Books 2013: What's that sound? An introduction to rock and its history

In order to learn more about MOOCs (massive open online courses), this autumn, I've done two courses on Coursera, The history of rock, part 1 and 2, both presented by John Covach at the University of Rochester. The accompanying book, What's that sound, written by Covach, was an optional feature of the course, which otherwise consisted of video lectures and quizzes. I loved the course, just to make that clear! This little review is about the book, however, though in many ways, my views on the course also reflect my view on the book.

The book is a chronological overview of the history of American rock. It takes us from the early beginnings of rock up to around 2010. I find the first part much more interesting, probably because it is easier to write well about periods more distant in time. The coverage of the 2000s is very much just a listing of bands, record companies and chart positions. Which can get a bit tedious after a while.

What I don't like about the book is its American focus. Not because it is not correct, but because the history of rock as I know it (at least the last three-four decades) is nothing like the history portrayed in the book. Reading about the 80s (which is the decade I "discovered" pop music) I can't help feeling that this history is not my history. How can you write about 80s rock and not even mention The Cure? How can you give Michael Bolton and U2 an equal amount of space? How can you claim that Kate Bush is a "lesser-known artist" (Covach, 505) when it comes to rock history? And isn't it strange to list Coldplay as a band known "as much for their good looks and personal relationships as their music" (Covach, 555)? It is just very clear that this is just one history of rock, seen from a white, male, American perspective. We all, of course, know that there are several histories of rock. I just wished for a broader viewpoint. I would only recommend the book to those of you who want to take the online History of rock course. For pure interest in music history, I'd choose another book, if I were you.

Covach, John and Andrew Flory (2012): What's that sound: An introduction to rock and its history. New York: Norton.