Twilight of the gods

By mixing personal memoir, criticism, and journalism, Hyden explores the ways that classic rock changed the culture -- how it established the album as music's answer to the novel, and rock concerts as the secular equivalent to church -- and asks whether any of these signposts can endure. He investigates the rise and fall of classic rock radio and determines whether the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is telling the right version of Rock history. He revisits favorite live bootlegs, rereads all the great tell-all rock biographies, and excavates deep down into the liner notes of rock's greatest masterpieces to explain what we can all learn from rock gods and their music.