By Richard Havers
J H Haynes & Co Ltd
£18.99

The "Stones" in the Park: The Summer of '69 and the Making of the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World

This is primarily a book of pictures, including some double spreads of the momentous free concert in Hyde Park, which occured forty years ago this July. It was a defining moment and drove the Stones forward, even as they were still coming to terms with the death of Brian Jones a few days before.

There is some text, and it follows the events of that summer outlining the position of the band at the time and the growing estrangement of Jones who just wasn't fitting into their plans, and had frankly become unreliable, especially with drug convictions threatening a lucrative tour to America.

The book takes us through Brians death, the bands reaction, and the dedication that Mick was to make live on stage. It then goes further with Mick's filming in Australia and the mess that was to be Altamont.
All this text, is well written, but concise, and it is the pictures that really make this a great coffee table book.

They capture the organised chaos backstage as literally hundreds mill around, and we see the band arriving in a clapped out old army ambulance. a full set list is given, and we even get to see and read about some of the other acts on that day, though most have disappeared into obscurity.

The pictures also take in Brian's funeral, Mick filming in Australia, the frail radiance of Marianne Faithful and even the preceeding free concert by Blind Faith that so influenced Mick. There are behind the scenes stills
of the making of the (shambolic) Rock 'n' roll circus film and most of these are in black and white with only a handful of colour ones. As such it becomes a far more powerful document to a moment in musical history
that is still discussed.