B-Sides, Undercurrents and Overtones: Peripheries to Popular in Music, 1960 to the Present

In this book, George Plasketes adapts the iconic 'A-side/B-side' dichotomy from the 45 r.p.m. for use as a unique conceptual, critical, historical and cultural framework for exploring and threading together a variety of popular music and media texts. The profiles and perspectives focus on the peripheries; on texts which might be considered 'B-sides'"overlooked, underappreciated and unsung cases, creators, patterns and productions that have unassumingly, but significantly, marked popular culture, music and media during the past 40 years. These B-sides represent undercurrents, but they resonate as overtones in the mainstream of music and culture, many as historical hinges. They constitute an important connect-the-dots cultural chronicle with a multi-layered context for interpreting the interrelations between creators and institutions, the music market place, the production of culture and important connections between the peripheral and the popular.