Sunday, June 30, 2024

Tracing the History of Surf Rock and Its Influence on Modern Rock

 Surfbeat: Rock and Roll's Forgotten Revolution by Kent Crowley

The Chantays Pipeline by Johan Ooman CC BY-SA 2.0

Surfer's Choice by H. Michael Karshis CC BY 2.0

I really enjoyed Crowley’s history of Surf Rock. The book traces the history and some of the key players in this musical genre. While I enjoy surf rock, I didn’t know much about the history, and Crowley’s book helps to shed light on how some popular songs helped to further this genre of music. He also explores the cultural impact of surf rock on today’s music and its lasting impact. One of the best parts of the book is Crowley’s exploration of little known bands who helped to create some of the more popular songs that were later recorded by other bands. I also didn’t know that some bands in the Midwest, particularly in Minnesota, also played surf rock. I always assumed that Surf Rock was primarily from Southern California. As one of the only texts about surf rock, I found this book to be enjoyable and insightful. It also made me want to find some of the bands and singles mentioned in the text.


No comments:

Post a Comment