The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones |
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Formed 1962, in London, England.
In its first decade, the Stones defined the classic rock lineup--two guitars, bass, drums and a little red rooster crowing out front--and created the enduring standard for how it should sound. The Stones never were much for innovation; the group's more experimental tracks and albums sounded instantly contrived and dated. Instead they were expert at synthesis: Chicago blues, hard country music, a bit of Motown (and, later, Stax), played with a raw sexuality that freely appropriated from black performers such as James Brown and Tina Turner. They affirmed the primacy of the electric guitar as Richards succeeded Chuck Berry as rock's primary riff-meister. Richards and Jagger (aka The Glimmer Twins) wrote classic melodies and pithy, unsentimental and frequently just plain cruel lyrics that were the equal of their 60s rivals Bob Dylan and the Beatles. And the group's rhythm section, anchored by the peerless Watts, made it all swing like nobody's business. Only problem is, the Stones kept the money machine in motion long after their artistic drive waned. Like their blues heroes, the Stones entered their 50s still singing about their overworked mojos and cranking out competent product that bespoke professionalism rather than inspiration.
Source: MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide
Before becoming the self-proclaimed world's greatest rock 'n' roll band, the Stones were a blues combo. Their initial flurry of releases is essentially an homage to the blues, soul, and R&B music that shook them from their youthful middle-class lethargy in London. During their first decade, the Stones would, of course, define the classic rock lineup--two guitars, bass, drums, and a little red rooster crowing out front--and created the enduring standard for how it should sound. But the Stones never strayed far from their roots in Chicago, Detroit, and the American South. Their more experimental tracks and albums sounded instantly contrived and dated, whereas their increasingly personal variations on Chess Records blues, hard country music, Motown, Stax, and countless black performers from James Brown to Tina Turner were often riveting. The Stones affirmed the primacy of the electric guitar as Keith Richards succeeded Chuck Berry as rock's primary riff-meister; Richards and Mick Jagger wrote classic melodies and pithy, unsentimental, and frequently just plain cruel lyrics that were the equal of their 1960s rivals Bob Dylan and the Beatles; and the group's rhythm section, anchored by the peerless Charlie Watts, made it all swing like nobody's business. Only problem is, the Stones kept the money machine in motion long after their artistic drive waned. Like their blues heroes, the Stones entered their 50s still singing about their overworked mojos and cranking out competent product that bespoke professionalism rather than inspiration.
Source: MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide
Personnel
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THE ROLLING STONESOrder from: |
1. Not Fade
Away |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica); Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica, background vocals); Keith Richards (guitar, background vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Gene Pitney (piano); Ian Stewart (keyboards); Phil Spector (maracas). THE ROLLING STONES introduced "London's answer to The Beatles," a scruffy bunch of R&B lovers who acted as the nasty opposite to the Beatles' fun-loving image. Managed by Andrew Loog Oldham, they were signed by Decca (a label that had passed on the Beatles), and began their long reign playing a set of R&B and rock & roll covers that included Chuck Berry's "Carol" and Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away." |
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12 X 5Order from: |
1. Around
And Around |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards, Brian Jones (guitar); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Includes the original release liner notes by Andrew Loog Oldham. 12 X 5 includes the Rolling Stones' first English No. 1 hit ("It's All Over Now") and their first American top 10 hit ("Time Is On My Side"). It also includes material recorded by the band on its first American tour at Chicago's Chess Studios (home to Stones' idols Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf). Though this document of the Stones' early R&B period kicks off with a couple of covers from unsurprising sources (Chuck Berry's "Around and Around,") Mick and Keith waste little time in displaying their own compositional acumen. The acoustic-based, bluesy "Good Times, Bad Times" harks back to even earlier, more seminal Stones influences than Berry, as does the instrumental "2120 South Michigan Avenue," where the blues-obsessed Jagger's harp is featured a la his hero Little Walter. The downbeat, Arthur Alexanderish "Congratulations" is an effective expression of romantic melancholy, complete with acoustic guitar solo. The slide guitar chords on "Grown Up Wrong" echo another early blues influence, Elmore James. The milestones on this album are two R&B covers that the stones take more than a rote approach to, "It's All Over Now" and the majestic "Time Is On My Side," which they make completely their own. |
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DECEMBER'S CHILDREN (AND EVERYBODY'S)Order from: |
1. She Said
