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Paul Williams has been writing about pop music for decades, never flagging in his enthusiasm or his emotional and intellectual openness to the newest music. His insight into how it feels when we listen to certain performers or certain performances makes a connection between music and reading that is rare and fascinating. Whether it's Bob Dylan or Brian Wilson, R.E.M. or Liz Phair, Paul Williams can reveal things we didn't know we knew when we listen to the music. That is what he invented rock criticism to do, back in the 1960's, and he has been doing it ever since. It is as fun to read as the music is to listen to.