Catalog 17 — Rock ‘n’ Roll

  1. ANDERSON, Laurie. Top Stories: Words in Reverse, 1979 (second printing, 1982). Softcover, 8 ¼ x 5 ½ inches, 16 pages, 1 halftone illustration.

This booklet is made up of extracts from two of Anderson’s late-1970s performances for strings, film, and voice: “Like a Stream” and “Americans on the Move.” The cover image shows Anderson (born 1947) playing a tape bow violin, which uses a strip of recording audiotape instead of horsehair. Laid in is an order form for other Top Stories titles. $25

 

  1. AUCTION Catalog. Pop, London: Christie’s South Kensington,  August 26, 1993.

Comprises 348 lots of music memorabilia, including, pictured on the cover, Prince’s custom-made Cloud solid-body guitar, with an extended scrolling horn, estimated at £5,000-7,000 ($6,300-8,800). Features guitars, photographs, albums, clothing, and other items relating to Elvis Presley, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, and many for the Beatles. $10

 

  1. BABES in TOYLAND. Neal Karlen, Babes in Toyland: The Making and Selling of a Rock and Roll Band, New York: Random House, 1994. Hardcover (gold-stamped red cloth), 9 ½ x 6 ½ inches, 298 pages, halftone illustrations, dustjacket.

A behind-the-scenes look at the girls touring, recording, and breaking up, as well as aspects of the music industry. Kat Bjelland, Lori Barbero, and Maureen Herman up close and personal. $25

 

  1. BABES in TOYLAND. Jerard Faberberg, “Babes are Back,” City Pages, June 17, 2015.

Cover article in weekly tabloid about the reunion of this Minneapolis female punk trio, subtitled “How Fierce Resolve and Curious Funding Resurrected Babes in Toyland.” $15

 

  1. BEATLES. John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Two Virgins, 1968. Vintage gelatin silver print, 8 ¹/8x 10 inches.

The controversial nude photographs that graced the front and back cover of the couple’s 1968 album Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins. Six months later volume two was issued. These self-portraits, taken in London, prompted the record’s distributor to offer the LP with a brown paper wrapper that hid the offending body parts, with an oval hole showing just the musicians’ faces. This print was issued by Rolling Stone magazine, apparently for publicity purposes. It was not made from the original negative, as a fine halftone screen pattern appears in the image. $500

 

  1. BEATLES. Collectibles Illustrated, September 1983.

Color cover picture of the group. Includes “Beatlemania: 20 Years After the Ed Sullivan Show, the Beatles are Rocking the Collecting World,” “The World’s Oldest Beatles Fan,” and other articles on the Fab Four. $10

 

  1. BEATLES. John Lennon, In His Own Write, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Hardcover (gold-stamped blue cloth), 7 ¼ x 5 ¾ inches, 80 pages, line illustrations, dustjacket.

Originally published in 1964, now with an introduction by Yoko Ono. Comprises Lennon’s prose and poetry, often accompanied by his simple line drawings. $25

 

  1. BLUES. Mark Norberg, Black and White Blues, Zurich: Graphis Press, 1995. Hardcover (blind-stamped black cloth), 11 ¼ x 10 ¾ inches, 212 pages, duotone illustrations, dustjacket.  Signed by Norberg, with ephemera.

This substantial volume features over 75 full-page studio portraits of American blues musicians made during the 1980s and ‘90s. Mostly African-American men and women, they are usually dramatically lit, shot up close, and pictured with their preferred instruments. Subjects include B. B. King, Willie Dixon, Johnny Winter, Etta James, Taj Mahal, Odetta, John Lee Hooker, and Buckwheat Zydeco. Text on each musician by music writer Tom Surowicz, and with a compact disc of 19 songs. Minneapolis photographer Marc Norberg (born 1954), not surprisingly, is a blues music fan. He specializes in portraiture for editorial, corporate, and advertising clients. Laid into this copy are two pieces of ephemera on Norberg, and the book is inscribed and dated by him. $100

 

  1. BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD. Bio of the Buffalo Springfield, 1967. Press release, 6 pages, 11 x 8 ½ inches each.

Issued on Atco Records letterhead, this release gives a brief history of the band and profiles each of the five members, including Neil Young and Stephen Stills. It states, “Too poor to afford rehearsal space, they were practicing at the edge of a road in Los Angeles one day when a steam roller came by. On its sides were colorful signs which read ‘Buffalo Springfield.’ The boys had found themselves a name.” $35

 

  1. BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD. Buffalo Springfield, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 inches.

This publicity photograph, showing the five members in high contrast tones, lists both their managers and their record label. While drummer Dewey Martin scorns for the camera, the others are more relaxed, and Neil Young playfully rests his head on the shoulder of Richie Furay and closes his eyes. $250

 

  1. CHARLATANS. The Charlatans, San Francisco, 1966. Vintage gelatin silver print, 8 ¼ x 8 ¼ inches.

The Charlatans (not to be confused with the later Charlatans UK) was the first San Francisco underground band to form, in 1964. However, unlike their subsequent colleagues, they did not play psychedelic music, preferring, instead, a simpler, honky-tonk sound. Of the Bay Area bands prominent on the dance-concert scene, they remained the least known because they recorded and toured only sparsely. George Hunter, the leader of the band, wished the group to project a vintage look, so he had members dress in vests, hats, bandannas, high collars, and other articles of old clothing. Thus their look here, standing on the porch of one of San Francisco’s wooden Victorian houses. Hunter, in his banded straw hat, stands at the back, while Dan Hicks, perhaps the later best-known member, is seen second from the right. This print is from the portfolio “Rock and Roll: San Francisco, 1966-1967” by Herb Greene (born 1942), printed in an edition of only 30. Signed, titled, and dated, in pencil, on the mount. $250

 

  1. CHARLATANS. The Charlatans, Triptych, 1966. Three (3) vintage gelatin silver prints, 8 ¼ x 8 ¼ inches each.

As in the above group photograph, band members here are decked out in cowboy and Edwardian outfits. Likely staged by band leader George Hunter, they are surrounded with period objects, such as a Gramophone (seen between the two standing figures), lamps, fancy fabrics, and a hookah. These three images, made by Herb Greene (born 1942) were used in a set of 1967 posters for concerts headlined by the Charlatans at San Francisco’s Avalon Ballroom. Set of 3: $1,000

 

  1. CROSBY, STILLS & NASH. Crosby, Stills & Nash, Big Sur Folk Festival, California, 1969. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 inches.

