Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A fascinating history of the explosive convergence of avant-garde art and rock music

The dynamic relationship between rock music and visual art crosses continents, generations, and cultures. Beginning with Andy Warhol's involvement with The Velvet Underground in 1967, artists have maintained a strong connection to rock. Artists such as Slater Bradley, Mike Kelley, and Raymond Pettibon have created album covers and music videos for rock bands, while rock musicians such as Bryan Ferry, John Lennon, and Peter Townsend have emerged from art schools, and punk and new wave bands such as Talking Heads and Sonic Youth have shared the same social and artistic milieu as artists including Robert Longo and Richard Prince.

Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967 looks at the intimate and inspired relationship between the visual arts and rock-and-roll culture, charting their intersection through works of art, album covers, music videos, and other materials. Organized regionally by cultural centers including London, New York, Los Angeles, and Cologne, the essays examine rock and roll's style, celebrity, and identity politics in art; the experience, energy, and sense of devotion rock music inspires; and the dual role that many individuals play in both the sonic and visual realms. Presenting work that defies a more literal interpretation of the theme and instead suggests the style, energy, and attitude that has come to be associated with rock and roll, this fascinating volume is essential for admirers of contemporary art and culture.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Published in conjunction with the exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, this elegant, impressive book charts key moments of convergence between avant-garde art and music (a distinction that apparently rules out much poster art, including the work of Frank Kozik, Derek Hess and Robert Williams). That said, those with an academic bent, an eye for the out-there and an ear for indie rock will find a veritable feast. Roughly divided into regions (New York, the U.K., Europe, LA/West Coast and everywhere else), various authors analyze everything from influential clubs like CBGBs and the culture of L.A.?s Sunset Strip to a treatise on punk as propaganda and an entertaining list of 35 observations on AC/DC ( "33: it is difficult to bungle a good riff"). The academic approach favored by most of these essays can detract from the immediacy of many pieces; exhibit patrons will likely get the most out of this volume, but the crisp reproduction of compositions by Thaddeus Strode, Jim Lambie and Mark Flores prove breathtaking regardless. Closing with a timeline and long list of discographies, bibliographies and exhibitions, this volume is a handsome (though narrow) look at the art-rock intersection. (Dec.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.