Rolling Stone 1,000 Covers: A History of the Most Influential Magazine in Pop Culture

by Rolling Stone Magazine, Yumi Heo (Illustrator), Fann S. Wenner

For the past 39 years, the covers of Rolling Stone have depicted the great icons of popular culture, from John Lennon, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and Madonna to Steve Martin, Uma Thurman, and Richard Nixon. Often it was an appearance on the cover that launched a performer’s legendary status in the first place. An enormous hit when it appeared in 1997 as Rolling Stone: The Complete Covers, 1967-1997 (nearly 100,000 copies sold in all editions), this fantastic collection has been revised and updated to include the covers since 1997 up to the much-publicized 1,000th cover, slated to hit newsstands in May 2006.

With an updated introduction by Jann S. Wenner as well as new excerpts from the magazine and quotes from photographers and their celebrity subjects, this nostalgic journey down the memory lane of pop music, entertainment, and politics is irresistible.

Genres: Music, Photography, Art, Nonfiction

568 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Rolling Stone is a U.S.-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It goes without saying that 1967 was one of the most important years in music history - maybe the most important one, but I'll leave that to you to decide. After all, in 1967 we had the Summer of Love with the Monterey Festival, The Beatles released their Sgt. Pepper and, often overlooked, The Moody Blues also released a concept album: Days of Future Passed. And, finally, the very first issue of that world famous music magazine was on sale: Rolling Stone.
If you're into music, you'll have heard about it. It's the most popular music magazine of all time and, after 52 years (!!), it's still going strong. It has seen everything, from the break-up of The Beatles via 9/11 all the way up to... whatever's coming our way. And they've written about it, oh my.
Maybe that's one of their strong suits: Rolling Stone understands that music is more than 'just music'. Music is culture, society, politics. Maybe they just understood that because, in its inception in 1967, music and politics were probably more intertwined than ever. And, instead of just focusing on that 'music' aspect, they pulled all the registers open and gave it everything they had. They've reported a lot more than 'just music', they've reported 52 years of life. And they've done it in some ground-breaking ways, always looking for new ideas on their covers, with some of the best photographers of all time (Annie Leibovitz, anyone?). At times, it's very deep and intense, and at other times, it's practically porn (and just as intense).
And this book shows just how much Rolling Stone has seen. 1000 covers - I'm already running 13.5 years behind (which accounts to about another 330 covers)… It's all there: the famous ones, the infamous ones. And all that with short bits from interviews, some quotes, a general overview of the history of the magazine, A LOT of very famous faces, did-you-knows, and close-ups on some of the most notable events of the past fifty years (well, from 1967 up to 2006 at least). It's fantastic.
The only things that are a bit of a shame is that some covers are really small and it's at times difficult to see what on them. I get that you can't just press 1000 covers in full size, one per page, but at times it does seem as if they could've made them bigger.
Secondly, it's a bit American at times, and does not really seem to aim to want to grab the attention of younger people (such as me). I get it, on one hand. Rolling Stone is American, after all, but there are just some names or events that don't speak to me the way they'd do to Americans, I think. And that's a bit of a shame. I'm not talking about 9/11, or the day John Lennon was shot, everyone knows about that. But, honestly, I doubt any European, especially my age, cares that Bill Clinton once had sex with some woman whom he wasn't married to. But, fine, it's clear that Rolling Stone knew what they were doing with this book and what they wanted it to feature.
Anyway, if you're a music enthousiast, and a Rolling Stone enthousiast, this book is for you. There will be some pics you'll definitely recognise, and some that'll surprise the heck out of you. (I was really astounded to see Suzi Quattro and Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) on there, for example!)
To conclude, I've added twelve of my favourite issues:
#128: Bette Midler, because the way the colours are used.
#131: Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, because to me they're the best band that has ever existed, and they actually made a song about Rolling Stone, which is why they came to feature on it too.
#183+227: Linda Ronstadt, because she's one of the most striking faces of their entire backlist.
#422: Cyndi Lauper, because she's one of the most recognisable and original faces on there.
#511: George Harrison, who succeeded in creating one of the best gazes into the camera; calm but imposing.
#672/673: Cindy Crawford, apparently one of the best-selling issues of all time, and let's be real: It's unique.
#716: Alicia Silverstone, who succeeds in striking the most awesome pose ever, in fantastic and fitting clothes, a gaze that makes a shiver run down your spine, and even the background colour is just right.
#764/765: The Spice Girls, ultimate Girl Power, and they sure look like it. Even if you're not that much of a fan, they'll intrigue and they'll impress you.
#783: Sarah Michelle Gellar, because she's fucking Buffy, guys, and she looks the part. If The Spice Girls were Girl Power in music, then Gellar was Girl Power on TV.
#795: Katie Holmes. I don't even know her, but there's just something simple yet striking about her pose, and there's some kind of innocence in her eyes while at the same time she looks like she knows the world and what she wants.
#841: Britney Spears (you should also look up the first time she appeared on the cover, this is the second one), because she's just so in-character here.
#893: Shakira, on a cover that's typical Rolling Stone while also clearly adding something new to the mix; not just her, but everything on the cover.
7.5/10

[Richard Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

1000 pictures with transcripts so not much reading but a very very good book.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired by an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I ordered this book from the library. It is a fascinating look at the history of pop culture. The evolution of the art work went from pretty standard photos to some amazing works of art. I know they couldn't tell stories behind all 1000 covers, but there were some that I really would have liked to know more about. Fun read.

[Brian Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

ROLLING STONE: 1,000 COVERS: A HISTORY OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MAGAZINE IN POP CULTURE, is far, far, more fascinating than being just a collection of outstanding photographs. It’s a time machine, at least for those of us sufficiently old to have lived through the years since its inception in 1967. The little stories accompanying many covers are uniformly interesting, even intriguing, and leave one wishing for the whole magazines and not just the covers. The same actually goes for the teaser headlines on the covers: so much of pop culture has faded into history. And there are many surprises too. Who could have guessed that Jerry Garcia could easily have been a professional model? Same for Keith Richards! And, incredibly, there are many covers for whom the name of the photographer is unknown. Of course, the immensely talented Annie Leibovitz is well represented, together with the likes of Herb Ritts and Mark Seliger. While working my way through the 560-some pages I started a list of the few covers that were favorites. I ended up especially liking 29 covers! And I imagined that I was being highly selective. But of all my favorites, one of the most memorable is RS833 that captures that knowing smirk on the face of David Crosby.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives me a whole new appreciation for photojournalism. Annie Liebowitz is a genius. And if you disagree...I'll fight you.

Easy read, gives you a more behind-the-scenes look at the smallest details with magazines and visual media. And how photographs set the tone for the entire magazine and the writing within it.

Fantastical is what I think.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a story I'm writing on Rolling Stone. Though Jann Wenner's introduction is pretty bland, the information I needed is included. This serves as a good reference book to the magazine's covers and it's well-organized.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the Rolling Stone and pop culture history this is a really fun book to have and pick up to leaf through.

[Bruce Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

RS was always my guilty pop culture pleasure. I can remember many of these. Always discussion provoking, they have had one of the longest runs for a magazine. Great photography and interviews.