653pp of a fine discourse around music, notably the 7" single (normally played back at 45rpm), set in the year which forms the twist in the direction of the decade, in the history twisting of some Hegelian pattern. I see patterns here which are expertly played throughout this engrossing tale. I felt better when I accessed songs via Echo Dot to liven up the sound of music here; in this moment when journalists were arguing that The Beatles movement was over and the band ready to end. There is a fine discography of singles which assist to recreate the sounds of your grandparents or parents. I was three years old in 1966. England won the FIFA World Cup.I was living in Kenya. Music was an unknown to me and so I read this text as history; as words around a very informed and informative story bringing the real changes of style, bands and teenage expectations. The Mod movement was in full-swing, the introduction of songs from Motown made huge differences to the sound palate of the time. It's easy to read and the vocabulary is correctly directed by Savage, who seems to write the history of either a change of music fashion (in England's Dreaming) or the development within existing parameters. The Four Tops grace a Top Ten song and happily play in television studios with a sense of freedom unavailable in their USA homeland. The segregation of black people in right-wing states meant that some areas of culture were inaccessible. Motown has some wonderful songs, fundamental words around important boy/girl relationships. Losing love, or finding love. As discourse, or narrative, the humble love song can move mountains or change perceptions around ideologies that have persisted for decades if not centuries. Jon Savage has written a competent text. The reader's attention is much rewarded; one learns much in-tandem with the enjoyment of reading. Savage has (arbitrarily) chosen 1966 which forms the template for the rest of the 1960s; another four years. By its end The Beatles have disbanded; Labour are in office and David Bowie moves effortlessly into the 1970s. Why 1966? One could argue that the year that defined the 1960s could be 1969 when man first walked on the moon. The space race began during the 1950s (former Nazis worked with NASA in rocket technology). The Bay Of Pigs caused angst. But, this 1966 deserves to be placed on the (music) history shelf of your book collection. It's a fine summary and quite ranging. It's therefore sad to say that Bob Dylan's album Blonde On Blonde is treated cursorily -it led to two singles being released. But Savage explains why.