Rolling Stones FAQ [3/4]
Anthony J. Rzepela
Last-modified: 2000/02/28
Version: 7.02
Rolling Stones' Mailing list/newsgroup FAQ
====================================================
http://www.netaxs.com/~rzepelaa/undercover
Part Three
The Rolling Stones--A Bibliography
Originally prepared and maintained by: Stephen D. Carter
(st...@carters.u-net.com)
[NOTE: please see the end of this document for a
copy of a note supplied by Stephen Carter with
the December 1995 issue of this bibliography]
/***********************************************************************/
COPYRIGHT 1994-2000 (c) Anthony J. Rzepela (editor)
This collection of four works is under the copyright of the editor,
who may, at his discretion, relinquish said copyright to the authors
named herein.
This collection may not be broken up, or be made available
by any publisher. It may not be redistributed in any form
if any changes are made to it except by the holder of the
copyright.
The editor of this FAQ retains all rights for use of it.
No author or proofreader or assistant credited herein grants
the use of his or her name to any publisher. Be warned that
attempts to publish this shared work-in-progress may interfere
with legal commitments individual authors may privately hold
with publishers.
/***********************************************************************/
The Rolling Stones, unlike the Beatles seem to have had
few even half-decent authors or publishers produce books
about them. The majority of the books on this list are,
frankly, not too good. A few (Stone Alone, etc) are
imperative!
Read this list, and the books, with low expectations!
This list has been constructed with help from many people.
Among them are :
Angi
Philip Bajo
Bruce Dumes
Ed Fronczkowiski
Dave Heller
Jim Henning
Jimmy Hodgkins
Andy Meuck
John O'Sullivan
Steve Portigal
Tony Rzepela
Dirk Stoermann
David Wedig
Stephen Weinberg
Like the Stones, Stephen's a Brit, so are most of the ISBN
formats.
-------/////00000\\\\\------
Citations list author, title, year, and finally, ISBN.
(From Stephen...
and Mick, I know you'll see this, so if you ever feel
like popping in to autograph any of my stuff, there's no need
to ring ahead.)
--------------------------------------------------
ed. Bill Buford
Granta
84 0140075658
Granta is a quarterly book/magazine of 'New English Writing'
Issue 12 consists largely of an extensive extract from
Stanley Booth's "True Adventures of the Rolling Stones".
ed. David Dalton
The Rolling Stones : The Greatest Rock'n'Roll Band in the World
75 0352300922
Quite an early and well written account of the band. It
does not attempt to be a 'biography, but is collection of
essays/accounts on various aspects. As such it succeeds.
(Reissued with updates in 1979)
ed. Johnny Dean
Record Collector
Monthly magazine from the original publishers of both the
Beatles and Rolling Stones Monthly Magazines. The issues
that have special features are worth getting.
Each issue has an 'artists' directory that is up-to-date
with the right issues to get for your favourite artists.
43/45 St Mary's Road, Ealing, London, W5 5RQ. UK
ed. Johnny Dean
The Rolling Stones Book
64
Date unclear, but precedes the Rolling Stones Monthly from
the same publishers. Nice photos - a real period piece.
Even has a bit about 'The Official Rolling Stones Fan Club'
93/97 Regent St. Now, whatever became of that!?
ed. Nicholas Drake
The Sixties : A Decade in Vogue
88 1871307260
Vogue magazine has always been noted for the quality of its
photo's. Any collation of its Sixties photo's will
therefore be both excellent and will contain several shots
of the Fabs, the Stones and their chums.
Will not disappoint. Will re-stress the astonishing changes
in style (etc) that took place during those turbulent
years.
ed. Jonathan Eisen
Altamont - The Forgotten Festival : Death of Innocence ...
3800021715
272 page paperback. A collection of articles, interviews
pictures about Altamont. Relic of a bygone era and quite
worth the read. (SW)
ed. Pete Goodman
Our Own Story by The Rolling Stones
64
Wonderful period piece that asserts it is 'as we told it to
Pete Goodman'.
Written for mass consumption at the start of the band's
career.
ed. Nigel Grant
A Pixerama Foldbook of the Rolling Stones
64
A very early period piece - 12 small photo's of the band
in a concertina fold out style. The text is superbly dated,
and very wrong in places. 'The lads got their name for the
group from a Chuck Berry song 'The Rolling Stones''.
Buy it if you ever see it.
ed. Mick Jagger
The Rolling Stones Monthly Book
64
Short lived (30 issues) monthly 'Official Rolling Stones
Book edited by the Stones for their Fans' from the same
stable as the still running Beatles Monthly.
Despite the fact that it is mostly the product of the
imagination of a press/publicity crew it is worth getting
if you ever (unlikely) see it. Re-issue long overdue.
The London Years
1991 0-89898-739-3
Guitar tabulature and lyrics for all the songs
on the 1989 ABKCO 3-CD box set of the same. Published
by Warner Brothers Books. No photos.
ed. Joyce Robins
The Sixties : The Style : The Sounds : The Stars
84 0862731895
A 64 page rush through the music of the turbulent 60's.
Produced by Marks & Spencer, so quality is good. Nothing
profound, only a bit on the Stones.
ed. Robert Love
The Best of Rolling Stone
93 0863697690
A compilation of a selection of the best articles from the
magazine.
Robert Greenfield gets an article about the Stones. Worth
getting for this, and all of the rest!
ed. Dr Andreas Papadakis
Architectural Design : New Architecture
90 1854900293
A special edition of Architectural Design concentrated on
'New Architecture' and included an article by Mark Fisher
on his designs for the 1989 Steel Wheels stage - plus some
stunning colour photos.
ed. Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stones
76
A compilation of the main features on the Stones from
Rolling Stone covering the first interview in 1968 through
to 1975.
Excellent.
ed. The Rolling Stones et al. (Loewenstein, Dora; Holland, Jools)
A Life on the Road
1998 0670880515 Penguin Studio
The first-ever Stones' history book made with participation
by the band, who are credited as editors. Interviews by
veteran musician and talk-show host Jools Holland, and
editing by longtime associate Loewenstein, accompany
exclusive photographs telling the band's touring history.
