Over the Edge: The Revolution and Evolution of New Rock

by Alan Cross

"Unveils a history of alternative rock that looks at the whole scene: the music, the performers, the fans, the recording business, and the industry players. It gives an inside view of the biggest... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0137783094
• ISBN13: 9780137783090
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Canada
• Length: 241 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

very good starting point to understanding alt-rock

alan cross is one of the most knowledgeable authors in the field of history of new rock. he isn't high brow and snobbish in his explanations of various musical movements and the importance of various artists to new rock. he has an enthusiasm for his subject and he doesn't intimidate you with his knowledge. consider him your dummies guide to alternative rock, he can help you make sense of all the various artists, musical movements and indie labels that have been spoken with such reverence. (artist like the pixies, smiths, record labels like rough trade and SST, and producers like flood and brian eno) the first 3 chapters of the book gives you a backgrounder on the history of new rock. he gives you the various definitions of "alternative rock" and goes through a time-line of the important events that happened. there's also 366 days of new rock that tells you various trivial events that happened on each of the year. after that, the subsequent chapters are lists and artist trivia. he lists the most important indie releases, contravoursal music videos and album covers, bad and good career moves of artists, origins of band names, real names of artists who use aliases, etc. he even tells the signs and birthdays of some the important music makers. he gives you a low down on all artists, record producers and record labels that are deemed important in the alt-rock community and tells you why they are held in such high regard. this part is the most fun part of the book. he has a wealth of fascinating facts of the artists and he will keep you reading. some of the stories are funny and he has a huge list of about a hundred weird but true facts and stories about bands.at the end, he even has a tour guide for the alt-rock travellers. he outlines the important musical historical sites in the major music making cities such as manchester and new york. (ie. CBGB'S and the Chelsea hotel in new york). it also gives you some important internet sites to visit of the major record labels and groups. though this list is a bit dated since the book was written in 1997. over all, there's not enough room to tell you what's in this book and why it's such a good book. for me, it's an essential guide to understanding rock music. at times, it seems like it has more trivia and liststhan actual good linear telling of the history of alternative music, it's still a good guide to everything you want to know about rock music. after all, it's a genre that's so big and fractured (everything from grunge to techno to shoegazers), it is difficult to tell the story in a linear fashion. through the lists and the time line, it gives you a good picture of what alt-rock is truly about.