The Lost Rolling Stones Photographs: The Bob Bonis Archive, 1964-1966 Hardcover – November 6, 2018

This is an incredible peek into the Rolling Stones' 60s. A handsomely presented, thick book (250+ pages) with a cache of hitherto unpublished photographs. I have the Gered Mankowitz book (the softbound cheapie, not the $250.00 hardbound tome, sheesh!) but I actually prefer this book. Refreshing to see one of my favorite bands before lifestyle took its toll. Here they are vital, funny, edgy, and human. Not exactly the decadent, rich outlaws they became by decade's end. Sparsely annotated, but interestingly so. So if you love the Rolling Stones c. 1964-66, this is a treasure. If you are into their later fame as the 'World's Greatest Rock N Roll Band' you may want to look elsewhere.

These photographs fill in a relatively blank spot, specifically rare studio shots taken at Chess in Chicago and RCA studios Hollywood, in the history of the band. These chronicle the period during the Brian Jones years when the Rolling Stones where being discovered by America, and the Stones were in turn conquering America. After a first fairly uneventful and discouraging initial tour, they came back to the States to establish themselves as a top draw on the concert circuit, and record some of the best music ever made by any English band in U.S. studios, most famously Chess in Chicago and RCA Hollywood. These photographs are a valuable document of this period in the band's storied run as the world's greatest rock and roll band. These were taken during the creative peak of a stunning run of singles, and a band that also made great albums. By all accounts, the chemistry of the band was such that they all got on well with each other, and were united as one to play the music that they loved, re-interpreting R&B classics, and subsequently create some great original music of their own design. This is the Golden Age of the original Rolling Stones, when Brian Jones, the founding member and leader of the band at the peak of his powers, before the egos and drugs and fame took their toll on the band, ultimately changing them forever. Some of these photos are great fly on the wall shots of the Stones in action in the studios. These should have been made available long ago, but they have proven to be worth the wait after all these years! For true Rolling Stones fans, this collection of photographs is a must have!

I bought this book on a recommendation from friends, and I have to say it took me back in time. Most of the pictures, but not all, were new to me, and I have a lot of old Rolling Stones pictures. There, looking at me from these pages were "MY" Stones, not the shadow band of the past 40 years. It was especially wonderful to see new pictures of Brian Jones, the band's founder. I attended the first ever concert they gave in America (San Bernardino, 1964), and it was gratifying to see that fact confirmed in the back of the book. If information like that is important to you, get this book. Also, if photos of an innocent time for the band are something you'd like to see, get this book. Be warned, however, there a few rather "racy" shots, such as Mick "undies", Kieth "business" and Brian "buns", but the overall feel of happy young men enjoying success in life is heart warming.

This original Stones fan - yep, one of the Ancient Ones - has been collecting rock photos & books for decades. So many photo collections contain rehashes of many of the same photos that it seems nothing new will ever be discovered. Not so!!! With this and its sister volume on The Beatles, the estate of late US tour manager Bob Bonis has indeed provided scores of genuinely never-before-seen images of the classic 60's bands, taken of the boys onstage, backstage & in private tour moments by Mr. Bonis, who had virtually unrestricted access. Bob kept almost all of these photos stashed at his home, seen by VERY few people, even his family. His son & the estate decided it was time to share it all with the world, resulting in a rare, totally fresh, often candid, remarkably immediate, occasionally rude assembly of images absolutely essential for any serious rock photo collector. Even if you're not into the Stones or Beatles, these books provide a scarce first-hand inside glimpse of what a mid-60's US rock tour was like. INDISPENSABLE!!!!!

I've been a Rolling Stones fan since I was 12 years old in 1964. I saw their first New York appearance in Carnegie Hall on June 20th 1964 and screamed my lungs out. This collection of lost photos from the 1960s is a treasure trove for any fan but is especially cool for lifelong fans like me who thought that at age 65 they could never find any new photos that they haven't seen. These truly candid (sometimes a bit racy) behind-the-scenes photos are an amazingly precious addition to my extensive Stones collection.

Some cool shots of the boys most of them never seen before. The bulk of them are not concert shot alot of behind the scenes stuff and day to day on tour in the early 60's. I'm impressed with the quality of the concert shot's thinking about the state of the photography gear of that time. All done with film no auto focus or TTL flash's not sure if through the lens metering was in wide spread use then I don't think so which make's this work even

I purchased this volume with a wonder in my mind; will it be worth the price. Well, as a huge fan of the Stones, I'm more than pleased.

Great photos from the golden years of the Stones. Cool shots of the enigmatic Brian.