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

Product Description

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.

'A fascinating thesis reflecting the time when everyone seemed to give rock and roll the status of, if not a religion, then certainly that of a spiritual belief system. Peter Bebergal's Season of the Witch brought it all back. It's an absorbing read deserving an important place in rock literature.' Michael Moorcock

'Rather than turning in either a fanboyish rhapsody or a scholarly dissertation, he treads the line between those approaches. The result is passionate, informed, gripping and at times wonderfully lyrical.' NPR

'This sharply written narrative illuminates the centrality of the occult imagination at the heart of rock and roll.' Library Journal (starred review)

'A thoroughly researched, absorbing, entertaining ride for anyone who's ever played the Beatles' 'White Album' backwards.' Andrea Shea, WBUR/ NPR

'Kudos to Bebergal for taming the wily spirits of rock long enough to capture their essence in this fascinating book. Perhaps more impressive is the book's comprehensiveness - from Delta blues to beatnik bluster to acid evangelists to metal overlords, Season of the Witch puts the hellfire in highbrow.' The Contrarian