Singer-song writer Joan Baez organized the annual Big Sur Folk Festival every Fall from 1964 to 1971, held on the Pacific Coast about 100 miles south of San Francisco. In 1969, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young played about two dozen songs over two days, in various configurations. In this image, CSN were likely playing an acoustic song from their recently released debut record, as Young is literally not in the picture. It is a touching image, showing the closeness of the three musicians and their near proximity to the relatively small crowd in attendance. Photograph by the renowned San Francisco music photographer Jim Marshall (1936-2010), whose wet stamp appears on the back of the print. $2,500

 

  1. CROSBY, STILLS & NASH. The Graham Nash Collection,Los Angeles: Nash Press, 1978. Softcover, 8 ½ x 11 inches, 72 pages, 160 halftone illustrations. Signed.

Musician Graham Nash became a major collector of fine art photographs. Here, he introduces his first exhibition catalog with the following short statement: “The essence of a fine photograph is found in its power to move. By seeing this exhibition, I hope the viewer will experience the pleasure of looking and feel the sense of recognition that continues to move me.” Features 40 full-page plates and a conversation with Graham Howe. The checklist of 160 photographs includes work by Carleton E. Watkins, Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans, Edward Weston, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus, and many other leading photographers. This copy is signed and numbered (336/500) by Nash. $75

 

  1. DOORS. Jim Morrison, New York, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print, 13 ¹/8 x 13 ¹/8inches.

Also known as “The Young Lion,” this image dates from the year of the Doors’ first album, with their biggest hit, “Light My Fire.” It presents the group’s shirtless lead singer with his arms raised, wearing a thin necklace, and starring directly back at the photographer. It is one of the most iconic images of Morrison, although this print includes a brick wall superimposed on the subject’s body, an alteration seen in few prints. Joel Brodsky (1939-2002) provided photographs for over 400 album covers, including four by the Doors. A letter of provenance accompanies this print, which was given by Brodsky to his assistant in the early 1970s. $5,000

 

  1. DOORS. Doors, Miller Blues Band, Haji Baba, 1967. Poster, 20 x 14 inches, Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, Family Dog Productions (FD-57).

This eye-catching poster was produced for the April 14-15, 1967, concerts at the Avalon, headlined by the Doors and also featuring Steve Miller’s group. Designed by the accomplished Victor Moscoso (born 1936), it features his recognizable block-like lettering and complimentary colors. Hiding behind the large swirling lines is a nude woman, with one hand thrown over her head and her breast at the center of the circle. Adding to the dynamism of the design are the type blocks being set on the diagonal. First printing, in fine condition. $750

 

  1. DOORS. Doors, Sparrow, 1967. Poster 20 x 14 inches, Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, Family Dog Productions (FD-61).

Another outstanding poster by Victor Moscoso, also for a Doors concert. Opening for Morrison and company was Sparrow, the first incarnation of John Kay’s band Steppenwolf. Here, Moscoso once again used lettering that played with negative/positive space and utilized a phalanx of thin vertical and horizontal lines. The central image is of two still frames from the early motion picture “Annabelle’s Butterfly Dance.” Viewed under alternating blue and red lights, Annabelle appears to flap her wings, like in the original movie. First printing, in fine condition. $750

 

  1. DYLAN, Bob. Bob Dylan, Columbia Studios, New York, 1965. Four (4) vintage gelatin silver prints, 9 x 7 inches (or reverse) each.

Here we have Dylan posing at an upright Spector & Son piano, wearing a harmonica holder. He sports a dark, button-down shirt, characteristically disheveled hair, and, sometimes, sunglasses. These images were made in June 1965, during the recording session for Highway 61 Revisited, the musician’s sixth album. Three appeared in Teenset (November 1966), which declared that Dylan was “rarely photographed.” Don Hunstein (1928-2017), who made these pictures, was a staff photographer for Columbia Records for 30 years, and provided the image for the cover of the 1963 LP The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. $750 each

 

  1. DYLAN, Bob. Bob Dylan, Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles, 1965. Three (3) vintage gelatin silver prints, 7 x 6 inches each.

In December 1965, Dylan gave his first American press conferences, one in San Francisco and then in Los Angeles. These pictures were made after the latter, in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They show him, variously, wearing sunglasses, smoking, and smiling (which he rarely did for the camera). All three were reproduced in the February 1966 issue of Teenset magazine, along with a short interview with him. One print has some emulsion missing. Set of 3: $1,000

 

  1. DYLAN, Bob. Bob Dylan, Newport Folk Festival, 1963. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 inches.

Dylan played the famous folk festival in Newport, Rhode Island for three years, from 1963 to 1965. He is seen here, apparently heading for the stage for his premiere performance, where, in addition to solo songs, he played “Blowin’ in the Wind” with Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary. Because of the uninteresting, empty parking lot in which Dylan is pictured, the art department of Teenset used a white opaque material to silhouette his figure before it was reproduced in the magazine. This image is by the renowned music photographer Jim Marshall (1936-2010) and bears his wet stamp on the back of the print. $2,500

 

  1. DYLAN, Bob. Bob Dylan, Newport Folk Festival, 1964. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 inches.

Back for his second year at Newport, Dylan used a different guitar and played a longer set of songs, including “Mr. Tambourine Man.” This time, Jim Marshall captured Dylan on stage, at very close range. Once again, Marshall’s wet stamp appears on the back of the print. The next year, in 1965, when Dylan returned to the Newport Folk Festival for the last time, he infamously presented an electric set of songs, which received very mixed reactions. $2,500

 

  1. DYLAN, Bob. Bob Dylan, c. 1965. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 ¹/8 inches.

A publicity photograph issued by Dylan’s management company ABG/M (Albert B. Grossman), of New York. Dressed in his typical dark jacket and fully buttoned shirt, Dylan stoically regards the photographer/viewer. $250

 

  1. EYE. Two (2) issues.

December 1968 (vol. 1, no. 10). Includes a Christmas poster, articles on toys for parents, the Bee Gees, religion, 18-year-olds getting the vote, Tiny Tim, Tim Buckley, the magazine’s first annual rock popularity poll, and more.

