THE REVOLUTION WILL BE HARMONISED

At nearly 500 pages, Mixing Pop and Politics is a big read, writes Vicky Wilson, but it's a reminder that music has always been political.  While there are still injustices in the world, there will always be music that challenges, inspires, and unites us in the struggle for a fairer society.

TOBY MANNING'S Mixing Pop and Politics: A Marxist History of Popular Music is a dense and thought-provoking exploration of the intersection between music and ideology. Manning takes readers on a journey from the early 1950s to the present, revealing how popular music both reflects and resists the political events of its era.

Manning’s approach is refreshingly critical. Rather than focusing solely on the surface-level aspects of pop culture, he dives headfirst into the murkier waters of politicised music. The book is not a straightforward history of Marxist rock and roll; instead, it offers a Marxist perspective on popular music as a whole. Throughout its nearly five hundred pages, Manning draws constant lines between social contexts and the puritanical manipulation exerted by external forces.

The journey begins with the blatant co-opting of 1950s rock and roll by governments eager to suppress its true, nihilistic energy. Manning asks the essential question: 'If things were so peachy perfect, why did rock n’ roll happen? Why were the juveniles delinquent, the angry young men angry?' His exploration of this era sets the stage for a deeper analysis of music’s political dimensions.

As the decades unfold, Manning dissects various musical movements. In the paranoid 1960s, Marxism finds an atavistic sense in the rise of English working-class culture, the Beat generation, and the thrilling American soul music that emerged as an uprising against social injustice. Psychedelia, too, becomes a focal point, with artists like Brian Wilson, The Beatles, and Syd Barrett shifting the sonic landscape. Manning explores how the counter-culture of the '60s was not merely fake; it provided a rare solidarity and sexual fluidity in the history of popular culture.

Progressing through the years, Manning turns his scalpel toward progressive rock, glam, and punk. He points out that glam, despite its eventual implosion into bubble gum nostalgia, was a reactionary movement against the UK's 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which legalised homosexuality. For punk—the most relevant period in terms of Marxism—he asserts that it was a cultural class war, a championing of the disposable, the disavowed, and the disapproved.

While Manning’s insights are expertly crafted, the avalanche of references and information occasionally sacrifices narrative flow for water-tight but slightly monotone testimony. At nearly five hundred pages, Mixing Pop and Politics demands occasional moments to come up for air. Yet, its seriousness and depth make it a valuable addition to the study of music and politics.

Toby Manning’s book invites readers to explore the hidden layers of popular music, revealing its political underpinnings. Whether you’re a Marxist scholar, a music enthusiast, or simply curious about the forces shaping our cultural landscape, Mixing Pop and Politics provides a rich and challenging perspective that transcends the superficial aspects of melody and rhythm. This is not just a history book; it’s a battle cry. It’s a reminder that music has always been political, and as long as there are injustices in the world, there will be music that challenges, inspires, and unites us in the struggle for a fairer society. So, let the record spin, comrades, for the revolution will not only be televised – it will be harmonised.

Vicky Wilson lives in New York. She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Mixing Pop and Politics: A Marxist History of Popular Music is published by Repeater Books.