Rolling Stone: Images of Rock & Roll

by Rolling Stone Magazine, Anthony DeCurtis

Elvis, Michael, Patti, Bruce--icons all. The Rolling Stone portraits assembled in this book depict five decades worth of musical sensations and idols. The juxtaposition of the shots heightens the fun of flipping through the photos: A young Mick Jagger sitting under a hairdryer faces Snoop Doggy Dog, his curls caught up in a hairdresser's clips; David Bowie in a loincloth counterbalances Björk in a fig leaf; Chris Isaak and John Lee Hooker stand opposite one another, each in a polka-dot shirt; Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, side by side and enveloped in clouds of smoke. These alignments of musicians from different eras and different genres make a simple, visual statement about the transcendent power of music. Every page reveals another familiar image that transports the readers to the moment they first saw the musicians on the cover of the magazine or heard their music. The undiscovered pictures are a treat as well. Individually, these portraits expose the essence of their subjects and speak volumes about the characters that created and sustain rock and roll.

Genres: Music, Photography, Art

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Rolling Stone is a U.S.-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.

Reviews

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of photos.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naturally I did my everlovin' best to sidestep all that pretentious twaddle in the text...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you follow American Idol? How about the background of the judges and celebrity mentors? Read "Rolling Stone Images". It is timely.

I found this old book of photos on the shelf at the Silver Bay, MN Public Library. I volunteer there a couple of hours a week. One task is to scan the bar code for each, write on the inside title page how many times the book has been checked out, and how recently. The librarians decide what stays on the shelf and what goes to the annual book sale or recycling. Browse your own music section at the library. I also found some of the same song books referenced and used by the current Idol contestants.

I brought it home, and it became a coffee table book for a week. It is heavy and large format. Browse the photos from the beginning, and there is not a hint of who the featured celebrity is, other than your own memory. There are plenty of stories interspersed. The back of the book has thumbnail photos of the same, with the details about the celebrity, the occasion, and the photographer. Some of the amateur photographers caught once in a lifetime shots as good as the pros who shot hundreds.

[ANIOTUS Marcus Longmuir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photos of famous people taken by some well respected photographers. You'll love the photos of your rock heroes because of who they are...not because they are in this book. The only narrative thread...these people are famous, so look at them.

[Chandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rocker jazzer musicians photographs. Crazy funny silly life behind rock stage.