Rolling Stone issue #48 had a cover date of December 27, 1969. 64 pages. 35 cents. Cover photo of Mick Jagger by Baron Wolman.

This is the final issue of the 1960s and with that we’re wrapping up our series. It’s been fun to revisit these old magazines, and to see how they influenced what we think of as the canon of classic rock. Jann Wenner’s anglophilia and provincial San Francisco biases are almost comically obvious, and it’s crazy to think how much one dude’s opinion continues to affect the entire music industry. Not to say the Beatles and the Stones and even Jefferson Airplane are not worthy subjects of exploration, but there was a whole lot more going on in the sixties than what was featured in Rolling Stone.

Wanner narrowed the definition of the decade down to what took place between the Monterey Pop festival in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969. Which, really, was just a blip. Everything before 1967 was oldies; everything after 1969 was compromised. Wenner’s idealized version of his early twenties overwhelms and sucks the oxygen out of any other period of music history. It’s ridiculous. But wow, what power!

Seems appropriate that the final issue of the sixties features a story about how the Rolling Stones are still planning to put on a free concert in San Francisco on December 6. At press time, they still didn’t have a location selected. Mick Jagger was pessimistic: “It depends on whether we can get a place. There are so many obstacles put in front of us. It’s gotten so fucking complicated.”

They would end up, of course, at the Altamont Speedway. Things didn’t turn into the “Little Woodstock” as they had hoped, but instead devolved into chaos, bad vibes, and violence, culminating in the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter by the Hells Angels. And that, so the story goes, was how the sixties ended.

Features: “Free Rolling Stones: It’s going to Happen!” by John Burks and Loraine Alterman; “Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Taylor & Reeves” by Ben Fong-Torres; “The Impressions” by Michael Alexander; “The Truth About Teen Movies” by Richard Staehling.

Continue reading 50 Years Ago in Rolling Stone: Issue 49 →

Rolling Stone issue #48 had a cover date of December 13, 1969. 56 pages. 35 cents. Cover photo of Miles Davis.

Features: “Miles Davis” by Don Demicheal and Ralph J. Gleason; “Kiss Kiss Flutter Flutter Thank You Thank You: The Rolling Stones Fall 1969 Tour” by Jerry Hopkins; “They Put the Weight on Mick & He Carried It” by Greil Marcus; “The Environmentalists: The Whole Earth Catalog Gets Down to Business” by Thomas Albright; “Environmentalists” by John Burks; “Robbie Robertson” by Howard Gladstone; “Life and Death of Skip James” by Ed Ward.

News: Janis Busted for Naughty Words; “Who Let the Kinks In?” by Loraine Alterman; Jim Morrison Takes A Trip; Ginger Baker, Gunslinger; “Low Expectations For Strawberry” by Michael Goodwin; “I’d Rather Be Burned in Canada” by Ritchie Yorke; Two Moratorium Days: So What?; Bill Graham’s Amateur Show; Immediate Sues CBS for $7,200,000; Joni Mitchell Hangs It Up; Masked Marauders Expose Themselves; The Zombies Are A Stiff; Kinetic Playground Burns: Arsonists; “Drug Rap: 3 for The Price of 1” by Ben Fong-Torres; “The Family Dog Becomes a Family” by Ben Fong-Torres; “Ant * Farm” by Thomas Albright. And Random Notes on the Woodstock film, Booker T and the MGs, Howlin’ Wolf, Jeff Beck, The Music Scene, Ron Kass, CSNY, Jerry Corbitt. Nilsson, John Sebastian, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, The Beatles Book of Lyrics, Beach Boys, Procol Harum, Conway Twitty, and Gene Vincent.

Reviews: Memphis Swamp Jam, Bukka White, et al (by Ed Leimbacher); Original Recordings, Dan Hicks (by Geoffrey Link); Dimensions/Nonstop/Super Hits, the Box Tops (by Lester Bangs); Area Code 615 (by John Grissim); “Life’s Little Ups and Downs”, Charlie Rich (by Greil Marcus); Tadpoles, Bonzo Dog Band (by Lester Bangs); Salvation, Original Cast/Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay, Sha Na Na (by Greil Marcus); Led Zeppelin II (by John Mendelsohn); Mouldy Goldies, Colonel Jubilation B. Johnston And His Mystic Knights Band And Street Singers Attack The Hits (by Mike Saunders); Alice Faye in Hollywood (by Lester Bangs); Supersnazz, Flamin’ Groovies (by Lester Bangs); Then Play On, Fleetwood Mac (by John Morthland); Glass Onion, Arif Mardin (by David Gancher); “She Belongs To Me”, Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band/”Fortunate Son” b/w “Down on the Corner”, Creedence Clearwater Revival (by Greil Marcus); Stand Up!, Jethro Tull (by Ben Gerson); In the Jungle, Babe, the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm and Blues/Gotta Groove, the Bar-Kays (by Lester Bangs); Keep On Moving, Butterfield Blues Band (by Gary Von Tersch); The Dells Great Hits/Love Is Blue (by Ed Leimbacher); Condemned: Extremely Heavy, Kim Fowley/A New Day, Theo Bikel/Live Electronic Music, Steve Reich.

