Book Review: Encyclopedia of Classic Rock

Abstract

David Luhrssen (arts and entertainment editor of Shepherd Express, Milwaukee, WI) and Michael Larson (instructor, songwriter, recording artist, and attorney) have compiled a reference guide to the artists of what they call “classic rock.” Admitting that the meaning of the term “classic rock” is disputed, they explain that one of their aims is to rescue it from “careless usage” (xxi). Rock and roll, they assert, “reached a new level of ambition by 1965 and entered a period of remarkable innovation and expressiveness that lasted through 1975” (xxi).