Keith richards life reviews

Keith Richards’s autobiography “Life” is irritating, frustrating, disappointing and, at times, revealing.

When I say “revealing,” I’m not talking about his tales of extensive drug use which, at a guess, take up probably a third of the book.

What he was using when is of little interest to me. And I’m not talking about his attitudes towards women whom — no surprise — he often refers to as “bitches.”

I’m talking about the real insights he gives the reader into the creation of many Rolling Stones songs, a detailed recounting of his contribution in terms of chord progressions, riffs and other musical elements to such songs at the core of rock ‘n’ roll as “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Gimme Shelter” and “Satisfaction.”

“Imagining horns”

Regarding that last tune, he writes:

It was down to one little foot pedal, the Gibson fuzz tone, a little box they put out at that time.