The Mansion On The Hill begins by delving into the effects of Dylan plugging in an electric guitar. There have been hundreds of biographies and stories about the artistic ramifications that were spurred by the event. Goodman explains the roots of the folk movement and the anti-establishment motives many felt. Instead of focusing on how some felt Dylan was selling out by going electric and playing pop music, this book looks at the effect that managers had over the development of music into a commercial business model.
Bob Dylan's manager, Albert Grossman, is described as the first manager who was "more powerful than the record company presidents he, by turns, negotiated with, bullied, and taught." While Grossman managed Janis Joplin, Odetta, Richie Havens, the Band, Gordon Lightfoot, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Peter, Paul and Mary, the artist that he is most associated with is Dylan. Grossman didn't manage "talent," his clients were given the respect of being "artists." That attitude combined with his foreboding and forceful presence changed the shape of music. His shrewd and domineering business sensibilities helped release musician's rights from the record labels, but he opened a Pandora's box of managerial and business greed for future generations.
The book examines a few of the major players who worked behind-the-scenes to make unprecedented amounts of wealth in the music industry. It looks at how the Boston market grew from coffee shops to large arenas. Many of the same names recur throughout the book's description of the Boston music scene - the booking manager of a venue would become the label representative or a radio DJ would also be a client of industry players as the leader of a band - but one man who continued to float in and out of the east coast's music growth in many roles was Jon Landau. Goodman follows Landau's progress from a music reviewer for local papers to Rolling Stone editor, then becoming a record producer and label adviser, and ultimately managing Bruce Springsteen's career. While his roles often overlapped, the professional contradictions ran amok. As the music review editor of Rolling Stone, he would be in charge of assigning who reviewed the albums he produced or even reviewing the same bands he recommended label's sign. His influence was obvious and help him set himself up to take over the career of Bruce Springsteen at the most apropros moment and guide him into becoming a successful mainstream musician.
Simultaneously, the book analyzes the booming music scene that grew out of the counterculture environment of Southern California in the late 60's. Through this scene, the reader is exposed to Neil Young's desires to become star and the behind-the-scenes players who helped make that happen. One of those players who mingled in and out of Young's career as a manager and then as a record label executive was David Geffen. The book follows Geffen's rise from a college dropout to one of the wealthiest industry men. While Geffen's motives were always financial and personal, he never hesitated turning his back on his clients. Eventually, Geffen even sued Young for creating albums that Geffen saw as deliberately noncommercial.
Subtitled "Dylan, Young, Geffen, Springsteen, and the Head-On Collision of Rock and Commerce," The Mansion On The Hill chronicles the rise of the music business from a spattering of underground, counterculture groups into a multi-billion dollar industry. Most of the individuals highlighted in the book were determined to make money and often appear to be in the right place at the right time. While the book may not have the most positive and rewarding message about the success of these individuals, it is an insightful and truthful expose into the behind-the-scenes deals that were made to create music stars.
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