Author: Greil Marcus
- Non-Fiction
- Contra
- ISBN: 9788494216756
Synopsis
In his latest book, Greil Marcus, arguably the most influential music critic of all time, offers his most impassioned and intense essay yet. Steering clear of official history—encyclopedia entries, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, classic success stories—Marcus brings to the forefront 10 essential songs that, for their influence and how they have resonated throughout the decades, have surpassed a milestone of pop music. This book includes brief biographies of the songs' writers and performers and captures the essence of each pop entry—everlasting yet at the same time fleeting. Marcus's particular history of rock includes "Shake Some Action" by the Flamin’ Groovies; "Transmission" by Joy Division; "In the Still of the Nite" by Fred Parris and the Five Satins, later recorded by the Slades; "All I Could Do Was Cry" by Etta James and, decades later, sund by Beyoncé; "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" by Buddy Holly; "Money (That’s What I Want)" by Barrett Strong, reinvented by the Beatles; "Money Changes Everything" by the Brains, years later redone by Cyndi Lauper; "This Magic Moment," written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and immortalized by Ben E. King and the Drifters; the experimental "Guitar Drag" by Christian Marclay; and "To Know Him Is to Love Him" by Phil Spector, which Amy Winehouse made her own nearly 50 years later. With his vibrant and beatnik-style spontaneous prose, Marcus gives a new music history lesson that demonstrates why pop music holds such great significance in our culture.
En su último libro, Greil Marcus, quizá el crítico cultural más influyente de todos los tiempos, compone el que probablemente sea su ensayo más apasionado e intenso. Rehuyendo la historia oficial —la enciclopédica, la del Salón de la Fama del Rock, la de los grandes éxitos—, Marcus revive diez canciones fundamentales que, por su influencia y por cómo han resonado a lo largo de las décadas, han supuesto un hito de la música popular. Ensayando breves biografías de los autores de las canciones o las de aquellos que les pusieron voz, dejando que los sonidos evoquen y convoquen el eco que las canciones originales propulsaron, Marcus, a modo de caja de resonancia, trata de apresar la esencia misma de la canción pop: su cualidad perdurable y a la vez fugaz. «Shake Some Action» de The Flamin’ Groovies, «Transmission» de Joy Division, «In the Still of the Nite» de Fred Parris y The Five Satins, luego retomada por The Slades; «All I Could Do Was Cry» de Etta James y, décadas después, cantada por Beyoncé; «Crying, Waiting, Hoping» de Buddy Holly, «Money (That’s What I Want)» de Barrett Strong, reinventada por los Beatles; «Money Changes Everything» de The Brains, años después reformulada por Cyndi Lauper; «This Magic Moment» escrita por Doc Pomus y Mort Shuman e inmortalizada por Ben E. King y The Drifters; la experimental «Guitar Drag» de Christian Marclay, «To Know Him Is to Love Him» de Phil Spector, que Amy Winehouse hizo suya casi cincuenta años después, configuran la particular historia del rock de Greil Marcus que, con su estilo vibrante, próximo a la spontaneous prose beatnik, da una nueva lección de literatura musical y demuestra por qué la música popular tiene una importancia capital en nuestra cultura.
