If that horribly abused word ‘iconic’ has to be employed for photographic description, then Mick Rock helped define it, having that crucial empathy with his subjects and uncanny knack for catching their intangible essence, often at pivotal historic moments.
His immortal Barrett, Bowie, Queen, Blondie and Reed images have become part of rock’s very fabric, appearing countless times in various books and publications.
The magnitude of Rock’s shots can be better appreciated in the coffee-table format many have already enjoyed. Mick Rock Exposed is more like a compact career consolidation, with Tom Stoppard’s foreword and Andrew Loog Oldham’s afterword bookending 200 images extending to more recent times.
Memories are stirred, jaws again sent to the floor with several out-takes, and the feeling arises that they don’t much make ’em like that any more – but if they do, Mick Rock will be there to capture the moment./o:p
