You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Viking has paid a six-figure sum at auction for an authorised biography of The Stone Roses, whose eponymous début has been lauded as one of the best albums of all time.
Editorial director Joel Rickett bought rights to Fool’s Gold by Simon Spence, who ghosted The Rolling Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham’s Stoned, through Kevin Pocklington at Jenny Brown. The book will be published on 25th October 2012 as a £20 hardback, with a limited edition slipcase edition planned. The book will be Penguin’s third high-profile rock biography that autumn. It is also publishing Neil Young’s memoir and Object by David Bowie—a collection of writings about the items that influenced his career.
The Stone Roses were formed in the mid-1980s by lead singer Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Gary Mounfield and drummer Alan Wren. The band’s 1989 début album, “The Stone Roses”, became a double platinum-selling album. However, after the album’s release, the band became mired in a legal dispute with their former label. Their second album, 1994’s “Second Coming”, received mixed reviews, and the band split up several years later.
Fool’s Gold is based on 400 hours of interviews with the band and others close to them, and features 50 unseen photos. Rickett said: “The Stone Roses were the band of my generation. They defined an era and made perhaps the best album ever—a flawless record that’s as thrilling now as it was in 1989. They’ve refused to exploit or tarnish their legacy. So I’m thrilled that they’ve agreed to work with Simon Spence to tell their story. I can’t think of a more exciting book to publish.”