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All The Songs
The Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
Comprehensive visual history of the "World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band" as told through the recording of their monumental catalog, including 29 studio and 24 compilation albums, and more than a hundred singles. Since 1963, The Rolling Stones have been recording and touring, selling more than 200 million records worldwide. While much is known about this iconic group, few books provide a comprehensive history of their time in the studio. In The Rolling Stones All the Songs, authors Margotin and Guesdon describe the origin of their 340 released songs, details from the recording studio, what instruments were used, and behind-the-scenes stories of the great artists who contributed to their tracks. Organized chronologically by album, this massive, 704-page hardcover begins with their 1963 eponymous debut album recorded over five days at the Regent Studio in London; through their collaboration with legendary producer Jimmy Miller in the ground-breaking albums from 1968 to 1973; to their later work with Don Was, who has produced every album since Voodoo Lounge. Packed with more than 500 photos, All the Songs is also filled with stories fans treasure, such as how the mobile studio they pioneered was featured in Deep Purple's classic song "Smoke on the Water" or how Keith Richards used a cassette recording of an acoustic guitar to get the unique riff on "Street Fighting Man."
541 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 17, 2016
This is a "must" purchase for anyone who is a fan of the Rolling Stones. Like its companion book by the same author, All The Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release , it covers every song recorded by the Stones.
I usually don't repeat myself in reviews, but in this case I'm going to include exactly what I said about the Beatles' book:
"If you've been listening to their music since they were introduced to the U.S. (like me) and still have a playlist on your iPod (like me), this book will be your best friend for long time. The book outlines the genesis and production details of the songs from the beginning of their career to present day. There are also lots of photos, some of which I had never seen. This is the perfect book to have sitting on your coffee table for when you have just a few minutes to read such as between football plays, while cooking dinner, waiting for your carpool partner, etc."
Buy this as a gift for anyone who big fan of the Rolling Stones.
I usually don't repeat myself in reviews, but in this case I'm going to include exactly what I said about the Beatles' book:
"If you've been listening to their music since they were introduced to the U.S. (like me) and still have a playlist on your iPod (like me), this book will be your best friend for long time. The book outlines the genesis and production details of the songs from the beginning of their career to present day. There are also lots of photos, some of which I had never seen. This is the perfect book to have sitting on your coffee table for when you have just a few minutes to read such as between football plays, while cooking dinner, waiting for your carpool partner, etc."
Buy this as a gift for anyone who big fan of the Rolling Stones.
May 19, 2018
THE ROLLING STONES ALL THE SONGS is an encyclopedia containing details on each and every song with pictures and details of instruments and personnel of each song.
Beautifully presented and enjoyable to read, it does have some disputed facts regarding personnel i.e. who plays what, certain dates, etc. although this should not come as a surprise as the Stones themselves can’t agree on certain details, especially around the “Exile on Main Street” time period.
Recommended for its wealth of information, I’d also recommend reading other books on the Stones’ recording history as it’s interesting to see the difference in author’s perceptions about the meaning of certain songs and inspirational origins (whether song is about Keith or Brian as written by Mick, etc.).
4 stars.
Beautifully presented and enjoyable to read, it does have some disputed facts regarding personnel i.e. who plays what, certain dates, etc. although this should not come as a surprise as the Stones themselves can’t agree on certain details, especially around the “Exile on Main Street” time period.
Recommended for its wealth of information, I’d also recommend reading other books on the Stones’ recording history as it’s interesting to see the difference in author’s perceptions about the meaning of certain songs and inspirational origins (whether song is about Keith or Brian as written by Mick, etc.).
4 stars.
September 25, 2018
Really, this is a 4.5-star book for me. It's not that carefully edited, and the prose can get a bit repetitive, but for someone like me, who's just started really getting into the Stones, this book is perfect. I very much enjoyed it, and it's a great reference for when I give these tracks a close listen.
November 27, 2016
Thanks to GoodReads for such a great giveaway win. Fantastic reference book for all Rolling Stones fans!
July 23, 2021
Ostensibly a "coffee table book", this is absolutely a book for the hard core Rolling Stones fan. Every single song is covered in detail: where the band was in their career for recording it, the insturments used, the innovations or lack thereof, fun facts and details, band member quotes for most, its place on the album and in the discography, and when necessary, criticism. Perfect for thumbing through as it is beautifully illustrated, it also serves as a band biography as well. Great fun to listen to the songs alongside of the book and listen to the development. I rarely disagreed with the authors on their assessment, and when I did, it was because I liked the song more than them on a handful of occasions out of hundreds of songs. If you truly know the entire discography as a huge fan, or want to, this book is essential.
November 10, 2019
I'm astounded what I am learning about the Stones from this book, just one of the most perfect things on a band for what I crave in a book ever. I've done two like this BUT ONLY SORTA and WAY less cool... on The Clash and Led Zeppelin, but yea, nothing close. But I understand the effort that went into it. The bonus? It got me into all the non-LP tracks all over youtube. But yeah, a godly, academic but still so effortlessly readable, work. LUDICROUS to complain about anything but... album cover shots would have been nice, and the repeated just calling Charlie's drum track good or perfect, same with bass etc, wears after a while, but I say that just to say something useful here.
March 7, 2022
Like the equivalent Bob Dylan book, reading this was a labour of love as I listened to the records as I read the book - record by record, song by song. Inarguably a great, essential work for serious Stones fans.
Wonderfully written. Spot on tone by the two writers, who cleverly strike, the difficult task, of being fans and critics. Loved the insights, critiques and accounts of all the songs.
