ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the presence of canonical aesthetic criteria and conceptions of the artist/genius and the work in the reception of rock music. The quality and complexity of secondary material written about a work reflects back onto the reputation of the work itself, and a quasi-objective approach to presenting facts and descriptions is favoured in the canonical secondary writings of the high arts. Echoing the towering centrality of the great figures in the canons of Western literature and classical music, the idea of the Romantic artist/genius is one of the strongest elements uniting the ten albums under study. Although rock albums are clearly commercial works, the reception of these albums often makes a point of emphasizing their aesthetic strengths above any commercial success. In the field of rock music it is harder to separate art from commerce since wealth visibly attaches itself to successful artists and albums are clearly commercial products.
