How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ; INTRODUCTION ; 1. AMATEURS AND EXECUTANTS ; 2. THE RAGTIME LIFE ; 3. EVERYBODY'S DOIN' IT ; 4. ALEXANDER'S GOT A JAZZ BAND NOW ; 5. CAKE EATERS AND HOOCH DRINKERS ; 6. THE KING OF JAZZ ; 7. THE RECORD, THE SONG AND THE RADIO ; 8. SONS OF WHITEMAN ; 9. SWING THAT MUSIC ; 10. TECHNOLOGY AND ITS DISCONTENTS ; 11. WALKING FLOORS AND JUMPIN' JIVE ; 12. SELLING THE AMERICAN BALLAD ; 13. ROCK THE JOINT ; 14. BIG RECORDS FOR ADULTS ; 15. TEEN IDYLL ; 16. TWISTING GIRLS CHANGE THE WORLD ; 17. SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTIONEL ; EPILOGUE: THE ROCK BLOT AND THE DISCO DIAGRAM ; BIBLIOGRAPHY ; INDEX

Elijah Wald is a musician, writer and historian, whose books include Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues; Narcocorrido, about the modern Mexican ballads of drug trafficking; The Mayor of MacDougal Street (with Dave Van Ronk), and Global Minstrels: Voices of World Music. He has taught music history at UCLA, and written for a variety of newspapers and magazines.

"I couldn't put it down. It nailed me to the wall, not bad for a grand sweeping in-depth exploration of American Music with not one mention of myself. Wald's book is suave, soulful, ebullient and will blow out your speakers."--Tom Waits

"Wald is a meticulous researcher, a graceful writer and a committed contrarian... an impressive accomplishment."--New York Times Book Review

"A complex, fascinating and long-overdue response to decades of industry-driven revisionism."--Jonny Whiteside, LA Weekly

"It's an ambitious project, but Wald's casual narrative style and eye for a juicy quote give it a lightness that even a novice to pop, rock, or jazz history can appreciate... The title is appropriate: This is a provocative book, in all the right ways."--The Onion AV Club

"Wald is a sharp, fair critic eager to right the record on popular music... deepens the appreciation of American popular music."--Boston Globe

"This is a debatable premise... you don't have to agree with it to admire this book... It is as an alternative, corrective history of American music that Wald's book is invaluable. It forces us to see that only by studying the good with the bad--and by seeing that the good and bad can't be pulled apart--can we truly grasp the greatness of our cultural legacy."-- Malcolm Jones, Newsweek

"A serious treatise on the history of recorded music, sifted through his filter as musician, scholar, and fan... It's a brave and original work that certainly delivers."-Christian Science Monitor

"A smart, inclusive celebration of mainstream stars, such as 1920s bandleader Paul Whiteman and the Fab Four, who introduced jazz, blues, and other roughhewn musical forms to mass audiences."--AARP Magazine

"A powerfully provocative look at popular music and its impact on America."--Dallas Morning News

"Elijah Wald is a treasure... There is far too much in these 300 pages to even summarize here. Wald is an economical and lucid writer with