January 1969 (vol. 2, no. 1). Features coverage of the Smothers Brothers, Abbie Hoffman, getting better grades, why cops hate students, and the wardrobes of Liza Minelli, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Fonda, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, and additional material. Missing the record by Al Kooper and Blood-Sweat and Tears.

Eye magazine was published by Hearst, covering music, film, fiction, fashion, and other topics of interest to the growing youth population. It lasted only 15 monthly (screen-gravure printed) issues, during 1968 and 1969. Most included an inserted poster. Consecutive pair of issues: $50

 

  1. FRANKLIN, Aretha. Aretha Franklin, 1968. Vintage gelatin silver print, 9 ½ x 7 ¼ inches.

This is a contact sheet of twelve 2 ¼-inch square negatives of Franklin posing in a domestic setting. Dressed in swirling-designed fabric and with a big head of hair, she is seen alone, with awards, and with a few other figures. Photographs by Detroit photographer James D. Wilson. Accompanied by a 9 ¼ x 12-inch enlargement (printed later) that pictures Franklin sitting on the carpeted floor, surrounded by trophies and framed awards. $50

 

  1. FRANKLIN, Aretha. Clippings.

Two (2) 2018 articles on Franklin, published in the New York Times shortly after her death: Jim Farber, “20 Defining Songs by the Queen of Soul,” and Guy Trebay and Wesley Morris, “Our Do-Right Woman,” $15

 

26. GRATEFUL DEAD. Grateful Dead and Family, 1968. Vintage cyanotype, 10 x 10 inches (circle).

If the American counterculture had a theme band, it was the Grateful Dead. One of the original San Francisco psychedelic groups, it outlasted all the others and surviving members are still today playing long, feel-good jams. In 1969, they released their third album, “Aoxomoxoa,” which featured a front cover design by poster artist Rick Griffin and this photographic image by Thomas Weir on the back. Shot with a wide-angle lens and a tilted camera (notice the angled horizon), Weir captured this large group of individuals on a hillside, under a distinctive tree, comprising band members, friends, wives, children, and animals. Recognizable musicians include Ron McKernan (“Pig Pen”) in the foreground and guitarist Jerry Garcia below the trunk of the tree. Weir (no relation to Dead guitarist Bob Weir) provided album cover images for, in addition to the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Steve Miller Band. This print signed, titled, and dated, in pencil, verso. $2,500

 

  1. GUITARS. Ferrington Guitars, Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Zweitausendeins and Callaway Editions, 1992. Hardcover (paper over boards with compact disc inserted), 13 ½ x 10 ¼ inches, 120 pages, halftone illustrations (most in color), dustjacket.

This trapezoid-shaped book examines custom guitars made by Danny Ferrington (born 1953), who began creating them in Los Angeles in 1980. His acoustic and electric instruments were commissioned by the likes of Elvis Costello, Pete Townsend, Rosanne Cash, Jackson Browne, Kurt Cobain, and Chrissie Hind. Includes an introduction by singer Linda Ronstadt and a profile of Ferrington. The CD features 20 performances on the guitars, by Ry Cooder, Phoebe Snow, J. D. Souther, and others. $35

 

  1. HENDRIX, Jimi. Jimi Hendrix, Monterey Pop Festival, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 inches.

Famed music photographer Jim Marshall (1936-2010) made over forty shots (see next entry) of Jimi Hendrix practicing at his sound check at Monterey. Hendrix’s performed on the last of the three nights of the festival, while this image was clearly made during daylight. It shows keyboardist Al Cooper (who played a solo show at Monterey) watching Hendrix playing his phallic-like Fender Stratocaster. Cooper’s nonchalance contrasts greatly with Hendrix’s dynamic stance. This picture was made within minutes of Marshall’s more famous one of Hendrix with his left hand extended in the opposite direction, and which has become one of the iconic live images of the musician. Marshall used it in his 1997 book Not Fade Away, as a two-page spread, and on both the front and back covers. In the book, the photographer recounted, “I approached Jimi and told him my name was Jim Marshall. He said that the dude who made his amps was named Jim Marshall and that his middle name was Marshall. We were both pretty stoned.” $2,500

 

  1. HENDRIX, Jimi. Jimi Hendrix, Monterey Pop Festival, 1967. Two (2) vintage gelatin silver prints, 10 x 8 inches each.

These are two contact sheets from 35mm negatives by Jim Marshall of the Jimi Hendrix Experience at their daytime sound check. The 43 images show the animated Hendrix alone, sometimes with Al Kooper looking on, and one each of bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. Most importantly, they include the now well-known one of Hendrix with his left hand raised after striking a note. Pair: $1,000

 

  1. HÜSKER DÜ. Tigger Luney, “Grant Hart: Exactly How He Was,” City Pages, September 17, 2017.

Cover article in weekly tabloid about Hart (1961-2017) of this Minneapolis punk trio, subtitled, “Remembering the Man Who Was So Much More Than the Drummer in Hüsker Dü.” $15

 

  1. JACKSON, Michael. Claire Hoffman, “The Last Days of Michael Jackson,” Rolling Stone, August 6, 2009 (issue no. 1084).

Cover picture of Jackson and article that states, “Frail, deep in debt and addicted to drugs, he was consumed by a single dream: to blow people’s minds with the greatest concerts ever. Inside the comeback that almost was.” Also includes an article on Jackson’s unfinished, last recordings. $10

 

  1. JAZZ. Lee Friedlander, The Jazz People of New Orleans, New York: Pantheon Books, 1992. Hardcover (gold and blind-stamped red cloth), 9 x 11 ¼ inches, 120 pages, 94 duotone illustrations, dustjacket.

