The subtitle here is important, "A Marxist History Of Popular Music", and while Marxist critique, analysis and historiography is a little out of fashion, it does turn out to be quite an interesting tack to take with pop music. As Manning says in his introduction, that doesn't mean he will just be talking about records that explicitly engage with politics, that would leave him with not much beyond Billy Bragg (who he does still snaffle his title from). His Marxist critique also engages both with the mode of production (so the labour put into the music) and the content of the art, or lyrics. However the result is a well-researched history of pop which has its own flavour, but doesn't mark itself out significantly from the main competition in this field, Bob Stanley's Yeah Yeah Yeah (oddly never referenced). Nevertheless, its own particular arguments and point of view does make it a worthwhile addition to the relatively scant histories of pop music, not least because his biases and interests are laid out from the outset.

It's a well-written ride too and as much fun to argue with as to agree. So he lays out some familiar stories around the exploitation of black musicians early on, but also considers how the division of labour between songwriters and artists provides more income streams and ways out of the working class, not least the ownership of that labour in a model like Motown. It is at the same time surprising that the song that he dwells on as being most important from a Marxist point of view is Eddie Cochrane's Summertime Blues. This sets a bit of a trend in the book, where any song explicitly mentioning work and employment will garner more focus. But this is a wide-ranging history of pop and so there are often whole genre critiques which are in themselves surprising. He has more time for the sixties counterculture, hippies and Laurel Canyon than you might imagine - he appreciates it fighting against the right-wing establishment at the time, and that drug taking as a route to altered consciousness might also be a route to revolution. Equally, he is excited by the potential of hip-hop as a way of speaking truth to power, though less enamoured by much of that truth, and whilst he doesn't mind the valourisation of new wealth, he wonders if more could be done with those tools. Most surprising is his thesis that the most socialist genre under his analysis was Glam Rock, a case of clearly working-class musicians aspirationally transcending their backgrounds whilst also questioning and deflating notions of what glamour even is.

Its a well-researched and very readable history, and is best read with one eye on the footnotes (often web accessible - Mark Fisher's K-Punk is a constant reference, and Manning's own political view of some of his sources are often a little more open in the annotations). It is impossible to read without disagreeing in places, and the occasions when he attempts Marxist musicology are highly suspect (which is true of any kind of theoretical political musicology - he's certainly not on his own here). Fundamentally this book is an argument, and a jumping-off point to provoke a reader around the potential political significance of the history of pop music, and even though it is occasionally infuriating, it is always entertaining in the process.

Toby Manning's Mixing Pop and Politics is an ambitious and thought-provoking exploration of the relationship between popular music and political ideology over the past 70 years. Rather than being a straightforward history of political music, Manning's book delves into how popular music has both reflected and resisted the political events and social upheavals of its time, making it a unique and insightful read.

Spanning from the early 1950s to the present day, the book covers a wide range of musical genres—from rock’n’roll to hip-hop, punk to grunge, and beyond—and examines how these genres have interacted with political movements and ideologies. Manning’s Marxist perspective provides a critical framework for understanding the cultural and economic forces that have shaped popular music, offering readers a fresh lens through which to view familiar songs and artists.

One of the strengths of Mixing Pop and Politics is its ability to connect the dots between music and broader socio-political trends. For example, Manning’s analysis of the 1960s and 1970s is particularly compelling, as he explores how music from this era both embodied and fueled the revolutionary spirit of the times. Similarly, his examination of the 1980s highlights the tension between the rise of neoliberalism and the individualism promoted by mainstream pop music.

The book is well-researched and Manning's writing is both sophisticated and accessible, though it does have an academic feel that may not appeal to all readers. At over 500 pages, it is a comprehensive and dense read, but one that rewards those with a deep interest in the subject matter. The book’s structure—divided into chapters that each cover a specific era—allows Manning to dive deeply into the cultural and political contexts of each period, providing readers with a thorough understanding of how music has evolved in tandem with society.

Mixing Pop and Politics is a must-read for those interested in the intersection of music and politics, particularly from a left-wing perspective. It is also an excellent resource for students and academics studying popular music, cultural studies, or Marxist theory. While the book may be challenging for a general audience due to its dense theoretical content, it offers valuable insights for those willing to engage with its complex ideas.

Overall, Toby Manning has crafted a comprehensive and insightful work that not only chronicles the history of popular music but also provides a critical analysis of its role in shaping—and being shaped by—political ideologies. Mixing Pop and Politics is a timely and important contribution to our understanding of the cultural power of music in the modern world.

An in-depth look into pop and ideology.
Manning’s writing is sophisticated and so is his research.
Excellent book for those interested in this particular topic. I found it informative and persuasive, as well as extensive.
4.5 stars

Overall, it's an interesting book that looks at popular music from a unique angle and gets you to see popular music in a different way. As an outspoken socialist and music blogger I was really looking forward to reading this book. It's well organised and planned with the chapters covering different eras in music and the author justifies very well why the book is divided into those chunks of years. I'm glad it wasn't divided by decades because the chapters would be too long and dynamic decades like the 60s wouldn't be done justice in one chapter. I loved both the analysis of politics and music and I think the author is insightful and passionate about both subjects. I know that very few songs are truly socialist, but it is cool how you can find socialist messages where you don't expect them and I think that's the fun of analysing music, everyone has their perspectives and when a song is put out there it's up to the audience to interpret as they wish.

