The Sun & the Moon & the Rolling Stones

By: Rich Cohen

Narrated by: Rich Cohen

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

A gritty, one-of-a-kind backstage account of the world’s greatest touring band, from the opinionated music journalist who was along for the ride as a young reporter for Rolling Stone in the 1990s

One of the Top Five Rock Biographies of the Year (San Francisco Chronicle)
One of the Best Books of the Year (Kirkus Reviews)

A book inspired by a lifelong appreciation of the music that borders on obsession, Rich Cohen’s fresh and galvanizing narrative history of the Rolling Stones begins with the fateful meeting of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on a train platform in 1961 - and goes on to span decades, with a focus on the golden run - from the albums Beggars Banquet (1968) to Exile on Main Street (1972) - when the Stones were at the height of their powers. Cohen is equally as good on the low points as the highs, and he puts his finger on the moments that not only defined the Stones as gifted musicians schooled in the blues, but as the avatars of so much in our modern culture. In the end, though, after the drugs and the girlfriends and the bitter disputes, there is the music - which will define, once and forever, why the Stones will always matter.

“Fabulous.... The research is meticulous.... Cohen’s own interviews even yield some new Stones lore.” (The Wall Street Journal)

“[Cohen] can catch the way a record can seem to remake the world [and] how songs make a world you can’t escape.” (Pitchfork)

“No one can tell this story, wringing new life even from the leathery faces of mummies like the Rolling Stones, like Rich Cohen.... The book beautifully details the very meaning of rock ’n’ roll.” (New York Observer)

“Masterful.... Hundreds of books have been written about this particular band and [Cohen’s] will rank among the very best of the bunch.” (Chicago Tribune)

©2016 Rich Cohen (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Cohen has arrived as one of the greatest social and cultural historians of postwar 20th-century America. By gracefully blending fastidious reporting, lucid commentary, and an unabashed love for his subjects, Cohen has managed to write about gods and elevate them into human beings." (Richard Price)

"This is a completely fascinating book. Rich Cohen locks into everything that's crazy and passionate about the Rolling Stones while never losing his clear-sighted presence of mind. Funny, soulful, impeccably reported, and beautifully written, this will be the book about the Stones that will last." (Ian Frazier)

"Cohen is one of the select few to be invited behind the curtain of the Rolling Stones' real-life rock 'n' roll circus, but he never loses the perspective of having once been a kid staring in awe at his brother's poster of the band." (Alan Light)

A clockwork Stoned & Roses

Brian Jones was the original leader, most talented, multi-instrumentalist (watch the videos do your research)
and composer of all great Rollin Stones songs.
Look into it.

A soul may pass on, but a spirit lives on evermore

Excellent Listen-Excellently Written and Read

The writing is very enjoyable and interesting. Rich Cohen’s approach is very astute and his language rich and thoughtful; it is at times brilliantly polished and unique and at other times street-credible. Very well done.

Very good, sometimes great.

I went through this book pretty fast. The insights were very interesting, and both the writing and the narration were smooth and pleasing. The organization of the book sometimes seemed a little off, with some gaps that left me asking why an entire subject was missing. Maybe my only real complaint was how the book just ended fairly abruptly, for the most part ending at the release of Exile on Main Street. I would have been very happy if the book covered all the way up to the present, but the author's enthusiasm for the band seems to die when the band sort of died itself in the late 70s. Still, I'm very happy I bought this audiobook.

Rich Cohen (Author/Narrator) is a wonderful story teller.

Absolutely loved this audio. I rarely finish aidio books, unless I have the written word to follow along with.Without that page in front of me, my mind just wanders off or gets distracted by whatever is in front of me.Rich Cohen's ability to weave a tale or retell events of The Rolling Stones career had me listening to this book at times that I would normally be engaged in more important details.Now that I've discovered that Rich is the writer for HBO's "Vinyl, I will certainly watch it. My wife is NO Rolling Stones fan (she believes that they ruin the lives of everyone that gets near them - is she wrong?) but she enjoyed his way of telling the stories by painting a vivid picture. if you enjoy the Stones this is must and I detest hyperbole. YouTube is bloated w/ "the funniest story EVER". "The grestest song EVER". "The most beautiful actress EVER". I don't do that - but I'd be truly surprised if you didn't really dig this book as much as me. Enjoy.

Compelling and Informative

I commend Rich for the amount of metaphoric circus he scattered along this book. If one is reading not knowing of the stones, they will learn a richer history than most. If one is going in as a huge fan they will be reminded of all reasons they love the band so much. I was lost in only one chapter do to its information build but I find myself research heavy already so this chapter was not a bore due to the author. Great book to read after already reading so much stones literature!

One of the better stones books

Although there aren't a lot of new things to say a about a band that's been repeating itself for 59 year

Best Biography

What did you love best about The Sun & the Moon & the Rolling Stones?

I have been listening to many Rock biographies and this is the BEST yet.I liked the writer's tone and vocabulary he used. It kept my interest to the end and I decided that there was enough meat in the story to listen to it again.I don't normally feel that way. This book is different and is great as an audible presentation.

What other book might you compare The Sun & the Moon & the Rolling Stones to and why?

Keith Richards "Life"

What about Rich Cohen’s performance did you like?

I liked the energy of the story and the inside knowledge of the band that he shares.

want an intimate look into a rock n roll band? This is for you

So much I didn’t know about The Rolling Stones and now it is answered. The band dynamics; their origins; their fighting; their enduring success. The sections on Altamont and Redlands were particularly thorough and intense. The author narrates well but since this time has found his stride as a reader of his own work.

WOW. Good book

WOW. Good read. Give it a try. Good stone's history. Try reading this book soon.

Best Stones book yet

Recalls a lot of the old Stones stories that we've read in other books. The main difference is that Cohen attempts to put the story of the Rolling Stones in the perspective of a Gen-X'er.