According to The Rolling Stones [Illustrated] (Hardcover)

According to the Rolling Stones hews closely to the formula set in 2000 by the publication of The Beatles Anthology. Like its predecessor, it's a beautiful coffee-table tome with hundreds of gorgeous photographs--from childhood pictures of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to concert shots from the 40 Licks Tour. The text is taken from recent interviews with the band's four latter-day members (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood). Notably missing, however, is any contribution from former bassist Bill Wyman, who left the band in the early 90s and published his own history of the band in 2002, Rolling with the Stones. Where Wyman is an obsessive collector and diarist, the other Stones are more impressionistic in their memories, lending an approach to history as casual as the band's concerts are rigorously planned and staged.

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.

The coverage for the Stones's UK tour and the book has been HUGE, every paper covering it from THE FINANCIAL TIMES to THE MIRROR. The following is a summary of coverage for the book and some of general coverage for the tour. The book also had one week at number 10 on the SUNDAY TIMES bestseller list. SUNDAY TIMES NEWS REVIEW - the 2 part serial ran on 10 and 17 August. EVENING STANDARD - (circulation 450,000), Charles Shaar-Murray, the king of music writers, interviewed Keith Richards about the book - ran 22.8.03. The interview alsoran in THE SCOTSMAN on 28.8.03 INDEPENDENT SATURDAY MAGAZINE- used Carl Hiassen essay + book offer - ran 16.8.03 INDEPENDENT FRIDAY REVIEW - Charles Shaar-Murray wrote a review front about the book - ran 15.8.03 RADIO 2 ARTS PROGRAMME and THE PHIL JUPITUS SHOW on BBC 6MUSIC - Patrick Humphries has done a big piece about the book for both programmes and is also going to review for RECORD COLLECTOR MAGAZINE. BBC 1 TV Documentary - this went out on Sunday 24thAugust @ 10.15pm ( estimated audience - 4.5 Million). The band were not interviewed but they approved the documentary and all the interviewees. T4/ Channel 4 Stones Interview special - Vernon Kay meets the Rolling Stones transmited Sunday 31st August, trailed 10.8.03. Q MAGAZINE - interviewed Keith Richards for their August issue, which was out 1st August and they have done a big piece about our book for their September issue, which is out now. MOJO MAGAZINE - 'Rolling Stones Special issue' given away free at all the concerts. They have used a section from one of the essays in the book as an introduction to the issue. 26.8.03 RADIO 4 FRONT ROW -the presenter, John Wilson, has done a review of book and preview of concert - 22.8.03 RADIO 2 STEVE WRIGHT SHOW - (daily audience 3.5million, weekly audience 7 million, largest afternoon audience on radio OR TV) have done a series of interviews with each band member and they broadcast one interview each day which began on Monday 28th July and ran through until Friday 1st August when they did a huge competition for tickets and copies of the book. BBC RADIO FIVE - interview with Dora Lowenstiein, 10.9 TALKSPORT RADIO - interview 23.8 EUROPEAN RADIO FEATURES - syndicated radio reviews to independent stations in the UK, Ireland and the rest of EuropeSKY 1, ENTERTAINMENT UK - feature on the band and review 17.9 IORR - the most influentail of the unofficial websites, reviewing the book PROCTOR AND GAMBLE (2.5 million) - are doing a page on the book in their Xmas mag. distributed through WH Smith. DAILY TELEGRAPH - (circulation 950,000, the best-selling daily broadsheet),Tom Horan or Charles Spencer are going to interview the band about the book. It will run as a two-page spread using unpublished photos from the book, will be advertised in the Sunday Telegraph and feature as a front page story as well. This is still tbc.and looks most likely to happen after the tour has finished and so will give the book an extra push in November. Radio & TV GIVEAWAYS - we are offering one copy of the book along with ticket comps to all the following: It guarantees a major plug for the book: BBCLONDONTOTP2T4XFMCAPITAL GOLD NETWORKAPTNSKY ENT NEWSBBC RADIO 2 NEWSIRNBBC RADIO SCOTLANDBATH FMKESTREL FM We've had some excellent review coverage with the SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE giving the book a good review, 17.8 and THE OBSERVERreviewed it on 31.8 The following will also be reviewing: Q MAGAZINE, THE WORD, UNCUT, JACK MAGAZINE, SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE, RECORD COLLECTOR and OK MAGAZINE. And here are some quotes from the reviews we've received so far: 'a wonderfully big, glossy and copiously illustrated book which gets right to theheart of what makes the Stones tick as musicians, songwriters, performers and chums.'Val Hennessy, THE DAILY MAIL 'Every fan of the band will want a copy.'Graham Ball, THE EXPRESS