A book that shows how bands as different as The Doors, Genesis or Black Sabbath found their voice in the influence of the past.

Charo Rovira Guardiola, Assistant Librarian, Institute of Classical Studies, UK

Generations of listeners have found the rock music of the 1960s and '70s not only appealing but inspiring, in part for the rich array of allusions that bands tapped for their music, lyrics, and performances. The classics formed a central part of rock's cultural inheritance, one that critics have often noted but remains fertile grounds for scholarly inquiry. Nicholas D. Cross and Nicholas R. Wagner have assembled a thought-provoking volume that fills that gap with a compelling exploration and argument that situates a range of bands in classical studies, from the Grateful Dead to Black Sabbath. This landmark work offers scholars and readers an engaging and original understanding of an essential aspect of “classic” rock music that will appeal to anyone interested in how the legacy of the ancient world continues to inform and shape our own in surprising ways-sometimes even hiding in plain sight.

Nicholas G. Meriwether, Grateful Dead Studies Association, USA