This is a rather strange book. In it Gillian A.M. Mitchell seeks to rectify what she sees as inaccuracies in previous accounts of the evolution of popular music in Britain in the 20 years following the arrival of rock ‘n’ roll in to the musical mainstream around 1955. Simply put, Mitchell wishes to counter what she contends is ‘the widely held assumption that popular music styles frequently caused conflict, and otherwise invariably enhanced generational divisions, within families during these decades’ (p. 5, emphasis Cloonan). This is a noble aim. However, it is soon undermined by a failure to produce sufficient evidence of this assumption. As this does not happen, readers are left to speculate about how widely held such an assumption in fact is.

Unfortunately, such generalisations characterise much of this otherwise worthy book. Thus early on Mitchell refers to young people during the period in question and tells readers that: ‘Some undoubtedly built their lives around music – but whether this approach was taken by the majority of youngsters is important to question’ (p. 4). It certainly is. However, it would be better if evidence was provided of those who actually argue that the majority of young people constructed their lives in such a way. Again none is forthcoming. So, when Mitchell writes that her book ‘seeks to identify the “grey areas” within the “black and white” account of a generational divide fostered and epitomised by conflicts revolving around music tastes’ (ibid), I sit up and take notice. However, rather than provide examples of this account, it is simply used a straw person against whom to rail. Time and again the guilty are lambasted, but seldom are they named.

All this is a pity for Mitchell may well be on to something. In seeking to provide a more nuanced account of this era than those currently available, she is doing things which every good historian should do – looking at existing accounts, finding them wanting and seeking to enhance them. I also suspect that the arguments she wishes to make are perfectly valid and that the evidence to back up her thesis exists. For example, had Mitchell trawled the music and underground press of the time, she may well have found such evidence. However, the music press rarely features here and when it does the source is more often Rock's Back Pages rather than the original publication. Many claims are made, too few are substantiated. Thus while the interviews of audience members (many taken from the British Library and other archives) which Mitchell draws on provide fresh food for thought, they do not compensate for the lack of evidence on display elsewhere.

The book falls in to five parts, with an Introduction and Conclusion bookending three extensive chapters. The Introduction sets the tone for the book, by suggesting that ‘Rock ‘n’ roll … became a potent symbol of what would later become known as “the generation gap”’ (p. 2). After musical forms such as skiffle, beat and rock are noted, it is claimed that ‘the basic perception that adults were excluded from such musical worlds, and likely to respond to them with suspicion, dislike and even fear, remained fairly constant’ (p. 3). The object of the book is therefore ‘to challenge such a perception’. Once again, this is laudable. However, it is again undermined by a failure to provide substantial evidence of this perception. Where it is located – and how widespread it actually is – remain elusive.

The Introduction explains that the methodology adopted is thematic, rather than chronological and that interviews (largely conducted by others) will be drawn on. It also seeks to define both popular music and generations. Mitchell explains that: ‘This book finds it most helpful to adopt a fairly malleable definition of “popular”, founded upon identification of whichever styles appeared most prominent and successful at different points throughout the period’ (p. 7). While this may be pragmatic, it is also problematic. For example, during the period in question it is clear that ‘pop’ becomes distinct from ‘rock’. While the demarcation lines are not always clear, both are prominent and successful while also having important stylistic, aesthetic and ideological differences. Simply lumping them together is not possible, yet Mitchell gives little recognition to such important divides.

Following a discussion of the additional issue of defining generations, Chapter One examines Family Life, Generational Identity and Popular Music. Here it is claimed that: ‘Discourse surrounding the concept of a separate “youth culture” frequently placed this culture firmly outside the boundaries of family life’ (p. 16). This may well be true, but again it remains unsubstantiated here as no evidence is provided to back up the claim. Similarly when readers are told of ‘the pervasive belief that modern pop and the sociocultural values of adults were intrinsically incompatible’ (p. 17), they might reasonably expect to be presented with some examples of who was making this case. However, they would be disappointed. Thus while Mitchell rightly casts herself as being against those who have produced ‘ostensibly straightforward depictions of the period’ (p. 18), the guilty escape disclosure. She goes on to argue that:

However, again she provides no evidence of writers making such claims and one is left with an impression of a pudding being somewhat overegged. Few within Popular Music Studies would be surprised to learn that: ‘“Enjoying” popular music … was not a straightforward similarly experience for all individuals’ (p. 20), but what serious commentator suggested that it was? Many more examples of claims about the shortcomings of previous accounts remaining unsubstantiated could be given. Time and again it is claimed that certain beliefs are widespread, without examples being given.

