‘Rock ’n’ Roll Plays Itself excels in its understanding of how the music is characterized by its unique relationship to time, its seizing of the moment as an existential act.’ - Los Angeles Review of Books.

In the fifties, when rock ‘n’ roll first burst into life the shockwaves reverberated around the world, aided by the images of untamed youth brought to life on screen. But for rock's performers showbusiness remained in control, contriving a series of cash-in movies to exploit the new musical fad. That world was blown apart by the events of the sixties and the decades that followed …