Do you drink coffee? Do you own a table? If you answered yes to both questions, the time is nigh to buy a copy of New York Noise, a coffee table book filled to the brim with an aromatic, tasty brew of photos from the New York music and art scene of the 1970s and ’80s. Spanning a whole decade, from 1978 to 1988, this luffly pub is chock-full of huge, stark yet gorgeous black and white photography that ping-pongs wildly back and forth from one genre to another.

From avant-garde classical composers John Cage and Phillip Glass to elder rockers Lou Reed and Patti Smith. From no wavers James Chance, DNA and Lydia Lunch to post-punkers Bush Tetras, ESG, Liquid Liquid and Y Pants. From minimal guitar composers Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca to mainstreamers David Byrne, Madonna and Michael Stipe. From hip-hoppers LL Cool J and the Rock Steady Crew to visual artists Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Robert Longo and Cindy Sherman, plus dozens upon dozens more. Amazingly, Paula Court was there in the right time and place, in the middle of a violently artistic vortex, documenting it all.

This poignant visual record of a very vivid, lively time and place is tightly stitched together with firsthand accounts from many of the pictured subjects. The stories they share tell of life experiences that were often quite similar: living in dirt cheap lofts, playing in chance-taking musical outfits, tossing up challenging art shows at impromptu galleries and screening experimental films on any available wall. Many of these multi-talented folks did it all. The only thing about New York Noise that chafes my eyes is the bright orange background on the cover and some of the inside pages. Although black would have probably been a little more comfy, I’m going to give this delicious book 10 thumbs up anyway. It’s good to the last drop.

Publisher: Soul Jazz Publishing Catalog Number: ISBN: 978-0-9554817-0-3 Format: Book Packaging: Softcover Pages: 208 Country: England Released: 2007 More: Amazon, Official

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