The first chapter is stronger on gender roles within the family and they ways in which the music was associated with changing expectations here. In addition it is rightly noted that there were changing conceptions of childhood. The ongoing importance of social dancing is also nicely illustrated. Overall patterns of continuity, as well as change, are well documented. Examples are also given of the adults who embraced the newly popular styles. Indeed Mitchell recognises that many parents – such as those of Jimmy Page and George Harrison – helped to foster their children's musical ambitions, thus countering any notion that generations were totally divided by popular music. However the chapter concludes by returning to largely unsubstantiated claims about ‘widespread’ beliefs (p. 63).

Chapter Two deals with the relationship between Christian churches, youth clubs and popular music. It begins with a discussion of the 1964 musical play ‘A Man Dies’. This early attempt to use modern pop for Christian purposes is used to illustrate the fact that not all Christian churches opposed the medium. Indeed, as Mitchell suggests, ‘The potential of popular music … to enthrall the young and even to afford them a sense of purpose and identity, was noted by the churches’ (p. 67).

Much of the rest of the chapter is concerned with the role of youth clubs, following the 1960 publication of the Ablemarle Report on the Youth Service in England and Wales. At times the relevance of all this to the overall argument is not clear, with pages passing without any reference to music. Christian churches were, of course, involved in many youth clubs and organisations and this led them in to various relationships with youth culture. However, perhaps the most famous religiously inspired would-be censor of popular culture, Mary Whitehouse, is absent from this account. In addition the overtly Christian Greenbelt popular music festival which began in 1974 is overlooked. The chapter ends by suggesting that ‘Christian churches were far from being unilaterally condemnatory in their attitudes towards popular music’ (p. 106, emphasis Cloonan), again without citing anyone who suggested that they were.

Chapter Three examines the links between Popular Music and both Variety and Light Entertainment. Here the dividing lines become somewhat porous. Thus Mitchell is easily able to show that, despite their generational and genre-based differences, performers such as Bruce Forsyth and Adam Faith had much in common. She suggests that popular musicians who went in to Light Entertainment were accused of ‘selling out’ and that ‘all round entertainer’ become a term of abuse (p. 110), but again provides no examples of such criticisms.

Mitchell shows that Variety soon became a home to early British rock and rollers, something which – given the relatively narrow range of career opportunities available to such performers – is not too surprising. Moreover, as Mitchell herself notes the rockers and variety artists played the same venues. Thus:

While this is not news, Mitchell nicely shows that not only did Variety and British rock and roll interact from a very early stage, they also shared the same stages. Thus ‘skiffle and rock ‘n’ roll became central to the fading Variety theatres’ (p. 117). While this is a welcome reminder of their closeness, elsewhere there are some unfortunate omissions. Progressive and hard rock – highly popular forms which complicate any notion of all popular music being containable within a unitary framework – are largely ignored here as the book's coverage is skewed towards the years before their emergence. In addition the seminal moment when William Rees-Moog, as editor of The Times – surely an emblem of the adult world – defended Mick Jagger and Keith Richards following their incarceration in Wormwood Scrubs after their conviction on drugs charges in 1967, is overlooked. Instead Mitchell examines comedy records. While this is an interesting exploration of a much overlooked area, more might have been done to contrast such records to the somewhat po-faced attitudes attendant in much prog.

Mitchell rightly notes that by the late 1960s it was possible to be a ‘rock musician’ in ways not open to performers in earlier times. She also refreshingly praises Cilla Black's considerable ability to forge a career under difficult circumstances. However, when she then goes on to claim to provide evidence to counter the idea that ‘the best rock and popular music is either predominantly youth-orientated or self-consciously disdainful of anything “old-fashioned”’ (p. 152), one is again left to ask who her (unnamed) target is.

In her Conclusion Mitchell suggests that, while in later years there were ongoing concerns in the adult word about some developments with popular music – especially during punk – overall in the longer term:

Her book is testament to this. However, overall, it feels like something of a missed opportunity. While Mitchell is right to criticise the shortcomings of pervious accounts, when the generalisations which characertise much of this work are combined with the lack of concrete evidence via which to substantiate a number of claims being made, then the overall impact is to limit what could otherwise have been an important repost to existing accounts. Writing a revisionist history of British popular music history is to be welcomed. However, it necessitates giving a fuller account of the earlier vision than is generally on display here.