On Thursday, 12th July 1962, four young men took the stage at the Marquee Club on London's Oxford Street, under the moniker "The Rollin' Stones". Half a century later, the Rolling Stones have performed for more people than any band in history, had number one hits in every country with a popular music chart - let that sink in for a minute - and cemented themselves in the hearts, minds, record collections and iPods of three generations of music lovers.
To celebrate, we will be decking out the store in Rolling Stones swag. We're ditching the Boffins regulation collars, ties and blouses in favour of rock and roll outfits (update: pics below). And you might find something more contemporary than the usual Vivaldi and Mahler blaring from the speakers.
The Rolling Stones: 50
We're doing all this because in celebration of their 50th birthday, the Stones have made a book. In the words of Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie:
“This is our story of fifty fantastic years. We started out as a blues band playing the clubs and more recently we’ve filled the largest stadiums in the world with the kind of show that none of us could have imagined all those years ago. Curated by us, it features the very best photographs and ephemera from and beyond our archives.”
Weighing more than 2.5kg and almost a foot across, this is not a book to take with you on the train. The Rolling Stones: 50 is big, beautiful and bursting with more than a thousand photos, posters, sketches, draft album art, setlists, anecdotes, bubblegum cards and everything else Stones. It's the definitive visual biography of the band, assembled by the band as a thank-you to their fans.
Photos from our Rolling Stones 50th party
