Mystery Train
by Greil Marcus | 
The Dustbin of History
by Greil Marcus | 
Cuba and Its Music
by Ned Sublette | 
The Swing Era
by Gunther Schuller | 
Respect Yourself
by Robert Gordon | 
Do Not Sell At Any Price
by Amanda Petrusich | 
Nowhere To Run The Story Of Soul Music
by Gerri Hirshey | 
Chasing the Rising Sun
by Ted Anthony | 
The Devil's Music
by Giles Oakley | 
The History Of The Blues
by Francis Davis | 
In the Fascist Bathroom
by Greil Marcus | 
Talking 'Bout Your Mama
by Elijah Wald | 
The Old, Weird America
by Greil Marcus | 
Blues People
by Leroi Jones | 
Sweet Soul Music
by Peter Guralnick | 
Can't Stop Won't Stop
by Jeff Chang | 
Lipstick Traces
by Greil Marcus | 
The History of Jazz
by Ted Gioia | 
Like a Rolling Stone
by Greil Marcus | 
Please Kill Me
by Legs McNeil |
Selects ten songs recorded between 1956 and 2008 that embody rock and roll as a thing in itself--in the story each song tells, inhabits, and creates in its legacy.