Columns: “Astrology” by Ambrose Hollingsworth; “Cinema: Sympathy For the Devil” by Marjorie Heins; “Cinema: Take The Money And Run” by Hendrik Hertzberg; “Cinema: Lion’s Love” by Michael Goodwin; “Books: The Story of Rock” by Jon Carroll; “Books: Electric Tibet” by Jon Carroll; “Books: The Age of Rock, Sounds of the American Cultural Revolution” by John Morthland.

Also: “Ernest Hemingway’s Typist” by Richard Brautigan; “A High Building In Singapore” by Richard Brautigan.

Subscription offer: Volunteers by Jefferson Airplane, free with 50 cents shipping. $6 for 26 issues; $10 for 52.

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Rolling Stone issue #45 had a cover date of November 15, 1969. 48 pages. 35 cents. Cover photo of the Beatles by Camera Press-Pix.

Features: “The Beatles: You Never give me your Money” by Our Staff; “The Stones Tour: Is That A Lot?” by Jerry Hopkins; “Keith Richards” by Ritchie Yorke; “San Quentin” by Jon Carroll; “Memories of an Apple Girl” by Francie Schwartz; “Jimi Hendrix: I don’t want to be a Clown any More…” by Sheila Weller.

News: One and One and One Is Three?; “Music Scene Ain’t Got No Balls” by Ben Fong-Torres; Delaney & Bonnie: No Hard Feelings?; “Blunt Music from A Black Panther” by Eliot Tiegel; White Panther On the Lam; Moratorium: The Beat Went On; “Early Blues Artist Skip James Dies”; “Chess Records’ Co-Founder Dies”; Janis Joplin Story–Minus Janis; “Creedence: Show Biz in Denver” by Richard Kreck; “Redding On Jimi: I Said Stuff It” by Ritchie Yorke; James Taylor Crash: Breaks Both Hands; New Underground Blast Reported; Two More Men Rolling Stoned; In the Next Issue; Owsley Guilty: 67 1/2 Righteous Grams; US, Mexico Resume Peaceful Trade; Donovan’s Trippy Anti-Trip Trip; Nixon Going Soft On Dope Smokers; Hawaiian Plant for Jefferson Airplane. And Random Notes on Bob Dylan, May Hopkin, Buddy Miles, Small Faces, Steve Miller Band, Flying Burrito Brothers, Dewey Martin, Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Star Club, Plastic Ono Band, Bee Gees, Jack Bruce, Richie Havens, Popcorn, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Dion, Willie Dixon, Mac Davies, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Chicago, Doors, Love, Fleetwood Mac, Hair.

Reviews: Abbey Road, The Beatles (by John Mendelsohn); Abbey Road, The Beatles (by Ed Ward); In a Silent Way, Miles Davis (by Lester Bangs); Emergency, The Tony Williams Lifeline (by Lester Bangs); The Hunter, Ike and Tina Turner (by Pete Welding); Boz Scaggs (by Ed Leimbacher); What This Is!, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (by John Morthland); Ready to Ride, Southwind (by Gary Von Tersch); Whatever’s Right, Lonnie Mack (by John Morthland); Just Good Old Rock and Roll, The Electric Prunes/Rock and Roll, Vanilla Fudge (by Lester Bangs); It’s Not Killing Me, Michael Bloomfield/My Labors, Nick Gravenites/Live at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West, Mike Bloomfield and Friends (by David Gancher); The Cajun Way, Doug Kershaw (by Ed Leimbacher); Early Days, The Zombies (by John Mendelsohn); He’s a Friend of Mine, The Edwin Hawkins Singers; Love Is All We Have to Give, The Checkmates Ltd. (by Greil Marcus); Songs for a Tailor, Jack Bruce (by Ed Leimbacher); Terry Reid (by John Mendelsohn); You Never Know Who Your Friends Are, Al Kooper (by John Burks); Make a Joyful Noise, Mother Earth (by Patrick Thomas).

Columns: “Perspectives: Believe in the Magic” by Ralph J. Gleason; “Astrology” by Ambrose Hollingsworth; “Putney Swope” by Hendrik Hertzberg; “Books” by Ed Leimbacher (on Rock from the Beginning by Nik Cohn); “Books” by Jon Carroll (on Jim Morrison and the Doors by Mike Jahn).

