Keith Richards - Keith Richards Under Review

Keef’s recently announced multi-million dollar biography deal was perhaps the biggest news to hit the rock book industry since the publication of Dylan’s Chronicles a few years ago, the world relishing first-hand tales of sex, drugs, rock’n’roll and the occasional tumble from library stepladder or palm tree. In the meantime, the latest release in the ongoing Under Review series struggles to tell the same tale without the personal insight, and with the broad brushstrokes of the most functional story-so-far documentary. Although a high-calibre parade of experts (musos, journos, etc) give voice to various aspects of Richards’ career, there’s little, if anything, that the average Stones fan doesn’t already know. The presence of “celebrity guitar coach” Wolf Marshall raises a wry smile, as he attempts to dissect some of the best known riffs, but it’s hardly earth-shattering. There’s interesting footage of the band and the likes of Elvis and various blues innovators, yet the clips are all too brief and are mostly available elsewhere. Some archive interview segments are eye-opening, especially Richards caught on camera shortly after the death of Brian Jones, but for the most part it’s a case of been there, seen that.