While some may argue that it’s a bit of a stretch to be “definitive” if the perspective is from just one lens, when the camera’s wielded by Ross Halfin you know it’s going to be as near as damnit. Joe Elliott explains as much in his Foreword and chips in commentary (along with his colleagues) throughout the plush 232-page hardback, which takes in over 250 black-and-white and colour shots, many unpublished, illustrating how rich Halfin’s archive is.
The band’s first meeting with their chronicler, in Sheffield, 1979, is followed by a two-page Elliott essay on early days, before Reading 1980 begins the on- and off-stage sojourn that saw the band conquer the world.
It would have been handy to have had more detailed captions over “somewhere, probably California, 1981”, but that lack of recall adds to the charm.
Fantastic colour montages, interspersed with occasional images of tour memorabilia and the inclusion of contact strips as well as spreads, break up the pattern splendidly. Favourite snaps of ours include the Union Jack shorts of 1983 (later outlawed by Jimmy Hill in favour of long shorts); several Brian May appearances and the Freddie Mercury tribute; Donington; video shoots and classic promo portraits.
Generally, some more casual messing about or post-gig knackeredness would have made an interesting contrast, but maybe a companion awaits?
