Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones

I'm not a major fan of the Stones, but this book is so good, so well-written, so well thought-out that you'll wish Janovitz would write a similar book for every band you ever loved.

Bill Janovitz has come up with a simple but effective concept: pick a chosen number of choice tracks from a band's output, use each as a template to fill in the immediate backstory that lead to the track's recording, with copious quotes from the band members or session musicians involved, then locate each song in a set of wider contexts, the band's history backward and forward, and the broader historical moment in which the band operated. It's brilliant and it works so brilliantly here that it's incomprehensible that the approach has not been applied to anyone from the Beatles through Zep to Steely Dan. You could quibble the final choice of tracks, specially from the post Some Girls era when the Stones started sucking some major lemons, but pretty much all the hot stuff is here, specially from that unimpeachable stretch of four albums when Mick and Keith swallowed the American South whole and spit out gold. if I had to have one book on the Stones this would be it, even above Keith's.

Excellent and interesting read. The author takes you through 50 Stones songs. The composing. of the songs, what the lyrics mean, inspiration of the songs and behind the scenes of recording sessions.At the same time the book takes through general history of the Stones lives.

I bought "Rocks Off" as a gift for my son. I often "preview" (read) a book before I give it to someone. It was no different with this book. I'm about 2/3 of the way through it &, not only am I enjoying it, I know my son will as well. "Rocks Off" is not a traditional biography.It is written in the chronological order that the Rolling Stones' songs were written & recorded. The title of each chapter is the title of one of the Stone's songs. You can read a chapter at a time & not lose your train of thought because each one is somewhat self-contained. The author writes about "where" the Stones were at the time each song was "born". Where they were in their relationships with each other, with their significant, & often insignificant, lovers, with their drug use, with their legal problems, etc. It is well written. If you're not looking for a cradle to grave (Just a figure of speech because Brian Jones is the only Stone no longer living) biography, this may be the book for you.

Jankovitz picks fifty songs that chronicle the progression of the Stones. Lots of info about the music itself and what was happening with the band.

As a mega Stones fan, I've read everything I can get my hands on about the band. Rocks Off, however, is different from many of the other books about the Stones which just tout the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. That's not to say their relationships with each other and their girlfriends are not mentioned; they are and we learn more about one of Keith's girlfriends in Ruby Tuesday. Janovitz takes us into studios around the world from Muscle Shoals to Kingston to London (and to the basement of Villefranche-sur-mer)as the stones lay down the tracks. Some of their tunes were recorded at Stargroves, Mick's country home. Reading the Gimme Shelter chapter, I felt like I was in the studio singing with Merry Clayton and Mick. Brian was truly a master of all instruments and this comes through after reading only a few chapters. There are numerous intricate details to learn, such as to whom Mick refers when he mentions "Mr. Jimmy" in YCAGWYW--incorrectly I had thought it was "Mr. Jimi Hendrix." It a well-researched book that all devoted Stones followers will devour. I'm keeping my copy as a Stones reference book.

Bill Janovitz wrote an interesting 33 1/3 series book on The Rolling Stones landmark album Exile On Main Street. In his new book, Rocks Off (2013) tells the story of the Rolling Stones. The book is divided into three sections that reflect three distinct line ups, the early version was the Brian Jones era, followed by the Mick Taylor years, and finally the Ron Wood years which has been the longest. Janovitz admit if he was writing this book about the album he has found worthwhile it would have stopped at 1981 Tattoo You, but this is a history and a critical appraisal, but there is a good deal of analysis about what makes the songs successful. I made a play list of all the tracks and listened as I read about each particular track. A well-researched and fascinating look at a band that is still together more than 50 years later.

I really enjoyed reading this. It's a great bathroom book, Janovitz gives you a good idea of what the band may have been going through when they recorded some of their finest tracks. I can't argue with his selections either; with so many to choose from, he did a nice job picking songs. There is no continuous narrative, but you can still get a feel for the trajectory of the Stones, and of the fusion and friction of the Jagger/Richards partnership. It's mainly just a fun book to read a song at a time. If you want the history of the band, or just some juicy stories, there are better books, but if you want an idea of the atmosphere they recorded in, and how the songs came together, this is worth your time.

Buffalo Tom frontman and main songwriter takes time out to analyse the Stones' back catalogue from the perspective of both fan and musician. The result is a very readable and insightful analysis of some of the Rolling Stones greater and lesser known works. Well worth reading generally if you want to learn how songwriting and recording was done in the early days of rock even if you are not a fan of Mick and Keef in particular.

Great read. I couldn’t put it down. Bill is a great writer as well as a great musician. Long live the Stones! PS I’ll be seeing Bill play in London in December.

Love the Stones. Nice background on some of the songs, very interesting to the fan, possibly less so for others.

Fast delivery. Bought for a massive Stones fan. Big hit!

Everything you want from excellent.