New Orleans jazz musicians were among Friedlander’s earliest subjects, beginning in 1957. Already showing his skill at working on the street and combining foreground and background elements, he turned his camera on legends such as Louis Armstrong, guitarists Robert Pee Williams and Snooks Eaglin, and marching brass bands Young Tuxedo and Eureka. Whitney Balliett, America’s foremost jazz writer, provides an afterward that describes a visit he made to New Orleans in the mid-sixties. $50

 

  1. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE. Grace Slick, 1970. Vintage gelatin silver print, 9 ¼ x 7 ½ inches.

The female lead singer of the Airplane gives the photographer Earl Leaf a combination of the middle finger (“fuck you”) and the victory sign (hand reversed). Apparently made at some outdoor concert (with Fender amplifiers in the background), Slick is modestly attired, with a scarf over her head and wearing sunglasses, probably to avoid being recognized while not on stage. Leaf (1905-1980) was nicknamed “Loose Leaf” and was based in Los Angeles. The front of the print has Slick’s name written, in ink, on the image, and the back bears Leaf’s wet stamp. $250

 

  1. LED ZEPPELIN. Led Zeppelin, San Francisco, 1969. Vintage gelatin silver print, 8 ¼ x 8 ¼ inches.

The English blues-rock band Led Zeppelin first toured the United States in late 1968 and early 1969. They are seen here in San Francisco, looking out the windows of the photographer Herb Greene’s apartment, where he frequently posed musicians. The room is flooded with light as singer Robert Plant (left), guitarist Jimmy Page (right), and the others peer out onto the Haight-Asbury neighborhood, the center of the city’s alternative community. This image was undoubtedly made during the band’s four-night stint at the Fillmore Auditorium in January 1969. This print is from Greene’s portfolio “Rock and Roll: San Francisco, 1966-1967” (edition of 30). It is signed, titled, and dated (incorrectly 1966), in pencil, on the mount. $1,500

 

  1. MADONNA. Madonna Sex,Paris: Vade Retro Editions, 1992. Hardcover (spiral-bound metal sheets), 13 ¾ x 11 inches, unpaginated, screen-gravure illustrations, CD and plastic sleeve.

Singer Madonna’s provocative look at sex, pleasure, and the human body. She and others perform various acts, in high-quality reproductions that bleed off the page. Her running text includes such short essays as “I Like My Pussy.” The half million copies reportedly sold out quickly. Steven Meisel (born 1954), a friend of Madonna’s and a highly successful fashion photographer, provided the images. Text in French, in original, unopened sleeve. $250

 

  1. MICHAELS, Lee. Lee Michaels, Fifth, 1971. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 inches.

Based in San Francisco, Lee Michaels was a piano and organ player who usually performed with just a drummer, making for a unique keyboard/percussion sound. In 1971, A&M Records released Michaels’ fifth album, straightforwardly titled Fifth. On it was the musician’s top hit “Do You Know What I Mean.” Jim McCrary (1939-2012), who took this photograph, was chief photographer for A&M from the late 1960s to mid-1970s. There, he provided pictures for over 300 album covers, including Carole King’s Tapestry and three by Michaels. This photograph was an A&M publicity print and shows the front cover image of Fifth. $100

 

  1. MINNEAPOLIS LABOR TEMPLE. Christian A. Peterson and Juryj Ostroushko, Cosmic Trip: Rock Concerts at the Minneapolis Labor Temple, 1969-1970, Minneapolis: Smart Set, 2018. Softcover, 11 x 8 ½ inches, 114 pages, halftone illustrations (most in color).

This book examines in detail a series of weekly dance concerts, featuring bands such as the Grateful Dead, Byrds, Jeff Beck Group, and Savoy Brown, often with local groups opening. Essential to these concerts were colorful posters by Ostroushko, often hand-lettered and difficult to read. Cosmic Trip captures the excitement and mayhem of Minneapolis’ hippie period. The text covers the Labor Temple as a venue and magnet for members of the sixties counterculture. Black-and-white photographs of concerts and full-color images of the posters reveal this vital chapter in the long and rich history of rock music in the Twin Cities, 50 years after these ground-breaking extravaganzas. $35 ($50 signed by Peterson and Ostroushko).

 

  1. MINNESOTA. Five (5) magazines.

Gig Performance News, December 1996.

Gig Plus Action, July 1997.

Anonymous: The Magazine of Music, Mood, and Movement, May 2001

(premier issue).

Lost Cause: Minnesota’s Music Journal, July 2002 (premier issue).

Lost Cause: Minnesota’s Music Journal, September 2002.

Group of 5: $35

 

  1. MONKEES. The Monkees, 1967. Nineteen (19) cards, 3 ½ x 2 ½ inches each (or reverse).

A group of collector’s cards, presumably showing them in various scenes from the television show. Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Michael Nesmith lounge, play around, and pose for the camera. In this group the only musical instrument that appears is a harp. With the right group of 24 cards, the backs make an image of the group performing. Other backs here include information on individual Monkees and upcoming appearances. This batch includes 2 duplicates. $25

 

  1. MONTEREY POP FESTIVAL. Monterey Pop Festival, California, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 inches.

