Brief Description
A collection of interdisciplinary essays examining the ever-changing communities and discussions connected to American popular music.
Learn More about the Book
This collection brings new voices and new perspectives to the study of popular and particularly rock music. Focusing on a variety of artists and music forms, Rock Over the Edge asks what happens to rock criticism when rock is no longer a coherent concept. To work toward an answer, contributors investigate previously neglected genres and styles, such as lo fi, alternative country, and rock en espanol, while offering a fresh look at such familiar figures as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Kurt Cobain.
Bridging the disciplines of musicology and cultural studies, the collection has two primary goals: to seek out a language for talking about music culture and to look at the relationship of music to culture in general. The editors introduction provides a backward glance at recent rock criticism and also looks to the future of the rapidly expanding discipline of popular music studies. Taking seriously the implications of critical theory for the study of non-literary aesthetic endeavors, the volume also addresses such issues as the affective power of popular music and the psychic construction of fandom.
Rock Over the Edge will appeal to scholars and students in popular music studies and American Studies as well as general readers interested in popular music.
Contributors. Ian Balfour, Roger Beebe, Michael Coyle, Robert Fink, Denise Fulbrook, Tony Grajeda, Lawrence Grossberg, Trent Hill, Josh Kun, Jason Middleton, Lisa Ann Parks, Ben Saunders, John J. Sheinbaum, Gayle Wald, Warren Zanes"
On the Back Cover
"Smart, provocative, contradictory, suggestive, irritating, inspiring, exhaustive, exhausting and over the top--"Rock Over the Edge" takes the imperative of its title seriously, though often with a welcome sense of humor. Anyone who cares about popular music will find much in here to react to--either by shouting out in affirmation, or hurling the damn thing against the wall."--Anthony DeCurtis, author of "Rocking My Life Away: Writing About Music and Other Matters"
Review Quotes
1. "[I]nteresting. . . ."
--Theodore Gracyk, "American Studies"
2. "[S]killfully analysed . . . ."
--Anthony Elliott, "The Australian"
3. "[W]ell written . . . . [I]nsightful, imaginative, and innovative. . . . [An] engaging epistemological survey . . . ."
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--P.C. Naylor, "Choice"
4. "[T]he book's appeal is its subject matter: recent popular music. Simply put, this book gives exposure to music that rarely receives attention from academics. . . . "Rock Over the Edge "is a welcome collection that should stir debate and intellectual dialogue among its readers. It succeeds by confronting the confusion surrounding the state of rock music, by delving into the unfamiliar terrain of newer popular music styles, and by revisiting and questioning many of popular music studies long held critical traditions."
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--Theo Cateforis, "Notes"
5. "Well written and engaging, these essays combine high levels of scholarship with a much more intimate familiarity with popular musical culture than is common within popular music studies. The range of styles makes for a lively and even endearing collection."--Will Straw, McGill University
6. Smart, provocative, contradictory, suggestive, irritating, inspiring, exhaustive, exhausting and over the top Rock Over the Edge takes the imperative of its title seriously, though often with a welcome sense of humor. Anyone who cares about popular music will find much in here to react to either by shouting out in affirmation, or hurling the damn thing against the wall. Anthony DeCurtis, author of Rocking My Life Away: Writing About Music and Other Matters"
