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A riotous feast of images that will give rock music fans a nostalgic high. Electric, outrageous, erotic, blatant, vital - 1,500 rock concert posters from the 1950s through today are reproduced in their original blazing colors in this complete visual history. It's the ultimate book for rock fans, poster collectors, or anyone who digs pop culture. 1,500 full-color illustrations, 100 black-and-white photographs.
List of contents
Introduction 7
1. Roots 11
2. The Psychedelic Years in San Francisco 53
3. The Psychedelic Years in Southern California and the Rest of the World 161
4. The Mainstream 215
5. The New Music 295
Appendix: The Poster Shops 347
About the author
Paul Grushkin, a noted rock-music historian, has been collecting concert posters since 1969. His other books include
The Art of Modern Rock and
Rockin' Down the Highway: The Cars and People That Made Rock Roll.
Summary
The definitive visual history of the rock concert poster—an indispensable reference for the collector, designer, and music lovers.
From the 1950s through today, here is the complete visual history of the rock concert poster: the funkiest bills advertising Elvis, B.B. King, and Howlin' Wolf; the multicolored psychedelic hallucinations promoting the Grateful Dead, Dylan, and the Doors; the deliciously tasteless art for the Sex Pistols, Crime, and the Clash. From the Red Dog Saloon in San Francisco, where the psychedelic scene started, to CBGB, New York's punk Mecca, and beyond. 1,500 images searched out world-wide from clubs, attics, and bedrooms—as well as more formal collections—are reproduced in their original blazing colors.
Replete with firsthand history—including exclusive interviews with scores of insiders, poster artists, musicians, and promoters—this is the ultimate high for the rock music fan, required reading for the poster collector, a treasure trove for the graphic artist, and a riotous feast for anyone who digs pop culture.
