Author(s): Paul Grushkin

Film, Music And Theatre

For forty years Rob Roth has collected rare examples of rock tour posters, advertising posters, rock memorabilia, original artwork and items of merchandise. His spectacular collection is so vast that it has never all been put on public display but when visitors to his spacious New York loft apartment - visitors like Elton John and Alice Cooper - caught a glimpse of some of the material Rob has collected over the years, they were amazed and urged him to let rock fans see the dazzling array of artefacts from the 70s and 80s. For many, the images lovingly catalogued in the pages of this book will evoke nostalgic memories of the blazing lights, drifting smoke and all-pervading audio power of the rock concerts of their youth. It is also, however, a lavishly produced presentation of some of the most vivid and exciting artwork from the rock world featuring The Rolling Stones, Queen, Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Alice Cooper and David Bowie. Each section of the book features a particular band covering different tours and different albums to show how design and graphic styles changed and to provide an overview of rock history from the period.
An introduction to the section puts the images in context, outlining the stage the bands and acts had reached in their development and discussing the art and artists. Each piece that is portrayed carries a caption describing exactly what it is, while items with a particular story to tell are accompanied by longer, more detailed texts. The collection has been meticulously photographed specially for this book by leading photographer Richard Marot who spent hundreds of hours working with a team of technicians to ensure that the images appearing in The Art of Classic Rock are a sumptuous and accurate representation of the truly stunning Rob Roth Collection.