Rebels with a Cause: The Secret History of the Original Rolling Stones

Countless books rehash the same old stuff about the Stones-the veteran stadium rock band. But this book tells the secret history of another band which, though the name was the same, had a very different attitude and played completely different music. They were the original Rolling Stones. The linchpin of this supreme Sixties band was Brian Jones.Dismissed by rock critics as a drug-addled dandy, Jones was in fact a multi-instrumental virtuoso. But he was tragically wrecked by asthma and by an undiagnosed illness which proved fatal. Yet it wasn't just Brian Jones' death that changed the band.Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were entirely different people from what they later became. Jagger's greatest strength was as a highly intelligent and perceptive lyricist before three compelling reasons drove him to reinvent himself as 'Jumpin' Jack Flash.' Far from the hard-boiled 'Keef' of rock legend, Richards was a gifted songwriter with a great flair for melody. But he was trapped by heroin and his powers of invention were dulled.This was sadly foreseen by the women in his life.They knew the real Keith and what he most feared. As well as the young Brian, Mick and Keith, we also meet two men who were vital to the true story of the Rolling Stones even though they've been airbrushed from music history. The first was their Russian-born manager, Giorgio Gomelsky.Gomelsky was ousted and his film of the band playing live mysteriously disappeared.Yet without his promotion of them at the Crawdaddy Club, they would never have broken through. Then there was their brilliant American arranger, Jack Nitzsche.He was at the helm for the zenith of their achievement, the 'Aftermath' sessions.But the full impact of their finest tracks was lost when they were shunted onto a compilation album.And Nitzsche would never be credited as their real producer. 'Rebels with a Cause' looks closely at the music and above all the lyrics of the original Rolling Stones, weaving it in with their personal lives to reveal the real human beings beneath the phony 'bad boy' image.What's more, the Sixties can't be understood without the Rolling Stones.Their music not only commented on society but helped to change it.At the forefront of the sexual revolution and recreational drug use, they were hounded by the Establishment, busted and sent to jail. The Rolling Stones' superb Sixties songs have been reborn on YouTube where a younger generation of fans has reconnected with the band as they were when young themselves.Uploading archive footage which has clocked many millions of views, these fans' own innovative videos bring to life a half-forgotten music which remains as fresh and vibrant today as when it was first recorded. 'Rebels with a Cause' brings all this out-and much more besides-to offer a unique insight into the phenomenon which was the original Rolling Stones. "a very entertaining and illuminating new book for anyone wanting to know how The Stones grew from being early sixties blues crusaders to become what they are now" Laurence Todd review in 'RAMzine.'