Michael Lydon - Rock Folk (Citadel Underground) pbk, 200pp, 1990.
Michael Lydon was the writer who explained The Grateful Dead to me in a sublime piece he wrote in Rolling Stone in August 1969. I'll never forget the thrill I felt after reading it - the feeling that I'd discovered something so life-changing and important, and also that I'd read an article about music that set new standards and gave would-be writers like myself something to aspire to. I read as much of Lydon's work as I could and he hardly ever disappointed. The only regrettable thing is that he didn't write more. Some of the best of what he did write is here in this collection - articles from Rolling Stone (including the aforementioned Dead piece), The New York Times, and Ramparts. His report on the Rolling Stones' 1969 U.S. tour that culminated in Altamont is here and is a valuable companion piece to Stanley Booth's sprawling, gonzo-like account of the same tour that was The True Adventures of The Rolling Stones (reviewed in my next Caught By The River column). Other subjects for Lydon's perceptive analysis include Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, B.B.King, Smokey Robinson, and Janis Joplin. All essential reading. As I write there are several used copies available via Amazon at well under £5. Snap them up. I have moved Rock Folk to the front of the bookcase where it belongs.
