Roy Shuker is Associate Professor in Media Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His previous publications include Understanding Popular Music (2nd Edition, 2001) and Popular Music: The Key Concepts (2nd Edition, 2005).
Presented in the larger context of cultural studies, Understanding Popular Music is a commendably comprehensive analysis not only of 20th-century popular music itself but also of its major cultural theorists. Shuker (media studies, Massey Univ., New Zealand) knowledgeably traces and treats almost every aspect of popular music, among them performance and recording technologies, the music industry, the music press, gender implications, political implications; and visual representations, both pre- and post-MTV. This substantially revamped work, first published in 1994, addresses newer artists, genres, and technologies and also reconsiders initial evaluations of many theories and theorists. As with most studies to date in this area, Shuker's is rigidly and regrettably confined to Anglo-American popular music; collections seeking an appropriate balance should consider World Music: The Rough Guide (LJ 12/89). Nevertheless, this book's sophistication and theoretical bent make it a superb choice for academic libraries. Public libraries should consider more accessible works like Nick Johnstone's Melody Maker History of 20th-Century Popular Music (LJ 3/15/00). Bill Piekarski, Lackawanna, NY
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