Rating: 
Summary: Old Gods Far From Dead
Review: Great book for a Stones fan, would have liked it if the went into more detail on the Voodoo & Bridges sessions/tours. Get it today if you are looking for a Stones Book.
Rating: 
Summary: PLAY- ON!
Review: I happen not to be one of those people who feel that the Stones ought to 'act their age,' or otherwise take a good look in the mirror-Even if I did; this is a good book anyway. It's quite a chunk of social history. The guys were born in London's Blitz or there about- we are told that their short statures are due in part to nutrition- i.e. the lack of enough good food. (?) They rocked through Vietnam and well after, then they coasted detoxing and otherwise into the greatest and longest-lived rock and roll band in history.
The book stays focused on the music and the musical relationships. The connections between the super music stars over the years; Dylan, Beatles, Baez and Elton is less of a rant than a basic emptiness. Dylan comes off particularly nasty- purposely picking on a depleted Bryan Jones- terrifying him and making him cry. Dylan challenged Keith Richards, and struck home when he taunted that anybody could have written Satisfaction but only he could've written Mr. Tambourine Man. But Dylan's surliness is, like Jagger's womanizing, part of the aura. That aura though, after many years gets foul. That the band's name was an homage to an old Muddy Waters song, was news to me. They saw the old blues man after his brief popularity had eclipsed, he was rediscovered by the Stones painting ceilings in Chicago. The message was not lost upon them. The majestic Hendrix strolled down a London street like a "black hippie" and his fire blazed briefly in some recall. We even look into the Village of the early 60's when Bird and Mingus and Trane were just about to fade and John Hammond was starting to focus on Baez and R. Zimmerman- who was of course paying homage to Woody Guthrie. There are also the ins and outs of the Beatles, and all the little betrayals and intimacies that were part of their thing. The story of the sound, its birth in the Louisianna Delta Blues men- through Motown, Chuck Berry and Tina teaching Mick the pony back stage one night- it honors the transmission and I respect that. Jagger comes across as a smart guy, not a bad guy, but addicted less to substances than women- and that, perhaps is a bit of a blight on his now age-lined face- kind of like- get into something else, man- but should they stop playing? I think they should play until like Chet Baker, Bird Otis and the rest of the lords- they don't play no mo.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: I have a soft spot for decadent stories about decadent rock stars, so I was in heaven when I picked up the Stones' latest unauthorized biography by Stephen Davis, author of the Zeppelin biography "Hammer of the Gods." The book, for the most part, did not disappoint. It provided great insight as to the background and troubles with the late Brian Jones, described in great detail their early days as well as their descent into drug addiction. The sessions for all their albums as well as the stories behind the tours are well-documented. The harrowing hell behind the making of "Exile on Main Street" was one of the best parts of the book. I started to lose interest right around the time the 90s rolled around. Once they got (relatively) straight and began to have beer companies sponsor the tours, the story of the Stones became dull. But if you want a comprehensive history of this band, you get the fun, exciting stuff mixed in with the bland. All in all, a great read for Stones fans or any rock fans, for that matter.
Rating:
Summary: For the Casual Fan....
Review: I have read over 30 books on the Stones and I was not disoppointed with this. I've noticed that alot of ppl say this book is ok but doesn't add "anything new". Well it does say that this book covers the Stones ENTIRE career...and the Stones have had a LONG career...so when there is 40 years of history to write about there is no way the author could dweel on smaller less significant events..but it does cover all basic (factual) events that have happened in their career...(most more well-read fans already know about) I say if you plan on reading ONLY ONE book on the Stones your whole life you might as well read this one. If you already have more than your fair-share of Stones reading material I would suggest you read this anyways...Its well written and at times funny! Mostly this would be the best thing if your a casual fan. Oh and if you want to find out how Mick, Keith, and Brian were/are REALLY like read James Phelge's book Nankering With The Rolling Stones..;)
Rating:
Summary: For the Casual Fan....
Review: I have read over 30 books on the Stones and I was not disoppointed with this. I've noticed that alot of ppl say this book is ok but doesn't add "anything new". Well it does say that this book covers the Stones ENTIRE career...and the Stones have had a LONG career...so when there is 40 years of history to write about there is no way the author could dweel on smaller less significant events..but it does cover all basic (factual) events that have happened in their career...(most more well-read fans already know about) I say if you plan on reading ONLY ONE book on the Stones your whole life you might as well read this one. If you already have more than your fair-share of Stones reading material I would suggest you read this anyways...Its well written and at times funny! Mostly this would be the best thing if your a casual fan. Oh and if you want to find out how Mick, Keith, and Brian were/are REALLY like read James Phelge's book Nankering With The Rolling Stones..;)
Rating: 
Summary: Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, more drugs ...
