Autobiography of the Small Faces and post Keith Moon drummer for the Who. very interesting guy with some excellent memories of 60's and 70's rock music.

Great to have the final biography of one of the Faces.
Really good read, though the polo/Prince Charles bit lost me a bit at the end!

An interesting music biography, telling the story of the Who from the 60's onwards. Kenney writes well an provides a unique insider's point of view.

This is a book written by Kenney Jones himself and goes through his childhood and then when he first started performing with bands at a young age up to when he joined what became small faces. Through I had never heard of them I did hear of and have music of the Faces which Rod Stewart and Ronny Wood, tow name tow people started with before they moved on. If you can find any of their music it is very good and a totally different sound for Rod Stewart. He moves on in his life with what was happening and then leads up to his joining the Who, and how he would be asked to go into the recording studio when needed with other artists. What I found so appealing with this book and others about the musicians from England during the 60’s and 70’s was that they all knew each other and seemed to get along and did not mind to work on someone else’s recorded if need be. A very good book that my words do not give justice to. I enjoyed the read and I still enjoy the music he and others from that time made. O overall a very good book.

Drummer Kenney Jones has penned an entertaining memoir, that covers his time in the Small Faces right up to the present with the Jones Gang, a collection of seasoned musicians who do the occasional gig, often for charity. He has a light touch, only really getting serious when discussing his two brushes with cancer and how important it is for men to get checked for possible prostrate cancer.

As the sole surviving member of the Small Faces he continues his lifelong quest to get the rights back to their songs, as like many bands back in the day they made great music but were very naive on the business side of things and often got royally screwed by managers and record labels.

The Small Faces parts of the book will be of interest to their fans, although the Faces period is run through quite quickly. The chapter where he deals with the passing of his band mates is sobering, especially as he remained very close to Ronnie Lane after the Small Faces/Faces disbanded. Keeping it in the musical family Kenney Jones has taken Steve Marriott’s daughter Mollie under his wing and she is now making a name for herself in the musical world.

Of his days in the Who he mentions the ongoing issues with Roger Daltrey, which eventually led to him leaving the band. The main problem seemed to be he was replacing the irreplaceable in Keith Moon.

Also a brief mention about the Law, the one-off album he recorded with Paul Rodgers (an album well worth tracking down).

Outside of music his passion for horses and polo gets a mention. He runs his own polo club in Surrey, which has been used by Prince Charles in the past, although in-keeping with his east End of London upbringing the polo club is all inclusive and encourages people of all ages and walks of life to give it a go.

An enjoyable read as Kenney Jones gives an insight into the world of rock ‘n’ roll from the view of the drum stool. It doesn’t dish the dirt, but then he has no real axe to grind bar getting the rights back to the Small Faces music.

The author wrote a memoir that brought the reader along for the highs and lows of their life. I learned a lot of facts about the author that I hadn't known before reading this and found the writing style to be excellent! Highly recommend!

Kenney Jones’ voice is delightful - I can hear it through his words, laughing at some of the memories, reminiscing about antics, friendships, good times and bad times. He’s such a candid storyteller, a bit of a rambler at times, making this autobiography a refreshing read.

Kenney Jones, for those who don’t know, found fame as the drummer of Small Faces, and then Faces, and after the death of his good friend Keith Moon, drummer for The Who until they split. Kenney is a born and raised East End boy, and basically born a Mod. His autobiography is the story of where he came from, how he got into music and the drums in particular, how his bands made a name for themselves, and so much more! We learn loads of fun anecdotes about life in the days when audiences were a set of screaming female fans, when trashing hotel rooms was the norm, and when everyone was friends with everyone in the scene and beyond. And then so much more than that! Kenney has done so much in his life, made music with so many people, and has so many stories to tell that Let The Good Times Roll is just a joy to read.

It does jump around a bit at times, I understand why - he likes to tell a particular story until the end - but timeline wise it messes with you sometimes. All in all it makes the book seem less polished than a typical autobiography, but in a good way in my opinion: you feel like you are sitting at a table at Kenny’s local enjoying a few pints and a good old wander down memory lane.

I really enjoyed Let The Good Times Roll ­– it was great to have a view of bands that I love from one of the members, to hear all about a scene I was way too young to be part of but wish I could have been, and also just to read about other famous musicians I admire in a different way, from a friend’s point of view rather than a biographer’s or music journalist’s eye.

I’m going to watch Live Aid again now that I’ve finished the book! And will be focusing on the drummer this time when The Who’s set starts!

(Also, as a personal note, the Meher Baba references in the book took me back to my own childhood, our trip to India in 1993, and Pete Townshend singing Meher Baba’s prayer. It’s funny because most people have no idea what I’m talking about when I mention his name, but he is a huge reference to my own childhood, and it was interesting to revisit that through the autobiography of a musician!).

Conversational memoir by one of classic rocks greatest drummers. Tracing his history through Small Faces, Faces and The Who, Kenny Jones provides great rock'n'roll anecdotes from his years in the business. For any fans of classic rock.

As a fan of the Small Faces and the Faces, I enjoyed reading about the rise and fall of both bands. But also of interest was learning more about drumming from one of the best; he explained the intricacies in such a way that even a nonmusician like me was about to appreciate the nuances of the art. I would have liked more nitty-gritty about the Small Faces and Faces, in particular about Ronnie Lane, as I'm a huge fan, but Jones's eulogy of him was touching in its simplicity.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.