Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll

Authors: Bebergal, Peter
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
BISAC/Subject: BIO004000, MUS020000, OCC031000
ISBN: 9780698143722, Related ISBNs: 0399167668, 0399174966, 0698143728, 9780399167669, 9780399174964
Classification: Non-Fiction
Number of pages: 288,
Audience: General/trade
Synopsis: This epic cultural and historical odyssey unearths the full influence of occult traditions on rock and roll -- from the Beatles to Black Sabbath -- and shows how the marriage between mysticism and music changed our world.

From the hoodoo-inspired sounds of Elvis Presley to the Eastern odysseys of George Harrison, from the dark dalliances of Led Zeppelin to the Masonic imagery of today’s hip-hop scene, the occult has long breathed life into rock and hip-hop—and, indeed, esoteric and supernatural traditions are a key ingredient behind the emergence and development of rock and roll. 

With vivid storytelling and laser-sharp analysis, writer and critic Peter Bebergal illuminates this web of influences to produce the definitive work on how the occult shaped -- and saved -- popular music.

As Bebergal explains, occult and mystical ideals gave rock and roll its heart and purpose, making rock into more than just backbeat music, but into a cultural revolution of political, spiritual, sexual, and social liberation.
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