Since the early days of rock and roll - since Elvis came out of Memphis to startle the world - a whole body of writing has grown up around the music: from sleeves-notes to obituaries (sadly, many of those), from on-the-road insider tales to apparently dispassionate criticism of the lyrics. This book presents a selection of the best of this writing, which at the same time provides the reader with an overview of the major shifts in rock music during the past 35 years. Among the early pieces are Tom Wolfe on the First Tycoon of Teen, Phil Spector and Ian Hunter's account of being on the road with Mott the Hoople; near the end are obituaries of Jim Morrison, Johnny Thunders and Janis Joplin by Patti Smith, Richard Hell and Jon Landau. Part history, part literature, part reference book - part hyperbole and part disillusionment - this book is a tribute to one of the creative achievements of the century: rock and roll.