Sound System: The Political Power of Music (Left Book Club)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.22 (678 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0745399304 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 216 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-02-12 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
A blistering, intelligent polemic about the political power of music, Sound System investigates the raves, riots, and revolution of contemporary culture to answer the question—how can we make music serve the interest of the many, rather than the few? . Musicians have often wanted to change the world, and many—from underground grime artists to mainstream pop icons—channel that desire through the political power of music. From the Glastonbury Festival to the Arab Spring, Pop Idol to Trinidadian Carnival, Randall finds political inspiration across the musical spectrum. Music has a unique ability to unsettle the most fundamental political and social conventions—or, alternatively, to stabilize the status-quo. He finds remarkable examples of music as a force of social change as well as something that has been used to keep people in their place throughout history. Sound System is the story of one musician’s journey to discover what exactly makes music so powerful. Years of touring, protesting, and performing have given Dave Randall an insider’s view of the music industry, enabling him to shed light on the most tightly held secrets of celebrity, commodification, and culture
His in-depth accounts, in conjunction with his amicable voice and spread-out focus, make it a fascinating and crucial read for music fans, historians, and cultural activists alike. Sound System is ceaselessly fascinating and incredibly well researched, with a narrative voice that’s simultaneously highly educated and humbly inviting. In a way, Randall writes like the hip history professor everyone wishes they had, and while his anecdotes regarding his own participations, as well as those of popular artists like Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell, are intriguing, it’s the level of depth he goes into about much older and lesser known activists that truly makes the book a must-read for anyone interested in music, culture, and/or politics.". "Randall delves deeply and engagingly, citing and expanding upon many historical precedents as support for his overarching thesis that yes, music c