(Not reviewed.)
ed. Brian Roylance (& Bill Wyman)
Blinds and Shutters : The Photographs of Michael Cooper
1990 0904351378 Genesis
A distressingly beautiful book, full of upsettingly unique
photos at a heart-stopping price.
Cooper was the 'court' photographer to the Beatles (he did
the Sgt. Pepper cover photo) and the Stones (Satanic
Majesties) and others. As such these photos are unique.
Wonderful.
ed. Jack Scott, Nick Logan
Greatest Hits : Very Best of NME
74 1850371473
A selection of the best interviews from NME. Good interview
with Mick - Roy Carr interviewer.
ed. Sue Weeks
Creative Technology - August 1995
95 Haymarket
Magazine for hard-core Art techno-freaks...
This issue has loads on how the computer animated
spikey Tongue was done for the 1994/5 Voodoo Lounge Tours
Unknown
Mick Jagger - Happy Birthday!
1992 1-873884-13-3
Publisher: IMP Ltd. 66 pages, paperback, LP-size, no
text but about 70 great pics of Mick Jagger from the
sixies to the early nineties. (D. Stoermann)
Unknown
The Rolling Stones : 24 Posters
1983 0862830605
24 nicely printed pictures (not posters) from the 81 Tour.
No text. Marginal value.
Unknown
The Rolling Stones Complete
1981 0860017611
Collection of words and music to all original Stones
compositions released from 1963 through 1980. Separate
complete lyrics section, and a UK discography through 1980.
Over 70 photo's, up to and including 1978
Unknown
Rolling Stones Stripped: A Trip through the Voodoo Lounge Tour 1994-1995
1995 1873884419
Glorified post-tour programme, but with excellent and exciting
photography from the tour. A few minor itinerary mistakes, but
lots of interesting interview snippets (largely
taken from Westwood One radio network broadcasts), and respectable
(if uncompelling) prose which steers clear of the self-absorption
that has marred other print documentaries of the Stones on the road.
Felix Aeppli
Heart of Stone : The Definitive Rolling Stones Discography
1985 0876501927
Well indexed and and as thoroughly researched as a book
without 'official' backing could be. Although it is
extensive and thorough, sources close to the band dismiss
this book as dreadfully inaccurate.
An obvious need exists for an authorized version.
Felix Aeppli
The Rolling Stones 1962-1995 The Ultimate Guide
1996 0907872263
In this high-priced update to his 1985 "Heart of Stone", Aeppli
attempts to organize the entirety of the Stones' recording,
performing, and media history, both as an act and solo artists,
into individually numbered entries. Some ill-chosen shortcuts
are exercised (e.g., shows without a recording of
the goings-on are not itemized, which will lead to extensive
renumbering problems if recordings do turn up in the future)
and some inexplicable (albeit not glaring) omissions also irritate,
but overall, the effort to put in one place answers to questions
about sessions, set lists, tours, official releases, etc. is
a massive undertaking, and while other authors may serve an
individual topic more thoroughly, no effort here is so shabby
that it would justify this book being passed over. (AR)
Mandy Aftel
Death of a Rolling Stone : The Brian Jones Story
1982 0283989459
Reasonably good biography of the life and death of Brian.
Good photo's, and research are spoiled by the author's
largely uncritical approach to Brian.
John Aldridge
Satisfaction : The Story of Mick Jagger
1984 0862761352
Very good book about the history of the Rolling Stones, plus
an analysis of the personality of Jagger, explaining how he
has managed to resolve so many contradictions in his
character that in the end there seemed to be no
contradiction (from blurb)
Great Pix, plus discography.
(Angi)
Steve Appleford
The Rolling Stones : It's Only Rock N Roll : Song by Song
1997 0028648994
Not to be confused with the Karnbach/Bernson book
of almost the same name, the organization here is chronolgical,
visiting each and every recorded album and EP track. Better
suited to be a leisurely read than a research-friendly source,
despite the promising title. The offerings are largely anecdotal,
and sometimes barely say more than "Good song" or "Bad song".
Though little here is exactly new or earth-shattering, it's
well written, circumspect, user-friendly and accomplishes what it
set out to do. Acceptable quota of errors. (AR)
Christopher Andersen
Jagger Unauthorised
1993 0671712098
Only go for this one if you are a terminal
completist. Not the best book in the booklist
Robert Armstrong
Rolling Stones
83 089813109X
This 31 page children's book provides an overview of the
Stones' history, their early chart success, the death of
Brian Jones, the big tours in the early 80's, Tattoo You,
and so on.
Mentions drugs, but not Mars bars. (SP)
Atalanta Press
The Rolling Stones : Poster Book
89 1870049225
Large format, well printed book of 20 pullout posters.
Pretty. For complete-ists only.
Stephen Barnard
The Rolling Stones : Street Fighting Years
1993 1851708626
Excellent book. Despite being so big that it is hernia
inducing. Superb photo selection, reproduced with great
clarity. The text (not matching the photo's) should be
read as a series of essays (with flaws). Photo's arranged
(seemingly) randomly - but some great ones!
Grab this book!
Jo Bergman
The Rolling Stones Blue Book
?? ?
Jo Bergman's chronology (for the press?) of the Stones
from 1963 to 1969. Nice & unusual photo's, even if
everything is printed in a tasteful blue.
All text appears in English, French, German & Italian.
Victor Bockris
Keith Richards : The Biography
92 0091743974
In a field where few serious biographies exist, any gallant
attempt should be welcomed. But..
This book suffers from poor editing, from the (bizarre IMHO)
view that much of the success of the Stones stems from the
homo-erotic relationship of Jagger/Richards/Jones. Later
parts read as slick cuttings jobs. I'm glad my copy was a
half price remainder!
Massimo Bonanno
The Rolling Stones Chronicle : The First Thirty Years
90 0859651355
Chronologically arranged list of hi-lights and low spots
from the first 30 years.
