Rolling Stones Remember Stu

"It was basically his band," says Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards of the late Ian Stewart in a lavish new book, Stu. A founding member who pre-dated both Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, the Scotland-born Stewart left the limelight in 1963 but remained the Stones' pianist, road manager and blues conscience until his death after a stroke in 1985.

In addition to playing on Stones albums like Aftermath and Let It Bleed all the way through 1983's Emotional Rescue, Stewart played on classic recordings like Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, Howlin' Wolf's The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions and Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane's Rough Mix.

Privately published by Out-Take Limited in an edition of 950 leatherbound copies, Stu features vivid tales of Stewart's life from the Stones and their circle, plus more than 500 illustrations, including Stewart's own rarely seen photos of the Stones at work and play, like the mid-Sixties beauty shown here. For info, contact out-take.co.uk.

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Song Stories

“Let My Love Open the Door”

Pete Townshend | 1980

A peppy, hopeful love song, "Let My Love Open the Door" became a U. S. Top Ten hit for Pete Townshend in 1980, anchored by the kind of repeating synthesizer figures that he'd used in some of the Who's recordings in the previous decade. Although Townshend brushed the song off as "just a ditty" in Rolling Stone shortly after its release, in 1996 he revealed it was about love of the holiest sort. "It's supposed to be about the power of God's love," he remarked. "That when you're in difficulty, whether it's major or minor, God's love is always there for you."

More Song Stories entries »

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