Flat-Out Rock: The Great Bands of the '60s.

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

When talking about their g-g-generation, most people think that the music that defines their generation is the best that ever was. This book, by baby boomer Mike Tanner, makes the case that rock music peaked in the sixties. With examples like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Who, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater, and Led Zeppelin, it is hard to argue no. Tanner’s content is divided into 10 chapters, each featuring a sixties super-group or an exceptional personality who has had a profound influence on popular music. The text is heavily spiked with sidebars that discuss everything from guitar types to major political events of the era. Each individual chapter also features specific sidebars that discuss the particular group or personality’s musical influence, best songs, best albums, fashion sense, and imitators. This book is a great starter resource for young music fans who want a quick overview of 10 influential rock sounds of the sixties. Dozens of period photos and an index support the text. The one off note is the author’s tendency to sound slightly overbearing in his opinions because the rock generation was all about rejecting being told what to think, especially by older people. Instead of writing sentences like: “These three albums features songs that are as good as anything written in popular music before or since,” he could invite the readers to listen for themselves and form their own opinions. Recommended.