Yeah |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica); Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica, keyboards); Keith Richards (guitar); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Jack Nitzsche (keyboards, percussion); Ian Stewart (keyboards, marimba, percussion); J.W. Alexander (percussion). "Route 66" and "I'm Moving On" were recorded live, all other songs are from studio sessions. Includes the Stones' second American No. 1 hit, "Get Off Of My Cloud," and "As Tears Go By," a song Jagger and Richards wrote for Marianne Faithful (it was a hit for both Faithful and the Stones). DECEMBER'S CHILDREN marked a crucial point in the Stones' development. They were beginning to move away from their blues/R&B roots towards something more uniquely their own. Certainly those roots were far from absent in the songs they composed for this album, and they still cover their share of the masters here (Chuck Berry, Arthur Alexander, Hank Snow), but something new was afoot. The aching ballad "As Tears Go By," complete with baroque orchestration, heralded a new direction in the Stones' songwriting. Similarly, the folk-rockish strains of "The Singer Not The Song" hinted at previously uncharted directions. Perhaps the most crucial track here is "Get Off My Cloud, which, while it incorporates the band's rootsy influences, is posessed of a decidedly modern power that the Stones were only beginning to learn to harness. This was the beginning of a style more specific than pop, blues or rock & roll. DECEMBER'S CHILDREN may be seen as the beginning of what can only be defined as Rolling Stones music. |
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OUT OF OUR HEADSOrder from: |
1. Mercy
Mercy |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards, Brian Jones (guitar, background vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Engineers: David Hassinger, Ron Malo, Glyn Johns. Early Stones recordings don't get much better than this. Firmly established as celebrities, the band began to feed off the pandemonium they inspired as an artistic source. Nowhere is their reaction to fame and music business drama more apparent than in the humorous, mocking "The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man," in which the Stones effectively skewer the sleazier side of the record industry. Naturally, this will always be known as the album that features the original version of "Satisfaction," which would remain the band's signature tune throughout their career, but that's really just the tip of the iceberg. Equally effective as a Jagger-Richards distillation of rock and R&B is "The Last Time" a tune easily the equally of Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now," which the Stones handily cover on 12X5. Standing out from the crowd is the harpsichord-driven, English folk-inspired "Play With Fire," a menacing minor key song full of subtly expressed psychological violence. This tune, a marked change of pace for the band, hinted at the stylistic variety they would later explore. |
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THE ROLLING STONES, NOW!Order from: |
1. Everybody
Needs Somebody To Love |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica); Keith Richards (guitar, background vocals); Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Jack Nitzsche, Ian Stewart. Recorded at Chess Studios, Chicago, Illinois; RCA Studios, Hollywood, California; Regent Sound, London, England. Includes liner notes by Andrew Loog Oldham. Once you get past the silly, rhyming liner notes by Andrew Loog Oldham, ROLLING STONES NOW is a masterpiece of early British R&B, Rolling Stones style. Things start off with a powerful rendition of Solomon Burke's signature tune "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love." Elsewhere, the Stones take a tour of American music, from Bo Diddley's "Mona," complete with choppy, reverbed guitar, to a slow, churning version of Willie Dixon's blues evergreen "Little Red Rooster," probably the first version of the song to feature fuzz bass. Amid all this esteemed company, though, the standout tracks are the Jagger-Richards originals. "Heart of Stone" could have been a classic soul ballad appropriated from some great, obscure American singer, with its heartbreaking lyrics and poignant accompaniment. On "What a Shame," the Stones prove that they don't have to look to outside sources for their blues. Keith's penetrating slide here, as on "Little Red Rooster," foreshadows greater things to come. |
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AFTERMATHOrder from: |
1. Paint It
Black |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, percussion); Keith Richards (guitar, vocals); Brian Jones (guitar, dulcimer, sitar, bells, marimba); Bill Wyman (bass, bells, marimba); Charlie Watts (drums, percussion, bells, marimba). Additional personnel: Ian Stewart (keyboards); Jack Nitzsche (keyboards, percussion). Recorded at RCA Studios, Hollywood, California. Includes liner notes by Dave Hassinger. Their first album of all original music, AFTERMATH showed the Rolling Stones expanding their rock style to incorporate new sounds. Although the simultaneous release of the Beatles' RUBBER SOUL and Bob Dylan's BLONDE ON BLONDE captured more attention, AFTERMATH showed the Rolling Stones stretching the rock style they had mastered. Brian Jones, who Keith Richards has descibed as being able to play virtually any instrument he picked up, was behind much of the off-beat instrumentation on AFTERMATH. The No. 1 hit "Paint It Black" featured Jones on sitar, and on "Under My Thumb" he added marimba. "Under My Thumb" was criticized for sexist lyrics, a charge that was periodically revived throughout the Stones' career ("Brown Sugar" on STICKY FINGERS, the title tune on SOME GIRLS). |
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BIG HITS (HIGH TIDE & GREEN GRASS)Order from: |
1.