Nice photos, but the number of entries ensures a generally
shallow approach. The early years (62/3) are better than
most books - but still flawed. (Ed. note: an updated version
closing at the end of the 1995 tour, instead of 1990,
was published in the UK.)
Massimo Bonanno
The Rolling Stones Chronicle : The First Thirty-Five Years
97 0859652378
Update includes scheduled tour dates through 1998,
but is premature and incorrect as it was rushed to
market before the schedules were finalized, and all
concerts listed had a chance to be played. Presumably,
author has had five years to clear out any errors from the
predecessor.
Stanley Booth
Dance With The Devil
84 0394534883
US version of 'True Adventures'
Stanley Booth
Keith : Till I Roll Over Dead
94 0747207704
Unlike 'True Adventures' which is one of the best & most
readable books about the Stones, this book is hard going
at times. A great disappointment, and few insights into the
subject.
Personal gripe. Much transcribed verbatim from Keith's odd
speaking style - fun once, tedious after 50 pages!
Stanley Booth
The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones
85 0434081000
In 1969 Stanley Booth was granted the rights to put together
a book about the Stones. 16 years later it came out. An
entertaining read, full of racy tales and the like - both
from the Stones and from the author.
How much is true? Who cares!
(Extract first published in Granta)
Marie Cahill
The Rolling Stones - A Pictoral History
90 1856270351
Extremely well written, not deep, but complete. Almost
entirely accurate, carefully and lovingly composed to
accommodate the format as best it can. First class
captions.
Honest effort to gain an interesting captivating mix of
stock images and the unfamiliar
Roy Carr
The Rolling Stones : An Illustrated Record
76 0517526417
Well researched and illustrated retrospective. Some good
stuff from the very early years (62/63).
Terry Carty
Tumbling Dice
1991 UK based attempt to get a fanzine off the ground. After
7 issues (as of Sept '93) it is too early to judge.
Enthusiastic and deserving of support.
Tumbling Dice, 9 Collingwood Close, Westgate on Sea,
Kent CT8 8JD UK
Teresa Celsi
The Rolling Stones
1994 0836230981
Slim & small (8cm x 10cm, hardback) Stones entry in
yet another novelty gift-book series. Chronology
stops in 1993, and the discography doesn't even pretend
to be complete.
Prose stylish, highlighted quotes well-chosen, photos
wonderful. But small. Really small. (AR)
Barbara Charone
Keith Richards
79 0708816584
Quite a well researched biography about one half of the
Glimmer Twins. Too uncritical to be of real value. Access
to Keith assured some unusual photo's.
Updated 1982 version in US.
Alan Clayson
Call Up The Groups : The Golden Age of British Beat 62-67
85 0713715537 Blandford Press
Catches the development of British pop at the moment the
Beatles were up and coming, follows the careers of the
well-known and little-known Beat groups of the First Wave
Ray Connolly
Stardust Memories
83 0907516300
A compilation of articles previously published in the
Evening Standard.
Great articles, great background to The Sixties. Only does
2 Beatles - Paul & Ringo, and 2 Stones - Mick & Charlie.
Michael Cooper & Terry Southern
The Early Stones : Legendary photographs of a band in the ma
93 0436201372
A book of Michael Cooper's photo's, with a foreword (and
comments by Keef) could hardly fail. This one nearly does.
Illegible text, poor printing of ace photo's, and even some
mistakes (P157=questionable).
However, this is an essential book!
Gus Coral (& David Hinckley & D Rodman)
The Rolling Stones : Black & White Blues, 1963
95 1570361509
Excellent book of Coral's photos of a date on the 1963 tour
and of the Stones recording 'I Wanna Be Your Man'.
Although the text drifts off the point from time to time,
the photo's are SO GOOD that this book is an absolute
must-buy-it-as-soon-as-possible!
David Dalton
The Rolling Stones : The First Twenty Years
81 0500272611
Well researched, well produced and illustrated retrospective
on the Stones.
Time for an update - the First Thirty Years?
David Dalton
The Rolling Stones - An Unauthorized Biography in Words, ...
72 0825626692
This is Dalton's first book on The Stones, which he has
revised several times. It is loaded with outstanding
pictures and the text is good.
Difficult to find. Worth grabbing. Thanks to DH for
finding my copy! Excellent early-ish book. (DH)
David Dalton & Mick Farren
Rolling Stones in their own Words
1980 0860015416
One of an extensive series of similar volumes. Well
presented collection of quotes - sorted by topic. Nice
photo's. Being quotes it steers clear of the risk of
bad research!
(Reissued with some updates in 1985)
Mary Laverne Dimmick
The Rolling Stones - An Annotated Bibliography
1979 0822933845
Just what it says, she adds her knowledgable comments about
the books (etc) listed. Much less complete than
'Yesterday's Papers' but more user friendly. (DH)
Tim Dowley
The Rolling Stones
1983 0882547348
There are better books on the list.
Martin Elliott
The Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions
1990 0713721189
Any book claiming to be 'complete' that is produced without
access to either the Stones' own sources, or even Alan
Klein's, is doomed. A brave attempt, but flawed.
Simply demonstrates the need for an authorized version.
Richard Elman
Uptight With The Stones
1973
Short book which documents a small part of their 1972 US
Tour. Elman is a good writer but doesn't know that much
about The Stones. Extremely difficult to find. DH.
Jon Ewing
Quote Unquote: The Rolling Stones
1997 0-517-16029-3 Crescent Books
The Stones' entry in a mass-market series of books
built around the subjects' oral record, a la the
"In Their Own Words" paperbacks. Not reviewed.
Marianne Faithfull (with David Dalton)
Faithfull
1994 0718136586
A far better book that I was expecting. She tells about
her life & times, not just with the Stones, but before
and after.
Interesting, far from being a superficial kiss-and-tell, and
worth getting.
Even debunks the Mars Bar story!
