****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Want a completely honest story of Brian Jones's life? Look no further than this extremely well written book by Paul Trynka. I'm a teen, with a huge love for 60's rock 'n' roll music; The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in particular are my favorites. I have fond memories of my parents playing their music in the car when I was little. My mother is a huge Rolling Stones fan and she's the one who first introduced me to Brian Jones. I knew who John, Paul, George, and Ringo were (who doesn't?), but as far as the Rolling Stones, I only knew of the usual Mick and Keith. "Brian was my favorite, he was so cute. But unfortunately, he died very young," my mother told me. At that time, I was in my Beatles phase and didn't really care to learn more about other bands. But later on an interest sparked in me. I was determined to learn more about the Rolling Stones and this Brian Jones.After researching a lot on the internet and listening with a new ear to the Stones's music, I discovered just how amazing his musical ability was. I was hungry for more information but cautious of the credibility of the internet info. Lo and behold, I discovered this recently published book which I immediately ordered.When I first stared reading it, I was hooked. Trynka delivers an easy to read, step by step biography about the late founder of the Rolling Stones. The book is saturated with information about Brian, such as his creation of the distinctive riff in "The Last Time" or that he co-wrote "Ruby Tuesday" but gave credit to Mick Jagger. I already knew a lot about Brian but the book still provided facts about him that I didn't know. I was initially skeptic on buying this book because (as Trynka points out in the last chapter), most people focus on Brian's decline and death rather than his extraordinary music contribution. I love how Trynka talks in depth about Brian's early years with his unhappy home life, his fascination with Blues music, and his incredible dedication of making it as a musician. Trynka has interviewed pretty much everyone who knew Brian and the Stones personally. People like Marianne Faithfull, Stash, Pat Andrews, Linda Lawrence, John Keen (Brian's childhood friend), etc. The information is clearly presented with many facts and sources so there are no doubts about the credibility of his book.Trynka also addresses the many theories surrounding Brian's death in a special coda section at the end. He gives insight on each theory then provides fact which support or undermine each one.These days Keith, Mick, and Charlie have nothing good to say about their founder, which is very sad. It's easy for them to say that he was a terrible man who was addicted to drugs and was nothing but a pain. Not so, say many sources in this book. Brian was an extremely sensitive and vulnerable man, who just wanted, as Marianne Faithfull says, "someone to say 'Good Job, Brian'." You'll cringe as you read about the abuse he suffered at the hands of the rest of the Stones. This stemmed from a place of jealousy, the sources say, with Mick viewing Brian as competition for girls and Keith envying Brian's incredible guitar playing and gift for picking up any instrument and learning how to play it within a short amount of time.Brian Jones was the visionary, the most musically talented, the soul of the band. He was the one who got that band the gigs, he was the leader, he was the one who inspired Mick Jagger's "moves" and fashion, he was the one who taught Keith the open G tuning.Sadly, many people these days don't even know who he is. This book will enlighten them and anyone who wants to learn more about who exactly the great Brian Jones was.Brian lives on through his work. During his short time here on Earth, he accomplished more amazing things than anyone could've imagined.Rest in peace, Brian.
