It Was Twenty Years Ago Today: An Anniversary Celebration of 1967

A newspaper journalist and press agent for the Beatles and other groups, Taylor recently served as consultant for Granada Television's documentary celebration of 1967, which some consider the high point of the '60s counterculture. Here Taylor incorporates material from the TV show and presents interviews and quotations in which key people from the periodincluding Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, Ken Kesey, Allen Ginsburg, Timothy Leary, Michelle Phillips and Hunter Thompsonremember the time. Wavy Gravy, who led the Hog Farm happenings, perhaps sums up the moment best when he recalls a ""feeling that extraordinary things were about to happen and it felt as if we were at the centre of things, making them happen.'' This sense of excitement about the possibility of change pervades the book, as Taylor discusses the Monterey Pop Festival (which he cofounded), the rise of acid culture, be-ins, the impact of the Diggers (who distributed free food) and Marshall McLuhan, the psychedelic poster fad, protests and demonstrations, as well as trends in fashion, films, art, happenings and literature. And, as the title hints, Taylor devotes much space to the significance of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. This is an exhilerating remembrance. (June)