Rock Gods: Forty Years of Rock Photography

By Robert M. Knight
Insight Editions, $50.00, 160 pages

Robert Knight’s new collection of rock photography, Rock Gods, might have been called the greatest rock guitar players ever. With few exceptions, the images here are of the most iconic guitar players of the last forty years. While much of his live photography has the magic of the perfect moment, the images of Jimmy Page from the mid-seventies and the iconic cover shot of Jimi Hendrix show Knight at his best. Much of his studio photography lacks the depth that great portraitists have of engaging the viewer emotionally with their subject. When he gets it right, however (like he does on the great shot of Jeff Beck leaning against a railway car or the shots of Slash bathed in white light cigarette dangling from his lips), he really nails it. It is hard to look at the work of Robert Knight and not compare him to Jim Marshall; they share so many of the same subjects. Knight’s work lacks both the humor and the sense of danger of Marshall’s best work, but the breadth of access Knight has had over the years is almost unprecedented, so even the images that don’t hit the high marks are interesting for the subjects alone. The images are often full bleed and beautifully printed. Rock Gods will be a welcome addition to any rock photo fan’s library.

Reviewed by Robert Birnbach