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The Resource Season of the witch : how the occult saved rock and roll, Peter Bebergal

Season of the witch : how the occult saved rock and roll, Peter Bebergal

Creator
Summary
  • From the hoodoo-inspired sounds of Elvis Presley to the Eastern odysseys of George Harrison, from the dark dalliances of Led Zeppelin to the Masonic imagery of today's hip-hop scene, the occult has long breathed life into rock and hip-hop--and, indeed, esoteric and supernatural traditions are a key ingredient behind the emergence and development of rock and roll ... [and in this book] writer and critic Peter Bebergal illuminates this web of influences"--Amazon.com
  • "This epic cultural and historical odyssey unearths the full influence of occult traditions on rock and roll--from the Beatles to Black Sabbath--and shows how the marriage between mysticism and music changed our world. From the hoodoo-inspired sounds of Elvis Presley to the Eastern odysseys of George Harrison, from the dark dalliances of Led Zeppelin to the Illuminati imagery of today's hip-hop scene, the occult has long breathed life into rock and hip-hop--and, indeed, esoteric and supernatural traditions are a key ingredient behind the emergence and development of rock and roll. With vivid storytelling and laser-sharp analysis, writer and critic Peter Bebergal illuminates this web of influences to produce the definitive work on how the occult shaped--and saved--popular music. As Bebergal explains, occult and mystical ideals gave rock and roll its heart and purpose, making rock into more than just backbeat music, but into a cultural revolution of political, spiritual, sexual, and social liberation. Bebergal explores how the biggest names in popular music have participated in this spiritual rebellion and, in so doing, crafted rock's mythic soul. David Bowie, King Crimson, Black Sabbath, Killing Joke, the Rolling Stones, and even Kiss, among many others, not only transformed rock with their musical innovations, but saved rock from becoming a series of radio-friendly 45s spinning out endless redundant chords. Their stories serve as a window that exposes how without the occult imagination, there would be no rock and pop as we know it. Season of the Witch also investigates the figures whose lives intersect, both directly and indirectly, with the culture of rock: The fin de siècle magician Aleister Crowley, who would become a counterculture icon; the symbolist artist Austin Osman Spare, whose sigil magic influenced an entire subculture of British musicians in the 1980s and 1990s; the beat writer William S. Burroughs; and the underground filmmaker and Crowley devotee Kenneth Anger. These are just a few of the extraordinary figures who readers meet in this feast of storytelling and cultural illumination."--Jacket
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xxxiii, 252 pages
Contents
  • We are all initiates now
  • (You make me wanna) shout
  • Relax and float downstream
  • The devil rides out
  • The tree of life
  • Space ritual
  • The golden dawn
Isbn
9780399167669
Instance
Label
Season of the witch : how the occult saved rock and roll
Title
Season of the witch
Title remainder
how the occult saved rock and roll
Statement of responsibility
Peter Bebergal
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
  • From the hoodoo-inspired sounds of Elvis Presley to the Eastern odysseys of George Harrison, from the dark dalliances of Led Zeppelin to the Masonic imagery of today's hip-hop scene, the occult has long breathed life into rock and hip-hop--and, indeed, esoteric and supernatural traditions are a key ingredient behind the emergence and development of rock and roll ... [and in this book] writer and critic Peter Bebergal illuminates this web of influences"--Amazon.com
  • "This epic cultural and historical odyssey unearths the full influence of occult traditions on rock and roll--from the Beatles to Black Sabbath--and shows how the marriage between mysticism and music changed our world. From the hoodoo-inspired sounds of Elvis Presley to the Eastern odysseys of George Harrison, from the dark dalliances of Led Zeppelin to the Illuminati imagery of today's hip-hop scene, the occult has long breathed life into rock and hip-hop--and, indeed, esoteric and supernatural traditions are a key ingredient behind the emergence and development of rock and roll. With vivid storytelling and laser-sharp analysis, writer and critic Peter Bebergal illuminates this web of influences to produce the definitive work on how the occult shaped--and saved--popular music. As Bebergal explains, occult and mystical ideals gave rock and roll its heart and purpose, making rock into more than just backbeat music, but into a cultural revolution of political, spiritual, sexual, and social liberation. Bebergal explores how the biggest names in popular music have participated in this spiritual rebellion and, in so doing, crafted rock's mythic soul. David Bowie, King Crimson, Black Sabbath, Killing Joke, the Rolling Stones, and even Kiss, among many others, not only transformed rock with their musical innovations, but saved rock from becoming a series of radio-friendly 45s spinning out endless redundant chords. Their stories serve as a window that exposes how without the occult imagination, there would be no rock and pop as we know it. Season of the Witch also investigates the figures whose lives intersect, both directly and indirectly, with the culture of rock: The fin de siècle magician Aleister Crowley, who would become a counterculture icon; the symbolist artist Austin Osman Spare, whose sigil magic influenced an entire subculture of British musicians in the 1980s and 1990s; the beat writer William S. Burroughs; and the underground filmmaker and Crowley devotee Kenneth Anger. These are just a few of the extraordinary figures who readers meet in this feast of storytelling and cultural illumination."--Jacket
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Bebergal, Peter
Dewey number
781.66
Index
index present
LC call number
ML3534
LC item number
.B38 2014
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Rock music
  • Music and occultism
  • Mysticism in music
  • Music
Label
Season of the witch : how the occult saved rock and roll, Peter Bebergal
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-236) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
We are all initiates now -- (You make me wanna) shout -- Relax and float downstream -- The devil rides out -- The tree of life -- Space ritual -- The golden dawn
Control code
ocn884570993
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xxxiii, 252 pages
Isbn
9780399167669
Lccn
2014027012
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
(OCoLC)884570993
Label
Season of the witch : how the occult saved rock and roll, Peter Bebergal
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-236) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
We are all initiates now -- (You make me wanna) shout -- Relax and float downstream -- The devil rides out -- The tree of life -- Space ritual -- The golden dawn
Control code
ocn884570993
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xxxiii, 252 pages
Isbn
9780399167669
Lccn
2014027012
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
(OCoLC)884570993

Subject

Genre

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