Mixing Pop and Politics: A Marxist History of Popular Music

From rock'n'roll to contemporary pop, Mixing Pop and Politics is a provocative and entertaining mash-up of music and Marxist theory. Beginning with the eruption of rock'n'roll into the conservative 50s and running to contemporary pop and neoliberal dominance, Mixing and Pop Politics documents how music channels and responds to each era's political currents and events. Covering everything from 1950s rock'n'roll through the Beatles, glam rock, disco, hip hop and Britpop, all the way up to grime and contemporary pop, and influenced by writers like Mark Fisher, Dick Hebidge and Raymond Williams, Toby Manning shows how popular music has mirrored politics from the 1950s to the present. An entertaining and provocative mash-up of pop music with Marxist theory, Mixing Pop and Politics is a timely exploration of music's impulse towards a better world.