The Stone Age: Sixty Years of the Rolling Stones

If you love the Stones you'll love this. I've been listening to them on and off since the early 60s and I can get pretty boring on the relative merits of Messrs Jones, Taylor and Wood [to be honest, I love them all]. The Stones introduced a generation to the joys of the 12-bar blues and country blues in general - along with an endless soap opera of drug busts, sex scandals, death by drowning and by Hells Angels, tax exile and god-knows what else. Thanks Mick and Keith for the memories and the music. And thanks to this author for digging the dirt along with the nuggets. The style is journalistic / anecdotal, often flashy but always enjoyable. Get High Tide and Green Grass on the turntable, crank up the volume and start reading...

Lesley-Ann Jones has once again bounded ahead of other biographical authors with her latest work, The Stone Age: Sixty Years of the Rolling Stones, which, published only today, is as up-to-date and accurate as is possible at this moment. I had the pleasure of being sent an advance review of this book, and devoured it. I'm not a big fan of the Stones (more of a Beatles girl myself!) but I did truly enjoy this one, and think it is a must-read/have for any and all fans, old or new. Lesley-Ann has such a unique way of writing; it is more like reading a monologue, or having a one-way conversation with her. She is sharing with you her knowledge, infused with funny anecdotes and memories of a life well-lived on Fleet Street, meeting many household names - including Marianne Faithfull, Mick Jagger's 1960s beau. I found the Stone Age to be a refreshing read, and a light one. Whilst at times Lesley-Ann can perhaps show off too much knowledge or go off on a tangent, it is clear that she knows her subject inside out and has had a blast gathering the material, and indeed the words, to write about them. When I interviewed Lesley-Ann in 2020 following the release of her biography on John Lennon, she said: [when writing a biography of an artist], "[you] should only write about individuals you feel passionate about, whose music you love or whose work you admire, and who you genuinely want to get to know. Don't do it for the money, but because you genuinely want to. Because the thought of not doing it fills you with dread." It comes through in her writing that she has stuck to her own advice here, and that she is and has been full of passion.

This book rocks and rolls. It tells a great story but more to the point has great insights and facts. I have read loads of books on the Stones over the years but learnt a lot from this. Not just the relationship stuff - much of which is fascinating but also on a music front as well. Lesley-Ann Jones always puts the hard yards in first before committing to the writing process and the research behind this is what makes the book so informative, readable and, well, insightful. Whilst I have read loads of books about the band, I have grown up listening to their music and to be honest, and the test of a good book, it will sound 'different' in the future. Whole-heartedly recommend for totally committed fans and as well people that just like the band... Jonathan Morrish

Perfect gift for my avid Stones fan Sister

A biography about possibly the greatest Rock & Roll band of all time that tells you very little about the music. Instead it focuses on the private lives and relationship’s surrounding the band. The author doesn’t seem to like Jagger very much. Give it a go but don’t expect a riveting read.

This book reads like a summer blockbuster, it is a page turner and gallops along at a good pace. I liked the way the author gave attention to the women who were caught up in the whirlwind of life with the Stones, Marianne, Bianca, Anita Jerry and L'wren get a fair and empathetic hearing. The insights into the Bill Wyman and the underage Mandy Smith are especially illuminating and very troubling. What I struggled with was that the author so obviously detests Jagger and never passes up any opportunity to give the most negative and damming interpretation of all the famous tales. Myths are stated as truths without any corroborating testimony. For example, Keith Richards' blood change to overocme heroin dependence is stated as an actual event even though Keith himself is on record as sayng it never happened plus it simply would not work . Then we are told that Mick Taylor quit the band because he was in a sexual relationship with Jagger, this "truth" is attributed to one person and given the unchallenged weight of veracity simply because one single source says it is true. Live Aid is touched upon with an interesting analysis of how this event propelled popular music into the heart of corporate greed. What the author does not do is even mention Jagger's performance with Tina Turner at all, even though she touches upon the shambolic collaboration between Keith, Ronnie, and Dylan and the never to be forgotten Jagger and Bowie duet. It was these biases and inconsistencies that made me question how much else of the book is merely opinion and gossip passed off as fact. I did enjoy it, but if you read it, do so from the perspective that this is one person's take on a very long, tangled and complex history

I cannot imagine the amount of research that must have gone into writing this book!!! So much insight to the band’s life and strangely intense with so many characters appearing and disappearing. I am only a casual fan of Rolling Stones and have heard many of their amusing stories over the years. This book not only added more to the list, but put more context to the old stories I knew.

I’ve read many many books on The Stones so a lot of this book was already known to me. However, there’s a decent bit of new material here because the author was actually “there at the time” unlike the majority of the others. One thing, she’s definitely a Keef fan, not Mick!

Book arrived on time and in the condition in which it was represented.

Es ist, als lese man die „Gesellschaftsseite“ einer irrelevanten Zeitschrift; und es ist zum „Fremdschämen“, wie allzu Privates hier veröffentlicht wird, sogar, wenn es nur auf Gerüchten und Mutmassungen beruht.

For Rolling Stones fans

As a lover of Rolling Stones music, and seeing LAJ was writing a book on their 60 years, I am always excited to see what she has in store.!! It’s always a joy to journey a book with this author as she leaves no “stone” unturned.! Highly recommend this book.!!

History of stones