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"The pioneer of modern rock journalism."--"Twilight Zone" "Paul Williams' enthusiasm is a search engine, a virus, a conspiracy theory, an art itself."--Jonathan Lethem "Williams uses no props, has no disguises. The pure joy of his writing is that it comes from a heart that speaks the truth, from a pen of deep talent."--Bill Graham "A significant writer . . . His essays are very close to thought [and to] the thinking process itself. Williams obviously loves music, people, words, playing with thoughts, shifting gears, exclaiming, emoting, shouting, contemplating, jiving, joking, thinking, and writing."--"Los Angeles Free Press" "A perceptive eye, a sensitive ear. Williams was one of the first in this country to see rock music as a core of the lives of his generation, as a common jumping-off place for exploring shared experience and awareness."--"San Francisco Examiner" "[Williams] writes about music in the most refreshing way: like a fan . . . A critic to contend with. He does what few other critics dare to do--he writes about his emotional responses to the art. He writes honestly and from the heart. The man loves music, just "loves" it, and his enthusiam is infectious. The essays here are so charmingly good-hearted, in fact, and uncynical, that they sometimes seem a little bit shocking."--"Esquire" "Williams is a voluble, committed rock critic."--"Booklist" "Williams may have published the first rock 'n' roll magazine, "Crawdaddy!," in the 1960s, and may be regarded as the father of rock criticism, but he has never rested on his laurels or turned his ear from the latest music. In his most recent collection of essays, he discusses albums released in the 1990s by the likes of Arrested Development, Pearl Jam, and Liz Phair . . . Most notable in the collection is the book's final chapter, in which he contends that the Grateful Dead are as important as the Beatles or Elvis because of the Dead's rejection of mainstream culture and its contributions to the live concert experience. It's hard to refute his passionate argument."--"Library Journal"

Paul Williams has been writing about pop music for decades, never flagging in his enthusiasm or his emotional and intellectual openness to the newest music. His insight into how it feels when we listen to certain performers or performances makes a connection between music and reading that is rare and fascinating. Whether it's Bob Dylan or Brian Wilson, Pearl Jam or Nirvana, Williams can reveal something we didn't know we knew when we listened to the music. Thi sis what Williams invented rock criticism to do back in the 19060s, and he's been doing it ever since. Reading it is as much fun as listening to the music.I