuss background, instruments, composers, artists, groups, and types of music. Although the coverage is not in-depth, it is more than sufficient for many reports and would be a starting point for others. The book opens with a flowchart indicating the relationships among 50 different types of music. An introduction explains the role of the gramophone in making pop music possible. Material is grouped into chapters by decade. The table of contents is laid out as a simple outline. News tidbits appear at the bottom of the pages on a time line that indicates an event in that decade, reminding readers of what was happening in other fields. A "CD checklist" identifies available recordings and their producers. A popular choice that unfortunately lacks an index.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.