STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN: The Spiritual Roots of Rock and Roll--From the King and Little Richard to Prince and Any Grant

by Davin with Mary Neely Seay ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1986

A partisan account by a born-again pop music historian. The author's style is that of the convert when it comes to ""the powerful god (sic) of Christianity"" or the ""luminous truths"" of that religion, and any other beliefs had better stand aside. Seay dates the first rock song back through gospel to the first cave man who ""pounded out a syncopated riff on a hollow log."" But imagery such as this, while cute enough, is meaningless in a study that purports to be historical. There are nearsighted comments about African religions as ""nonverbal,"" ignoring the linguistic richness of the African deities; here are sardonic jokes about the religions of India, and Bob Dylan's interest in his own Judaism is called moving ""two steps backward"" from born-again beliefs. When the story reaches modern times, the errors are even more glaring. Elvis is chastised for not understanding ""the source of his own inspiration"" because, despite Seay's claims for Pentecostal influence on the singer, Elvis recorded few gospel numbers. Seay's book seems to evince some real affection for gospel music, and the secondary sources he quotes are generally well-chosen. But Seay's theme cannot cope with raunch, like Marvin Gaye's ""Sanctified Pussy."" And while the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are dealt with in detail, Seay has to admit that there is not much religious about either group. Then, in an odd switch, the Sex Pistols' ""God Save the Queen, It's a Fascist Regime"" is praised as a ""sermonette,"" perhaps because the ultra-religious can deal with violence (punk rockers) better than sex (Marvin Gaye et al.). All told, a promising topic rendered almost valueless by its lack of objectivity, or by an attempt at a balanced view.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION