My thoughts....3.5 stars Not what I was expecting.
Dustbin Bob is back in the sequel to Rubber Soul. While The Beatles make an occasional drop in,
especially John, PAINTED BLACK is all about Rock’s original bad boys, The
Rolling Stones, particularly Brian Jones’ last year or so.
When first starting PAINTED BLACK, indeed right through to
the end, I kept anticipating a mystery that never materialized. Speaking
strictly from a personal standpoint there is no mystery. PAINTED BLACK is a
fictionalized account of the last year or so of Brian Jones’ life. Billed as the second Dustbin Bob book, he,
Cricket, Clovis , and Erlene aren’t
as present as one might expect. Brian is the sun around which the story and
characters revolve.
PAINTED BLACK is for fans of The Rolling Stones and the
psychedelic era of the mid to late sixties. Name dropping abounds as Brian
makes his way through the upper stratosphere of Rock’s elite and up &
coming musicians from Africa to the United
States . Brian’s trip to Baltimore
and last excursion to Africa introduces an occult
element to the story that, while many were into that at the time, only served to
muddy already murky waters. Regardless of this not being the mystery it was
touted to be, it kept my interest because of the actual facts and true life
events woven in. Lurid and akin to rubbernecking at an accident, you know it
will end badly but can’t help but continue.
Despite a few mentions thrown in of a conspiracy revolving
around the demise of rock stars, mystery lovers may want to give PAINTED BLACK
a pass as there’s no real mystery involved. For fans of the Stones and the
beginnings of the whole sex, drugs, and rock & roll culture there’s plenty
here to thrill.
Overall, not what was expected but uniquely interesting in ways
I hadn’t anticipated.
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