Uncommon People

October 15, 2017
An award-winning music journalist compiles a spirited celebration of rock stars. Hepworth (Never a Dull Moment: 1971, the Year that Rock Exploded, 2016, etc.), media correspondent for the Guardian, laments the demise of the rock star, which occurred at the end of the last century, caused by "the rise of automated percussion, the domination of the committee approach to hit-making, the widespread adoption of choreography, and above all the mystique-destroying rise of the internet." Rock stars exuded reckless glamour and defiant irreverence. Their predominant qualities included "swagger. Impudence. Sexual charisma," and "damn-the-torpedoes self-belief." Now, in the hip-hop generation of social media and streaming music, Hepworth finds no one worthy of the term "rock star," which may puzzle some fans of Rihanna, Taylor Swift, or Justin Bieber. In 40 year-by-year chapters, the author profiles stars who gleamed in the music firmament from 1955 to 1994, focusing on one day in the performer's life--sometimes a concert, recording session, or simply a mundane event--to spin out a minibiography. He appends each chapter with a list of 10 songs that were made, released, or became hits that year "in order to give a flavor of the time." In 1955, for example, when Little Richard came out with his racy "Tutti Frutti," Frank Sinatra was a hit with "In the Wee Small Hours," and Lonnie Donegan, with "Rock Island Line." Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John, and Led Zeppelin represented the range of popular taste in 1970. Rock fans will find the usual suspects, including Elvis Presley, each of the Beatles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Mick Jagger, Keith Moon, Jimi Hendrix, Ozzy Osbourne (whose substance abuse got him kicked out of Black Sabbath), Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Prince, Axl Rose, and groups including the Rolling Stones, the Who, Duran Duran, and Fleetwood Mac. Janis Joplin and Madonna are among the few women who make it into this encyclopedic volume. A lively compendium of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.

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December 1, 2017

BBC radio host, Guardian columnist, and author (Never a Dull Moment) Hepworth takes a year-by-year approach in documenting the concept of the rock star in this title. He begins in 1955 with Little Richard and the writing and recording of "Tutti Frutti," and moves up to the rise and 1994 suicide of Kurt Cobain, whom Hepworth claims was the last rock star. Along the way, the Beatles appear, and the Who, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust persona, and other expected icons. Hepworth does have a British view of the concept of the rock star, however, so Ian Drury, a briefly popular new wave/punk figure, is included. Although Drury barely made a ripple in U.S. rock music, his presence tells the reader something important about what being a "rock star" meant at the time. Interestingly, Hepworth devotes a final chapter to the post-Cobain rock stars, the "computer nerds" who brought us Apple, Microsoft, and the like, during the 1990s. VERDICT A worthwhile read for all pop music fans. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 4/24/17.]--James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017

Although fans may chafe at the idea that the age of the rock star has passed, they will be delighted that award-winning British journalist Hepworth covers key, sizzling moments in the lives of 40 stars flourishing from 1955 to 1995.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.