The Rolling Stones

They were hell-bent Robert Johnsons, hard-boiled Raymond Chandlers, sexually explicit Henry Millers, scatological Louis-Ferdinand Celines and hallucinating-on-the-road Jack Kerouacs, all rolled up into one explosive -- and possibly dangerous -- rock & roll band (pg. 9).

This book is out of print but may be available in a used bookstore. Copies do turn up occasionally. It is well worth having in your collection.

It seems that almost everyone who writes a "positive" book about the Stones thanks Keith Richards for his friendship. It makes one wonder what it is Keith does besides sharing his booze and drugs.

Palmer's book is packed full of great pictures. The publishers seem to know that the pictures are worth more than the text. What text there is is tightly written and easy to read. The extra large font size makes it look a little like a childrens book.

The Rolling Stones covers the band from the early years right up until the 1981 tour. It's not easy to condense all that history into one book so only highlights are mentioned. There isn't any new information in the book (at least not if you've read any other books on the market) so don't buy the book expecting revelations.

Palmer effectively uses quotes from Stones songs to highlight the topic being discussed. If you've never stopped to think about how the lyrics reflect the band member's lives (and vice versa) the snatches of song lyrics will amuse you.

There isn't a lot to recommend this book except for the pictures. What's said in the text has all been said before. A lot of pictures have since turned up in various other books and magazines. Still, the package is attractive and mildly entertaining to any Stones fan. I know I often pull this book out just to look at the picture of the "torn and frayed" Keith sleeping backstage before a concert.

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