Book Review: Richie Unterberger's Unknown Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll (1999)

Subtitled “Psychedelic Unknowns, Mad Geniuses, Punk Pioneers, Lo-Fi Mavericks & More,” Richie Unterberger sets the bar pretty high for himself with Unknown Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Luckily for we readers, Unterberger delivers the goods, providing an exhaustive, if not comprehensive history of the obscure and eccentric in rock ‘n’ roll. Delving into the netherworld of true cult artists, Unterberger offers informative profiles of over 60 singer/songwriters, touching upon dozens more in brief comments and sidebars.

Unterberger breaks Unknown Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll up into thirteen distinct sections, ranging from “Psychedelic Unknowns” and “Punk Pioneers” to “Out of the Garage” and “Mad Geniuses & Eccentric Recluses.” Some of the artists Unterberger profiles will be familiar to any hardcore music fan – talents like Roky Erickson, Arthur Lee of Love, Syd Barrett, or Can – although relatively unknown to the great unwashed mainstream are nonetheless frequent touchstones in any serious discussion of rock music. Others artists profiled here, such as Joe Meek, Lee Hazelwood, Ronnie Dawson, or the Avengers have experienced recent surges in popularity due to CD reissues and rediscovery via zines or the Internet.

It’s with the completely obscure performers that Unterberger really shines, his journalistic prowess allowing him to research these one-shot wonders and come up with a cohesive history of long-gone artists like the Deviants, the Monks, or the United States of America. In every section, Unterberger reveals some long-lost gem of a story, but the fattest sections – those on ‘60s-era garage bands, European artists, and “mad geniuses” – seem to be those most closely looked at and covered in detail. Inside many of the sections Unterberger includes a chapter or sidebar, touching upon other artists, legendary indie record labels and trends like cassette culture. Unterberger isn’t stingy with his sources, either, recommending records/CDs for every artist as well as providing a bibliography of books and magazines. Unknown Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll also comes with a twelve-track CD to whet your tastes with tracks by the Deviants, Penelope Houston of the Avengers, the Music Machine and Savage Rose, among others.

For any music fan who is fed up with today’s sales-oriented major label signing philosophy and cookie-cutter, carbon-copy, made-for-MTV rockers, Unknown Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll will feel like a fresh breath of air. Discover the future of rock music by delving into its past – the artists Unterberger reveals here may not have sold a lot of records and, to be honest, some of them really had little or no talent. The styles showcased by these artists run the gamut from rockabilly, psychedelica, and pop/rock to punk, folk, and electronic experimentation. The one thing that they all had in common, however, was a singular vision, a passion for what they were creating and a sincere need to follow their muse, commercial considerations be damned. For this alone they deserve to be remembered, rediscovered and cherished for the true artists that they were. (Miller Freeman Books, published 1999)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™ music zine...

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