This book should restore Goldman’s place in the rock-crit firmament just as she sets out to give punk’s women their long-denied dues. Her work for NME, Melody Maker and Sounds in the 1970s and 80s offered sparkling and righteous reportage from a figure who lived cheek-to-cheek with London’s punk and reggae stars and never strayed from her ethos. From the mid-70s, she became Bob Marley’s first UK publicist, critic, musician, music video director and musical writer among other gigs (including occasional writing for the Guardian). Vivien Goldman lives among these overlooked heroes of the inkies era. If pioneers such as Ellen Willis and Caroline Coon got half the glory of verbose stylists like Nick Kent and Lester Bangs, modern music criticism would be in healthier shape. T he hoary old legends of rock journalism are seldom those who deserve a place in history.
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