Stephen Nugent

Nugent and Gillette’s Rock Almanac offers a fine source of information for two decades of popular music. Its coverage is of the period during which rock and pop developed and diversified as the major means of expression of two generations.

The core of Rock Almanac is made up of its listings of “top-20” singles (1955-1973) and “top - twenty” albums (1964- 1973). Recordings are arranged alphabetically by musician and band, with information on date of chart entry, highest position reached, and number of weeks on the charts. Separate chapters summarize by date the highest - ranking records (singles and albums) in the US and England. Still other chapters present discussions by various contributors on such topics as American and British radio and the history of rock, reggae, and pop music.

Despite its title, the scope of this book is not confined to “rock and roll”, but includes all popular music, as defined quantitatively by record sales and radio playlists. Thus, the chart toppers for 1955 juxtapose “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” with “Rock Around the Clock”. 1964 yields “House of the Rising Sun” (the Animals), “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (Beatles), but also Louis Armstrong’s “Hello Dolly” and the 50s throwback “Chapel of Love.”

For those who grew up hearing these songs on the radio, and who encountered them at high school dances, perusing the listings is a trip through the recesses of memory. One minor failing is that no index to recordings is provided. Therefore, readers are not given a way to locate a particular song or album without knowing the band or musician that recorded it. Such information is of course readily available on the internet.

This reference work is of particular value to individuals who grew up during the 1950s through 1970s, and others who are interested in popular culture of that time period. It may also be useful to the diminishing number of record collectors who take enjoyment in the cultural artifacts of vinyl recordings.… (mehr)