Nicholas Fitzgerald
Brian Jones : The Inside Story of the original Rolling Stone
1985 0399130616
Personal memoire of Swingin' Sixties hanger-on to Brian's
entourage. Vivid portraits of whirlwind escapades in
Paris, London etc. Fascinating stuff about life on the
'inside'.
Despite failings, valuable. AR.
Paul Flattery
The Illustrated History of Pop
??
An excellent treatment of 1950's-1960's British Pop. Out of
print since mid-70's, but if you find it (Wise Publishers,
England) you'll learn all about Dickie Valentine, Adam
Faith, Helen Shapiro, Cliff Richards, and all the British
stars whose careers were permanently derailed by the
Fab Four.
Chet Flippo
It's Only Rock and Roll : My On The Road Adventures with the
Rolling Stones
1985 0312038518
Long account of Chet's years on the road thru 75, 78 and 79
with the Stones. Worthwhile thoughts on the Stones - at
times thought-provoking, at times funny, as well as accurate
reportage of life in the big league.
Enjoyable and recommended. Strangely never available in the
UK.
Pete Frame
Rock Family Trees
1979 0860014142
This book, an essential part of any book collection, charts
the evolution of various groups.
The Stones are shown linked to the Pretty Things (by Dick
Taylor) and tenuously to The Kinks.
Little on the Beatles.
Pete Frame
Rock Gazetteer of Great Britain
1989 0950540263
Essential reading for any serious student of UK rock music,
which of course dominates the world. Lots of short (often
witty) paragraphs about rock's famous places the length and
breadth of the land.
Could do with an index though!
David Fricke & Robert Sandall
Rolling Stones : Images of the World Tour 1989-90
1990 1852830816
This 'official' photographic record of the tour is very
disappointing. The unique access by chosen photographers
could have and should have produced a better (in every way)
book.
The photos should all have been dated and the location
noted.
Tony Gale & Andy Neil
The Rolling Stones : Olympic Recording Sessions June 1968
1994 187388413X
A slim book of photo's of..um... the 1968 One Plus One
sessions.
Overpriced, but still nice as the photos seem to capture
an atmosphere.
Bill German
Beggars Banquet
A semi-official monthly newsletter about the Stones, from a
publisher (German) with good access to Ronnie. Ceased
publication in 1996.
(address was: Beggars Banquet, PO Box 6152, New York, NY 10128)
Geoffrey Giuliano & Cris Eborn
Not Fade Away : The Rolling Stones Collection
1992 1850282161
An abolutely SUPERB book full of SUPERB illustrations of
what is (I guess) the second Best Stones Collection - Chris
Eborn's.
Wonderful printing, well composed, incredible value.
Let down rather by the text - apart from the captions.
Geoffrey Giuliano
Loose Talk
1996 [None supplied]
Issued on compact disc by the 'LaserLight' firm, this
'Audio Book on CD' (it has no ISBN, even) is a series of
press conferences (saving on copyrights and royalties, no
doubt) strung together on the flimsiest pretenses by
Giuliano's narration in order to hopefully present a
coherent history of the Rolling Stones. Doesn't work, and
the audio material is largely widely-distributed,
high-profile events like tour announcement press conferences.
John Glatt
Rage & Roll : Bill Graham & The Selling of Rock
1993 1559722053
Bill Graham was allegedly caught pocketing a *lot* of
money from the Stones' till on the '81 US tour.
Based in part on an included interview with Wyman,
this bio of Graham explores the tale and its
ramifications, among other topics, like a bio of
the man who created the big rock concert industry
as we know it today. Frequent Stones references/anecdotes
(AR).
Nigel Goodall
Jump Up : The Rise of the Rolling Stones : The first 10 Yrs
1995 1898141088
The text does not add a great deal to the body of knowledge
about the Stones.
The pictures are well selected and printed.
But, Nigel Goodall should stick to his books on Cliff
Richard.
Robert Greenfield
S T P : A Journey through America with the Rolling Stones
1974 0841503230
Very famous book about the 1972 US Tour. Well written by
an 'insider'. How did those boys survive!?
(Ed. note: Paperback rerelease by UK firm "Helter
Skelter" in 1997, ISBN 1-900924-01-3, omits photos
and the "STP" part of title.)
Bob Gruen
Crossfire Hurricane: 25 years of the Rolling Stones in the USA
1998
Another pricey limited edition (1750 copies) from Genesis
Publications, who report only 10 left available
as of October 1998. Photographer Bob Gruen caught
the band at work from 1972 to 1997, and presents 350
of the resulting photographs alongside his own narrative.
(Not reviewed).
Publisher website: http://www.widemedia.com/genesis/
Andre Hagedorn
It's Only Rock'n'Roll : The Rolling Stones : Dates & Facts
1990 3927801089
A German book of dates and facts about the Rolling Stones.
Cheap printing, nice photo's - but I've not got a clue
about the text..... :-)
Jerry Hall (with Christopher Hemphill)
Jerry Halls' Tall tales
1985 067150911X
222 page paperback - Jerry's autobiography. What you would
expect. Lots of inside stuff & photo's. Good for those
who like gossip. SW
James Hector
The Complete Guide to the Music of the Rolling Stones
1995 0711943036
One of a series of CD-sized books, this Stones entry
intelligently discusses their recorded history, and
includes coverage of important issues like flipsides
and CD re-releases. Hector can be overcritical, and
tends to take mediocre records personally, but he
is well-informed and intelligent, which makes the
reading a pleasure. The pictures are good, and with
very few exceptions, each and every track the Stones
officially released gets a conmment or two. An alphabetical
index of song titles is included. [AR]
Gary Herman
Rock'n'Roll Babylon
1982 0859650413
Compulsive reading about the seamier side of the life (and
death) the Rock Greats.
Not surprisingly the Stones pop up regularly.
Tim Hewat
Rolling Stones File
1967
Apparently this is in part the proceedings against
The Glimmer Twins from the West Sussex Quarter Sessions
June 27/28/29 1967. (J Henning).
