'Sounding like one instrument, a wild whirling bagpipe, the Stones chugged to a halt. But the crowd didn't stop, we could see Hells Angels spinning like madmen, swinging at people. By stage right a tall white boy with a black cloud of electric hair was dancing, shaking, infuriating the Angels by having too good a time.' The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones is not just the greatest book about the greatest rock 'n' roll band, it is one of the most important books about the 1960s capturing its zeitgeist - that uneasy mix of excess, violence and idealism - in a way no other book does. Stanley Booth was with the Rolling Stones on their 1969 U.S. tour, which culminated in the notorious free concert at Altamont. But this book is much more than a brilliant piece of journalism. It gives a history of the Rolling Stones from their early rhythm 'n' blues days in west London clubs to the end of the 1960s; and it interweaves with mastery the two tragic stories of the decline and death of Brian Jones and the terrifying Altamont concert itself, where the Hells Angels, supposedly providing security, ran amok and murdered a member of the audience. Although it took nearly fifteen years to write, the book that emerged has been rightly acclaimed as 'the one authentic masterpiece of rock 'n' writing'.
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Review
'Stanley Booth's book is the only one I can read and say, 'Yeah, that's how it was' - Keith Richards
'The one authentic masterpiece of rock 'n' roll writing.' - Peter Guralnick
'If you've never bought a book about rock and roll, no matter - this is the one you've been waiting for.' - Playboy
'By far the best book on its subject (including Richards's own well received effort), Booth's book is also easily the most convincing account of life inside the monster created by the rock revolution of the 1960s.' - Richard Williams, Guardian
'Stanley Booth's affection for the band did not keep him from writing about the seamy underside of the Stones' world in the Sixties ... It is the only book about the Stones that I would recommend both to the general reader and to the most devoted fan. Both will find an epiphany on almost every page.' - Robert Palmer, New York Review Times Book Review
'The best book so far about the Sixties.' - Harold Brodkey
'Shattering . . . Booth has found his voice and momentum with a pitch and passion I've never seen equalled in pop journalism. . . His book outdistances anything the Stones have wrought since Let It Bleed.' - Mikal Gilmore, Los Angeles Herald Examiner
'An epic, behind-the-scenes record of life with the greatest rock band in the world, capturing both the carnivalesque excess and the mundane grind of the rock tour' - William Skidelsky, Observer
'One of the truly great rock books' - Hot Press
' . . . remains one of the most gripping accounts ever written about the band . . . so awash with tumult and drama it at times has much in common with reportage from the front lines of the war in Vietnam, like Michael Herr's Dispatches. Booth alternates chapters on the Stones' history, based on extensive band interviews, some never bettered, with visceral episodes from the relentless chaos, excitement and abundant debauchery of the journey the Stones took on their way to its grim conclusion at Altamnont . . . ' --Allan Jones, Uncut
'The one authentic masterpiece of rock 'n' roll writing.' - Peter Guralnick
'If you've never bought a book about rock and roll, no matter - this is the one you've been waiting for.' - Playboy
'By far the best book on its subject (including Richards's own well received effort), Booth's book is also easily the most convincing account of life inside the monster created by the rock revolution of the 1960s.' - Richard Williams, Guardian
'Stanley Booth's affection for the band did not keep him from writing about the seamy underside of the Stones' world in the Sixties ... It is the only book about the Stones that I would recommend both to the general reader and to the most devoted fan. Both will find an epiphany on almost every page.' - Robert Palmer, New York Review Times Book Review
'The best book so far about the Sixties.' - Harold Brodkey
'Shattering . . . Booth has found his voice and momentum with a pitch and passion I've never seen equalled in pop journalism. . . His book outdistances anything the Stones have wrought since Let It Bleed.' - Mikal Gilmore, Los Angeles Herald Examiner
'An epic, behind-the-scenes record of life with the greatest rock band in the world, capturing both the carnivalesque excess and the mundane grind of the rock tour' - William Skidelsky, Observer
'One of the truly great rock books' - Hot Press
' . . . remains one of the most gripping accounts ever written about the band . . . so awash with tumult and drama it at times has much in common with reportage from the front lines of the war in Vietnam, like Michael Herr's Dispatches. Booth alternates chapters on the Stones' history, based on extensive band interviews, some never bettered, with visceral episodes from the relentless chaos, excitement and abundant debauchery of the journey the Stones took on their way to its grim conclusion at Altamnont . . . ' --Allan Jones, Uncut
