All Hopped Up and Ready to Go: Music from the Streets of New York 1927-77

All Hopped Up and Ready to Go traces fifty years of New York City's music evolution, from jazz and Latin rhythms through folk, punk, and disco. The narrative follows the interconnected scenes that emerged from the city's neighborhoods and venues between 1927 and 1977. Tony Fletcher examines the cultural forces and social movements that shaped each musical era, focusing on key artists, producers, and locations. The book maps the geographic and demographic shifts that influenced New York's sonic landscape, from Harlem to Greenwich Village to the Lower East Side. The text incorporates interviews, historical records, and contemporary accounts to document the rise and transformation of various music scenes. Fletcher connects the dots between genres and generations while highlighting the clubs, record labels, and creative hubs that fostered innovation. This chronicle reveals how New York City's unique cultural mix and urban dynamics created conditions for musical revolution. The story demonstrates the vital role of cross-pollination between communities and artistic movements in shaping American popular music.

Readers describe this as a comprehensive history of New York's music scenes, with particular strength in connecting different genres and explaining how they influenced each other. Positives from reviews: - Deep research and interviews with key figures - Clear explanations of how different music styles evolved - Strong coverage of lesser-known artists and venues - Effective balance between cultural context and musical details Common criticisms: - Writing can be dense and academic at times - Too much focus on certain genres while others feel rushed - Some factual errors noted by knowledgeable readers Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (112 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (22 ratings) One reviewer on Goodreads noted: "Fletcher connects dots between scenes I never realized were related." An Amazon reviewer criticized: "Important scenes like disco and Latin music deserve more space than they got."

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🎵 The book spans five crucial decades of New York music history, from the Harlem Renaissance through the birth of punk, covering genres from jazz and doo-wop to folk and disco 🎸 Author Tony Fletcher moved from the UK to New York City as a teenager in 1977, just as the punk scene was exploding, giving him unique personal insights into the era 📖 The title comes from a Lou Reed lyric in "Sweet Jane," reflecting the energy and urgency of New York's street-level music scene 🏙️ Fletcher details how specific NYC neighborhoods influenced different musical movements: Latin music in Spanish Harlem, folk in Greenwich Village, and hip-hop in the South Bronx 🎼 The book reveals how many iconic musicians crossed paths in unexpected ways, such as Bob Dylan watching Buddy Holly perform at Washington Square Park, creating a complex web of musical influence