Unsung Heroes Of Rock 'n' Roll: The Birth Of Rock In The Wild Years Before Elvis by Nick Tosches

Unsung Heroes Of Rock 'n' Roll: The Birth Of Rock In The Wild Years Before Elvis Reviews

• 
  Al

  
  I had never read Nick Tosches but knew of his reputation. The subject was right down my alley too.
  
  Tosches talks about the rock n rollers that predated Bill Haley and Elvis. Even going far enough to point out that “rock and roll” was a 40s phenomenon that was dead and a pale imitation before Sun Records got ahold of if.
  
  I can’t imagine the power of this being published in 1984. Like the classic baseball book The Glory of Their Times, Tosches was lucky enough to catch these pioneers before they were completely forgotten.
  
  There are a couple of recognizable names - Screamin Jay Hawkins and Wanda Jackson would have career resurrections. Paul Simon would have a hit namechecking Johnny Ace. Modern technology from boxed collections to social media to streaming networks have brought Louis Jordan, Wynonnie Harris and Big Joe Turner to new audiences. There will be other names your recognize but many like Roy Hall (writer of “Whole Lotta Shaking Going On”) are more obscure
  
  Tosches’s book is flawed but it may be the product of the time. Each entry feels like an encyclopedia entry, but is often a mess of insight and discography. 40 years later, we all have enough experience reading information that is presented in an encyclopediac way that is also written to entertain. But Tosches didn’t have a Wikipedia template to guide him.
  
  To draw the characters bigger than life, it sometimes feel like he is caricaturing some of the individuals, drawing them into Cramps or Iggy Stooge style descriptions. No doubt these musicians were the “Wild ones” of their day. Tosches even draws himself into this Tougher than Leather James Elroy-style fiction. He is macho, misanthropic to an unintended comic effect.
  
  Which makes it “punk rock” but also makes it kind of silly. Calling Wanda Jackson “the greatest rocker that ever menstruated” is one of the better examples in a book filled with wannabe tough guy clunkers.
  
  It’s a bunch of silliness if you take it as seriously as portrayed. I’m not sure if the final interview of the book which is Elvis’s twin Jesse falls in the level of genius or stupidity.
  
  But I can’t fault Tosches too much for his attempt at bringing “gonzo journalism” to music criticism or writing a book that really hasn’t been improved on since, even if many readers may find that they don’t have the patience for it.
  
  I did like the addition of the timeline at the end to give you a feeling of how long ago these trailblazers were doing their thing. The book is at times, monotonously repetitive but the subject matter makes it worthwhile
• 
  Chadwick

  To be charitable towards a man whom I genuinely respect, I will point out that this was one of
  Nick Tosches' first books. Tosches' tough-guy macho posturing is a weakness that runs through even his most mature works. This is why the gleefully dark mafia send-up
  Cut Numbers is so refreshing--he's not entirely serious. Still, does he really need to call Big Joe Turner a "fat fuck", though? And the callous dismissiveness of his narrative of Johnny Ace's sad end is just disappointing. That having been said, like all of Tosches' critical works, this is meticulously researched, full of priceless interviews with persons completely forgotten by all but the most fanatical collectors and crate-diggers (that would be amusing, a Nick Tosches DJ set at some club in Hoboken or something, his blasted countenace nodding witheringly into a cupped earphone, omnipresent cigarette strewing ash all over the mixer. That I would pay money for). Tosches also has an amazing ability to quote classical and medieval sources in the context of pop music criticism in a manner that reads as not only unpretentious, but perfectly apt. All in all, a prett darn good book written by a guy who is a hell of a lot smarter than most of us.
• 
  Devi Dahl

  I read this superb book in the 1980's, and it had a profound impact on my life. For anyone interested in music history and 20th century American culture it's required reading.
• 
  Rob Branigin

  the "look at me i'm flippant" tone gets old after about...uh two or three WORDS, but worth a look anyway.
• 
  Dennis Willingham

  Good short bios of some lesser known personalities of the pre-Elvis era.
• 
  Alex McDonough

  Really incredible biographies of sub-legendary figures you won’t find anywhere else. Unfortunately couched in a very irritating macho rhetoric that feels dismissive and righteous towards the men and tastelessly horny towards the women. These people deserved better than to be eulogized so crassly but I am happy that they were eulogized at all. And yes, I suppose it is very rock and roll to think of these stories as just another page in the Americana Bible, but it does make for an exhausting read despite the short chapters.
• 
  Abe Something

  Gets better as it moves along. At first the book is very much a simple survey of some of early Rock and Roll's cast but, by about the halfway point, Tosches does eventually insert some personality into his writing and it becomes more interesting. You may very well be tempted to put the book down before after a few of the initial musician bios but, if you stick with it you will begin to find more interesting character sketches and fewer lists of who recorded what, when, and for what label (though that stuff is important!)
  
  A couple of notes: This is Tosches first book - if you didn't like this, know that he gets better. And, this book is comprised of short 3-10 page bios of these early R'n'R heroes - it isn't a historical narrative.
• 
  Tosh

  The combination of the writing talents of Nick Tosches with rock n' roll is a treat. Here we go beyond Elvis as ground zero for American rock n' roll. Tosches goes beyond Elvis that is almost myth-like. Essential book on the roots of rock - and basically beyond.
• 
  Craigtator

  Was expecting more humor than just a few snarky comments. Other than the snark, it's a pretty pedestrian recitation of songs and biographies. I did come out of it with some new songs to add to my list
• 
  David

  From 1984, an informal and funny look and R&B and hillbilly roots of rock, circa 1940-1956. Lots of leads to search out new-to-me music and performers. Covers about 25 people or groups. About 150 pages plus 100 pages of discography. Got it from library; would be a good book to own for reference.
• 
  Eric Cecil

  Good book.
• 
  Blake

  Not among Tosches' best, but this collection of short vignettes is a fun, quick read. A good starting point to dig into some old fashioned rock badassery.
• 
  Eric Olson

  This is my rock-n-roll bible!