This is a contact sheet from 35mm negatives by Jim Marshall (1936-2010), made on the last day of the festival, Sunday, June 18, 1967. The first few frames show Big Brother and the Holding Company, with Janis Joplin belting out vocals.Most significantly, the rest of the pictures are of the Who and the Jimi Hendrix Experience in their raucous performances. To the shock of the peace-loving crowd, the Who trashed some of their equipment at the end of their set, prompting stage hands to rush to rescue festival equipment. A few acts later it was Jimi Hendrix’s turn to turn destructive, when he dowsed his guitar with lighter fluid and set it aflame. These were two of the most memorable moments of the Monterey Pop Festival, captured by a leading photographer on the same roll of film. $500

 

  1. MORRISON, Van. Rolling Stone, July 9, 1970 (issue no. 62).

Cover picture of Morrison and major interview with him. $15

 

  1. NIRVANA. “Kurt Cobain, 1967-1994,” Rolling Stone, June 2, 1994.

Issue almost exclusively devoted to the leader of the Seattle grunge band, after his suicide. Includes the title article “The Downward Spiral: The Last Days of Nirvana’s Leader” by Anthony De Curtis, plus “A Cry in the Dark: Love Reads Cobain’s Notes to Vigil,” “The Road From Nowhere: Walking the Streets of Aberdeen, Washington,” “The Life of Kurt Cobain: The Lost Boy,” “Live Through This: A Year on the Road with Nirvana,” “Come As You Are,” “Suicidal Tendencies: Kurt Did Not Die for You,” and “Heart-Shaped Noise: The Music and the Legacy” by David Fricke. $25

 

  1. OBITUARIES.

Ten (10) clipped obituaries, on original newsprint, from the New York Times, for: Marty Balin (Jefferson Airplane), Walter Becker (Steely Dan), Chuck Berry, Phil Everly (Everly Brothers), Fats Domino, Isaac Hayes, Etta James, Tom Petty, Otis Rush, and Ike Turner. $25

 

  1. OBITUARIES.

Twenty-two (22) obituaries of lesser-known musicians, from Tom Ardolino, the drummer for NRBQ, to the soul musician Bobby Womack. $25

 

  1. ORACLE. Thomas Weir, Oracle, 1968. Vintage cyanotype, 9 ¾ x 9 ¾ inches (circle). Signed, titled, and dated, below image.

An iconic but underappreciated San Francisco psychedelic image, it gets to the heart of the counterculture’s sexual freedom and communion with nature. Weir posed his wife, legs spread, out in an idyllic ocean-side landscape. In 1968, the image appeared on the cover of the last issue of the leading street tabloid San Francisco Oracle (vol. 1, no. 12). Born in 1935, Weir (no relation to Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir) was a prominent San Francisco photographer during the heyday of hippiedom in the mid to late-1960s. He was most known for his images of nudes, such as this one, and the psychedelic bands, usually printed as highly detailed cyanotypes. His images appeared on album covers for the Grateful Dead, Steve Miller Band, and Big Brother and the Holding Company. $2,500

 

  1. POSTERS. “The Great Poster Wave: Expendable Graphic Art Becomes America’s Biggest Hang-Up,” Life, September 1, 1967.

Cover article on the new craze for buying, hanging, and collecting posters. It covers psychedelic, concert, personality, corporate, political, art, and other forms. Importantly, the issue pictures Peter Max and four of the San Francisco psychedelic poster designers, among them Victor Moscoso and Stanley Mouse. $25

 

  1. POSTERS. Horizon, Autumn 1967. Hardcover (gold-stamped green cloth with mounted illustration), 12 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches, 120 pages, halftone illustrations (some in color).

Includes the article “Posters,” with one page of text and 15 color illustrations of 1960s posters in a foldout section. Among them are two by Milton Glaser (of Bob Dylan and Mahalia Jackson), Evergreen magazine (picturing Allen Ginsberg), “Love” by Robert Indiana, personality posters of W. C. Fields and Mao Zedong, and four psychedelic posters by Victor Moscoso and Wes Wilson for the Matrix club and Fillmore Auditorium. $25

 

  1. POSTERS. Mouse & Kelley, New York: Dell, 1979. Softcover, 11 ½ x 8 ½ inches, 128 pages, halftone illustrations (most in color).

An overview of the psychedelic artwork of the San Francisco collaborative team of Stanley Mouse (born 1940) and Alton Kelley (1940-2008). It includes their most accomplished work—that of concert posters (primarily for the Avalon Ballroom and Fillmore Auditorium) and album covers from the 1960s and seventies, most notably for the Grateful Dead. Also featured are collages and t-shirt designs. Essay by Dominy Hamilton and short biographies. $35

 

  1. POSTERS. D. Scott Atkinson and others, High Societies: Psychedelic Rock Posters of Haight-Ashbury, San Diego Museum of Art, 2002. Box, 12 ¼ x 9 ½ x 1 ½ inches, with affixed label and various contents.

This is a rather elaborate exhibition proposal that the San Diego Museum of Art sent to prospective venues. It includes a signed cover letter from the director, fact sheet, proposal, addendum sheet, press release, and copies of press coverage of the show in San Diego, along with two tickets, a brochure, invitation, and card, for the original showing. Also included is a copy of the exhibition catalog (see entry below), with essays by Atkinson, Sally Tomlinson, and Walter Medeiros. Rounding out the package is a VCR tape showing the installation and a CD audio tour of the show, narrated by Jefferson Airplane singer Grace Slick. Undoubtedly produced in a small number and not available to the public. $250

 

  1. POSTERS. D. Scott Atkinson and others, High Societies: Psychedelic Rock Posters of Haight-Ashbury, San Diego Museum of Art, 2002. Softcover, 11 ½ x 8 inches, 92 pages, halftone illustrations (most in color), dustjacket.

