E10 will be muttering something about post generators, but who writes the best grand tour style book about music?

I've just ordered James Naughtie's book (based on his recent Radio 4 series) but I rather suspect he's going to turn out more like Andrew Marr.

Ursus, Statto, Fitter? Anyone?

Andy Kershaw? Paul Gambaccini? Alan Lomax?

There ain't one (at least in English, there are a number of wannabees who write in German).

You might try Grout.

Pop's Clark is, um, Clarke. (Including the negative connotations.)

Donald Clarke, in his The Rise And Fall Of Popular Music (1995), writes about his topic with a stuffy joylessness, and (for instance) dismisses the importance of Prince in less than a paragraph.

Somewhat better, as an overview of the first couple of decades in any case, is Nik Cohn's Awopbopaloobopalopbamboom.

But there is, to my knowledge, no great overview of the entire pop era.

It's far better to pick up a collection of books on specific eras or movements or sub-genres, or specific viewpoints (eg the female or gay perspective).

Edit: The era from 1977-2002 is brilliantly covered, albeit very subjectively, by Garry Mulholland's This Is Uncool.

For a Kenneth Clark-style, stiff-but-thorough pop history, you want All You Need Is Love, the 1970s 17-parter currently rerunning on Friday nights on More4.

As for jazz, Ken Burns would be yer man.

Ah, that is a great series I'll grant you, UA, as far as it goes but it's more in the tradition of Burns series about facets of America, with the same tropes as he used in the Civil War series, as well as the one on baseball - the gravitas-laden voiceover, the lingering on black and white stills. Burns actually didn't know a great deal about jazz and leant heavily on Wynton Marsalis as a consultant, who has his own, rather conservative and linear view of jazz and regards himself as a curator figure. Jazz is fine but it fails to touch on a host of maverick figures (wot, no Sun Ra?) and disregards the European tradition altogether, depicting jazz as an exclusively American phenomenon.

Good call from The Horse - that is a series which not only holds up but shines in retrospect.

Incidentally, Sr, it alway pains me a little when you big up that Garry Mulholland book as the concept is remarkably similar to a big piece I did for Uncut two years earlier!

Still, Mulholland's a nice bloke and I daresay he had his own take on things.

But wingco, he was asking for a "Kenneth Clark".

So, y'know, like . . .

wingco wrote:

QUOTE:
Incidentally, Sr, it alway pains me a little when you big up that Garry Mulholland book as the concept is remarkably similar to a big piece I did for Uncut two years earlier!

Still, Mulholland's a nice bloke and I daresay he had his own take on things.

Well, what goes around comes around, cos you nicked the title of his second book for your forthcoming opus... *winky thing* etc

wingco wrote:
[quote]Incidentally, Sr, it alway pains me a little when you big up that Garry Mulholland book as the concept is remarkably similar to a big piece I did for Uncut two years earlier!

I don't remember that feature Wingco it sounds good!

It might have been during a self imposed exile from buying Uncut because of a spell they had where it seemed there wasn't a book written, a film made or music recorded that didn't get a breathless 5 star review, mostly from Chris Roberts.

Heh heh, that's right, SR! Serves him right . . .

UA - ah, you mean, someone with a spurious air of authority? In which case, point taken.

Mr Beast wrote:
[quote]wingco wrote:

QUOTE:
Incidentally, Sr, it alway pains me a little when you big up that Garry Mulholland book as the concept is remarkably similar to a big piece I did for Uncut two years earlier!

I don't remember that feature Wingco it sounds good!

It might have been during a self imposed exile from buying Uncut because of a spell they had where it seemed there wasn't a book written, a film made or music recorded that didn't get a breathless 5 star review, mostly from Chris Roberts.

Hey listen, you can never have too many breathless 5 star reviews from Chris Roberts. If there's one thing wrong with Ucunt right now, it's the decreased number of breathless 5 star reviews from Chris Roberts.

And a profound Establishment bias . . .