ABSTRACT
Confronting—and comprehending—developments in the history of popular music demands an elusive combination of industry and insight. The need for industry is necessitated by the undeniable depth of musical activity and the complexity of the circumstances surrounding its production and consumption. Synergism goes beyond co-operative effort. Synergistic co-operation brings a wider law into operation, in that the total effect of things acting together is greater than the sum of individual or separate effects achieved. The principal strand of the new genre, which merits the closest scrutiny in this context and presents an especially apposite way in which to assess the consequences of the musical synthesis facilitated by Bob Dylan and the Beatles, is one that was picked up and developed on the West Coast of the United States. That the Beatles and Bob Dylan were a major and mutual source of influence on each other, professionally and musically, is unsurprising.
