Rock & Roll Books

The Rose & The Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad

edited by Sean Wilentz and Greil Marcus

W.W. Norton & Company, 320 pp., $26.95

"Ballad" is one of the least understood words in the English language. Over the course of several centuries its meaning has shifted from a way to preserve history – stories of war, the Bible, that which is now referred to as traditional folk music – to its current definition, related to almost any song presented in an acoustic style. The Rose & the Briar is an unconventional look at the American ballad through the eyes of 23 writers, critics, poets, musicians, and artists. Edited by Princeton history professor Saul Wilentz and music critic Emeritus Greil Marcus, it seeks to create something new by offering disparate voices the opportunity to interpret a tune of their choice, and, as one might expect, the choices are occasionally curious. The most amusing is R. Crumb, who illustrates "When You Go a Courtin'" in his own inimitable style, then manages to dismiss all music made after World War II in the reproduction of two letters to Marcus that accompany the cartoon. Also of note are Joyce Carol Oates as the daughter of a fictitious singer who popularizes "Little Maggie," Anna Domino's inhabitation of the soon-to-be-drowned "Omie Wise," Cecil Brown delving deep into the history behind "Frankie and Albert" (or "Frankie and Johnny"), Luc Sante glimpsing one 1902 night in New Orleans via "Buddy Bolden's Blues," and Paul Berman's riveting personal experience with "Volver, Volver." In the present are contributions on songs from Dylan, Springsteen, Randy Newman, and Dolly Parton that knowledgeably tie them to the past. As a whole, Rose & Briar is a mostly engaging read that swings from highly entertaining to mildly annoying. A Sony/Legacy CD tie-in falls mostly into the former category.