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The Library of America
(2017)
One more excellent collection from the
stellar Library staff. It could have
been a cooler cover design but
the editors come to the rescue
with a rockin' line-up of authors —
Luc Sante's essay on Dylan will
stop you in your tracks if you want to rush to the back
of the book (I didn't, I like savoring)
in the meantime there is Hentoff on early Dylan
Amiri Baraka on R & B
Lester Bangs bangs in (we'd miss him)
Christgau on Prince, Ellen Willis on Janis
of course Tosches on Jerry Lee Lewis
Nelson George swims with Marvin Gaye
Babitz beds Morrison
Robert Palmer shows us Sam Cooke
Klosterman clangs with heavy metal
John Jeremiah Sullivan wastes time with Axl Rose
Wald knows top to bottom The Beatles
Hilton Als gives forth Michael Jackson
Kelefa Sanneh hits on Jay Z
Greil Marcus must end the tome
but one simply shouldn't omit
Paul Nelson squarely with The
New York Dolls
then:
Lillian Roxon
Richard Meltzer
Paul Williams
Evelyn McDonnell
David Hajdu
my goodness
Peter Guralnick!
and I'm still leaving good people out
and so did the editors
not meaning to
but dig
yourself
to
China