Clinton Heylin
The Great White Wonders : A History of Rock Bootlegs
1995 014023285O Penguin
An accessible history of Rock Bootlegs, starting with the
first (Dylan) and the second (Stones) - taking a level
headed look at the (let's face it) illegal industry from
a range of angles. USA Version - Bootleg: The Secret History
of The Other Recording Industry.
If you are serious about Rock, collect Bootlegs, then this
for you.
Mark Hodginson
Marianne Faithfull : As Tears Go By
1991 0711924015
An appreciatively critical, not fawning, well written book
that sets a good standard for others to match. Not having
any 'official' approval is both a weakness, and a strength.
Whatever the flaws, I wish that more Rock Biographies were
to this high standard.
Dezo Hoffman
The Rolling Stones
?? 009158311x
Dezo was a staff photographer with Record Mirror and his
first assignment to cover the Stones is re-printed here
- dated May 1963.
An excellent book of first class photos from 1963 to the
early 70's.
Dieter Hoffman
Rolling Stones - Das Schwarzbuch
1987 3926886005
The Black Book - bootleg discography with pictures, quality
ratings etc. About 600 are listed. Much, much better than
Hot Wacks. DH.
(Note: Hoffman reissued the Scwarzbuch in 1997,
publishing it in a looseleaf binder format to facilitate
the regular updates and changes.)
Dieter Hoffman
Rolling Stones - Das Weissbuch
1991 3980248940
Totally amazing detailed catalogue of Stones (legal)
releases. UK, US, Germany, 7, LP, CD. You name it, it's
there! Includes song index. Expensive (99 DM) but well
worth it for the serious collectors. (See also Das
Schwartzbuch by ther same author)
A E Hotchner
Blown Away : The Rolling Stones and the Death of the Sixties
90 0671693166
Less than readable account that draws upon interviews with
everyone except the Stones. Interview extracts pasted
together out of context results in a book with little value.
One nice photo.
William Hughes
Performance
1970
Book of the film. Almost.
Marsha Hunt
Real Life
1986 0701130261
Marsha describes life growing up in USA and then her move
to London, run ins with Mayall, Mick Taylor, Elton John,
being a cebrity, and then Jagger.
Many dropped names, not huge Stones content, but picture
of Jagger better than most on offer. SP
Laura Jackson
Golden Stone : The Untold Life & Death of Brian Jones
1994 185685067X
Hardly untold. Yet another telling of a familiar tale.
The promised revelation of the identity of Jones' (alleged)
killer comes 200 pages into the 228 pages of text.
Only for completeists.
Laura Jackson
Heart of Stone - The Unauthorized Life of Mick Jagger
1997 1-85782-213-7
Blake Publishing, London. Paperback, 272 pages (not reviewed).
Tony Jasper
The Rolling Stones
1976 0706405498
Cuttings job. Nicely printed selection of photo's.
Philip Kamin & Peter Goddard
The Rolling Stones : The Last Tour
1982 0825301181
Longish text for little reward. Often pretentious.
Excellent photos, although the captions are sometimes
incorrect.
James Karnbach & Philip Kamin
The Rolling Stones : The Last Tour
1983 0283989807 Sidgwick & Jackson
Written by long time Stones authority James Karnbach,
exciting coverage of shows, many pages of photo's, and
finally an interview with Ronnie.
Plus a breakdown of the performance history of each song
in the '82 set list.
(Appeared in USA as "The Rolling Stones In Europe")
James Karnbach & Carol Bernson
It's Only Rock & Roll: The Ultimate Guide to the Rolling Stones
1997 0816030359 Facts on File
First-ever attempt at a popularly-priced, widely
distributed "Ultimate Guide" to the Stones' career
activities. Author is of justified repute, so this, a
book beset by gremlins, errors and probably a 1997 tour
tie-in deadline, is a bit tragic. The number of blunders
about obvious stuff is enough to make one fret about
the whole affair, and renders the new data exclusive
to these authors hard to consume on faith. Advice: hope
for a cleaned-up, second edition. (AR)
Hilary Kay
Rock'n'Roll Collectables
1992 185510069X
Coffee table sized book that draws on Hilary's position as
THE inventor of the famous Sotheby's memorabilia auctions.
Some excellent photo's - including one of the alternative
Pepper drumskin - described as 'in a private collection'
(Paul has it!)
Expensive, but buy if remaindered at about half price!
The Kicker Twins
The Stones Bible
1992
Privately published (photocopied) in Germany, this lists
concerts by city and compares bootleg LP/CD to tapes for
completeness. Only 200 copies printed. DH
Volker Kluge
The Rolling Stones - At the Rarest
1981
Bootleg discography, mostly obsolete due to the passage
of time, and Das Schwarzbuch. DH
June Knight
On the Scene : The Rolling Stones
1964
Only 36 pages, but packed with good quality early photos.
Interestingly Brian follows Mick in the pecking order of
of the group.....
Sebastian Krüger
Rolling Stones Pur
1990 3923192453 Kunst Der Comics
(Precis of AM's submission)
Excellent book of coloured Stones cartoons, if (by all
accounts) a tad wierd!
Keith on Krüger : "Very Interesting Work! It must have been
a good pencil"
Sebastian Krüger
STONES
1994 3890825052 Edition C, Switzerland
(Precis of AM's submission)
Excellent book of coloured Stones cartoons, if (by all
accounts) a tad wierd.
Keith on Kruger : "Very Interesting Work! It must have been
a good pencil"
Sebastian Krüger
Stones
1996 1-883398-18-5
[96 pp., pub. Morpheus International]
A 10.25"x14" full color book of portraits, caricatures,
and abstracts of our heroes. The incredible portraits in
this book are either taken from popular photos, such as the
Rolling Stone "No Regrets" Keith cover, or are
the products of Krüger's great imagination.
Also in the book are various quotes (in English and German)
from the likes of Keith, Mick, Patti, William Burroughs,
Harlan Ellison, and others...
