There’s been dozens of books written about the Rolling Stones but Butterfly On A Wheel is unique in that it focuses on a very specific period of time. It’s the late 60s and the establishment is less than impressed with the latest cultural phenomenon, the Rolling Stones. Unhappy with their seemingly casual attitude to drugs, the tabloids and the police set out to target artists such as the Stones with a series of raids designed at catching them in the act. The most infamous one of these took place at Redlands, home of guitarist Keith Richards. The raid was to have wide reaching consequences, with a brief jail sentence for Mick Jagger, public vilification for Marianne Faithful (the infamous Mars bar story is fully debunked in this book), an increase in Brian Jones’ already spiralling paranoia and the near break up of one of the most famous rock bands in history.

I was aware of the outlines of this story but this book does an excellent job of filling in a lot of the gaps. Other pop stars were also targeted by Detective Pilcher (semolina pichard anyone?) Donovan being one victim but interestingly The Beatles were considered too sacrosanct too be touched. George Harrison was allowed to leave Redlands minutes before the raid took place, though there’s no suggestion he had any knowledge of what was about to happen. There’s some really interesting background to the infamous “Acid King” a gentlemen called David Sniderman, who was sought after by the musicians of the time due to his ability to procure acid and be a safe pair of hands to take it with. He quickly disappeared after the Redlands raid and resurfaced years later in America only to wind up at the same event as one Marianne Faithful. The Stones suspected that he knew a lot more than he let on and he was wise to never return to the UK.

There’s a lot of background on the dynamics of the band at the time. Brian Jones was quickly losing his standing in the group as he pushed the self destruct button and the author doesn’t shy away from describing his more abhorrent behaviour. The Stones emerged bruised and battered from the ordeal and after a stuttering restart really got back into their groove as they left the 60s and moved into the 70s.

It’s a fascinating tale of its time and well worth a read for anyone with an interest in the music or culture of this period. I’ve read a few books about this time period and found this title a welcome addition to the collection. A really interesting story well told.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

In a week where the Tories have decided that Leverson 2 can be brushed under the carpet this book provides a timely reminder of just how long the press have made money from moralistic muck raking. Few will come to this book up not knowing how it ends, or who the main characters are; instead Wells focuses on telling the story with sometimes forensic detail, painting the wider context in which the drug busts occurred, and debunking the myth of the mars bar for once and for all.

The early chapters lend the book a bit of a slow start as they are given over to a potted band history and it takes it’s not until Keith has purchased Redlands that the story hits its stride. Wells casts a caustic eye over proceedings and doesn’t spare any of the cast when the occasion arises. Jagger is described as a “massive dichotomy” with an adjustable accent, putting his days as “Mike” behind him to bolster his street cred, with an outlaw image punctured after just one tearful night in jail. In contrast Wells is better disposed to Richard’s “sneering dissent” and stoicism.

If there was anything positive to say about Brain Jones, Wells struggles to find much beyond some of his musical contributions. Any sympathy for the way in which Jones was edged out of the band he helped form ebbs away once Wells describes his predatory and abusive behaviour with women – Jones ruined his slide guitar technique when he broke his wrist trying to punch Anita Pallenberg - and a light-fingered touch with money.

Wells research is extensive – he relates the exact nature of what Mick and Keith wore to each trial, what they had for lunch and what it cost, even how many pieces there were in the jigsaw given to Mick whilst being held prior to sentencing are all included. Much of the book is drawn from police papers he has recently been given access to. Wells hasn’t spoken to Jagger or Richard directly - he thinks they have bought into the “myth” of what happened - that they were set up by a mysterious American “Acid King” called Schneidermann who was actually working for the CIA or MI5 - and would no longer be able to offer anything objective. A weak spot is that Watts and Wyman are scarcely mentioned once the story of how the band formed is told in the early chapters. At the very tail end Wyman’s discomfort with the abundant drug taking is set out (taken from Wyman’s “Stone Alone autobiography) but compared to the depth of material elsewhere the lack of perspective from 40% of the band does leave something of a gap.

As much as the book is about the Stones, it’s also about the impact that they, and other musicians had on wider society. The initial willingness of the press to cozy up to bands – typified in the way Epstein worked with them to the benefit of the Beatles- was bound to end once the papers thought that hatchet work would sell just as well as happy pieces, but also acknowledges that manager Andrew Loog-Oldham hastened the descent by making the Stones “bad boy” image the cornerstone of what he fed the press.

