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

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »

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