Book review: THE ROLLING STONES 1963-1980 – On Track by Steve Pilkington

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 27.06.19]

Over the years I have read a number of these types of books, each telling the story behind well-known artists albums and songs, and the trouble is that a song can easily be interpreted differently by several people. Take for example The Rolling Stones golden stretch between 1968 and 1972, there was so much going on socially and politically worldwide that the lyrics of a simple song could easily be misread.

That said, a lot has already been written concerning the period covered here and Pilkington appears to have researched the subject well, with the book covering the highs and lows of their recorded output as the band evolved and developed.

Each chapter relates to a given album and talks about the cover art, album personnel and the related songs, mostly these are tracks recorded at the time but not included on the album, these most likely turn up later on compilation albums such as “Tattoo You” and “Metamorphosis”.

Towards the end of the book there is a section that also covers The Rolling Stones’ live and compilation albums, an epilogue and Pilkington’s ultimate Stones playlist, which is a nice addition as it shows he is an actual fan of the band. Whilst you may, or may not, learn anything new about the band, or the songs, this is an easy and enjoyable read.

Review by Nikk Gunn

On track (Jethro Tull, The Beatles)
On track (Blue Oyster Cult)
On track (ELP, Deep Purple, Rainbow)

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