Product Description
In American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3, Second Edition, Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman examine popular music in the United States from its beginnings into the 21st century, offering a comprehensive look at the music, the cultural history of the times, and the connections between them. Using well-chosen examples, insightful commentaries, and an engaging writing style, this text traces the development of jazz, blues, country, rock, Motown, hip-hop, an… More >>
American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3 Includes two CDs
Tags: 21st century, American, american popular music, blues country, commentaries, cultural history, from, hip hop, Includes, jazz blues, larry starr, Minstrelsy, motown, music, Popular, united states, writing style
#1 by S. aureus on April 6, 2010 - 11:06 am
“However, for most white Americans, who had little experience dancing to syncopated music, ragtime pieces apparently created a slightly disorienting or dizzying sensation. Descriptions of the time stress the titillating effect of offbeat rhythms, sometimes likening them to a pinch of pepper used to spice up an otherwise bland soup or stew. Of course, it is important to remember that the dancers’ prior experience and cultural values conditioned these attributions of “spiciness.” It seems likely that many African Americans would have found the mildly syncopated music performed by the most successful dance orchestras of the era neither stimulating nor scandalous.”
“Seems”? “Apparently”? I really wish that this book was less subjective and more concise and factual. I understand that there is always a bit of personal bias and opinion in everything written…but at least the authors could have made it a little less apparent? It is written in a smug tone that is unbecoming of a college textbook.
But then again, don’t you just love it when professors write the textbook for their class then have it end up being 70+ dollars?
Rating: 1 / 5
#2 by Pebbie on April 6, 2010 - 12:39 pm
Received the book. It was to have two CDs, but I only received one!!!
Rating: 3 / 5
#3 by cbc on April 6, 2010 - 1:06 pm
I ordered books for my daughter on 8/22 and as of 9/20 they still weren’t shipped. Classes were in progress for 2 weeks.We will never order college books from Amazon again.
Rating: 1 / 5
#4 by Lisa G. Cunningham on April 6, 2010 - 2:39 pm
This text covers the advancement of music from the 1920s through the 1980s but really just skips too much. I feel as if there were so many important group and cultural effects that were never discussed and that this book was a good overview, but should not be read alone when studying the mutations of music. If you are 17 years old and have never heard of Duke Ellington, Count Baise, Woody Guthrie, George Clinton and the P-Funk, Talking Heads, and Michael Jackson (pre-too many nose jobs and white pigmentation or have only heard “Billie Jean”, “Thriller”,”Beat It”, and “Smooth Criminal”–yes, Michael did the original and so much better than Alien Ant Farm, folks) then sure, this book will teach you a lot. But if you grew up listening to classical, protest folk, funk, rock, new wave, and r&b, then this book will be a waste of money.
Rating: 3 / 5
#5 by Jennifer Estes on April 6, 2010 - 4:30 pm
The textbook was very close to description. Difficult to communicate with seller once the product had been purchased.
Rating: 3 / 5