(J. Hodgkins)
Annie Leibovitz & Terry Southern
The Rolling Stones on Tour
1978 0906196078
Beautifully produced and presented book of great photo's
of the Tour of The Americas '75.
A talented photographer with privileged access to the tour
has captured some great images. See page 68.
Spencer Leigh & Peter Frame
Let's Go Down The Cavern - The Story of Liverpool's Merseybeat
1984 0091585414
An EXCELLENT book written by Someone Who Was There. Full of
detail without being tedious. Always interesting. Lots
of anecdotes and loads of facts.
Very good indeed. Buy it if you see it.
David Littlejohn
The Man Who Killed Mick Jagger
1977 0671819135
294 page sleazy novel about a psychopath who stabs Jagger
to death on stage at Oakland Coliseum in 69.
'A great read for Stones Fans'. SW
Philip Luce
The Stones
1970 0093051905
An early attempt at a half-serious account
of the rise and rise of the Stones. A historic curio.
Wonderful cover shot of Charlie
Sutherland Lyall
Rock Sets : The Astonishing Art of Rock Concert Design
1992 0500276978
This book details the Stage Set designs of Fisher Park - the
architects who designed the 'Steel Wheels' and 'Urban Jungle
stage sets.
Very high quality photo's and reproduction. Excellent.
Michael Lydon
Rock Folk : Portraits from the Rock'n'Roll Pantheon
4400740245
199 page paperback with essays on Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry,
Smokey Robinson, BB King, Grateful Dead, Joplin, and of
course the Rolling Stones.
Stones essay is almost half the book (69 tour) and is a
good companion to the Stanley Booth book. SW
Chrissie Lytton Cobbold
Knebworth : Rock Festivals
1985 0711907749
Fascinating behind the scenes account of the Knebworth
Festivals - by the lady of the house!
Good account of Stones' appearance (longest ever set?).
Jessica MacPhail
Yesterday's Papers : The Rolling Stones in Print 1963-84
1986 0876502095
No original text, but a book of lists of books, newspaper
articles, magazines, and file reviews. Ambitious but flawed
by the fact that the earliest reference is May 1963 - almost
a year after the first one. Dreadful typeface makes this
book very hard to use.
An honorable attempt at an impossible task. A must for all
serious students.
Gered Mankowitz
Satisfaction : The Rolling Stones photos of Gered Mankowitz
1984 0283991178
First class book of photo's taken by one of the inner circle
of favoured photographers from the early years.
Gered Mankowitz
Rolling Stones : Masons Yard to Primrose Hill : 1965-1967
1995 0904351483
Yet another stunningly produced limited edition (1,750)
book from Genesis. Excellent selection of excellent
photo's, excellently presented. First class text about
Gered's work with the Stones 65-67.
All copies autographed by Gered.
Pearce Marchbank
The Rolling Stones File
1976 0-86001-245-X
Contains music and a few passport-like pages on each Stone.
Front cover is individual photos from the Black &
Blue photo session; not to be confused with the 1967
book of the same name. (PB)
J Marks
Mick Jagger : The Singer Not the Song
1973 0349122881
A less than useful bio of Mick. Everone has a different
perspective on the Band, this is J Marks'.
Linda Martin
The Rolling Stones in Concert
1982 0617376954
Text tells you nothing new, but the photos are good - often
with stunning clarity.
Suffers, like many books, from badly captioned photos.
Linda McCartney
Sixties: Portrait of an Era
1992 1855100894
Linda got her Big Career Break by taking photo's of the
Stones in New York in 1966. Nice photo's, nicely printed
and presented. Overpriced book.
Mind you, it has some superb photo's, including The Best
Photo Ever of Jimi.
Linda McCartney
Linda's Pictures
1976 0345278151
Very nice 1976 collection of Linda's photo's. Worth
grabbing if you see it as some of the shots are not
repeated in the 1992 glossy coffee table production.
Actually quite a nice book!
Linda McCartney
Sixties : Portrait of an Era
1992 1855100894
Overpriced, but well produced, coffee table book of Linda's
pictures. From her early break crashing a Stones session
in June 1966 through to some intimate photo's with the
Beatles and her husband.
Includes The Best Ever Photo of Jimi, and a superb photo
of the Fabs about to cross Abbey Road. Accept as a gift,
or buy if remaindered.
Miles
The Rolling Stones : A visual Documentary
1994 0711934606
Even if it is a pretty obvious cash-in on the Voodoo Lounge
tour hype, it is an excellent book of well printed and
presented photo's and 'diary' entries.
What I'd expect from Miles.
Buy it.
Miles
Rolling Stones : An Illustrated Discography
1980 0860017621
An ESSENTIAL book for all Stones fans. An excellent listing
of the band's records up to 1980 (and thus in need of a new
edition).
Few books on this list are mandatory, this is one!
Philip Norman
The Life and Good Times of the Rolling Stones
1989 0712630384
A large format photo book, short on text. Given that Norman
has written first class books about both the Stones and the
Fabs, one has to wonder what the point is.
Only buy of remaindered and very cheap.
Philip Norman
The Stones
1984 0552124877
Pete Townshend writes 'It's a good thing that a writer of
Philip Norman's class has finally produced a book on The
Stones'.
Agreed. Even if this is flawed, and I don't know if it
really is, too many of the Stones books are very lightweight
and it is a pleasant change to have one that is actually
serious and thorough.
Andrew Oldham
The Rolling Stones : the Singles Collection
1989
The re-issued boxed set of Singles (CD et.al.) has an OK
book of notes. Useful notes, more useful for all of the
words of the songs and the notes about the singles.
Robert Palmer
The Rolling Stones
1983 0722166567
A well researched and presented book from the publishers
of Rolling Stone. Light on text, heavy on pictures.
Tony Palmer (ill. Ralph Steadman)
Born Under A Bad Sign
1970 718303036
Usual 'hard to read' stuff from Palmer. Book has value
because it is contemporary, and Palmer moved in the circles
he writes about.
Essays about 60's music, musicians and movers...
