He writes about rock's key moments in chronological order, infusing them with the kind of detailed, slowly building connections reminiscent of a transcendent Jimi Hendrix or Jerry Garcia guitar solo. While rock borrowed from country as much as blues, Harris' contribution set a standard. Again and again, the examples Miller chooses are exciting and unusual. To him, the now-obscure, cherubic Bill Haley looms as large in rock's origins as Elvis. After that, rock would be about youthful feelings uptight parents pretended didn't exist.
Drugs also matter.
Miller views the time Dylan turned the Beatles on to marijuana as a defining 1960s moment. There are controversial surprises, too, in the chapters on the 1970s. Only Bowie acknowledged, indeed, reveled in, his own artifice. Reviews will appear on The Denver Post Online.