Keith/Standing in the Shadows 1st edition by Booth, Stanley (1995) Hardcover

by Stanley Booth

How is it that one of the best and most notorious interpreters of the modern blues is a white boy from England? The blues only reaches and touches certain troubled souls, or as Brownie McGhee put it, "Blues is not a dream, blues is truth." Associated in general with blacks originally from America's Deep South, the blues as a music form has its own history, its own mythology, its own score card of players whose association with pain, heartbreak, and a fear of the devil were all the prices of admission to this sacrosanct club. Enter Keith He is one of those players. Think modern guitar heroes and inevitably the name Keith Richards comes to mind. The bluesy, hard-driving rock 'n' roll riffs of the Rolling Stones set a standard for modern music and transformed the image of the guitar from instrument to weapon/symbol to an indispensable part of everyday music. Author Stanley Booth has known and associated with Keith Richards for over twenty years. Booth explores Keith's past, finding inspiration and new social attitudes emerging from the rubble of World War II that appear to be the essence of the man himself. Booth's conversations with Keith bring forth Richards's own assessment of his craft and reveal attitudes such as his yin/yang relationship with Mick Jagger, his passion for such blues greats as Furry Lewis and Robert Johnson, what rhythm is to him and that shadowy corner of his soul from whence it springs, and how music has been transformed to become the denominator of social passion around the world.

Genres: Music, Biography

Hardcover

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

Stanley Booth was an American music journalist based in Memphis, Tennessee. Characterized by Richie Unterberger as a "fine, if not extremely prolific, writer who generally speaking specializes in portraits of roots musicians, most of whom did their best work in the '60s and '50s," Booth has written extensively about Keith Richards, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, James Brown, Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, B.B. King, and Al Green. He chronicled his travels with the Rolling Stones in several of his works.

Reviews

[Jon Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had just read Stanley Booth's "The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones," which is one of the greatest books on rock 'n' roll. Booth was friends with Keith, so I thought this book might continue a thread. The sad fact is that after a number of years the Stones just weren't as interesting. I've really enjoyed Keith's solo records, and he was amazing live. But very little can hold a candle to what the Stones were doing (and what they meant) as the '60s turned to the '70s. This book is worth reading if the subject sparks some interest, but it can't compare to Booth's previous Stones book.

[Tony Funches · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to work for & tour with Keith & The Stones, which is how, where & when I met Stanley. Given that fact, I safely state that Stanley is Dead-On Accurate with everything written in this book; I was there & witnessed much of it, as Stanley mentions on page "Somethin' or Other" ... It is not possible to get better information than this.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

"to me, the art of music is listening to it, not playing it.The real art of it is hearing it. And then if you have a facility and the opportunity that way then maybe you get around to playing it......"
"it's like paying your own rent makes a man out of you."
" those empty towns thats where you learn your craft."
" theres only one song anyway. Everything's just a variation."
"Nothing comes out of nowhere...........you start to realize that music is the most subtle thing in the world for conveying ideas."
" music,it's a hand me down."
"I grew up with the BBC as the Beatles did.........a discerning parent, a parent that was interested in music..........What I love about them, to them it was just pure enjoyment, a great line out of a book or a song they loved."
" The mysteries of the receptors' portion of the brain, lodged in my skull.Music...."
on altamont "There was no hope of anarchy"

[Spiros · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, slim volume from an ultimate insider. While much of the biographical material was later covered in Keith's own autobiography, I think it's safe to say that Stanley Booth is a better writer than Keith (and his ghost, James Fox). Also, the last quarter of the book seems to consist mainly of direct quotes from Keith, which are fascinating both for their content and their idiosyncrasity.

[Drucifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

has some pearls of wisdom that elevate this far above the standard rock bio.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that a good part of this book is in Keith's own words. The author is a writer as well as a friend of Keith's so he brings out the personal side of Keith's personality. Keith talks about everything from family to being a Stone to fame and beyond. I don't need a biography by someone who has mined the internet and woven together every fact found about Keith. I want to read about what made Keith who he is today. As Booth says, "Brian practiced being a rebel; Keith was born a rebel".

[Al Maki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Keith Richards, I think he's a great musician and in some ways he's an epitome of his (and my) era. I like Booth's book for two reasons. He witnessed many of the events described in Richard's own book Life so he provides a cross check on an unreliable narrator. The other thing I like is that when he quotes people he doesn't clean up their syntax so you get the actual speech.