Introduction: My Favorite Waste of Time

Where "Rock and Roll" Began

Across the Great Divide: Nat King Cole
Let's Call the Whole Thing Pop: George Gershwin
The Complete Work of B. B. King
The Blank Slate: George Jones
Black Face, Whose Voice? Emmett Miller
Brown Eyed Handsome Rock and Roller: Chuck Berry
Elvis in Literature: Elvis Presley

Where "Rock" Began

Spontaneity by the Seat of the Pants: Janis Joplin
Our First Bohemians: The Rolling Stones
God Grows Up: Eric Clapton
Genius Dumb: Led Zeppelin
Jimi Plays History: Jimi Hendrix
Out of This World: Aretha Franklin
Nothing to Say but Everything, or, As Far as He Could Go: John Lennon with John Piccarella
Why the Beatles Broke Up
James Brown's Great Expectations

Snatched from the Maw of Commerce

Stevie Wonder Is All Things to All People
A Boogie Band that Loves the Governor (Boo Boo Boo): Lynyrd Skynyrd
Turn On, Drop In, Find Out: The Grateful Dead
Music for Smart People: Randy Newman
Time Waits for No One: Richard Thompson
Father Alone Farther Along: Loudon Wainwright III
Born to Be Mature: Bonnie Raitt
Two Rock and Rollers Who Won't Change the World: Pete Fowler/Andy Fairweather Low

Smashing the State-of-the-Art

(If I'm Acting Like a King That's Because) I'm a Human Being: New York Dolls
Patti Smith Pisses in a Vanguard
The Clash See America Second
The Great Punk Dandy at the Peppermint Lounge: Richard Hell
Pere Ubu's Right To Choose
Forever Rotten: The Sex Pistols

Kings of Rhythm

Sylvester Is a Star
Triumph of the Trifle: Ray Parker Jr.
Working the Crowd: Bruce Springsteen/ Michael Jackson
Give Him Liberty or Give Him Death: Prince
Magnificent Seven: Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
The Beastie Boys Go Too Far
Looking for the Perfect Public Enemy
An Autodidact's History of KRS-One

Between Punk and a Pop Place

A Voyage to Liliput
Simple Because He's Simple: Marshall Crenshaw with Carola Dibbell
Aching to Become: The Replacements
Living Legends: The B-52's
Sonic Youth Sell Out
Curse of the Mekons

They Are the World

West Africa Not Africa, Europe Not the World: Salif Keita/Youssou N'Dour
The Black Sea Giant and the Lion Queens: Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens
The Goat-God in History: The Master Musicians of Jajouka
A Goat-God in Exile: (Cheb) Khaled
The Iron Curtain at Midnight: Pulnoc
Culture Hero: Mzwakhe Mbuli

Careers in Iconicity

Madonnathinking Madonnabout Madonnamusic
Garth Brooks, Michael Bolton, Barney, and You: Garth Brooks
Bette Midler Sings...Everything
Lou Reed, Average Guy
What Are Realities of Prince Deal? Hell, What Is Reality?
Making a Spectacle of Herself: Janet Jackson

Careers in Semipopularity

Selling the Dirt to Pay the Band: Freedy Johnston
Are We Not Girls? We Are L7!
Lucinda Williams's Reasonable Demands
The Ballad of Folly Jean Harvey: PJ Harvey
Two Backsliders: Iris DeMent/Sam Phillips
On the Real Side: Warren G/Coolio
Art-Rock You Can Dance To: DJ Shadow
Honk if You Love Honking: James Carter
Unlikely Samba: Arto Lindsay
Stereolad: Pavement
Grrrowing Grrrls: Sleater-Kinney
Blown Away: Nirvana

Modern Maturity

The Goduncle: George Clinton
Pop Songs to God: Al Green
Wasted on the Young: Neil Young

Credits

Index

Robert Christgau is Senior Editor and Chief Music Critic at the Village Voice.