Rock Me on the Water: 1974—The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television and Politics
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- Create Date：2021-04-26 18:33:26
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ronald Brownstein
- ISBN：B08BX3TKPX
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Summary
In this exceptional cultural history， Atlantic Senior Editor Ronald Brownstein tells the kaleidoscopic story of one monumental year that marked the city of Los Angeles’ creative peak， a glittering moment when popular culture was ahead of politics in predicting what America would become。
Los Angeles in 1974 exerted more influence over popular culture than any other city in America。 Los Angeles that year， in fact， dominated popular culture more than it ever had before， or would again。 Working in film， recording， and television studios around Sunset Boulevard， living in Brentwood and Beverly Hills or amid the flickering lights of the Hollywood Hills， a cluster of transformative talents produced an explosion in popular culture which reflected the demographic， social， and cultural realities of a changing America。 At a time when Richard Nixon won two presidential elections with a message of backlash against the social changes unleashed by the sixties， popular culture was ahead of politics in predicting what America would become。 The early 1970s in Los Angeles was the time and the place where conservatives definitively lost the battle to control popular culture。
Rock Me on the Water traces the confluence of movies， music， television， and politics in Los Angeles month by month through that transformative， magical year。 Ronald Brownstein reveals how 1974 represented a confrontation between a massive younger generation intent on change， and a political order rooted in the status quo。 Today， we are again witnessing a generational cultural divide。 Brownstein shows how the voices resistant to change may win the political battle for a time， but they cannot hold back the future。
Los Angeles in 1974 exerted more influence over popular culture than any other city in America。 Los Angeles that year， in fact， dominated popular culture more than it ever had before， or would again。 Working in film， recording， and television studios around Sunset Boulevard， living in Brentwood and Beverly Hills or amid the flickering lights of the Hollywood Hills， a cluster of transformative talents produced an explosion in popular culture which reflected the demographic， social， and cultural realities of a changing America。 At a time when Richard Nixon won two presidential elections with a message of backlash against the social changes unleashed by the sixties， popular culture was ahead of politics in predicting what America would become。 The early 1970s in Los Angeles was the time and the place where conservatives definitively lost the battle to control popular culture。
Rock Me on the Water traces the confluence of movies， music， television， and politics in Los Angeles month by month through that transformative， magical year。 Ronald Brownstein reveals how 1974 represented a confrontation between a massive younger generation intent on change， and a political order rooted in the status quo。 Today， we are again witnessing a generational cultural divide。 Brownstein shows how the voices resistant to change may win the political battle for a time， but they cannot hold back the future。
Reviews
Lis Travers
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Loved the details。 Fascinating look at the tv， music and films I grew up with
Leslie
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"LA Times，" 4/18/21 "LA Times，" 4/18/21 。。。more
Kathleen
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The one year focus is a bit strained， but certainly the mid-seventies was a transformational period in LA。 A detailed， well-written history of change in music， tv， film and politics。
Judi Fox
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I really wanted to love this book - 1974 was a standout year for me personally， with the tv， movies， politics， and particularly the music looming large - but I didn't love it。 The details are all there， sometimes repeated many times over， but almost always as dry facts。 There were few stories I hadn't already read elsewhere， in a more entertaining fashion。 Also， the entire final 25% of the book is acknowledgments and footnotes。 There's no denying it's a well documented account， and all in one pl I really wanted to love this book - 1974 was a standout year for me personally， with the tv， movies， politics， and particularly the music looming large - but I didn't love it。 The details are all there， sometimes repeated many times over， but almost always as dry facts。 There were few stories I hadn't already read elsewhere， in a more entertaining fashion。 Also， the entire final 25% of the book is acknowledgments and footnotes。 There's no denying it's a well documented account， and all in one place。 It just wasn't as entertaining as I hoped it would be。 。。。more