Jeremy Pascall
The Rolling Stones
1977 0702600156
(No information - source Melvyl System)
Guy Peellaert, Nik Cohn
Rock Dreams : Under the Boardwalk
1974 0330240080
A book of fantasy drawings of The Great Stars in likely and
unlikely situations. The Stones are (rather strangely)
illustrated.
It is said that Jagger was so impressed that this was the
reason why Peellaert was commissioned to do the cover for
It's Only Rock'n'Roll.
James Phelge
Phelge's Stones
1998 0966433807
Nankering With the Rolling Stones : The Untold Story of the Early Years
2000 1556523734
Autobiographical reminiscence by the man who lived in the
same dingy rooms as Richards, Jagger and Jones as they
successfully clawed their way to the big time, and then
drifted further from the center of the storm as it swirled
wider and more fiercely. Refreshingly free of self-aggrandizement,
doesn't insult anyone's intelligence by trying to infuse the
goings-on with metaphysical significance, and a devastatingly
funny read to boot. A valuable and unsentimental portrait of
the very last days of the band members' existence as normal
anonymous folk. 2nd edition issued in 2000 w/ new title. (AR)
John Platt
London's Rock Routes
1985 0947795707
Quite a nice round up of famous rock locations around the
capital. A good chapters on the Stones, and the Beatles.
Hans-Ulrich Prost, Gerd Roeckl
Die Rolling Stones - Die haerteste Rockgruppe der Welt
(The Rolling Stones - The hardest rockband in the world)
1982 3-404-60079-7
For terminal completists only. Foreword from Alexis Korner.
Includes short biographies, tours, movies and discographie.
An incomplete Who's who in the world of the Stones
distinguished this lightweight book from others.
220 pages, 16 of it with b/w pictures. (D. Stoermann)
Greg Quill
The Rolling Stones : 25th Anniversary Tour
1989 0921458029
Some neat pictures, but contains factual errors.
Mike Randolph
The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus
1995 1898422029 Tracks
Not to be confused with a book with the identical title
from the same author (!), this is a smaller "Stones-only"
special limited (2,000) edition. Nice photo's.
Collectors only though!
It would be nice to see the video/film!
Mike Randolph
The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus
1991 157116210X Faber & Faber
Lovely book of photo's from a famous, but little documented,
event. Photo's of all the artists - including some
great shots of both the Stones, and of Lennon.
Daft production means that some of the nicer pictures are
across 2 pages, but to see them means breaking the book!
Terry Rawlings & Keith Badman
Good Times Bad Times: The Definitive Diary of the Rolling Stones
1960-1969
1997 0951720678
Not Reviewed
Terry Rawlins
Who Killed Christopher Robin : The Truth Behind the Murder
94 0752209892
Further exposure to the theory that Brian was murdered.
Not an easy book to read.
The theory undermined by some gross errors in the book
(Witterings being near Roehampton etc)
But, buy if remaindered!
The Rolling Stones
Concert Programmes
Any history of any group can only be helped by a study of
their Concert Programmes. As the years have passed these
have progressed from small quick throw-away jobs, to lavish
well produced (and expensive) souvenirs.
Yet another way for the bands to make money.
William Ruhlmann
The Rolling Stones
1993 0861247957 Bison
Nicely presented selection of well printed photo's of
the band, along with a fairly light weight accompanying
text.
A FAR better book than I was led to believe to expect -
I guess it to be aimed at the pre-teen market who ask their
(grand)Parents.... "Who are the Rolling Stones".
Ethan Russell
Dear Mr Fantasy
1985
Many good photo's of the Stones and other bands,
personalities, etc. Especially good photo's from 1969
when he was the official tour photographer. DH.
Tony Sanchez
Up and Down with the Rolling Stones : The Inside Story
1979 0688085156
'Spanish' Tony's account of several years wheeling and
dealing with the Stones (mainly Keith). An interesting read
because even if 99% is grossly inflated it gives a flavour
of what life was like with the band during the late 60's to
early 70's.
Spanish Tony is immortalised on the (censored) Beggars
Banquet cover (below Parachute Woman).
Christopher Sandford
Mick Jagger : Primitive Cool
1994 0575057491
(Review Under Construction)
Anthony Scaduto
Mick Jagger
1974
Lengthy and detailed look at how Jagger was perceived
in 1974.
Carey Schofield
Jagger
1983 0708826156
A disappointingly lightweight bio of Mick.
Davin Seay
Mick Jagger : The Story Behind The Rolling Stones
1993 1559721928
(Original reviewer's notes abbreviated by Carter to...)
'There is some stunningly inept writing here, apart from
subject matter. Makes the head spin.'
For completeists only
Marianne Sinclair
Those Who Died Young : Cult Heroes of the 20th Century
0859650294
Inevitably a mention of Brian Jones (& Keith gets mentioned
in the Gram Parson's bit). (JHenning).
Mandy Smith (with A Coulson & I Millar)
It's All Over Now
1993 1857820827
Kiss and Tell.
Miss Smith was the much publicised teen-bride of Bill.
The marriage did not last much longer than the Steel Wheels
& Urban Jungle Tours.
This is her version of events.
Sean Smith & Dale Lawrence
Stone Me!
1999 1-84018-084-6
Paperback quiz book with trivia questions, crosswords,
etc. Mixture of questions fit for aficionados with
ones which could make amateurs feel smart, too.
(Not reviewed).
Mick St Michael
Keith Richards in His Own Words
1994 071193634X Omnibus
Disappointing collection of tertiary quotes from Keith
along with equally disappointing pictures. (JO'Sullivan)
For completists only.
Wilfred Stember
The Rolling Stones : Collectors File 2
1984
A stirling attempt by a German fan to list all shows,
albums, recordings etc.
Yet another book to compare with other similar and worry and
wonder about the differences.
Come on Bill, do the decent thing and publish YOUR database!
George Tremlett
Rock Gold : The Music Millionares
1990 0044405480
Although in parts a bit like an economics text book, it
is a surprisingly readable account of where (and how) the
MONEY goes.