Review: I picked up "Old Gods Almost Dead" not because I'm a huge Stones fan (although I was present at the "Steel Wheels" kickoff show in Philadelphia in 1989), but because I'd read and enjoyed Stephen Davis' excellent biography of Led Zeppelin, "Hammer Of The Gods." "Old Gods ..." is very readable, despite Davis' occasional rock-journalist-pretentious prose and dubious sources (I'm sorry, anyone who uses Pamela Des Barres' gushfest "I'm With The Band" as a credited source is suspect). Davis covers the Brian Jones years extensively and colorfully, then glosses over everything else except the copious amounts and types of drugs consumed by the band. Non-fans will find the book interesting reading; diehards will dislike the tabloid tones. And just a nitpick, Mr. Davis--Keith Richards' wife's name is Patti Hansen, not Hanson ...
Rating:
Summary: Decent Introductory Book for the Casual Stones Fan
Review: I've read about 15 books on the Stones, and I agree with those who say there's not much new. It strikes me that the author is a bit of a small factory trying to churn out books about rock bands. He succeeds to a point at giving a decent overall view of the Stones, but he fails to provide much, if any, insight that more serious fans aren't already aware of. I couldn't stand the introduction. My vocabulary is quite good, but I didn't see the need to use words like "shaman," "Plutonian," pantheistic mythos," "priapic," and "oracular" -- in only one paragraph! I mean, this is supposed to be a book about rock and roll, and I found this little touch exceedingly pretentious of the author. It just didn't fit right or feel right, especially before things even got started. The book settled down, though, and wasn't a bad read once you got into the body of it. There were factual errors that weren't hard to notice if you're well-read on the Stones, but he got most things right. Bottom line...I think the author probably was a Stones' fan, but not a very serious one. He may have become more intrigued by them over the years due to their longevity and vitality, at least as a live act, and let's face facts: Mick and Keith are still the hottest ticket there is among acts who tour regularly. (Probably only McCartney, if he toured more than once every 12 years or so, might have a chance to rival the Stones as of this writing.) My guess is that the author was a latecomer to intimate details about the Stones. He read a lot of books and did a ton of research, but he missed enough things along the way to reveal that he's not a true Stones expert. Rather, he's a guy who worked hard to put out a book that would appeal to casual fans at a time when interest in the Stones, boosted by a 40th anniversary tour, might be above average for some of those casual fans. It's a little like Budweiser -- no, maybe Heineken, since it does have its moments -- it will appeal to the masses, but not someone who's looking for real quality. If you only read one book on the Stones, this one is a candidate because it seeks to cover their whole career. But don't believe everything you read...
Rating:
Summary: It's O.K. but not much new...
Review: If you've never read a Stones bio before this isn't a bad book, however if you have then you've read 95% of this somewhere else. Davis takes his research from other author's books and old interviews without adding much that's new. That would be o.k. as the book is very readable except he still doesn't get the facts right. In spite of a plethora of information for research available he still manages to occasionally get names, places and events wrong. I'm a little nit-picky but I don't think it's asking too much of an author who wants you to fork over $30 for his book to get the cast of characters and the shows and who played on what songs right. I mean pick up the bloody album liner notes and read them if you can't do anything else. To Davis' credit he does give Mick Taylor the fine credit he deserves for being the best guitarist the Stones ever had, a point most other bios fail to dwell enough on.
You could skip this one but check out Victor Bockris' bio of Keith Richards and Steve Appleford's "It's Only Rock and Roll: Song by Song" for books that have the best research not to mention utterly absorbing and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Not Quite Dead.............Yet!
Review: Mr. Davis offers a consistent and essentially accurate view of the Stones, albeit with a very slight emphasis to the sensational.....but "sensational" is what the Stones have built their reputation on. A highlight is the interesting accounting of the 62-65 period; vastly superior to previous details of the groups career as it relates to Brian Jones. With the exception of brief snipets of information this book will offer little new to diehard fans who have read Mr. Wymans "Stone Alone", Tony Sanchez's "Up and Down With the Rolling Stones" etc. et al, but the "snipets" are enjoyable and appear to be accurate. For a non Stones fanatic it offers a great accurate read of their history, far exceeding the plethora of inaccurate and weakly reasearched books of the last 15 years such as "Symphony for the Devil." Mr. Davis' research enjoyably delves into the studio work with a brief song by song synopsis of each album. Though it doesn't begin to offer the detail of Karnbach and Beanson's "Ultimate Guide" it does provide interesting information. Little is offered in the way of post 1978 detail and unsubstantiated information such as that offered on the last page should be discounted as previous quotes rely heavily (almost exclusively) on the Stones 25 x 5 video documentary and not first hand accounts. One has to wonder how close Mr. Davis got to any "insiders" in the writing of "Almost Dead", but from the myriad writings available he has managed to glean enough useful data to put together what appears to be an accurate and "fun read."
Rating: 
Summary: Fact or Fiction?
Review: Mr. Davis' book would perhaps be better filed under fiction. His research is sloppy and a number of 'facts' are just untrue. It is disappointing that Mr. Davis has to sensationalize what is already an incredible story of a band that has survived forty years in rock and roll. More factual books on the Stones are Bill Wyman's 'Stone Alone' and James Phelge's 'Nankering with the Rolling Stones'. As for 'Old Gods Almost Dead', save your money...or better still, go and buy a great old Stones CD, sit back and enjoy the magic!
|
