This book was written to accompany the National Museums Scotland exhibition of the same name, which it was my great fortune to see in 2018. It contains a lot of pictures and is laid out well, but I did find it rather breathless and telling-not-showing: for example, saying that someone was “massively influential” or “inspired generations of musicians” but not really saying how they influenced or inspired, or even really describing their sound. That said, I did get more of this kind of information from the artists working in the 80s onward.

I also felt that this book should have a playlist at the end of the book or at the end of each chapter, but that omission is more easily rectified by the exhibition website. Tons of playlists, including the Ultimate Playlist, are available at https://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/things-to-see-and-do/past-exhi... (site last accessed 29 April 2021).

Despite my quibbles, I would still consider this worth reading for music fans who like to discover new things. It will definitely get you exploring. ( )