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Hungry for HeavenHUNGRY FOR HEAVEN This is a history of rock music with a difference. It researches the connections between rock and religion. First published in 1988, but now completely revised and updated, it not only makes a fascinating music read, but also provides a window into the sociology of religious ideas at the grass-roots unchurched level during the last half of the 20th century. Starting inevitably with the likes of Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, the author explains how rock and roll evolved from its origins in the music of the black gospel churches of the 1940s. Indeed, the Presley family attended the First Assemblies of God church in Memphis, Tennessee, and Jerry Lee Lewis (a close relative of the now-disgraced tele-evangelist Jimmy Swaggart) was dismissed from Baptist Bible college. The message here seems to be that these men knew the Christian gospel to be true, but just could not hack the discipline and the required resistance to the world's temptations. Then Turner takes us inevitably through the Beatles and the liaison between 1960s music, psychodelia and Eastern religion, as well as the dark side of the occult. With the tremendous creative input of black musicians, we are reminded of the Rastafarian background of Bob Marley and the idea of blacks in the West 'in captivity in Babylon', then the loss of hope among young whites which inspired the punk music scene. As rock music is the people's music and expresses the hopes, dreams and fears of a generation, it is always a partial but necessary key to understanding our times. Some of the stars who have made Christian professions are mentioned, for example, Bob Dylan and rapper M.C. Hammer. Turner tells the story of the band U2 and their conversion as youngsters in a charismatic housegroup in the 70s. From the author's description of their latest concerts they seem to have gone off the rails though. At one point John Blanchard's book Pop goes the Gospel gets a dreadful battering from Turner with his expert knowledge of the music business. Techno-PaganPerhaps the most interesting and illuminating chapter is the last. Here, having dashed through Madonna and the rest, we are introduced to the upcoming Techno-Pagan music with its New Age agenda. This is linked back to the dreams of 60s 'hippy' culture, through people now in their 40s who are at the cutting edge of computer technology, but still carrying their 60s ideals in a more astute and mature form (the triumph of the nerds!). Techno-Pagan has grown out of the coming together of the Rave party devotees (remember the warehouses?) and the New Age travellers thrown together as targets for the government's Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill. It is music for the new era of the millennium based on digitally-synthesised sounds, virtual reality and drug-induced alterations of consciousness. Turner is a terrific writer. His own Christianity subtly steers our musical tour and keeps our feet on the ground. This is well worth a read and will make an interesting companion alongside BBC2's Saturday night ten-part history of rock, 'Dancing in the Street'. Dr John Benton© Evangelicals Now - August 1996 |