NONFICTION

1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music

by Andrew Grant Jackson
Thomas Dunne: St. Martin's. Feb. 2015. 352p. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781250059628. $27.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466864979. MUSIC
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Author and journalist Jackson (Still the Greatest: The Essential Songs of the Beatles' Solo Careers) makes the case that 1965 was an exceptionally pivotal year in popular music in this entertaining synthesis of cultural and social history. The titans of 1960s rock (Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones) released some of their most historic recordings during 1965, which are examined closely, as are debuts from the Byrds and the Who and exciting new music from the Beach Boys and the Supremes. Jackson also surveys a wide swath of music encompassing Motown, R&B, pop, folk rock, country, jazz, easy listening, ska, and garage rock, illuminating dozens of songs, albums, and movements that would influence both the present and the future of music. Moving chronologically the author explores the key releases and figures in all these genres and intersperses background sketches on some of the major historical events of this iconic year from civil rights to Vietnam and from the miniskirt to pop art.
VERDICT Utilizing myriad sources, memoirs, and articles, Jackson weaves the story of a year in which a combination of forces that included a sense of experimentation and revolution and the thriving of a competitive spirit among musicians combined with rapidly moving social changes to forever shape American musical culture. It will appeal to music fans and those interested in the Sixties.
Reviewed by James Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ , Feb 15, 2015
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