THE STONE AGE

A career-spanning, largely unflattering portrait of “the greatest rock ’n’ roll band in the world.”

Veteran rock biographer and broadcaster Jones, the author of The Search for John Lennon and other rock bios, is less interested in the history of the Rolling Stones—though she includes a detailed chronology at the end of the book—as in its members’ impacts on those around them, which were often negative. These include original band member Brian Jones, who died of an apparent drowning shortly after Mick Jagger and Keith Richards asked him to resign. Several women closely involved with the band also figure prominently—most notably, Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithfull, each of whom gets an entire chapter. Jones also devotes a chapter to bassist Bill Wyman’s long relationship with underage fan Mandy Smith, whom he began dating when she was 13 and married when she was 18. However, as in most accounts of the Stones, the primary focus is on Jagger and Richards, at whom Jones points the finger for a litany of sins. She implies that they bear responsibility for Jones’ death, the murder of a fan during their set at the Altamont festival in 1969, the epidemic of hard drugs beginning in the late 1960s, the rise of “corporate rock”—and much more. At times, the narrative feels like a variation on the Kris Kristofferson song “Blame It on the Stones,” and Jones frequently reminds readers of her rock-insider status and her personal connections to the many names she drops. While the author offers a fair number of interesting details on the band, its milieu, and the scrapes its members got into over the years, readers mainly interested in the Stones’ actual music will find little worth their attention.

A feast for those looking for Rolling Stones gossip, but the author’s evident dislike for the band leaves a sour taste.