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The first half of the Stones' story has plenty of high drama (tours through the segregated South, Brian Jones's death, Altamont), which no-one seems eager to reflect on deeply. (Watts is the only one even to mention Altamont.) The more recent years have seen a long string of ever-more successful tours and ever-less popular albums, interrupted only by Jagger and Richards' near divorce in the 80s, plus rehab stints for Watts and Wood. While The Beatles Anthologyoffered the surviving members' interpretations of their experiences at a distance of 30 or more years, the Stones are still living the tale they're trying to tell--and they aren't always the most self-aware narrators. Or generous: Wyman's three-decade tenure is given short shrift, but the book finds enough space for some unnecessary digs (Wyman has "tiny hands" we're told and an "almost effeminate" style of playing).
To flesh out the band members' own recollections, the book also contains 13 essays from music-industry friends (Ahmet Ertegun, Marshall Chess), collaborators (Don Was), famous fans (Sheryl Crow, novelist Carl Hiaasen) and even the band's financial advisor for the past 33 years, Prince Rupert Lowenstein. Their views are sometimes fascinating (the unvarnished perspective of Crawdaddy Club owner Giorgio Gomelsky, the well-told stories of art bon vivant Christopher Gibbs), but just as often self-indulgent or sycophantic. Fans looking for an artfully designed volume of photos spanning the Stones' career won't be disappointed. Anyone seeking a comprehensive history of the band may want to wait for the band's definitive biography, which has been attempted many times but has yet to be written. --Keith Moerer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive book? No. Definitive Discography? Yes, definitively.,
By
This review is from: According to The Rolling Stones (Paperback)
The Amazon product review summs up the book very nicely and it is hard to add to it, but for one glaring omission - the discography.
The 18 page discography at the end is definitive and comprehensive, showing how confusing the early albums were with different tracks in different parts of the world, but using same or similar titles and cover art. If for nothing else, buy the book for this! It will pay for itself with the money you save by not buying duplicated tracks on several supposedly different CDs. Almost all mention of Bill Wyman is carefully avoided, and he is only grudingly allowed to creep in just a few times. Which is a shame, since to my aged ears the Stones music stagnated and went downhill as his influence waned, and became mindlessly repetitive and boring after he left. Reading the book, I can see why. For an insight into why the Stones are what they are today, I think anyone reading the book will certainly gain a fuller understanding, but maybe they might not like what they read. If you have ever been a Stones fan, as I was for several years starting in 1965, then this is worth a careful read. It does not give the whole picture by any means, but a lot of loose ends are neatly tied up, and I have a lot more sympathy for them now than I've had in the last few decades. However, I guess I'm mostly a fan of Bill Wyman and his music; try listening to some of his Rhythym Kings' CDs, and if you read this book, then you must also read his side of their story in 'Rolling with the Stones'.
12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
There is a terrific bio. . .,
By A Customer
This review is from: According to the Rolling Stones (Hardcover)
and I can't say whether it is this one.I disagree that the definitive Stones bio has not been written -- The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones is a blistering account of the Stones at their peak during the 1969 tour that culminated with Altamont. Though he was as close to the band as anyone could be in those days, author Stanley Booth pulls no punches yet truly appreciates the Stones for the simply great band that they were.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Coffee table status belies modest content,
By A Customer
This review is from: According to The Rolling Stones (Hardcover)
For the size and weight of the book (which is beautifully presented) there is surprising absence of content on (and from) past members. There is obviously a lot untold! Your reviewer has got it dead right. An opportunity missed?
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