In the 1960s Paul Nelson pioneered rock 'n' roll criticism. In the '70s, during a stint at Mercury Records, Nelson signed the New York Dolls to their first recording contract, then settled down at Rolling Stone where he famously championed the early careers of artists like Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart and Neil Young and befriended them along the way. But in 1982 he walked away from it all. Now, with Paul Nelson's posthumous blessing, Kevin Avery has compiled this anthology-biography of Nelson's best works, including interviews, photographs and unpublished work.