The exhibition catalog, as seen in the above box. An intelligent investigation of the psychedelic posters that advertised dance-concerts during the late 1960s, primarily at San Francisco’s Avalon Ballroom and Fillmore Auditorium. Curator Atkinson provides historical antecedents in Japanese woodblock prints and French Art Nouveau posters by the likes of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Sally Tomlinson covers the scene around the Bay Area’s 1967 Summer of Love and delineates the five leading poster designers: Wes Wilson, Alton Kelley, Stanley Mouse, Victor Moscoso, and Rick Griffin. This nicely produced publication ends with a fully illustrated catalog of the accompanying exhibition, with commentary by poster expert Walter Medeiros. $35

 

  1. PRINCE. Martin Kellor and others, “1958-2016: Remembering Prince,” City Pages, April 27, 2016.

Cover article in weekly tabloid on this phenomenal Minneapolis musician. It begins, “The collective heart of the Twin Cities shattered into a million purple pieces last Thursday. That’s when Prince Rogers Nelson, our proudest export and favorite son, was discovered dead at his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota.” After a brief introduction, various individuals provide over 40 memories of specific events in Prince’s life, from December 1979 to April 2016. $15

 

  1. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE. Quicksilver Messenger Service, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 inches.

Quicksilver was one of the most beloved San Francisco psychedelic bands during the late 1960s, frequently playing the Avalon Ballroom and Fillmore Auditorium. Their sound was partially distinguished by the intricate and feedback-laden guitar work of John Cipollina, seen here on the far left. This print was used for publicity purposes by both their record company, Capitol, and the group’s booking agent. The circular image shows them posing with a leather mail carrier’s bag (referencing the band name), set in an elaborate three-dimensional frame. The photograph is by Jerry Wainwright (1926-1997), who provided images for the covers of three of Country Joe McDonald’s solo albums. Photographer’s wet stamp, verso. $100

 

  1. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE. Sutter’s Mill, 1967. Poster, 14 x 20 inches, Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, Family Dog Productions (FD-62).

This poster advertises the Avalon’s June 19-21, 1967, dance concerts, with Quicksilver and Country Joe and the Fish. Drawn by leading poster artist Rick Griffin (1944-1991), it features a number of clever visual and word references. Sutter’s Mill was where gold was first discovered in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush, and the poster’s main image seems to show a miner panning for gold. In fact, the circular object the figure holds is a screen, which he is using to separate marijuana seeds. Next to him is a bag of wrapped marijuana bricks, the form in which the substance was distributed wholesale. Coincidentally, the location of the Avalon Ballroom was at the corner of Van Ness Avenue and Sutter Street, named after pioneer John Sutter, the proprietor of the nineteenth-century mill. Only printing, in fine condition. $125

 

  1. REPLACEMENTS. Chris Riemenschneider, “Pleased to Meet Me (Again),” Vita.min, September 11, 2014.

The author begins this cover story on the Minneapolis punk band, by writing, “No, it’s not all original members. Yes, it’s about making money. But the Replacements reunion shows have so far been overwhelmingly positive.” Includes synopses of seven legendary hometown shows, from 1984 to 2014. $15

 

  1. ROLLING STONE. December 15, 1977 (issue no. 254), 176 pages, screen-gravure illustrations (some in color).

This is the Tenth Anniversary Issue of the San Francisco-based music magazine. The feature article is Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear & Loathing: The Banshee Screams for the Buffalo.” Also includes 50 pages of photographs by Annie Leibovitz, made 1970-1977 and picturing John Lennon, Diana Ross, the Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Ralph Nadar, and many others. $25

 

  1. ROLLING STONE. October 30, 2008 (issue no. 1064).

Color cover picture of Barack Obama and a major interview with him, when he was still the Democratic candidate for president. Other feature articles include those on Elvis Costello & the Attraction, Blitzen Trapper, and David Foster Wallace, with picture stories on Ethiopia’s nomad warriors and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. $10

 

  1. ROLLING STONES. The Crazy World of England’s Rolling Stones, Summer 1964 (no. 1).

Early magazine, published only two years after the formation of the group, devoted exclusively to the Rolling Stones. Features articles on each band member, their girlfriends, and “What America Will See Soon and We Hope America Will Never Forget.” Color insert and covers, the front of which pictures the very young Stones on a tiny stage at what looks like a party. $25

 

  1. ROLLINGS STONES. Clippings.

Five (5) magazine and newspaper clippings on the band. Includes one on a 1965 Chicago concert, one by a fan who accompanied the band for six days in 1965, and another written on the occasion of Keith Richards’ first solo album in 2015. $15

 

  1. ROLLINGS STONES. Keith Richards, 1965. Vintage gelatin silver print, 7 x 5 inches.

This image shows Richards playing a triple pickup, Gibson Firebird guitar at an unknown Stones show. Though the band had released about five albums by this time, Richards still looks young and somewhat awkward in this picture. Though his guitar is not plugged into it, a Vox amplifier rests on the stage behind him, this being the amp of choice at the time by English bands such as the Stones and the Beatles. This image (reproduced in Teenset, November 1965), is by Marvin Lyons (Rampant Lyons Unlimited, Los Angeles wet stamp on back of print), about whom nothing is known. $250

 

  1. ROLLING STONES. Keith Richards, Los Angeles, 1966. Two (2) vintage gelatin silver prints, 10 x 8 inches each.

The lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones strikes two distinctly different poses, next to an employee of the Los Angeles radio station 93-KHJ, undoubtedly backstage before a concert. In one, Richards benignly smiles, while in the other he defiantly tilts back his head and purses his lips. The latter image was reproduced in the April 1966 issue of Teenset magazine, where the radio personality was unceremoniously cropped out. These photographs were made by Tommy Vance (English, 1940-2005), who also worked at KHJ. Pair: $750

 

  1. ROLLING STONES. Brian Jones, Monterey Pop Festival, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10 x 8 inches.

