Jeremy Sandford (1930–2003)

This is a truly beautiful book which captures perfectly the atmosphere (as much as any book can) of the early free music festivals of the early 70s. Jeremy Sandford's text, part manifesto / part chronology, perfectly complements Ron Reid's iconic photography to a ratio of roughly 1:5, making this a photography book with well over a hundred quality b/w and colour photographs, many of them full or double page blow ups, and each one a masterpiece in itself.
I love the two candid shots of a young Glenn Tilbrook and Maxine Barker (uncredited) on page 26; and the double page b/w Silhouette of the couple on pages 12-13 because they invoke a certain atmosphere for me.

I really can not praise this book enough. Find a copy somewhere and cherish it!… (plus d'informations)

I remember Tom Gifford who the book is dedicated to. A homeless man who was active in the Simon community before he met Brigid.(who sadly committed suicide in 1980) Together they founded the Cyrenians and I was a residential worker in 1974 in Bristol Cyrenians. The approach was to live as volunteers with pocket money and so share the homeless life in a non-hierarchical way. I had decided that being an accountant was not the way forward! My involvement with the cyrenians lasted until the mid 80's when the homeless described in the book began to change into a young drug based as well as more mentally ill as the social changes created by Thatcher transformed the homeless community. The Cyrenians I knew also changed into a more professional "social" rather then "christian" organisation. In many ways for the better as rather then soup the organisation focused on sheltered housing, making more single people council housing available and training. But read this about a homeless world long since gone but not the homeless(or at least some) who sell the big issue now rather then beg, the only choice in my day.… (plus d'informations)