Book Review
Oct. 26th, 2016 09:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariMystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music
by Greil Marcus
In this book, Marcus traces the ways that American popular music has tapped into, portrayed, and evoked the image and myth of America in all its terror, dread, beauty, and promise. Marcus does this by examining the work of 6 artists or groups: Harmonica Frank, Robert Johnson, The Band (and tangentially, Bob Dylan), Sly and the Family Stone, songwriter Randy Newman, and Elvis Presley. For each, Marcus explores how they express aspects of America and how they fit into the history of American popular music.
While I generally enjoy Marcus' writing, and while this book is certainly well thought out, Mystery Train kind of missed the mark for me. I found that I wasn't quite buying it more often than not. Perhaps it's that, with the exception of Robert Johnson, I don't find any of the artists Marcus discusses particularly appealing or compelling, so it was hard to really get into any of his points.
by Greil Marcus
In this book, Marcus traces the ways that American popular music has tapped into, portrayed, and evoked the image and myth of America in all its terror, dread, beauty, and promise. Marcus does this by examining the work of 6 artists or groups: Harmonica Frank, Robert Johnson, The Band (and tangentially, Bob Dylan), Sly and the Family Stone, songwriter Randy Newman, and Elvis Presley. For each, Marcus explores how they express aspects of America and how they fit into the history of American popular music.
While I generally enjoy Marcus' writing, and while this book is certainly well thought out, Mystery Train kind of missed the mark for me. I found that I wasn't quite buying it more often than not. Perhaps it's that, with the exception of Robert Johnson, I don't find any of the artists Marcus discusses particularly appealing or compelling, so it was hard to really get into any of his points.
