A large collection of concert photographs portrays a who’s who of 1980s rock ’n’ roll. This stunning assemblage of never-before-seen photos is a worthy addition to any rock fan’s library. 

In 1983, budding photographer Stone (The Strange Birth, Short Life, and Sudden Death of Justice Girl, 2013) showed up at a Ramones concert intent on capturing the legendary punk band on film. When a security guard told him his equipment wasn’t welcome in the venue, he improvised, hiding his lens and camera body in his socks. Thus, a career as an “Outlaw Rock and Roll Photographer” was born. Over the next several years, he surreptitiously snapped photos of the B-52s, Duran Duran, R.E.M., and other iconic artists. A selection of that work is displayed in this impressive coffee table book. The images—shot in both black and white and color—show musicians in the heat of performance. There’s a snarling, sweaty Joan Jett, a joyous Tom Petty, and Prince, soaring in the air, mid-split. While some photos show an entire band on stage, the best (and majority) are surprisingly intimate images of a single performer, often isolated in a sea of black. A close-up of a shirtless Sting shows the Police frontman gazing out at the crowd like a Grecian god. In another, a pink-suited David Bowie performs, seemingly alone, on stage. While familiar pop stars dominate the work, Stone has included a few lesser-known acts, like Chequered Past, made up of ex-members of Blondie and the Sex Pistols, and Haven, “a perfectly fine band that never made it past the 8:00 p.m. slot on a Tuesday night at the Troubadour.” The author didn’t set out to document a particular scene, nor did he concentrate on a specific genre. In this pleasingly diverse collection, New Wavers Talking Heads share space with ’60s stalwarts the Grateful Dead and heavy-metal rockers like Ratt. A few brief essays from Stone provide context for some of the shots and explain his decision to give up rock photography. But for the most part, he wisely lets his powerful images speak for themselves.

This stunning assemblage of never-before-seen photos is a worthy addition to any rock fan’s library.

An amazing, one-of-a-kind collections of rock-and-roll celebrity photos, "No Cameras Allowed: My Career as an Outlaw Rock and Roll Photographer" is a fascinating browse and a blend of images and stories that is as memorable as the music and the musicians they showcase! An uncommon and rare treat for rock music fans, ""No Cameras Allowed: My Career as an Outlaw Rock and Roll Photographer" is an especially recommended addition to community and academic library Contemporary American Photography and Contemporary Popular Music History collections.