Poetry: “Low Tide” by William Witherup.

Subscription offer: Fathers and Songs by Muddy Waters and friends, free with 50 cents shipping. $6 for 26 issues; $10 for 52.

Previously: Issue 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45.

Rolling Stone issue #45 had a cover date of November 1, 1969. 48 pages. 35 cents. Cover photo of Tina Turner by Robert Altman.

Features: “The Rolling Stone Interview: Phil Spector” by Jann Wenner; “Johnny Cash” by John Grissim; “A2 Blues” by Jerry Heist; “The First Tycoon of Teen” by Tom Wolfe (originally published in New York Magazine in 1965).

News: Straight Dope on the Crisis; A Temple of Cannabis; “Big Heroin Scare Shakes France” by Ferris Hartman; The Band Goes On the Road; “Record Ads Hitting Below the Belt” by Ben Fong-Torres; Tragedy Strikes David Crosby; Park Protesters Camera-Shy; Zappers Zapped in New York, LA; Timothy Leary is a Democrat; Kids Do the Darndest Things; Seeds & Stems; “A ‘People’s Park’ In Copenhagen” by Carol Matzkin; “GI Joe Visits The Troops” by Ed Jeffords; “Hall of Fame for Rhythm and Blues” by Jerry Hopkins; “Texas Pop: Heat, But Not So Hot” by John Zeh; “Monterey Jazz: A Festival No More” by Langdon Winner; “Mt. Tam Energy Bash” by Michael Goodwin; Xmas Release Set for Masked Marauders. And Random Notes on Phil Ochs, Donovan, Jimi Hendrix, KRLA, Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Lulu, Newport 69, Timothy Leary, Desmond Dekker (“My wife and my children they fuck-off and leave me”), B.B. King, Mary Robbins, Syntonic Research, and Playboy vs. Soul.

Reviews: Arthur, The Kinks (by Michael Daly); Arthur, The Kinks (by Greil Marcus); Words and Music by Bob Dylan, The Hollies (by John Mendelsohn); Kozmic Blues, Janis Joplin (by Ed Leimbacher); Kozmic Blues, Janis Joplin (by John Burks); The Chantels (by Langdon Winner); Mother Earth Presents Tracy Nelson Country (by Patrick Thomas); Dusty in Memphis, Dusty Springfield (by Greil Marcus); Nothing But a Heartache, The Flirtations (by Greil Marcus); The Two Sides of Linda Gail Lewis (by Andy Boehm); Melanie (by Gig Lee); Sweet Linda Divine (by Chris Hodenfield); Stronger Than Dirt, Big Mama Thornton (by John Morthland).

Columns: “Books” by Langdon Winner (on The Making of a Counter Culture by Theodore Roszak; “Books” by John Grissim (on Trans-action magazine: The Anti-American Generation).

Poetry: “August 6, 1969” by Tom Clark; “February Landscape” by Gary Von Tersch.

Subscription offer: Fathers and Songs by Muddy Waters and friends, free with 50 cents shipping. $6 for 26 issues; $10 for 52.

Previously: Issue 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44.

Rolling Stone issue #44 had a cover date of October 18, 1969. 48 pages. 35 cents. Cover photo of David Crosby by Robert Altman.

48 pages this time, with tons of reviews to make up for the previous issue that had none. The funniest review is a spoof written by Greil Marcus under the pseudonym T.M. Christian for a non-existent album called The Masked Marauders featuring “the unmistakable vocals make it clear that this is indeed what it appears to be: John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, and Bob Dylan backed by George Harrison and a drummer…” The hoax created such a hubbub that the Rolling Stone editors actually hired a band to record the album! Rhino Handmade reissued it in 2001, and it’s currently available on streaming services. Now that’s a good joke.

Features: “Rock and Roll Revival Surprise: John & Yoko” by Melinda McCracken; “Great Dope Purge Of 1969”; “Big Sur” by Jerry Hopkins; “The Fifties” by Howard Junker; “Sha Na Na Na Yip yip Mum mum get a job” by Jan Hodenfield.

News: “Lennon on Toronto: ‘Bloody Marvelous'” by Ritchie Yorke; George Harrison On Abbey Road; “Mothers’ Day Has Finally Come” by Jerry Hopkins; James Brown Off His Night Train; “FM Hang-up: ‘You Can’t Say That…'” by Ben Fong-Torres; Split, Fight Over Woodstock Stock; A Pop Festival in The Mother Lode; Blues’ Josh White Dead at 61; Tiny Tim Loves ‘Miss Vicki’; Delaney & Bonnie’s ‘Super’ Friends; Band Opens Up Old Fillmore; “Harenchi” by Michael Berger; “Pachuko” by Rafeal Espinosa. And Random Notes.

