An epic 750 page history of modern pop music, from the 1950s establishment of a British Hit Parade, to around the end of the Century, this book is massively comprehensive, tremendously well researched, and chatty and amusing. Stanley is a pop enthusiast, cynical about the motivations of music executives and some musicians, but always entertaining. He's listened to everything, and has a charming way of describing music and trends and developments, but he seems to have a blind spot regarding Van Morrison, who only appears as the lead singer of Them, not as a solo artist. Other than that omission, everybody who should be here is here.