Description
Music and us
Book Summary
A book that explores the relationship between music and personal memory during the years of the Spanish Transition. The author, Vicenç Pagès Jordà, recovers the sensations and musical memories of his adolescence, from the death of Franco to the explosion of dance music in the eighties. Through international groups like Abba, AC/DC, and The Clash, and national ones like Ramon Muntaner and Manel, the work offers a personal and lucid look at a key era, far from nostalgia and clichés.
What is it about?
The essay is structured into two distinct parts. The first focuses on international groups that marked the soundtrack of the author's youth, such as Abba, AC/DC, and The Clash. The second part is dedicated to Catalan groups, from Ramon Muntaner to Manel. The work does not claim to be an exercise in melancholy, but rather a restitution of what it meant to listen to music during those years, dismantling the commonplaces and armchair sociology that often distort that experience. The author defends the right to historical memory in the musical sphere as well, offering a vision that is both personal and collective of the Transition.
Main themes
- Historical and musical memory of the Spanish Transition.
- Music as a vehicle for personal memories and experiences.
- Analysis of international and Catalan musical groups from the seventies and eighties.
- Critique of nostalgia and clichés about music from past eras.
- The relationship between adolescence, identity, and popular culture.
Who is it recommended for?
For readers interested in popular music, the recent history of Catalonia, and the Spanish Transition. Also for those who lived through that era and want to rediscover it from a personal and reflective perspective, far from commonplaces. Recommended for lovers of essay literature and cultural chronicles.
What this book contributes
- A personal and authentic look at the music of the seventies and eighties.
- An exercise in historical memory that dismantles nostalgic clichés.
- An analysis of the influence of music on the formation of adolescent identity.
- A journey through international and Catalan groups that marked an era.
Technical specifications
- Author: Pagès Jordà, Vicenç
- Publisher: Cossetània Edicions
- Language: Catalan
- Topic: Reports and collection of journalistic articles
- Collection: Quaderns de la Font del Cargol
- Binding: Paperback
- Number of pages: 72
- Weight: 151 g
Editorial review
A brief and intense essay that combines personal reflection with cultural chronicle. The author manages to connect his adolescent experience with a key historical period, offering a lucid vision far from clichés. Recommended for those looking for a read that goes beyond simple musical nostalgia.