The internet has rendered photography ubiquitous. From capturing bands on stage to the plethora of party pics, there’s no shortage of websites churning out the images. But no matter how well composed or well lit, there’s little to do with art in capturing these subjects in their natural domains. Whether holding guitar or a glass, they’re all, well . . . posing.
Which is why Ken Regan’s coffee table-sized retrospective book is so aptly named: All Access. Seemingly from Day #1 in the annals of Rock and Roll history, Ken was present. Shooting.
From the Beatles to the Stones, Joni to the Doors, Regan had intimate access to history unfolding. Led Zeppelin to the Clash. Woodstock to Live Aid.
Yes, I imagine it would have been cool to be in the room when Dylan met Springsteen for the very first time, but Ken was there—and documented that introduction on film. The intimacy of these personal interactions, these intangibles, are collected in this excellent book—and the reason I thought, well, hell—we could spend an entire week documenting his career as we are this week.
The Beatles (1964) Capitol Recording Party in Los Angeles
And I’ll be honest, they sent me a copy of the book and it’s a gem. And we have one to offer one of you in tandem with our retrospective week.
Enter to win a copy of All Access: The Rock ‘N Roll Photography of Ken Regan by letting us know in the comments what bit of Rock ‘N Roll history you wish you were personally present to see unfold.
The one that strikes that intangible chord will be awarded the book. We’ll choose our winner a week from today, 11/16.
