50 Licks: Myths and Stories from the Half a Century of the Rolling Stones

On July 12, 1962, London's Marquee Club debuted a new act, a blues-inflected rock band named after a Muddy Waters song - The Rolling Stones. They were a hard-edged band with a flair for the dramatic, styling themselves as the devil's answer to the sainted Beatles. A young, inexperienced producer named Andrew Loog Oldham first heard the band at a session he remembers with four words: 'I fell in love.' Though unfamiliar with such basic industry practices as mixing a recording, he made a brilliant decision - he pitched the band to a studio that had passed on the Beatles. Afraid to make the same mistake twice, they signed the Stones, and began a history-making career. This is just one of the 50 classic stories that make up 50 Licks . Many are never-before told, some are from exclusive interviews - including with elusive bassist Bill Wyman - and all are illustrated and told by the people who lived them. Half a century on, the Rolling Stones are still the greatest band working. And this is the book to commemorate their unparalleled achievement in rock music. "Part oral history, part photo album, and 100 percent Rolling Stones, [this book features] a fresh look at all the classic stories, along with exclusive interviews, rare photos, and memorabilia"--Page 4 of cover The illustrated, memorable, and rock-and-roll stories of the Rolling Stones, as they tour for the 50th year--featuring never-before-seen interviews with the band