You Can’t Always Get What You Want: My Life with the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and Other Wonderful Reprobates

Sam Cutler was tour manager for the Rolling Stones at some of their major gigs in the late sixties, including the free Altamont, California concert at which a man was murdered by a Hell’s Angel in front of the stage while the Stones played on. After the show, Sam was left behind to make peace with the Hell’s Angels, the various mobsters and organisations who had taken an overt interest in the event, and the people of America. Cutler has decided that it is time to put to rest the myths and legends that have grown up around this infamous event in rock history and for the first time reveal the truth. Sam survived Altamont and went on to live the ultimate rock and roll dream. This is his own account of the high ol’ times he had managing tours for San Francisco band the Grateful Dead, who went on to become the world’s most successful live act. Along the way Sam draws intimate portraits of other stars of the psychedelic circus that was the music industry in the sixties and seventies, including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Band, the Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton. This is an exhilarating rock memoir from someone who has seen and done it all.

Publisher: William Heinemann

Date Published: 2008

Book Condition: Very good + soft cover, showing some minor edge wear and corner bumping to front covers. Inscribed and signed by the author on the half-title page, ‘A life fondly remembered is a life lived twice’

ISBN: 9781741666090