Among the musicians who attended but did not play at the Monterey Pop Festival was Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones. Located about 100 miles south of San Francisco, the three-day festival was the coming–out party for many Bay Area underground groups, such as Moby Grape and Big Brother and the Holding Company, featuring Janis Joplin. Naturally on the scene was music photographer Jim Marshall (1936-2010), who photographed performances and the crowd of happy hippies at what many now regard as the beginning of the “Summer of Love.” Musicians did not restrict themselves to the stage and dressing rooms, and they freely sat with the rest of the audience and walked through the vending areas. Marshall captured Jones here strolling in a public space, elaborately dressed and beaming with pleasure (likely, chemically enhanced). This image appeared in the October 1967 issue of Teenset, which was heavily devoted to the pop festival. Accompanied by a vintage contact sheet, with 16 frames of Jones. Both prints with Marshall’s wet stamp on the back. $2,500

 

  1. ROLLING STONES. Bill Wyman with Richard Havers, New York: DK Publishing, 2002. Hardcover (paper over boards), 12x 10 ¼ inches, 512 pages, color halftone illustrations, dustjacket.

This weighty tome covers the band’s history, beginning with the childhoods of each member, until about 2000. It is heavily illustrated, with photographs, record covers, tickets, tour itineraries, and other ephemera, and draws from the personal diaries of the author, bassist Wyman. “Over four decades the Rolling Stones have defined rock ’n’ roll excess, been imitated, sneered at, and written off. Watched in concert by more people than any band in history, they are an inspiration and an institution.” A lot of book for $35.

 

  1. SAN FRANCISCO. Christian A. Peterson, San Francisco Psychedelic, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2007. Softcover, 11 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches, 46 pages, halftone illustrations (most in color).

An exhibition catalog that contains an introduction on the movement and short essays on a dozen groups, including Big Brother and the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin), Blue Cheer, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Moby Grape, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. With biographies of ten photographers who were working there at the time, among them Jim Marshall and Bob Seidemann. Many of the photographs reproduced appeared on period posters and album covers.  $25

 

  1. SCAGGS, Boz. Boz Scaggs, c. 1968. Vintage gelatin silver print, 8 ¹/8 x 6 ¾ inches.

Scaggs was in the original Steve Miller Band, which released its first LP, Children of the Future, in 1968. This image shows Scaggs singing and playing a Gibson hollow-body guitar, with two horn players standing behind him, waiting for their parts in the song. The photograph is by Earl Leaf (1905-1980), a photojournalist and celebrity photographer, based in Hollywood.  Nicknamed  “Loose Leaf,” he worked freelance and for magazines, shooting mostly movie stars and musicians. Handwritten on the back of the print is “Boz Scaggs was both hero and heel in the film Fillmore.” Photographer’s wet stamp, verso. $250

 

  1. SERENDIPITY SINGERS. Concert Ticket, March 18, 1965.

This is the ticket stub for a performance by the folk group, likly in Chicago. The majority of the band’s record sales occurred in 1964 and 1965, when their biggest hit “Don’t Let the Rain Come Down” was released. $10

 

  1. SMITH, Patti. A. O. Scott, “Requiem Lass: Patti Smith’s Photographs are an Elegy to the Dead, Memento Mori of Her Heroes’ Worldly Effects,” New York Times Style Magazine, Winter 2011.

The cover features a self-portrait by Smith with a Polaroid SX-70 camera. Article on Smith, illustrated with photographs by her that were on view at the Wadsworth Athenaeum, in Hartford, Connecticut. $10

 

  1. TALKING HEADS. David Byrne, Strange Ritual: Words and Pictures, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1995. Hardcover (gold-stamped black leatherette), 10 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches, unpaginated, halftone color illustrations, belly band. Signed.

This is a conceptual bookwork, made up primarily of Byrne’s mundane color photographs of American and Mexican pop culture items. Among the pictures of plastic Jesus babies and graffiti, Byrne intersperses text on topics such as “Power Tools and Piss” and “Bizarro World.” Since most of the photographs are two-page spreads and bleed off the page, captions are relegated to the rear of the book. This copy inscribed by Byrne. $75

 

  1. TRIP SHAKESPEARE. Archive.

This popular Twin Cities group crafted a Sixties sound and image (long hair and vintage clothes) when much of the local scene was dominated by punk bands such as Hüsker Dü and the Replacements. They, nonetheless, garnered a devoted local and national audience, especially in college towns. Trip Shakespeare released four albums of original material and one EP of covers, between 1986 and 1992. For most of its existence, the band comprised guitarist brothers Matt and Dan Wilson, bassist John Munson, and drummer Elaine Harris. Dan Wilson and Munson went on to form Semisonic, who produced the hit “Closing Time.” An extensive archive on the group resides at the Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

  • Cassette. Applehead Man, 1986. Shrink wrapped.
  • Test pressing. Are You Shakespearienced? 1988. Vinyl, in plain cover.
  • Reference Acetate. Are You Shakespearienced? 1988. Vinyl, in plain cover.
  • Button. Are You Shakespearienced? 1988. Paper and metal button, 1 ¾ inches round.
  • CD. Bachelorette, 1991. Promotional compact disc. Song from their album Lulu.
  • VHS tape. Bachelorette, 1991. Four-minute music video for a song from the LP Lulu.
  • T-Shirts. Five (5) different designs, including “Trip Shakespeare,” “Are You Shakespearienced?” and “Lulu.” New shirts, all size XL.
  • Wood carving. Depicts the octopus and whale on the cover of Are You Shakespearienced? A unique item, 20 x 11 inches, sent to the band by a fan.
  • Paper ephemera, 1986-1993. Folder with about 100 copies of newspaper articles and reviews. Includes a few original postcards, handbills, posters, and return address labels.
  • Tour book. Across the Universe, July–August 1990. Spiral-bound softcover, 52 pages. This booklet gives details on a 22-venue tour that took the group through the Midwest, Northeast, and South, beginning in Milwaukee and ending in St. Louis. Each page lists the distance traveled, name of club, venue capacity, hotel, and other information. Such tour books are rare, as they were produced in very small quantities (primarily for band members and associated personnel).

