> I am teaching a class on popular music and am looking for recommendations on books, CDs that I should have the class listen to

While neither a book nor a CD, I really enjoyed a VHS video that I rented years ago titled "Cool Cats: 25 Years of Rock 'n' Roll Style."  I haven't seen it in ages, however, and don't know if it was ever released on DVD.  Some of the opinions and perspectives may seem a bit dated, but it was a very good docu-history of pop music (& related fashion) from the mid-'50s through the early '80s.

Be seeing you,
Bill