Kathy
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Interesting and nostalgic。
Mark O'mara
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Great read and account of 1974 and it’s cultural importance and in doing so has great detail and context on the years and forces up to 1974。 I’ve read a number of excellent books on this era in Los Angeles as this is a welcome addition。 Highly recommended for those interested。
Chris Barsanti
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Like many California stories， it's less about a sustained moment than a bright and briefly thrilling mirage。My full review is at PopMatters。 Like many California stories， it's less about a sustained moment than a bright and briefly thrilling mirage。My full review is at PopMatters。 。。。more
Muriel Benedict
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I found this a bit disappointing。 I actually graduated from college and moved to LA in 1974 so I picked this up hoping to re-live what it was like and what happened in LA in the year 1974。 Instead this is a look at a number of people in film， tv， music and politics who impacted American culture in the 1970’s。 I still don’t understand how the author landed on 1974 as the seminal year in a decade that brought a number of cultural changes because really what he is discussing is cultural events over I found this a bit disappointing。 I actually graduated from college and moved to LA in 1974 so I picked this up hoping to re-live what it was like and what happened in LA in the year 1974。 Instead this is a look at a number of people in film， tv， music and politics who impacted American culture in the 1970’s。 I still don’t understand how the author landed on 1974 as the seminal year in a decade that brought a number of cultural changes because really what he is discussing is cultural events over the course of the decade。 And honestly from a distance the many figures he covers just don’t seem that monumentally important any more。 。。。more
Steve
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Wonderful， nostalgic look at 1974 and what it meantI was a young adult when the events in this book took place。 The book brought back great memories of the television shows I watched， the movies I went to， and the music I listened to。 The writing is crisp; no getting bogged down in the minutiae。 The biographical information is excellent。 But the book isn’t restricted to entertainment。 There is also a good discussion of politics。 Although the story revolves around Los Angeles， this is only the ba Wonderful， nostalgic look at 1974 and what it meantI was a young adult when the events in this book took place。 The book brought back great memories of the television shows I watched， the movies I went to， and the music I listened to。 The writing is crisp; no getting bogged down in the minutiae。 The biographical information is excellent。 But the book isn’t restricted to entertainment。 There is also a good discussion of politics。 Although the story revolves around Los Angeles， this is only the backdrop for a much broader story。 I loved being able to look back and see a broader view of the era than I had appreciated during that time of my life。 Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollinsPublishers for the advance reader copy。 。。。more
Mason
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A thoroughly researched and convincing assessment of LA's pivotal role in transforming American culture during the early 1970s。 As we emerge from a period of upheaval similar to the late 1960s， it would behoove us to consider the ramifications of a culture that moves more quickly than its politics。 A thoroughly researched and convincing assessment of LA's pivotal role in transforming American culture during the early 1970s。 As we emerge from a period of upheaval similar to the late 1960s， it would behoove us to consider the ramifications of a culture that moves more quickly than its politics。 。。。more
Beth
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3。5 stars。 This "seminal year" pop culture history didn't enrapture me quite as much as others that I've read， but this line gave me hope: "All in the Family's most consistent political message was that Archie （and all those who thought like him） could not stop the social and cultural changes happening around them。" 3。5 stars。 This "seminal year" pop culture history didn't enrapture me quite as much as others that I've read， but this line gave me hope: "All in the Family's most consistent political message was that Archie （and all those who thought like him） could not stop the social and cultural changes happening around them。" 。。。more
Stephanie
