Companion book to the PBS television series.

Discography: p. 293-299.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 300-303) and index.

Introduction -- Ch. 1. Whole latta shakin' goin' on -- -- Ch. 2. Be my baby -- I put a spell on you -- Ch. 3. R-E-S-P-E-C-T -- Ch. 4. A rolling stone -- Ch. 5. Crossroads -- Delinqients of heaven, hoodlums of hell -- Ch. 6. Eight miles high -- Ch. 7. Walk on the wild side -- The church of the sonic guitar -- Ch. 8. Brand new bag -- Ch. 9. Blank generation -- Ch. 10. Planet rock.

Rock & Roll: An Unruly History is a full-scale salute to rock that is also a companion to the ten-part public television series, illuminating the roots of rock and exploring the "rock and roll culture" that surrounds the music. Robert Palmer, a preeminent rock critic and musician who was the chief advisor for the public television series, explores the complex creative processes that have allowed rock music to endure as a living art, fed from sources deep within nonconformist, anti-mainstream, often multiethnic American culture. By focusing on its roots and branchings, Palmer charts rock's ongoing developmental processes, showing how its many tributaries - from blues and gospel to reggae, punk, and rap - converge and connect to create the most insightful history of rock and roll ever written.