Just brilliant and engrossing!
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“I am a big fan of music podcasts. So when I binge a new one completely and looking for the next, I typically follow the “If you liked…” suggestions. So I had seen this for quite some time, but for some odd reason I had a feeling it was going to be lame. I assumed that it would be one of those podcasts where the hosts has a conversation about a song (in this case) for half an hour, filling most of the time with mindless banter (I won’t name names of podcasts like that). When it comes to learning about music, I want depth, context, import. I want to hear interesting stories and understand how a song or an album fits within a larger story. Bored one night after finishing a season of Dissect, I decided to give 500 Songs a try. Man, I was hooked by the end of the pilot episode!
Andrew Hickey is more than a host. He is a historian and researcher. The detail he brings to this history is nothing short of amazing and exhilarating. The first thing I was really struck by is that he did not start with Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock or Elvis’ version of Hound Dog, or not even Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Good! He takes us back to 1939 and over several episodes lays down the precursors, the elements that were not rock but essential to the genre’s foundation. Although the podcast is structured around specific songs, Andrew uses those songs and their artists as doorways to explore the social, political, and cultural dynamics that frame the advent of rock. In lucid, brilliantly written, deeply researched prose Andrew weaves a story that ferrets out important dynamics that are often eclipsed in other histories of rock. And his voice is so smooth that he just draws you in for a master class.
He has no problem pointing out how much of the early elements of rock were drawn from other genres, particularly jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel, and country (particularly Western swing). In that fool’s errand of deciding the “original” rock and roll song, he helps listeners understand why that quest has always been flawed, recognizing that it was a confluence of events, sounds, technology, and styles that developed over a couple of decades. Many artists were feeling and executing the beginnings of rock simultaneously in different places, a testament to the notion that the development of genres is a communal, dialectical experience and not just one person with a novel idea. That novel idea came from somewhere, happening for several at the same time.
Andrew exposes how factors like race, gender, and socioeconomics were just as substantial to this history as any musical factors. One thing I truly appreciate about Andrew’s delivery is that he is understanding of people’s sensitivities and signals to listeners controversial or triggering subject matter. For example, when discussing artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, his is honest about “the Killer” marrying his 14 year old cousin. He is sensitive to explaining the feelings and experiences of African Americans — who are crucial to this history and pimped throughout — careful not to speak for them or explain away their realities. He is forward about the rampant gender discrimination in rock and the aberrant behavior of some artists, DJs, producers, and execs.
Although there are some that are elevated, like Elvis or Bill Haley or Chuck Berry, there were folks like Wynnonie Harris, Hank Ballard, Ruth Brown, Fats Domino, Big Momma Thornton, and Louis Jordan that were unsung predecessors. Pioneers of the electric guitar — Fender, Paul, Rickenbacher, Gibson — are featured, for without that advance in instrumentation we could not have the rock sound. Andrew masterfully weaves this story and gives the genre of rock what it deserves: to be understood as a collective of sounds, styles, and contexts that developed over decades to become one of the most significant cultural, social, and political forces in modern history. Central to this is Andrew’s point that this is A history of rock, not THE history, but his history is so deeply explored it is hard to not call this a definitive history!
A History of Rock in 500 Songs is an ambitious undertaking and the reserved passion of Andrew’s voice gives a sense of reverence and depth the subject deserves. Knowing that this is an extended project for Andrew (featuring books, mini episodes for Patreon subscribers [for as little as a $1/month], etc.) makes this all the more engrossing, as I am constantly wondering where he is going next. One of the most interesting moves he makes is telling a story of rock on both sides of the pond — American and British — as the histories are very different and helps us understand how the Brits were introduced to R”
joe rockhead via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
01/09/21
More reviews of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
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“I am very much a fan of music and how it fits into history and culture, and this podcast keeps providing amazing insights into the history of rock ‘n’ roll and music around the world. So amazing I’m so glad I found it!”
Jeff Hopkins via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/09/21
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“Right length, well narrated, warm voice and amazing and unknown content. It is a delight to follow it. Love the behind histories of the history, the bad guys, the unfaithfully treated geniuses, the fun facts... big thumbs up for Andrew Hickey.”
Pichorrillas via Apple Podcasts ·
Norway ·
04/04/20
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“This podcast is perfection, delivering tons of education on the subject of musical history and recounting many never before heard stories about figures usually familiar to me, while laying out an entertaining and frankly eye-opening timeline of musical evolution. Not shying away from the many...”Read full review »
Alfred Jarry Jr. via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/06/21
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