Rating: 
Summary: Heavily weighted with tabloid-style journalism
Review: To be fair, I don't think someone can accurately tell the story of the Rolling Stones in 600 pages; it's been an extreme 40-year career, full of ups and downs for 7 talented and colorful band mates, countless managers, wives, girlfriends, musical contemporaries, along a socially changing atmosphere surrounded by endless drugs, sex and money. 600 pages would be a good start on a biography of only one of the musicians, let alone trying to capture the history of the whole band and everyone involved with their phenomenal success.
The book paints a very sad, trashy image of the band. It tells tales of a sordid past, but doesn't offer a fair counterbalance. I get the feeling that I was reading a tabloid newspaper; not representing a fair side of the story, but sparing no ghastly detail of their misery. For instance, I happen to know that Mick Jagger used to own a home in Venice Italy, however this was not mentioned in the book; what was mentioned were various tales from the homes where his drug or party reputation gained the most momentum. Other facts and/or journeys were neglected to save room for the real dirt.
This book is very heavy on the drug stories, but light on insights to their individual and collective personalities so we might catch a glimpse as to why they were taking so many drugs. It will speak about how high they were when they recorded album "X", but then after listening to album "X", you hear some great songs and wonder how someone you've been led to believe was out of their mind could participate and contribute to an extremely enjoyable end product.
The book also skips through the last 10 years in 40 pages or so. It made me think that they couldn't dig up any sources to give dirt during this period, so the author whizzed through it.
All in all, it's a tabloid newspaper. And I believe the tales in it. I happen to want a fair balanced perspective to really learn about the band, not just their tales of woe. But with the kind of career like the Stones have had, this perspective would require several thousand pages. It's really your call...
Rating: 
Summary: Great Band, Dispicable Human Beings
Review: Without a doubt, the Stones WERE one of the greatest Rock and Roll Bands ever. Only The Who, Beatles, Hendrix, Cream and Led Zep can be mentioned in the same breath. All others are on a second, third or forth tier. Almost everyone who read this book, knew that from the outset. That all went to hell in the mid seventies, however, when they tried to keep up with the times, which were unfortunatly the begining of the end of true Rock.This is the first comprehensive book I have read about the Stones. What I did not know, I admit, is what absolute thugs they were, and probably still are. These guys are a classic example of the types of people in the entertainment field (I include sports here) that this society holds in such high esteem. All of them should be in prison! Not for what they did not get caught doing, but what they were caught doing would be enought for many normal people to be in jail for a very long time. Let me see: wife beating, girl friend beating, S&M, assult with hand guns, drug use and trafficking, vandalism, fleeing countries one step ahead of the law, helping their children flee countries one step ahead of the law, pedophilia (dating 13 year old girls!) not to mention the countless [un-fathered] children stationed around the world. Incredibly! Not only would I not want them near my house, I would not want them cleaning the toilets in my house. If fifty percent of this book is true, I rest my case. I am not telling you to hate the Stones music. What I am telling you, is that if you think these were (are) a bunch of nice, fun loving guys, you are wrong. This is a very good book. However, I did find it at times very difficult to follow, and, yes there are typos. Also, a glaring error is the ommision of an album history: all albums listed with dates, song writing credits and lyrics. Would very much suggest you pick this up if you are interested in the life and times of the Rolling Stones. I think you will enjoy it.
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