Wells makes no attempt to minimise the Stones drug use (or that of others known to party hard at the time such as the Moody Blues) but the partnership between the police and (of course) the News of The World is all too depressingly familiar. In particular, Wells takes aim at the fourth estate for smearing Marianne Faithfull and the longer-term damage it did to her, pointing out that the absence of any reference to Mars Bars in the police statements proved it was a cheap act of retribution that has haunted her for over 50 years.

Ultimately what’s refreshingly unfamiliar is the role played by William Rees-Mogg, who despite neither liking their music or their lifestyle, stuck his neck out to use his considerable authority as editor of The Times to question the severity of the sentences handed down, as well as subsequently allowing the paper to run an advert from the pro drug reform group SOMA. If son Jacob is anything to go by, it’s the sort of principled stance that’s hard to imagine we will see again any time soon.

It is a fact that, even today, newspapers give a lot of column space to the behaviour and use of drugs by celebrities. However, in the mid-sixties a series of events raised the issue of drugs and rock musicians to new heights. The most famous of these events was the trial in 1967 for possession of drugs of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, when it seemed the establishment took up arms against the young. The author does an excellent job of looking at the events of that year in a balanced and fair way, recreating events with great detail. The whole saga of the arrest of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Robert Fraser (the famed 'Dr Robert' of the Beatles Revolver album) dominated the news throughout the Summer of Love, prompting a fierce debate over drug use and laws and raising the issues of entertainers setting an example to their young audience. The establishment were obviously concerned that the young were taking pop stars, such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones as their leaders. Indeed, there is a wonderful moment in the book when the fans were making a great deal of noise in court and refusing to be quiet, at which point Jagger's lawyer suggested he try to silence them, as their behaviour might go against him. Turning, Jagger lifted a finger to his lips and the fans immediately sat and were quiet. His was the only authority they recognised in the courtroom and such influence was obviously threatening to those of the old guard.

This then has just about everything required of a great scandal - The News of the World and their dubious journalism, even then; the wonderfully named Norman Pilcher, scourge of London based rock musicians (after busting John Lennon he even requested he sign albums for his children!) and scandals and innuendo which, while not damaging the male members of that weekend party, annihilated the reputation of Marianne Faithful forever. Pictures of Jagger and Richards in handcuffs led to the celebrated editorial in The Times, likening Jagger's fate to "breaking a butterfly on a wheel" - taken from Alexander Pope's 1735 poem, "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot", which Simon Wells reproduces in full. The author recreates exactly what happened, who was there, the entire court case, the appeals and the aftermath of that turbulent year. He also discusses Brian Jones and his brushes with the law and drugs charges which left him more paranoid than ever. The book ends with the death of Jones and the end of the sixties and tells what happened to all the main characters mentioned. This really is a fabulous read which I recommend highly.

The opening sections contain a potted history of The Rolling Stones familiar to anyone who has read books about the group.

Where this book scores highly is in its forensic examination of the days leading up to the 1967 Redlands bust, the subsequent court cases, and the implications. It's well written and very illuminating about the wider context in which these events took place, and how they impacted on all those involved.

The culture clash of the "Establishment" embodied by aged Judges with a history of military service, versus the long haired, rebellious Stones is brilliantly evoked. Lest we forget 1967 was only 21 years after the end of WW2. Many from the wartime generation were affronted by the irreverent, drug taking antics of some amongst the young, and who were embodied by The Rolling Stones.

Predictably, it was the News Of The World (more recently involved in the phone hacking scandal which resulted in the paper's demise) who were keen to nail the Stones. Coppers and journos were routinely in cahoots and so not surprisingly the tabloids were on hand to record the Redlands bust, along with subsequent busts.

Detective Sergeant Norman Pilcher became a celebrity copper on the back of his numerous busts. Pilcher waged a one man war on the 1960s pop elite and was responsible for arresting Donovan, Brian Jones, John Lennon and George Harrison. Pilcher always got results by bringing along to any bust his own supply of evidence. He got his just desserts in the end though, but that's another story for another day.

Butterfly on a Wheel: The Great Rolling Stones Drugs Bust is a five star read, and anyone interested in The Rolling Stones, the 1960s more generally, pop culture, and British social history will find this account engrossing and illuminating.

Highly recommended

5/5