The cons of this book are that it's not written for a general audience and it has a very academic feel and that can make it a difficult read and harder to win people over to Marxism. It's a very long book at over 500 pages long and I think it could have easily been divided into multiple volumes. That said, I think it's an excellent book for university students who are doing a project or writing an essay about popular music and left wing politics. I wouldn't say it's a must-read, just a good book for a certain niche: students doing research and lefty academics who.love music.

You've got to admire Toby Manning's ambition and, remarkably, he delivers on it. The scope of "Mixing Pop and Politics" is striking - a Marxist history of popular music that ranges from 1953 to today without flagging or focusing unduly on the more boring bits. He manages to balance breadth and depth well, offering both an overview of a period, for example 1964-68 in Chapter 3, and generally sharp and open-minded characterisations of individual records, held together by all the hauntological, Marxist and post-structuralist theory you can handle. There are some great lines: "Glam is the cultural logic of the era's industrial militancy" or (of Abba's 'SOS') "its sonic sumptuousness enhancing its affective austerity" and you've got to admire his ability to vary how he describes particular songs, singers etc without repeating himself. It's not perfect, of course - it's understandably US & UK-centric and there are some, if remarkably few, mistakes (e.g. Bob Marley's albums weren't "slavered with rock-sessioner overdubs" after Burnin' and not really there either) and there's necessarily in a book of this size plenty of observations (e.g. to Bryan Ferry as automaton) that I would have loved to have had unpacked. An impressive and aesthetically fair-minded achievement, unless you're a Phil Collins fan. There's really no love lost there.

Toby Manning, Mixing Pop and Politics, A Marxist History of Popular Music, Repeater, May 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Toby Manning’s history of popular music, with its introductory references to a range of philosophers, is initially daunting to the non-philosopher. However, this is a treasure for the reader with a broad knowledge of philosophical understandings and philosophy. For other readers this somewhat dense early narrative can be easier to navigate through the later chapters’ attention to popular music from the early 1950s to now. It is in concentrating on this aspect in the chapters following the introduction that I became engrossed in the discussion and analysis of the music; the period in which it was written, produced and received; the political agendas to which it responded and its impact on the political environment.

The 1950s chapter, “Raise a Fuss, Raise a Holler”: Rock’n’Roll, Doo-Wop and the 50s (1953 – 58) resonates with its references to television series as well as music and politics. The references to race and criticism on that basis focusses on what this book can bring to political awareness – Back to the Future seems different after reading about the appropriation of Chuck Berries’ song and distinctive walk. It is the constant recognition that all one found attractive about those television series and songs must be reconsidered that makes this such a demandingly poignant read.

Chapter 2, “In Beautiful Dreams!: Morbid Symptoms, Dream-Work and Fordist Pop (1958 – 64) is another wake up call to readers who listened avidly to the wireless as we were told that conformity was positive, the suggestions of restiveness flattened by plaintiveness of songs such as Will you Still love Me tomorrow? And the references to The Rag Trade. I’m Alright Jack ring nostalgic bells, even if they are suspect.

Chapters 3 (“We are All Together” …1964 – 68); 4, (“Forces of Chaos and Anarchy” ...1968 -71) and 5, (“The Children of the Revolution” …1971-74) move from comfort to the demands for change made in the 1970s. Here, Manning refers to the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment, Spare Rib, The Liver Birds and Man About the House, all of which will resonate with many audiences of the 1970s and Helen Reddy’s I Am Woman has lasted well beyond. Manning’s understanding, that becomes that of the reader, of the radical and reactionary conflicts drawn in the cultural world as well as the political is a revealing read.

How it compares with the 1980s cultural horizon, 1980s economic ideology is another revelation, so much more easily understood through the material Manning uses so well – popular music, film and television. War – not just those that created headlines in Western media, but the ideas reflected in song add another dimension to the discussion of capitalism that is at the core of this chapter.
And so, through the remaining chapters, 1988-1992, 1993 – 2001, 2008 – 2015, and the last, covering 2015 to 2020 where “Longing for Change: The Rebirth of Radical Pop and Politics” creates an uneasy note, to a conclusion in which this is intensified by a somewhat pessimist account of where history currently stands. A relief is Manning’s own optimism, reflected in the glimmers of optimism he weaves around learning from history. The Covid pandemic, the role of lockdowns and the importance of its cultural impact is briefly discussed. The role of nostalgia, undermining the assumption that old songs depart, overtaken by the new is an essential part of the round up of the detailed material which, at its heart sees popular music as ‘adversarially’ political.

The material is ably referenced through endnotes for each chapter.

A very engaging examination of the intersection of pop culture and ideology; this serves as a good contemporary piece to accompany curriculum focused on the Culture Industry and the Frankfurt School.