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The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones Paperback – October 1, 2014

by Stanley Booth (Author), Greil Marcus (Foreword)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 255 ratings
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Stanley Booth, a member of the Rolling Stones’ inner circle, met the band just a few months before Brian Jones drowned in a swimming pool in 1968. He lived with them throughout their 1969 tour across the United States, staying up all night together listening to blues, talking about music, ingesting drugs, and consorting with groupies. His thrilling account culminates with their final concert at Altamont Speedway—a nightmare of beating, stabbing, and killing that would signal the end of a generation’s dreams of peace and freedom. But while this book renders in fine detail the entire history of the Stones, paying special attention to the tragedy of Brian Jones, it is about much more than a writer and a rock band. It has been called—by Harold Brodkey and Robert Stone, among others—the best book ever written about the 1960s. In Booth’s afterword, he finally explains why it took him 15 years to write the book, relating an astonishing story of drugs, jails, and disasters. Updated to include a foreword by Greil Marcus, this 30th anniversary edition is for Rolling Stones fans everywhere.

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  1. Book 1 of 1
    Canons
  2. Print length
    416 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Chicago Review Press
  5. Publication date
    October 1, 2014
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9781613747834
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1613747834
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A vivid account of life on the edge."  —TheWeek.com


“[Stanley Booth’s] affection for the band did not keep him from writing about the seamy underside of the Stones’ world in the 1960s. . . . It is the only book about the Stones that I would recommend both to the general reader and to the most devoted fan. Both will find an epiphany on almost every page.”  —Robert Palmer, New York Times Book Review




“If you’ve never bought a book about rock and roll, no matter—this is the one you’ve been waiting for.”  —Playboy




“Astonishing . . . part oral history and part midnight diary in a world where midnight goes on forever.”  —Los Angeles Reader


“Shattering. . . . Booth has found his voice and momentum with a pitch and passion I’ve never seen equaled in pop journalism. . . . His book outdistances anything the Stones have wrought since Let It Bleed.”  —Mikal Gilmore, Los Angeles Herald Examiner

“Booth’s strong, sound prose brings to life the out-of-control process through which an age intoxicated by its own passions found a hard-driving music to live hard by. In all the annals of the 1960s, there is nothing on paper that so evokes those days and nights.”  —Robert Stone, Salon




“By far the best book on its subject (including Richards’s own well received effort), Booth’s book is also easily the most convincing account of life inside the monster created by the rock revolution of the 1960s.”  —Richard Williams, Guardian



“The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones is, simply put, one of those essential texts of music journalism. Groundbreaking, insightful, funny and tragic, it's a piece of reporting that could never take place today.” —The Houston Press

“Booth's prose (his other books include "Rhythm Oil" and "Keith: Till I Roll Over Dead") is writerly, funny. Good anecdotes about bad behavior abound. But in telling the tale of the Stones, during that 1969 American tour that sent him and them criss-crossing the country en route to the date with fate — Altamont, the giant outdoor "free concert" where four people were killed and four were born — Booth also has a larger story to tell.” —Record & Herald News

About the Author

Stanley Booth is the author of Keith: Till I Roll Over Dead and Rythm Oil: A Journey Through the Music of the American South. He has written for Esquire, Playboy, and Rolling Stone. He lives in Athens, Georgia. Greil Marcus is an author and music journalist who has worked for Creem, Rolling Stone, and the Village Voice. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1613747837
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chicago Review Press; Thirtieth Edition, 30th Anniversary (October 1, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781613747834
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1613747834
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 255 ratings

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Stanley Booth

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
255 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