I loved the Stones since around 1976 and loved this book.
Wonderfully written. Spot on tone by the two writers, who cleverly strike, the difficult task, of being fans and critics. Loved the insights, critiques and accounts of all the songs.
I loved the Stones since around 1976 and loved this book.
November 11, 2018
Suprized at how much I did not know! A true learning and entertaining experience.
July 22, 2020
Does Brian play a nose flute on the 47th take of Paint It Black? That kind of in depth knowledge lies within this book. I know it's only rock and roll and I liked it.
July 11, 2021
Great reading, very complete!
April 25, 2022
About the most in-depth look at a band one can get. Thorough but fair, and always interesting.
July 14, 2023
Too long for my (music) taste
November 6, 2023
Wonderful
February 4, 2024
Schitterend naslagwerk om alle nummers van de Stones te lezen. Geeft tal van inkijkjes over onbekende oude nummers.
Ben je fan? Ga het lezen en doorbladeren. Het zal je verrassen .
Ben je fan? Ga het lezen en doorbladeren. Het zal je verrassen .
February 7, 2025
This is a mammoth rundown of the Stones' entire career up until it hit 50 years. Broken down by album and song, it manages to batter even the most ardent Stones fan into a kind of sensorial submission. There is not one schematic formula in place, but several, as not only are the album sides broken down, and the musicians and their instruments named, but the track is described in its Genesis and its Production, before boxes are used to highlight certain other curiosities about the albums, including fluffed notes/lyrics etc. to listen for "in your headphones" and trivia "for Stones addicts".
Obviously a lot of work went into this kind of digest and it is fortunate for some readers/fans that there have only been three new albums in the last 28 years of the story.
It is exactly what it says on the tin, though, so if you were not going to go through this album by album and debate internally or externally which type of amp sounds best on the early 70s classics and who played what where, then this is definitely not the book for you.
Obviously a lot of work went into this kind of digest and it is fortunate for some readers/fans that there have only been three new albums in the last 28 years of the story.
It is exactly what it says on the tin, though, so if you were not going to go through this album by album and debate internally or externally which type of amp sounds best on the early 70s classics and who played what where, then this is definitely not the book for you.
November 29, 2016
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I was absolutely thrilled to receive this huge well written piece of work in the mail! I usually read books and give them to friends when I am done but not this one. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories behind my favorite songs. I felt like I was learning Rock 'n' Roll history. Thank you Goodreads, Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon for this absolutely wonderful giveaway!
December 17, 2022
a must have for every Stones fan
January 1, 2017
I received this book as a Christmas present and have been reading it intently. I enjoyed reading the book and also enjoyed all of the photographs included in the book. The background stories were interesting and added to my appreciation and understanding of the songs. Plus I dug out some of
my Rolling Stones albums and listened to them with much renewed interest since I had some new insight.
my Rolling Stones albums and listened to them with much renewed interest since I had some new insight.
April 26, 2017
Keith Richards and Mick Jagger grew up with the blues, Chuck Berry and American rock and roll. The early band blended blues, gospel, country and rock ’n’ roll.
May 1963, the five-member band practiced the chords and riffs of the Chicago blues. The band took its name from the Muddy Waters song, "Rollin’ Stone," which he recorded in 1950. It was the second record released by Chess Records. Brian Jones, who founded The Stones, was the first slide guitar that Mick and Keith saw. Charlie Watts, a graphic designer, was a jazz fan who became the drummer.
June 1964, the Rolling Stones recorded at Chess Studios, Chicago, dedicating a track, “2120 South Michigan Avenue,” to Muddy Waters. On another track, “Around and Around,” the band played homage to Chuck Berry who also recorded in that studio. The Stones regarded Chess as the temple of Chicago blues, which Keith claimed that the band rejuvenated.
“There, in the perfect sound studio, in the room where everything we listened to was made, … we recorded fourteen tracks in two days,” said Keith.
I found these early and innocent years the most interesting ones.
Abandoned halfway in. For all the hip-shaking, head-bobbing and leg-swinging good times with the band’s music over the years, this book gets too deep into the debauchery. I was better off knowing less about the source and inspiration of the group’s famous songs.
Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, a similar concept from the same two authors, was quite a different matter. As the product of a quieter and more introspective songwriter and musician, the Dylan book revealed good background on his lyrics and inspiration. Five stars.
May 1963, the five-member band practiced the chords and riffs of the Chicago blues. The band took its name from the Muddy Waters song, "Rollin’ Stone," which he recorded in 1950. It was the second record released by Chess Records. Brian Jones, who founded The Stones, was the first slide guitar that Mick and Keith saw. Charlie Watts, a graphic designer, was a jazz fan who became the drummer.
June 1964, the Rolling Stones recorded at Chess Studios, Chicago, dedicating a track, “2120 South Michigan Avenue,” to Muddy Waters. On another track, “Around and Around,” the band played homage to Chuck Berry who also recorded in that studio. The Stones regarded Chess as the temple of Chicago blues, which Keith claimed that the band rejuvenated.
“There, in the perfect sound studio, in the room where everything we listened to was made, … we recorded fourteen tracks in two days,” said Keith.
I found these early and innocent years the most interesting ones.
Abandoned halfway in. For all the hip-shaking, head-bobbing and leg-swinging good times with the band’s music over the years, this book gets too deep into the debauchery. I was better off knowing less about the source and inspiration of the group’s famous songs.
Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, a similar concept from the same two authors, was quite a different matter. As the product of a quieter and more introspective songwriter and musician, the Dylan book revealed good background on his lyrics and inspiration. Five stars.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews