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| The first thing Graham Ride promises
the reader is no sensationalism - he keeps that promise - there is
none. My first impression upon reading the book was that it sounds like
a friend writing about a friend: .This is a worthy book for any Brian Jones
fan to add to their collection as it offers a balance to those books that
do rely on sensationalism. We get a more honest look at a young, creative
Brian on his own home turf of Cheltenham through the eyes of his friend,
Graham Ride The Brian here is not a really bad boy, other than his
"carelessness" (to say the least) with his girlfriends but a kind of quirky
individual with an all consuming passion for music. I must
admit that I found myself just appalled to see how different that Brian
was then from the man we have read about all these many years, although
we caught occasional glimpses: but then , in his time with Graham, he was
confident, assured, enthusiastic, very centred as to what he wanted to
do with his life. There were little indications of the "dark side" we have
read about over the years...the girls, his flash of temper occasionally
but by and large he seemed a decent guy. After reading this book,
I don't feel as if I need to question Graham on what type of person Brian
was but rather the writers who have propagated myth after myth after myth
and concentrated only on the negatives, and in many, if not most cases,
exaggerated those negatives.
Of particular interest to musicians
and blues aficionados, will be the lengthy descriptions of who they listened
to, how they got the music down, what they discussed in relation to different
musicians they admired. These sections may be abit of a rough go for those
who are not blues aficionados, but for those who are, it's a pure delight!
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| I enjoyed this book quite alot, particularly because it did give me a look at Brian on his home turf of Cheltenham before the Stones. This is not to say that the book does not have its weak spots - it does. There are points where the reader wishes that the author would go into a little more --ok, alot more detail about Brian or the author's thoughts on Brian, but a large factor to bear in mind, is that this is the author's memoirs essentially and that he is telling things as he remembers them while trying not to embellish them or imbue them with his own "present day " opinions. On the whole, the book is a worthy addition to a Brian Jones collection because it does give us that look at a young, creative, preStone's Brian. |
| There is almost a bittersweet feeling
as Graham's time with 20 year Brian comes to a close and Brian heads off
for London: full of life, full of enthusiasm, full of hope and dreams;
not dreaming how his story will end.
Graham Ride has done a good job of giving us a rare view of Brian Jones, the kid from Cheltenham who loved the blues. |
| To order the book go to http://www.foundationstone.co.uk/
* those who are members of The Brian Jones Fan Club will receive a discount on the purchase of this book if they include their membership number when ordering. If you'd care to read some of Graham Ride's poetry, go to : http://www.broad-brush.com |
| The following is a poem written
for Brian Jones by Graham Ride and is used with permission of the author:
Blue Blue Water What are you doing here, man?
Old man? no. Less than thirty
It doesn't seem so, man
Not fizzled out, man, you're still
No, man. I can't see how
copyright 2001 Graham Ride |
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