Originally published in 1996, an exploration of the cultural events that have defined the twentieth century, which challenges the world to take a different view of its history, with discussion of themes drawn from music, books and film.

In 1965, one song defined a generation caught the questing spirit of the era and changed the rules of the possible in popular music for all time. This book captures the heady atmosphere of the recording studio in 1965 as witnessed by many clustered around

Greil Marcus weaves individual moods and moments into a brilliant history of their changing times. The book begins in Berkeley in 1968, and ends with a piece on Dylan's show at the University of Minnesota on election night 2008. In between are moments of euphoric discovery.

This title is Marcus's quest to understand Van Morrison's particular genius through the extraordinary and unclassifiable moments in his long career. In these dislocations Marcus finds the singer on his own artistic quest precisely to reach some extreme musical threshold.

One of our finest critics gives us an altogether original history of rock 'n' roll

Unlike all previous versions of rock 'n' roll history, this book omits almost every iconic performer and ignores the storied events and turning points that everyone knows. Instead, in a daring stroke, Greil Marcus selects ten songs recorded between 1956 and 2008, then proceeds to dramatize how each embodies rock 'n' roll as a thing in itself, in the story it tells, inhabits, and acts out--a new language, something new under the sun.

"Transmission" by Joy Division. "All I Could Do...