I read a lot of these rock and roll books, the ones that focus on one particular year or era.  I tend to like the ones that evaluate the music within the context of the culture at the time. This book doesn’t do that as well as others that I’ve read, and when it does, I couldn’t relate as much because the author is British and he offered a more Anglo-centric perspective on things.  Still, it was a pretty enjoyable book.  The book spent some time on artists from that era that I hadn’t spent much time thinking about: Carole King, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Marc Bolan, Nick Drake, and Rod Stewart, to name a few.  I managed to still get my Zeppelin fix, hear some interesting stories about George Harrison and the concert for Bangladesh, and read more about favorite artists like The Who and David Bowie.  I do think he stretches things quite a bit by proclaiming that 1971 was the most important year for rock.  I’d give that honor to 1966/1967, but of course, statements like this are inherently subjective.  The writing is pretty witty at times, and overall this is a fun read.

“Never a Dull Moment: 1971, The Year that Rock Exploded” by David Hepworth

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