Reviews: Original Golden Greats, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Jerry Lee Lewis (by Bob Kirsch); Truly Fine Citizen, Moby Grape (by Ben Gerson); “My Guitar”, The Mothers (by Black Shadow); “Carry Me Back”, The Rascals/”Suspicious Minds”, Elvis Presley (by Greil Marcus); The Flock (by Langdon Winner); Fear Itself/Tons of Sobs, Free (by Ed Leimbacher); The Stooges (by Edmund O. Ward); Preflyte, The Byrds (by Lester Bangs); Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival (by Bruce Miroff); Word of Mouth, Merryweather (by John Morthland); The Masked Marauders (by T.M. Christian); Santana (by John Morthland and Langdon Winner); Fathers and Sons, Muddy Waters-Paul Butterfield-Mike Bloomfield-Otis Spann-Duck Dunn-Sam Lay (by Pete Welding); Black and White, Tony Joe White (by Ed Ward); Karma, Pharoah Sanders (by Langdon Winner); Sssh, Ten Years After (by Ben Gerson); In the Plain, Savage Rose (by Lester Bangs); Through the Past Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2), Rolling Stones (by Greil Marcus); The Band (by Ralph J. Gleason); Direct Hits, The Who (by Ed Ward); “Curly”, The Move/”Something in the Air”, Thunderclap Newman (by John Mendelsohn).

Columns: “Astrology” by Ambrose Hollingsworth.

Poetry: “I Know What You’re Thinking” by Billy Collins; “Woke Up This Morning Feeling” by Robert Sundstrom.

Subscription offer: Love Man by Otis Redding, free with 50 cents shipping. $6 for 26 issues; $10 for 52.

Previously: Issue 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43.

Rolling Stone issue #43 had a cover date of October 4, 1969. 40 pages. 35 cents. Cover photo by Steven Shames.

Weird issue. No reviews, no regular columns, no silly poetry. The whole issue is basically devoted to John Burks’ giant 30,000-word feature on the underground press.

Features: “The Underground Press” by John Burks; “The Radical Media Conference in Ann Arbor” by Don Demaio; “Great to be here, Great to be here, It sure is [Bob Dylan at the Isle of Wight Festival]” by Marty Grayson.

News: Beatles’ Next LP Due in October; Rolling Stones to Tour the States; “LSD: Psychedelics And Beyond” by John Grissim, Jr.; Learys Escape A Felony Rap; “Chicago Blues: Peace at Last” by Don DeMicheal; “After Woodstock: Money and Smiles” by Jan Hodenfield; A Guide to the Underground; “Pop Chronicles Chronicle Pop” by Jerry Hopkins; “A Melting Pot at Sky River Festival” by Tom Miller; Airplane Free in Orleans Pot Case; “Fillmore’s Latest: A Record Label” by Ben Fong-Torres; Crosby, Stills, Etc. A Sellout, Etc.; Burglars Clean Up At the Matrix. And Random Notes on Donovan, Ed Sullivan, Aretha Franklin, Jon Landau, MC5, Boz Scaggs, Youngbloods, Paul McCartney, Elaine Brown, Walter Carlos, and Country Joe and the Fish.

Subscription offer: Love Man by Otis Redding, free with 50 cents shipping. $6 for 26 issues; $10 for 52.

Previously: Issue 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42.

Rolling Stone issue #41 had a cover date of September 6, 1969. 32 pages. 35 cents. Cover photo of Joe Cocker by Steven Shames.

This issue is back down to 32 pages after several issues features 40 pages. Wonder what happened?

It also contains three separate reviews of Blind Faith’s debut (“the reincarnation of Cream and Traffic”), plus a full-page profile of the band. Must’ve been a big deal.

Features: “Bill Graham Explodes: Quitting San Francisco” by Ben Fong-Torres; “Atlantic City: Pop! Goes the Boardwalk” by John Lombardi; “Blind Faith” by Ritchie Yorke.

News: “Seattle Gives Peace a Chance” by Ed Leimbacher; “Sky River Will Flow Again” by Ed Jeffords; Fears and Follies Kill ‘Wild West’; Ten-Year Sentence On Sinclair Bust; “Everyone Went to the Moon” by Hendrik Hertzberg; Kinks Come Up With Surprise; Another Death at Leary Ranch; “The Groupies of Anna” by Tom Miller; “Tracking Down the Dope Fiends” by James Cadur; “Steve Paul Splits The Scene” by Jan Hodenfield; Beach Boy: ‘They Can’t Hear Music’; Committee Leaves TV Rock Show; Roundup of Rock; Random Notes.

Continue reading 50 Years Ago in Rolling Stone: Issue 41 →