Satisfaction, (I Can't Get No) |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards, Brian Jones (guitar); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Collects hits from 1964 to 1966. Much like THROUGH THE PAST DARKLY, BIG HITS (HIGH TIDE & GREEN GRASS) is a fine collection with the difference being that this one is more bluesy. "Hey you get offa mah cloud" in Jagger's best Sidcup dialect still sounds magnificent, as does Brian's booming Vox pearl guitar on "The Last Time" and Keef's opening chords to "Not Fade Away." To be handed down to your children. |
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GOT LIVE! IF YOU WANT ITOrder from: |
1. Under My
Thumb |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Brian Jones, Keith Richards (guitar, background vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall, London, England on September 23, 1966. As Brian Jones' time with the Stones (and with the rest of the world) was drawing to a close, the band was becoming both more progressive in their conception and more adept as musicians. Though their studio recordings from this golden period are impeccable, nowhere is said growth more evident than on GOT LIVE IF YOU WANT IT. Recorded by Glyn Johns at London's Royal Albert Hall, this album shows the Stones as a powerful live unit, now capable of subtle emotional shadings as well as rock & roll raveups. The Stones pay homage to their roots with versions of "Not Fade Away" and "Satisfaction" that easily rival their studio cousins. It's the point at which the Stones' musical trajectory veers off from the blues that things get really, interesting, though. From the ominous "Under My Thumb" to the Elizabethan "Lady Jane" and the transcendent, Dylan-influenced "19th Nervous Breakdown," the band shows off their musical sophistication both compositionally and in their spirited performances. An essential live document of one of the band's finest hours. |
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BETWEEN THE BUTTONSOrder from: |
1. Let's
Spend The Night Together |
The CD includes original drawings by Charlie Watts from the LP release. The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards (guitar, vocals); Brian Jones (guitar); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Recorded in 1966. Once known as hard-core blues/R&B traditionalists, the Stones plunged deeper into the waters of original songwriting on BETWEEN THE BUTTONS, leading to a golden age of classic albums including LET IT BLEED, BEGGAR'S BANQUET and EXILE ON MAIN STREET. In addition to scoring a chart-topping, double-sided single with "Let's Spend The Night Together" b/w the baroque-pop "Ruby Tuesday," BUTTONS was also the last album produced by then-manager/svengali Andrew Loog Oldham. More importantly, the obscure songs on this tight package show the Stones coming into their own compositionally. Between the ornate orchestrations of the aforementioned "Ruby Tuesday" and Mick Jagger's Dylanesque inflections on "She Smiled Sweetly," BUTTONS found the Stones in a strata far beyond the days of covering Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. Although none of these developments ranks with the Beatles' contemporaneous sonic experiments, their bad-boy counterparts showed differing degrees of whimsy and sass, i.e. Ian Stewart's barrelhouse piano and Brian Jones' kazoo playing on "Cool, Calm & Collected" or the Dixie-land flavored "Something Happened To Me Yesterday." |
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FLOWERSOrder from: |
1. Ruby
Tuesday |
A compilation of UK tracks and singles put together by Decca Records (UK) in 1967, including tracks that appeared on the English versions of AFTERMATH and BETWEEN THE BUTTONS. The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Brian Jones, Keith Richards (guitar, background vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). This album represents a turning point for the Stones. Though they had not yet fully integrated the baroque aspirations of psychedelic pop into their music, the flower-power influence had nonetheless begun to take root. While all the earlier elements of their sound are still firmly in place, in the folky "Backstreet Girl" and the relentlessly rocking "Let's Spend The Night Together," new sounds also crop up. Cuts like the woodwind-sweetened ballad "Ruby Tuesday" and the Middle Eastern-tinged "Mother's Little Helper" set the stage for the full-blown head-trip that would unveil itself later that year on THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST. |
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THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUESTOrder from: |
1. Sing This
All Together |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Bill Wyman (vocals, bass); Keith Richards (guitar, background vocals); Brian Jones (guitar, various instruments); Charlie Watts (drums). Released in the waning months of 1967, SATANIC MAJESTIES was the Rolling Stones' response to the Beatles ground-breaking SGT.PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. The psychedelic one-upmanship went as far as the band donning medieval costumes and posing on an album cover that doubled as a hologram. Self-produced and entirely written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (with the exception of Bill Wyman's "In Another Land"), the sound veered away from the band's R&B roots, instead diving headlong into space-rock influenced by the nascent drug culture. |
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BEGGARS BANQUETOrder from: |
1. Sympathy
For The Devil |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Brian Jones (guitar), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums). Retreating from the psychedelia of THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST, the Stones released the roots-rock single "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and then the album BEGGAR'S BANQUET. It was hailed as a rock masterpiece, and remains the favorite of many Stones fans. Rumored to include work by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, BEGGAR'S BANQUET played to the Stones' strengths. The ironic lead-off ("Sympathy For The Devil") led many rock-baiters to conclude that singer Mick Jagger actually was the devil, or at least a satanic follower. Many of the other tracks, particularly the hit "Street Fighting Man," highlighted the solid rhythm section interplay of Wyman and Watts, while Jones contributed a typically down-home slide guitar part to "No Expectations," and the writing team of Richards and Jagger summoned up images of their deep blues roots. |
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LET IT BLEEDOrder from: |
1. Let It
Bleed |
LET IT BLEED (the title was a take-off on the Beatles' LET IT BE) followed on the success of BEGGAR'S BANQUET, mining the Stones' blues-rock roots and bringing critical acclaim. The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Mick Taylor (guitar, background vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Ry Cooder (slide guitar); