Music from Big Pink

Book excerpt: 'I love John Niven's writing - OBVIOUSLY - but came late to his first book, and was blown away by what vivid, delicate time-travel it is. Every The Band fan in the world MUST read it - it's like living in the music. Just smoky, ravishing magic' Caitlin MoranTimed to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the release of The Band's debut album, Music from Big Pink is John Niven's first novel - a heady blend of drugs, music, sixties counter-culture and intoxicating youth.Greg Keltner is a 23-year-old drug-dealer and wannabe musician. Through his eyes, we witness the gestation of a record that will go on to cast its spell across five decades - bewitching and inspiring artists as disparate as The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Wilco and Mercury Rev. Music From Big Pink is faction: real people like Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Bob Dylan and Albert Grossman rub shoulders with fictional characters and imagined scenarios. Featuring a new foreword from Barney Hoskyns and a new introduction from the author, Music from Big Pink gives us a unique and vivid insight into the birth and legacy of The Band's debut album.