The Rolling Stones: black and white blues, 1963

We thought this music was absolutely new. That's how we felt about it. It was only after we'd been around a few more years that we realized this has been going on forever. Mozart rocks, man! -- Keith Richards

Far be it from me to argue with Keef, but in 1963 the music was new to many people. Even more important than that, the Stones were new (really!). This book of beautiful black and white photos shows a group of young men on the brink of hysteria. The First single. The first tour. Before the first groupies. 1963 was a time when each of the Stones seems so remarkably young that looking at them is like looking at an entirely different band.

For the first tour, the Stones were part of a group of acts thrown together to appeal to as many people as possible. The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley, Julie Grant, The Flintstones and Little Richard shared billing with our heroes. Many of Gus Coral's pictures were taken over a two-day period in Cardiff, Wales. The rest were shot 10 days later at De Lane Lea Studios in London where the Stones recorded "I Wanna Be Your Man".

Looking at the boys today, it's easy to forget that they were once just a bunch of young dudes with a dream. These pictures show an angelic Brian whose bright face smiles often. They also show the beginning of Keith's 'gunslinger' persona standing alone against the world with only his guitar for comfort. They were lucky to be included on the 1963 package tour. They had a following in London but no one knew if they would click with audiences in more remote places. Mick had left the London School of Economics to do the tour but only after securing a place for himself in the fall of '64 if the music thing didn't work out.

It's hard to imagine what the world would be like if the music thing hadn't worked out. It's hard to imagine that there was ever any doubt. When Coral's pictures were taken, nothing was sure. Charlie, Bill and Stu still had their day jobs to go back to. The pictures tell a fascinating story.

The text is well written and even funny at times. The one thing I disliked about this book was the pop culture critique if American culture of the 40s and 50s. Or the re-hash of the

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