Don't get me wrong, it's a great read, but it's filled with poets who were already at midcareer by thes, which leaves the collection feeling really dated, I'd read many of these poems elsewhere, and though it was nice to revisit them, I didn't discover anybody new, which was my hope,
That said, there are some terrific poems in here, especially David Wojahn's sonnets, Alice Fulton's sestina about Janis Joplin so subtle that I didn't even realize it was a sestina until I was about halfway through it, Edward Hirsch's Jimi Hendrix poem, and Lynda Hull's magnificent "Shore Leave.
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A great concept, but the execution was lacking, especially for those who read poetry on a regular basis, It was sort of like a greatest hits album you buy because there's one new song on it, even though you already have all the other material, Marie Ponsot recommended this title to me, You can't get a better recommendation than that, I look forward to reading it,
"The
poets who fill these pages have come to testify, to bear witness to the mysterious power of Rock and Roll, from the Foreword by Bono
"The thread or the theme That holds this tune Together is the same One that rips it open, " from Gimme Shelter by Bill Knott
"Chunky on the shag rug, I'm looking for my anthem, I'm looking for my headphones, I'm looking for the bare spot on the rug to wallow, sidestepped on the chairstopped door.
I blast my ears out, " from The Prophet's Song by Daniel Nester
"Drums, Whatta lotta Noise you want a Revolution Wanna Apocalypse Blow up in Dynamite Sound" from Punk Rock You're My Big Crybaby by Allen Ginsberg
As revolutionary as the music it celebrates, the poetry in this electrifying anthology by poets such as Billy Collins, Rita Dove, Yusef Komunyakaa, Paul Muldoon and Philip Larkin turns rock upside down with indelible images and powerful expressions of the music that changed our lives.