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Title: Stone Alone: The Story of a Rock 'N' Roll Band by Bill Wyman, Ray Coleman ISBN: 0-306-80783-1 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: October, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (15 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Detailed story of The Stones up to 1969
Comment: Bill Wyman's "Stone Alone" is an excellent biography of The Rolling Stones, with the perspective of an insider but not the one at center stage.
As the bass player and one of the founding members of The Stones, Bill Wyman was also the band's historian, keeping detailed journals about the band, and this contributes to making fleshed out anecdotes about the band from the early days until the death of Brian Jones and their free concert at Hyde Park in July 1969.
As a bio-piece, there is the usual growing up poor in post-war Britain saga. Wyman engages readers with vivid images and a keen memory that bring this period to life, and he also builds brief pieces for the other founding members of the Stones, Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts.
Having always been a casual fan of TRS, I learned a lot from this book. The major parts are fairly common knowledge in rock music lore, but here are some of the main points:
*Brian Jones was the key influence in the early days, having a genius level aptitude for learning instruments, and possessing a charisma on par with Mick Jagger's. He was also a very screwed up guy with a number of physical ailments and emotional instability.
*Ian Stewart was a key contributor, as a pianist, then road manager after his "relegation" by Andrew Oldham.
*While Andrew Oldham profoundly influenced their growth, he also screwed them over, as did manager Allen Klein. What happened to all of that money?
*Wyman was a shameless philanderer who detailed his many road conquests, but was also a doting father to his son, Stephen.
Wyman also had a lot of bitterness toward Jagger and Richards, for their egos, their controlling of the band and ignoring contributions of other band members and reaping a greater share of songwriting royalties. Wyman details how his own projects were shunted to the side. The Jagger/Richards/Oldham "unholy trinity" also led to Brian Jones becoming a sideman, never blossoming as a songwriter, and eventual ouster from the band. Well, actually, Jones own self-destructive behavior contributed greatly to these three things.
Wyman provides amazing details about each show, from the number of attendees, the gross receipts and what happened. It was also interesting to note his bank balance at various junctures, as the public believed these guys were millionaires when they were basically broke because of the mismanagement of their accounts by Klein.
Some critiques: The book is pretty long, and the anecdotes of concert, riots and screaming girls in the early years get pretty repetitive.
I would have liked to have learned more about the music itself and how the songs came together. This book is many about the performances and personal escapades of the band members.
Still, the information presented provides a great glimpse into the Stones early lives and music from 1963-69. Having read this book, I'm eager to find the next "chapter" and delve further into The Stones music catalog from the blues/R&B period as well as songs beyond the obvious hits.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Fascinating Glimpse Into The Making Of 60's Rock Legends
Comment: Thanks to the Rolling Stones' bass player Bill Wyman's neurotic habit of keeping journals and detailed records of nearly every aspect of his life, we have in this book a precious and rare opportunity to look at the formative days of the Rolling Stones. I am absolutely dumbfounded at other reviews which refer to this book as boring or concerned only with uninteresting details of mundane matters. The book is a witty, compelling and fascinating account of how a devotee of the American Blues genre named Brian Jones, plucked the title of a Muddy Waters record called "Rollin' Stone Blues", and used it as the name of the band he formed to jam on the blues for the pure pleasure of it. Only later through chance meetings, serendipity, and fate did musicians Bill Wyman, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts cross his path and redirect the band's musical focus towards original songwriting and pop stardom, leading to the ultimate unraveling of Brian Jones's mental stability which eventually let to his untimely death by drug-induced drowning. Contrary to bizarre assertions by other reviewers that Bill Wyman was a vindictive malcontent, and a jealous and egotistical songwriting competitor to the Jagger/Richards team, Mr. Wyman was and is a quiet, fun-loving, and happy person with a droll sense of humor. Of course the Stones had their differences, fights, spats, and arguments just like every group of people involved in long-term relationships, and these are related with honesty here. Wyman in fact uses most of this book as a vehicle to express his love and admiration for his fellow Stones and at the genius of The Glimmer Twins (Jagger and Richards). Rarely tooting his own horn as a songwriter, Wyman does at one point wryly relate the tale of how HE and not Jagger and Richards came up with the lick for one of the Stones' most compelling songs "Jumpin' Jack Flash", for which he was never given credit. The first-hand recounting of the band's sudden rise to stardom, from the dismal empty clubs in England to the world stage, is compelling reading and the stories of the groupies, the band's exact pay at every gig, the financial debacles, and eventually their monetary revival which occured after Mick Jagger met a Swiss Baron who took over the Stone's books, are all vital statements of fact, valuable lessons to musicians of today and an integral part of the story of one of the greatest bands of all time. Ray Coleman does an exemplary job of working with Wyman and turning out one of the great books of rock. Thank you Bill and Ray for this amazing record of a legendary period!
Rating: 5
Summary: Thanks Bill....Nice Job!
Comment: Written in 1990, this is a very well written inside look at how the Stones developed. Wyman has kept good notes and uses them to full advantage to give you a rationale look at the music, business, and lifestyle of the band from 64 though 90. There are details that have not previously been revealed about the early shows, the American tours, Brian, the drug busts in London, it goes on and on.....extremely interesting to anyone a bit fanatical about the Stones (but who else would be reading this review?).....this one is original material, not a fan ripoff and definitely worth your money......
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Title: Rolling with the Stones by Bill Wyman, Richard Havers ISBN: 0789489678 Publisher: DK Publishing Pub. Date: 28 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
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Title: According to the Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones ISBN: 0811840603 Publisher: Chronicle Books Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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Title: The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones by Stanley Booth ISBN: 1556524005 Publisher: Chicago Review Press Pub. Date: May, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Up and Down With the Rolling Stones by Tony Sanchez ISBN: 0306807114 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: September, 1996 List Price(USD): $16.50 |
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Title: Keith Richards: The Biography by Victor Bockris ISBN: 0306808153 Publisher: Da Capo Press Pub. Date: April, 1998 List Price(USD): $16.50 |
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