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5.0 out of 5 stars Informative!!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book was one of an order of six that was purchased to go into a Rolling Stones goody bag. An enjoyable and informative book that takes you on a year-long journey of what it was like to be with the band on tour and as humans; a must have for anyone loving this band. 👍🏻👍🏻
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Bigangbo Bonanno
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting yet strangely written
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
I liked the book, written by a person who followed and at times loved the same daily touring life as the Stones. The fact that his writing you can feel them as very real people full of highs and lows was a plus for me. From the management to hangers On to capitalists buying for a piece to death of Brian Jones, an unknown talented powerhouse brought down by his own insecurities and those close and very close to him was very Sad.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The best out there!
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
Booth brings such humour, insight, intimacy, and solid philosophy to this work, not only in the body of it, but the last notes. I felt it a privilege to be let into this world by someone who presents it with sensitivity rather than the usual sensationalist narrative.
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gum
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the better Stones books
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2023
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So much stuff written about the Stones and I've read a number of them. This one focuses on a particular era, but it's a wild era. Good stuff
One person found this helpful
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Glenn Gravlee
3.0 out of 5 stars The compleat Rolling Stones 1960s story line
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2022
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Very well written account of the birth and development of the legendary Rock band. It has more detail than I found necessary, but the writing style offsets this nicely. I could have lived with less unrelated autobiographical information from the author as well. Some pictures would make a nice addition.
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Augusta Palmer
5.0 out of 5 stars Stanley Booth writes like an angel and a devil
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2016
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Stanley Booth writes like an angel and a devil, according to what the moment calls for. An amazing journey through the haze of the 1969 tour all the way to Altamount. An important book, not just about the Stones, but about America and the 1960s.
2 people found this helpful
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Jim Pinckney
4.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2013
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Despite some uneven writing this is a refreshingly different Stones book that is well worth persevering with for genuine fans.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books i have ever read
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2017
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Booth's book is a work of art . A matter of life and death . Rock n' Roll can change the world !

One of the best books i have ever read .
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Top reviews from other countries

Christabel
5.0 out of 5 stars So true
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
Bought this for my hubby for a Christmas gift. He has only just started reading the book and finds it hard to put down. Excellent purchase.
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Ingrid
5.0 out of 5 stars Join the band on their tour
Reviewed in the Netherlands on October 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
I lived this book. It gives a thorough insight into what it was like to be in/ with the band in the crazy first years. No taboos, just all the highs and lows. I've read quite some books on RS but you see Stanley Booth is the real writer among the authors. It sucks you into the story and doesn't let go. I'll reread this for sure.
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Fi
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on July 16, 2015
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Great!
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GSM
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2014
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Enjoyable and very interesting but a bit frustrating when the Hollies are said to be from Liverpool (a bit of an anorak). The book covers a year in the life of the Stones leading up to the free festival in Altamont in 1969 but includes lots of material on the their earlier years. All very readable.
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K. Blackwell
5.0 out of 5 stars Stanley Booth nailed it. A very enjoyable read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
Loved Stanley Booth's book because it captured, through the Stones, my own remembrance of the band when I was growing up.

I have to admit I've never been a much of a fan of their music, but they are very important from a cultural perspective in the 60's: the newsreels bear that out (Pathe News in the UK), so I have read a few books about them. Whereas The Beatles were seen as lovable, the Stones were the devil incarnate and always in the news for the wrong reasons. So, there's something of a nostalgia trip going on.

I first remember them in 1964 when I was twelve and how different they looked. But it was the outrage of my parents generation and older that struck me the most. The mother of a friend of mine was almost foaming at the mouth in anger about them and how they should be locked up. She was not alone.

I liked the way Booth wove his story culminating in the Altamont disaster at the end of 1969, but introducing a history of the band's progression from the early 60's with more emphasis on Brian Jones than the usual offerings. I also liked the fact that he introduced Shirley Arnold's musings (as a fan) into the story.

Annie's review is very good. However, the idolisation / stereotyping of black musicians is understandable when looked at in the context of where blacks were in the 60's. They were mostly a distinct underclass and many of them in the Deep South were still struggling to get the vote. It was the `British Invasion' of the 60's that created an understanding of the Blues for many American kids who were oblivious to some great musicians who had provided the ideas that helped create rock music. As Keith Richards once said "I stole every lick I ever learned from Chuck Berry". Add to that BB King, Muddy Waters et al and the reader may better understand where Booth was coming from in bigging them up.

A very enjoyable read and my favourite book on the Stones.
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