Could have done with a harder editor - but worthwhile
nevertheless
George Tremlett
The Rolling Stones Story
1974 0860071286
Tory Ex-GLC Councillor does a mean job with a cuttings
file.
Andre Verdet and Bill Wyman
Chagall's World
1984 0385193246
When a book of an interview with Chagall was to be published
who better than to do the photo's than (then) near neighbour
Bill Wyman.
Nice book.
Sue Weiner & Lisa Howard
The Rolling Stones : A-Z
1983 0711905495
Encyclopedia format of a paragraph about people, songs and
the like to do with the band. Helpful in settling disputes.
3000 entries ensures brevity of each entry.
Welch, Chris
The Rolling Stones
1994 1858680697
Part of a mass-market 'CD book' series, the publishers
at least chose a competent and knowledgeable author
to pen the Stones' history. Welch, with much industry experience
and a KR interview from '77 under his belt, writes an
engaging and lively (if compact) history with some unorthodox
but at least well-informed views on the Stones' history and output.
Great photos. Sloppy discography/summary for the appendix.
Timothy White
Rock Lives : Profiles & Interviews
1990 0805013962
Interviews & profiles of everyone from Robert Johnson
to Prince, taking in Keith on the way.
'There's really only one song in the whole world and
probably Adam and Eve hummed it to each other....'. SP.
Ron Wood (with Bill German)
The Works
1988 0006373542
Ronnie's short autobiography. Also has a paragraph or two
about his influences.
Lightweight, but the sketches are nice.
Ron Wood
Wood on Canvas: Every Picture Tells a Story
1998 Genesis Publications
A very pricey (192 English pounds), numbered limited
edition (2,500) collection of Ron Wood's artwork. Like "The
Works", includes narration and tales from Wood.
Forewords provided by Mick and Keith. Includes a bonus
audio CD with two tracks unavailable elsewhere. Not Reviewed.
Publisher website: http://www.widemedia.com/genesis/
Bill Wyman
Chagall's World
1984
Bill Wyman
Stone Alone : The Story of a Rock'n'Roll Band
1990 0670828947
Bill's own account of the band's story up to the 1969 Hyde
Park concert. A surprisingly absorbing read, despite the
great detail. Although Ray Coleman did edit the book, it
was written by The Man himself and was reportedly cut down
from 300,000 words. Deals with interraction with Beatles.
Essential. How long will we have to wait for Volume 2 (in
preparation).
Bill Wyman
Wyman Shoots Chagall
1998
According to pre-publishing hype, this author-signed limited
edition (1500 copies) "will present the portrait photography
and extensive reminiscences of the former Rolling Stone Bill
Wyman." Finding himself neighbors with Marc Chagall in the
South of France in the 70s, Wyman took lots of pictures of
the man and shows them here. "Bill has also provided a candid
and humorous commentary to accompany the pictures, reflecting at
length on his friendship with Chagall, life as a Rolling Stone on
the road and in the South of France, and his long-term love of
photography." Initial edition also includes an exclusive
8-track CD of solo material recorded by Wyman in the early 80s.
Not reviewed.
Publisher website: http://www.widemedia.com/genesis/
Nico Zentgraf
Complete Works Vol. I 1962-1975
1993
Covering the years 1962 to 1975, Zentgraf meticulously records
all appearances by the Rolling Stones together or alone:
television shows, concerts, recording sessions; nothing escapes
the relentless cataloguing. Published by Stoneware Publishing,
a private publisher in Germany specializing in Stones'
books, copies of this book from an unfortunate press run
(beset with smudges) are still available directly from them.
Not reviewed.
Nico Zentgraf
Complete Works Vol. II 1976-1986
1994
This 'sequel' to "Complete Works Vol. 1", covering
1976-1986, is no longer available. Like Volume I,
published by Stoneware. Not reviewed.
===============================================================
Special note from outgoing editor Stephen Carter (12/95)
===============================================================
This message should reach you as the header to a new version of
the Books FAQ. This version incorporates a number of changes:
* I have gone through the text very carefully, and there are
many fewer silly typo's than there once were.
* The list is in fact generated from a database on my home
personal computer - a getting-rather-old Atari. Previously
I had two databases - one for each of the two rather good
bands. This meant a rather large amount of duplication
(etc), so I have now merged the two, and re-categorised some
entries around a schema of Beatles, Stones, Both and
General. The Beatles FAQ is the total less Stones, and vice
versa.
* Necessarily some text had to be tinkered with to make sense.
* I have edited some text entries - see later.
Those are the changes.
In doing the above, one thing that 'drove me' was the need to
EDIT the text to make it less 'informal' - and in some cases to
remove what may have been read as libel! The increasingly
litigous nature of the Internet has forced me to do this. A
couple of years ago it may have been OK to describe a book as
"Dreadful" - perhaps no longer?
I have been doing the Stones list for 3 years, and the Beatles
one for (?) 5 - this will be my last one. The main reasons for
giving this up are:
* The litigous nature of the Internet (above)
* I was, and am, more than happy to do this job out of the
kindness of my heart. I do this for the next guy/girl - and
she/he does a similar turn for me (or the next person). But
I deeply resent the growing commercialisation of this aspect
of the Interent - so the fact that someone may have taken a
copy of this FAQ (largely, but not uniquely, my own work)
and is selling it on a CD offends me most profoundly. I am
happy to *give* the fruits of my labours to my friends, but
I'm not prepared to permit someone else to sell it for their
profit!
* It is a lot of work in all. It is someone else's turn - so
I freely give this text to the community and only ask that
while it still applies, my input is noted somewhere. (If
future FAQ maintainers can take Atari Superbase files, then
they can have the original database copied - or in due
course I expect I'll have a more industry standard version
which I'll make available.
* I want to use the database for my own purposes - basically
as a catalogue of my own book collection - which extends the
scope of the FAQ a tad too far.
It has been fun, and I **DO** want to hear about any new (or
discovered old) books - but as a user and not a FAQ maintainer.
===============================================================