About the Author
Stanley Booth was born in Waycross, Georgia, USA.He graduated from what is now the University of Memphis.After living in New Orleans he returned to Memphis and started writing for a living.He wrote about such musical figures as Furry Lewis, Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Otis Redding, and then ventured to London, where, in 1968, he met and became friends with, the Rolling Stones.In 1969, Booth accompanied the Stones on their tour of the US -- the one that ended with a killing at Altamont, California. Booth is also the author of a collection of pieces intentionally misspelled Rythm Oil, and a biography of Keith Richards called Keith: Till I Roll Over Dead.He currently lives south of Savannah with his wife, the poet Diann Blakely, and is collecting a new volume of essays titled Blues Dues. Stanley Booth was born in Waycross, Georgia, USA.He graduated from what is now the University of Memphis.After living in New Orleans he returned to Memphis and started writing for a living.He wrote about such musical figures as Furry Lewis, Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Otis Redding, and then ventured to London, where, in 1968, he met and became friends with, the Rolling Stones.In 1969, Booth accompanied the Stones on their tour of the US -- the one that ended with a killing at Altamont, California. Booth is also the author of a collection of pieces intentionally misspelled Rythm Oil, and a biography of Keith Richards called Keith: Till I Roll Over Dead.He currently lives south of Savannah with his wife, the poet Diann Blakely, and is collecting a new volume of essays titled Blues Dues.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By RK
Format:Paperback
Follows the Stones on the fated 1969 US tour that culminated in the infamous concert at Altamont. I knew I was in good hands as soon as I read the following early passage, describing the reporters at a pre-tour Stones press conference:
"They all appeared to be in their early twenties... dressed in the current style, achieved by spending large sums of money to look poor and bedraggled, like a new race of middle-class gypsies. They ate like gypsies, snatching up cakes and fruit and drinks."
Captures not only The Stones at the peak of their world dominance, but also the peak and decline of an era. Wonderful reading.
"They all appeared to be in their early twenties... dressed in the current style, achieved by spending large sums of money to look poor and bedraggled, like a new race of middle-class gypsies. They ate like gypsies, snatching up cakes and fruit and drinks."
Captures not only The Stones at the peak of their world dominance, but also the peak and decline of an era. Wonderful reading.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Annie
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Let us start by saying I was a very young child during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but like many people from my generation, was always enamoured by the sounds of the 1960s, particularly The Rolling Stones. I first read this in the 1980s and it was read, lent to friends and then re-read until it fell apart.
What I like? It feels like you are reading a letter from the frontier of youth culture during a particular heady time in the Twentieth Century. It has not been doctored to suit 21st Century sensibilities and all the stronger for it. For example, the reader gets to fully understand to what extent bands like The Rolling Stones were seen to be saviours and spokespeople for a new movement and a new way of life. Also, you will notice the idolisation of black artists / musicians, which at times, to a 21st Century reader, verges on stereotype.
It is beautifully written. You are THERE - no really! From the descriptions of living with the Stones (going out for dinner etc) to standing at the side of the stage watching them perform, to noticing someone at the airport - Stanley Booth captures it all.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys excellent, honest writing and has an interest in this period of history. If you are a Rolling Stones fan it is required reading, if you are not, you will still enjoy it.
What I like? It feels like you are reading a letter from the frontier of youth culture during a particular heady time in the Twentieth Century. It has not been doctored to suit 21st Century sensibilities and all the stronger for it. For example, the reader gets to fully understand to what extent bands like The Rolling Stones were seen to be saviours and spokespeople for a new movement and a new way of life. Also, you will notice the idolisation of black artists / musicians, which at times, to a 21st Century reader, verges on stereotype.
