The Kinks
Songs of the Semi-Detached
Published on 16. March 2020
256 pages
978-1-78914-254-9 (ISBN)
Description
Of all the great British bands to emerge from the 1960s, none had a stronger sense of place than the Kinks. Often described as the archetypal English band, they were above all a quintessentially working-class band with a deep attachment to London.
Mark Doyle examines the relationship between the Kinks and their city, from their early songs of teenage rebellion to their album-length works of social criticism. He finds fascinating and sometimes surprising connections with figures as diverse as Edmund Burke, John Clare and Charles Dickens. More than just a book about the Kinks, this is a book about a social class undergoing a series of profound changes, and about a group of young men who found a way to describe, lament and occasionally even celebrate those changes through song.
Mark Doyle examines the relationship between the Kinks and their city, from their early songs of teenage rebellion to their album-length works of social criticism. He finds fascinating and sometimes surprising connections with figures as diverse as Edmund Burke, John Clare and Charles Dickens. More than just a book about the Kinks, this is a book about a social class undergoing a series of profound changes, and about a group of young men who found a way to describe, lament and occasionally even celebrate those changes through song.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
40 black and white illustrations
File size
6,74 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-78914-254-9 (9781789142549)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
03/2020
Reaktion Books
€16.50
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
Mark Doyle is Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University. He is the author of Fighting Like the Devil for the Sake of God: Protestants, Catholics, and the Origins of Violence in Belfast (2009) and the editor of The British Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia (2018).
Content
- Cover
- Title Page
- Imprint Page
- Contents
- Introduction: A Face in the Crowd
- 1: The North London Post-war Affluent Society Blues
- 2: The Kinks vs Swinging London
- 3: Ready, Steady, Stop! (or, Rock Music as Historic Preservation)
- 4: The Glory of Being Boring
- 5: Muswell Hillbillies vs Big Brother
- Epilogue
- References
- Select Bibliography
- Select Discography
- Acknowledgements
- Photo Acknowledgements
- Index
