Icons of Rock – An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever

Scott Schinder, Andy Schwartz0313338450, 978-0-313-33845-8, 978-0-313-33846-5

Greenwood has published another title on popular music, adding to their Icons of Hip Hop (2007) and Icons of R&B and Soul (2008). Arrangement is more or less chronological; coverage begins with Elvis Presley. Icons of Rock is an overview of the most important artists and their influence on international popular culture and history. There are no surprises in the list of 24 biographies. The treatment of Joni Mitchell—incidentally, the only woman included in the work—is insightful, particularly when her influence on jazz and folk is also considered.The lengthy articles are well written and quite readable. The volume also contains a time line in each article as well as sidebars; for example, the Beatles article has sidebars on other British-invasion bands, such as the Hollies and the Kinks. Articles end with discographies and further-reading lists. The discographies only list selected works; a list of all official U.S. releases would be more helpful for the listener and the researcher. The set concludes with more extensive bibliographies. Unfortunately, there are not many photographs. This work is recommended for high-school and public libraries as well as academic libraries with popular-culture collections.