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I don’t know; maybe this should be four stars。 I found the first few chapters very compelling， the sections on musicians and politicians the best。 This book is arranged into twelve chapters， each chapter named for a month in 1974。 Presumably， an event takes place in each of those months to arrange the chapter。 1974 doesn’t occur in a vacuum， of course， and we are brought back to the sixties， maybe the fifties， to explain how we arrived at a given place。 Jackson Brown and Linda Ronstadt are centr I don’t know; maybe this should be four stars。 I found the first few chapters very compelling， the sections on musicians and politicians the best。 This book is arranged into twelve chapters， each chapter named for a month in 1974。 Presumably， an event takes place in each of those months to arrange the chapter。 1974 doesn’t occur in a vacuum， of course， and we are brought back to the sixties， maybe the fifties， to explain how we arrived at a given place。 Jackson Brown and Linda Ronstadt are central; we return to them again and again。 Other central players include Jerry Brown， Jane Fonda， Tom Hayden， Norman Lear， David Geffen， Jack Nicholson， Warren Beatty， The Eagles， Graham Nash， Joni， Bert Schneider。 And on 12/31/74 Fleetwood Mac invites Buckingham & Nicks to join。The end of the book points toward the future。 The decadence of sunny California is about to implode upon itself。 All the sunshine and beauty and cocaine and naïveté and country-rock are about to be replaced by gritty New York， punk and new wave。 。。。more
Don
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This is an enjoyable journey through the music， film， television and politics of Los Angeles in the early 1970's。 I found the sections on television and politics the most informative， primarily because I knew relatively little about the subjects。 The section on music， about which I am more knowledgeable， was still interesting。 I was less thrilled with the section on the movies。My main problem with the book is that Brownstein makes a valiant， but ultimately unpersuasive case for 1974 being a wate This is an enjoyable journey through the music， film， television and politics of Los Angeles in the early 1970's。 I found the sections on television and politics the most informative， primarily because I knew relatively little about the subjects。 The section on music， about which I am more knowledgeable， was still interesting。 I was less thrilled with the section on the movies。My main problem with the book is that Brownstein makes a valiant， but ultimately unpersuasive case for 1974 being a watershed year。 The focus on '74 is a bit artificial and， I suspect， the result of Brownstein trying to find a central theme。 Treating the first half of the '70's as a focal point makes more sense for music and TV， at least。The section on movies focuses on two films--Chinatown and Shampoo。 Brownstein suggests that these represent the turning away from political-themed films of the late '60's and reflect the end of the younger generation of film makers before an even younger group （Spielberg， Lucas， etc。） lead a movement toward big commercial blockbusters。 I think it's more accurate to say that the real revolution in Hollywood movies occured in the late '60's。 I would recomment Mark Harris' Pictures at a Revolution as a book covering that moment that is more insightful Brownstein's somewhat cursory survey of the industry in the time period of Rock Me on The Water。 In the music sections， Brownstein treats his time period as the real flowering of the LA music scene as the center of the music business at that time。 That's not inaccurate， but it is probably more historically correct to view the early '70's as the final movement of a scene that began in the mid-'60's with the Byrds， Doors， Buffalo Springfield， CSN&Y， Joni Mitchell， Mamas & Papas and others。 Brownsteing does acknowledge that， and argues that the Eagles， Linda Ronstadt， Jackson Brown period represented a turning inward from a more political period in music。 It's an interesting view although I think the reality was more complex than that。In the political sections， Brownstein tells an interesting tale of the evolution of activism， as represented by Tom Hayden and Jane Fonda， from radicalism to a more mainstream progressivism。For all of its weaknesses as an effort to define a period， the book is nevertheless an interesting， well-written guide through that time in Los Angeles。 。。。more
Drew Ross
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This book gives the reader the background and context to a pinnacle in Los Angeles history。 The Music， Movies， Television， and politics from 1974 resulted from the two polarized decades before。 It is a wonderful historical book that has many insights and lessons for today。
Peter
