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terroreesa's review against another edition
4.0
despite sharing neither her love for the velvets/dylan nor her disdain for simon & garfunkel, i loved this collection. i have earmarked so many pages for quotes - i want to read more rock critics like this who put music in context of both culture and feminism and understand it through those lenses.
lindy_b's review against another edition
4.0
Rock music, more so than any other genre of popular music, relies upon a mythology created in a dialectic between the performers, the fans, and the industry (which includes the music press). Ellen Willis, acutely aware of her positions within the mythology, relentlessly interrogates that dialectic, without-- and this is important-- relinquishing joy. Willis writes with panache and self-assurance; some of her opinions are unpopular (then and even more so now) but she never apologizes for having them; there are no long justifications for declaring critically-acclaimed songs/albums "awful." Someday I hope to write like this.
One such unpopular opinion of 1972, which I would like to tweet passive aggressively at every music writer working today:
The longer essays (e.g. "Dylan," "The Velvet Underground," "Beginning to See the Light") are all excellent. Many of the shorter columns are also good, but being bite-sized they leave me craving more, which is by turns motivating and frustrating. I want a whole book just dedicated to the politics of music internal to the Woman's Movement.
The pieces are organized into loosely themed chapters and then chronologically within the chapters, which I didn't think was a helpful decision as it rendered tracking the evolution of Willis's criticism through time a convoluted process.
One such unpopular opinion of 1972, which I would like to tweet passive aggressively at every music writer working today:
A lot of nonsense has been written about Bowie. The ubiquitous comparisons to Alice Cooper, in particular, can only be put down to willful incomprehension. There is nothing provocative, perverse, or revolting about Bowie. He is all glitter, no grease, and his act is neither overtly nor implicitly violent. As for his self-proclaimed bisexuality, it really isn't that big of a deal. British rock musicians have always been less uptight than Americans about displaying, and even flaunting, their 'feminine' side. Androgynousness is an important part of what the Beatles and the Stones represent; once upon a time Mick Jagger's bisexual mannerisms and innuendos were considered far-out. Bowie's dyed red hair, makeup, legendary dresses, and onstange flirtations with his guitarist just take this tradition one step further. In any case, Bowie's aura is not especially sexual; Ronson is the turn-on of the group, and his attractiveness-- platinum hair, high heels and all-- is very straight, if refreshingly non-macho. What Bowie offers is not 'decadence' (sorry, Middle America) but a highly professional pop surface with a soft core[.] (39-40)
The longer essays (e.g. "Dylan," "The Velvet Underground," "Beginning to See the Light") are all excellent. Many of the shorter columns are also good, but being bite-sized they leave me craving more, which is by turns motivating and frustrating. I want a whole book just dedicated to the politics of music internal to the Woman's Movement.
The pieces are organized into loosely themed chapters and then chronologically within the chapters, which I didn't think was a helpful decision as it rendered tracking the evolution of Willis's criticism through time a convoluted process.
bbboeken's review against another edition
3.0
Interessant tijdsdocument, maar ik had eigenlijk meer over Willis zelf te weten willen komen. Het boek is thematisch georganiseerd, en ik had het liever chronologisch gelezen, met hier en daar wat biografische stukjes tussen.
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
Once again, a woman's strong voice is buried under the din of the more well-known, popular male voices in the field. Willis' observations on music are interesting and I find myself wishing she had stuck with it, and more fully integrated her feminist sensibility into her rock writing. It is interesting to watch it develop. I almost wish that the anthology were arranged chronologically rather than thematically.
summsummsummer's review
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
i often think of the 60's and 70's music counter culture with a critical hindsight. that "i would have never fallen for all that bc, and i wouldve called out all that male chauvinist garbage" ands its refreshing to see that there were women who were saying the same thing at the time. while i dont agree w willis on a lot its refreshing to see a women face the dilemma of loving rock and roll while also critiquing it as a boys club and how women only fit in in if they serve the liberation of men, but still enjoying the music none the less. a lot of the essays are dense and it takes time to not only read but process which is difficult but very fun for music review and journalism. her critiques of david bowie are very funny bc it shows something that happens a lot in music, and that you just dont get it and its not for you. as a huge bowie fan i find her bemusement of ziggy stardust and his theatrics very funny. for a feminist writer there was a noticeable gap of women musicians she wrote on, mentioning herself that theyre werent many "good women in the scene" or something similar, it felt a little lazy bc there was a wealth of women in rock and roll she just didnt like them. but there were a wealth of reviews and essays and mentions of bob dylan. it did make me hate bob dylan tho. i just dont care about bob dylan.
lowellette's review against another edition
4.0
The last section of the book, The Sociologist, is superb. Unfortunately, EW spends too much time discussing the extremely obscure Miss Clawdy. Her preface to Trouble Girls: The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock was the most disappointing essay I may have ever read as its scope was so limited. Nonetheless, her thoughts on Dylan, The Who, and the last section more than make up for this problem. I am so glad I am now familiar with her work.
radballen's review against another edition
4.0
excellent rock criticism. so glad i got this for christmas!