It is beautifully written. You are THERE - no really! From the descriptions of living with the Stones (going out for dinner etc) to standing at the side of the stage watching them perform, to noticing someone at the airport - Stanley Booth captures it all.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys excellent, honest writing and has an interest in this period of history. If you are a Rolling Stones fan it is required reading, if you are not, you will still enjoy it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'd read Stanley Booth's gripping first-person account of the infamous Altamont festival in The Faber Book of Pop, and remembered that it was an extract from this book when I came across it in HMV's sale. Altamont came just after the Stones' tour of the USA in November 1969, and Booth here tells the story of what it was like to be part of that extraordinary experience. The tour was the band's first visit to the US in three years, and was one of the first to target large-scale arenas. In addition, it marked the debut - leaving aside the band's Hyde Park concert a few months previously - of Mick Taylor, who'd been brought in as a replacement for Brian Jones, just prior to Jones's death two days before the Hyde Park gig. The shows in New York were released for posterity as 'Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!' (thought by some to be the best live album ever), while the film Gimme Shelter documents part of the tour and Altamont itself. And, as if all that wasn't of enough significance, the Stones (along with Booth) also visited Muscle Shoals studios just after the tour had ended to record (what turned out to be) two of their greatest songs: "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses", which were eventually released in 1971 on Sticky Fingers.
Booth interweaves his account of the tour with a history of the band, beginning with the meeting of Jagger and Richards with Jones, who was sitting in with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, and ending with the events of the summer of 1969: Jones's drug busts, his inability to contribute to the Let It Bleed album (when he asked Jagger what he could play on one track, he replied, "I don't know, Brian - what *can* you play?"), his departure from the band and his untimely death. The band were at the height of their powers throughout this year, just prior to the nasty shock of Altamont which brought the sixties to a shuddering close.
This is an excellent book - well-written, detailed and exactly descriptive - which gives you a vivid impression of the way it must have been in those times. For a variety of reasons (some of which are discussed in an afterword), it didn't appear in print until fifteen years after the events it described had taken place, but it was well worth the wait, has an enduring appeal, and is well worth reading today by those who want to know how it was.
Booth interweaves his account of the tour with a history of the band, beginning with the meeting of Jagger and Richards with Jones, who was sitting in with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, and ending with the events of the summer of 1969: Jones's drug busts, his inability to contribute to the Let It Bleed album (when he asked Jagger what he could play on one track, he replied, "I don't know, Brian - what *can* you play?"), his departure from the band and his untimely death. The band were at the height of their powers throughout this year, just prior to the nasty shock of Altamont which brought the sixties to a shuddering close.
This is an excellent book - well-written, detailed and exactly descriptive - which gives you a vivid impression of the way it must have been in those times. For a variety of reasons (some of which are discussed in an afterword), it didn't appear in print until fifteen years after the events it described had taken place, but it was well worth the wait, has an enduring appeal, and is well worth reading today by those who want to know how it was.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must
One of THE best Stones books. Written from the inside of the legendary 1969 ('Get Yer Ya-Ya' s Out') tour - with access that would be unimaginable today. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Buck Dharma
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stanley Booth nailed it. A very enjoyable read.
Loved Stanley Booth's book because it captured, through the Stones, my own remembrance of the band when I was growing up. Read more
Published 3 months ago by K. Blackwell
5.0 out of 5 stars
The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones
Bought as a present. He really like the book, he had never heard of it before. Arrived on date predicted.
Published 4 months ago by Mrs. C. Connolly
3.0 out of 5 stars
overpraised
I must admit to being surprised at the degree of praise being lavished on this book including that it is the greatest book ever written on rock and roll and the best book ever... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Hugh Crawford
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true rolling stones compendium
This book, and Keith Richards' own biography cover everything about the Stones you need to know and more. It was completely engrossing.
Published 9 months ago by markba
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
This is a fantastic book about the Stones in their heyday. The narrative flips between the early days of the band and the tour that culminated in the ill-fated Altamont show. Read more
Published 10 months ago by KKN
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