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Read this one for an interview with author Ron Brownstein， but the subject matter -- pop culture and politics and L。A。 in 1974 -- hits my sweet spot。 A lot of the people and stories in this book are familiar， but the beauty of the book is how Brownstein pulls these different strands together to convincingly make the case that in 1974 in L。A。 things came together in the arts， entertainment， culture， politics in ways they seldom do in any place or any time。 As you read you see the connections and Read this one for an interview with author Ron Brownstein， but the subject matter -- pop culture and politics and L。A。 in 1974 -- hits my sweet spot。 A lot of the people and stories in this book are familiar， but the beauty of the book is how Brownstein pulls these different strands together to convincingly make the case that in 1974 in L。A。 things came together in the arts， entertainment， culture， politics in ways they seldom do in any place or any time。 As you read you see the connections and more greatly appreciate what a rare time it was。Here's my interview with Brownstein: https://www。dailynews。com/2021/04/04/。。。。 。。。more
Jerry James
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Fast read， but each chapter sounds like it was written stand-alone as people and descriptions keep repeating。 I liked the semi-center of 1974 to the swirl of all the careers。
Suzanne
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I have mixed feelings about Ronald Brownstein’s ROCK ME ON THE WATER: 1974。 Brownstein is persuasive that the 1970’s was an extremely creative， productive period for Los Angeles， signaling a shift in the metro area as well as the entire country。 But the book itself reads like a series of well-researched magazine articles placed back-to-back and formed into a book。 Every time he mentions someone famous， he re-introduces them to readers。 Every time Joni Mitchell is mentioned， and it is often， she I have mixed feelings about Ronald Brownstein’s ROCK ME ON THE WATER: 1974。 Brownstein is persuasive that the 1970’s was an extremely creative， productive period for Los Angeles， signaling a shift in the metro area as well as the entire country。 But the book itself reads like a series of well-researched magazine articles placed back-to-back and formed into a book。 Every time he mentions someone famous， he re-introduces them to readers。 Every time Joni Mitchell is mentioned， and it is often， she is amazing， wonderfully talented and sleeping around。 There’s not a real discussion of her work just the repetition of the same points。 The book is filled with introductions of fascinating people and mini biographies。 But two chapters later， Brownstein will act as though they are new to the book and start over again with the introductions。 Perhaps the chapters were originally free-standing pieces， but greater integration was needed to make this book good。 Otherwise it’s just a list; well-researched and with a great idea， but a list nonetheless。 I received my copy from the publisher through edelweiss。 。。。more
Brandi Pearl Reynolds
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Very well written and informative， "Rock Me on the Water: 1974-The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies， Music， Television， and Politics" by Ronald Brownstein is educational， entertaining and detailed。 I would definitely recommend it to those interested in the history of the last century， especially the mid-seventies。 My copy of this book was won from a Goodreads giveaway and I appreciate the opportunity to read & review it。 Very well written and informative， "Rock Me on the Water: 1974-The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies， Music， Television， and Politics" by Ronald Brownstein is educational， entertaining and detailed。 I would definitely recommend it to those interested in the history of the last century， especially the mid-seventies。 My copy of this book was won from a Goodreads giveaway and I appreciate the opportunity to read & review it。 。。。more
Jennifer Schultz
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Read if you: Want a detailed look at an important year in movie， television， and music history。 I've noticed a slight increase in books that focus on one specific year （Can't Slow Down by Michaelangelo Matos， which focuses on pop music and 1984; next year will bring a book that focuses on 1996 sports history）。 This is an entertaining account of 1974， as well as the city of Los Angeles。 From the Eagles， to Jane Fonda's activism， the popularity of TV shows like All in the Family， MASH， and The Mar Read if you: Want a detailed look at an important year in movie， television， and music history。 I've noticed a slight increase in books that focus on one specific year （Can't Slow Down by Michaelangelo Matos， which focuses on pop music and 1984; next year will bring a book that focuses on 1996 sports history）。 This is an entertaining account of 1974， as well as the city of Los Angeles。 From the Eagles， to Jane Fonda's activism， the popularity of TV shows like All in the Family， MASH， and The Mary Tyler Moore Show， and movie stars such as Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson， 1974 brought about enormous cultural and political changes。 Librarians/booksellers: A great purchase for your entertainment and late 20th century history collection。 Many thanks to Harper and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cat
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