First Reviled, Now Revered: The Historic Albums Of 1969

 
 

"The "profession" of rock criticism was still in its tender adolescence in 1969. Daily newspapers were beginning to hire writers to cover pop, rock and what was sometimes described as "youth culture." Alternative weeklies like the Village Voice became trusted early warning systems for new bands. And Rolling Stone magazine, which began in San Francisco in 1967, had by 1969 become the rock and roll "paper of record."

Concurrently, the industry around rock ramped up into a more sophisticated, professional operation, launching scores of new acts every month alongside a steady stream of new works from established veterans.

It took time for the print media's coverage of those releases to evolve."

article by Tom Moon

First Reviled, Now Revered: The Historic Albums Of 1969 : NPR