Golden Stone: The Untold Life and Tragic Death of Brian Jones

Hyperbolic even by rock bio standards, Jackson's investigation of Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones is hard to take seriously. The first evidence that much of the story is missing comes when the acknowledgements fail to name any of Jones's bandmates--his fellow Stones show up only occasionally in material culled from other sources. This chronicle considers the band members superflous to Jones, whose looks, musical ability and fashion sense inspire idolatry (``he experimented with silks, satins, and acres of velvet, proving by bold example that a man could wear these sensual fabrics . . .and retain every ounce of his masculinity''). Jackson, a Scots writer, also attributes to Jones other qualities, claiming without much evidence that the ``Satisfaction'' riff usually credited to Keith Richards was actually created by Jones. On the subject of Jones's drowning--in his pool around midnight between July 2 and 3, 1969--Jackson simply restates that the circumstances surrounding his death cannot be corroborated, thus leaving the truth still shadowy. Photos. (Nov.)