Customer Reviews:
 Dance with Stanley Booth April 10, 2008
Lynda Kraar
This book was suggested to me by a friend who knew that Gram Parsons was a musical influence of mine. I had a hard time getting into at first and almost put down.
Then the universes collided, and while I was meandering somewhere between 1965 and 1967 among the foggy world of the Stones' wine, women and song, Martin Scorsese's concert movie/documentary on the Stones, Shine A Light, was released. Having a small glimpse into the mixed up, confused world of the Stones through Stanley Booth's book, I caught a matinee of the movie, and it was exactly as Stanley had depicted. I realized that I was being told the bare naked truth by this eloquent, poetic southern writer.
With 50 pages left, I suddenly felt that time was no longer on my side, so I dug my heels in and savored every last second like one of the drugs so expertly described by the author. By the end of the book I felt like I had gotten to know something about those times, that band, and about Gram Parsons. I came to see Keith Richards as a very well defended spiritual person with a big soul and conscience. I had neither known nor cared much about him beforehand.
Most of all, I felt like Stanley was my good friend who shared secrets with me that he would tell no other person. I hated for him to go. There is a picture at the back of the book of the two buddies -- Keith R. and Stanley B., looking handsome, robust, young and full of fire. They were filled with fire, all right. The killing kind. And by nothing short of a miracle they both made it out the other end.
A publisher would do well to re-release this book, which is more of a historic ode by now, worth revisiting and treasuring again and again. It's more relevant today than ever, and a perfect aperitif to Shine A Light.
Stanley Booth Penned a Classic October 30, 1999
Jonny Glass (jeb11@attglobal.net) (Tenafly)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Stanley Booth not only wrote the best book ever written about the Stones, but the best book ever written about Rock and Roll period. If "Exile on Main St." was a book, it would be this. The book is a rich tapestry of layers and textures. A must read. Please pay special attention to the chapter that takes place in Sam Sheffler's basement on Hudson Ave. It is filty yet fun.
 It was one of the best books I've read January 5, 1998
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved this book very much. When I first got a hold of this book,I wanted to read about the rolling stone's founder,Brian Jones. So I was pleased to read so much about him. I found the early days of the rolling stones to be much more interesting than I imagined. It described in detail how mick,keith,and brian lived together in a small,horrible apartment,owned by Mick,and how they hardly had any money for food. I enjoyed how the author started the book out by describing his experience interviewing Brian Jones's parents,years after his death. The author was very good at detail,in this book. He always described the concerts of the stones with the girls screaming,and the last days of Brian Jones,and all of the band member's different love interests,and some certain instances with groupies. I like reading non-fiction books that have some detail in the writing,not just generalization. Lastly,the weakness in this book is including all of the members of the rolling stones. He included alot of brian,and mick,but not enough of the other band members. Overall,I would say that this book is definitly worth reading and I would recomend it to any stones fan. I know a book is good when as I'm reading it,I can get a mental picture of what is happening,and that's what I did.
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