Unique box of material: $750

 

  1. TRIP SHAKESPEARE. Are You Shakespearienced? LP, Minneapolis: Twin Tone Records, 1988.

This is the band’s second album, their first as a quartet. It includes their signature song “Toolmaster,” which tells the story of a machine engineer/guitarist from Brainard, Minnesota, and which in concert always went on at length, with inventive wrapping by band leader Matt Wilson. This is the second issue, on the Clean record label. Shrink wrapped. $15

 

  1. VARIOUS. Clippings

1960s archive of rock music and popular culture. Includes about 100 newspaper and magazine articles and nearly 30 “Li’l Abner comic strips. Musicians covered include the Beatles, Supremes, Herman’s Hermits, Monkees, Beach Boys, Shadows of Knight, and Bobby Vinton. $25

 

  1. VARIOUS. “The New Rock,” Life, June 28, 1968.

Cover article on “Music that’s hooked the whole vibrating world.” Cover photograph of Jefferson Airplane by Art Kane, showing the band members inhabiting a pyramid of plastic cubes. Text on and images of Big Brother and the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin), Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, Doors, Cream, Country Joe & the Fish, and the Who. Includes the article “Wiggy Words that Feed Your Mind”  about the music’s lyrics, two articles on the Renaissance-inspired group Ars Nova, “The Oracle Has it All Psyched Out” by Frank Zappa, and a two-page, visual spread on the Jimi Hendrix Experience. A dense issue on the subject. $25

 

  1. VARIOUS. Clippings

Magazine and newspaper articles, most from the New York Times. They cover Laurie Anderson (2017), Brian Eno (2018), Patti Smith (2015), Tina Turner (2018), the Weavers (2018), and the Who (2018). Also included is the article “A Middle-Aged Mother Visits the Teen Scene,” by Helen Eustis, with color photographs by Art Kane. Pictured in it are Batman, Bob Dylan, David McCallum, the Rolling Stones, and Sonny & Cher. $15

 

  1. WHO. The Who, San Francisco, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 inches.

Jim Marshall (1936-2010) photographed the Who when they were in San Francisco to headline at the Fillmore Auditorium, June 16-17, 1967. Shot outside of their hotel, against a brick wall, John Entwistle, Pete Townsend, Roger Daltrey, and Keith Moon (left to right) are seen on their first American tour, after releasing two albums. While Entwistle and Moon wear rather plain clothes, guitarist Townsend and vocalist Daltrey are more elaborately decked out. Reproduced in Teenset magazine (June 1968) and Marshall’s 1997 monograph Not Fade Away, in which he indicated that it was “one of the first published photographs of the band in the United States.” $2,500

 

  1. WHO. Roger Daltrey, San Francisco, 1967. Vintage gelatin silver print, 8 x 10 inches.

Here, Jim Marshall captured the Who’s lead singer, Roger Daltrey, cracking a wide smile for the photographer. Since he is wearing the same garb, this must have been shot at the same time as the above group picture. And it also appeared in the same issue of Teenset, which featured an interview with the band. $2,500

 

  1. WINTER, Johnny. Autograph, c. 1970.

“Johnny Winter/Box 163/Staatsburgh NY,” in blue ink, on a sheet from a CBS notepad. At this time, blues singer/guitar player Winter (1944-2014), lived in a house in this small town, about 100 miles north of New York. He was signed to Columbia Records, owned by CBS. $35

 

  1. YOUNG, Neil, and Crazy Horse. Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. Vinyl LP, China: Hua Sheng, 1969.

This is a pirated version of Young’s second album, which includes his durable songs “Down by the River” and “Cowgirl in the Sand.” Whenever he tours with garage-band Crazy Horse, these are among the crowd’s top favorites. As is frequently the case with such Asian bootlegs, the cover is made of paper (not cardboard) and features poor reproductions. And the vinyl is usually so low grade that it is hard on your turntable’s needle. However, these types of items are entertaining precisely for their bastardized artwork and frequent typographical errors. $25

 

  1. YOUNG, Neil. Hawks & Doves/Union Man. Vinyl 12-inch single, Reprise Records, 1980.

Two songs from Young’s album Hawks & Doves. On the title track Young sings, “Got rock and roll, got country music playin’. If you hate us, you just don’t know what you’re sayin’. On the other track, he commences the song with: “I’m proud to be a union man, I make those meetings when I can.” This is a promotional copy, on blue vinyl. $15

 

  1. YOUNG, Neil. Broken Arrow, 1991-1992.

Six (6) issues (#44-49) of the quarterly fanzine, issued by the Neil Young Appreciation Society. Includes feature articles, concert reviews, news, photographs, and more. $75

 

  1. YOUNG, Neil. Neil Young: The Ultimate Compendium of Interviews, Articles, Facts & Opinions, From the Files of “Rolling Stone,” New York: Hyperion, 1994. Softcover, 9 ¼ x 6 inches, 308 pages, unillustrated.

With an introduction by Holly George Warren, it includes all of the coverage of Young in the magazine, from Buffalo Springfield on. Features record and concert reviews, opinion pieces, and feature articles. $25

 

  1. YOUNG, Neil. David Downing, A Dreamer of Pictures: Neil Young, the Man and His Music, New York: Da Capo Press, 1995. Softcover, 7 ¾ x 5 inches, 248 pages, halftone illustrations (most in color).

Biography of the leading musician, from his childhood in Canada, through Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and many solo albums. Includes Young’s political views, and information on his personal, family, and professional life. $15

 

This catalog has a little bit of sex and drugs, but is primarily devoted to Rock ‘n’ Roll items. There are books on the subject, original photographs, plus posters, records, magazines, and pieces of ephemera like buttons and newspaper clippings. Note that most of the photographs are vintage prints, meaning they were printed at or near the time of the negative. This is an important distinction, accepted in the fine-art photography market. The best analogy is to concert posters, where serious collectors always prefer the first printing to later ones.

 

All items are subject to prior sale.  Customers known to me will be invoiced.  Others add shipping ($5 for each item within the U.S.) and write your check to “Christian Peterson.”

 

Christian A. Peterson

4241 Elliot Ave.

Minneapolis, MN  55407

(612) 824-2827

petersonachristian@gmail.com

christianapeterson.com

 

Catalog 17

February 2019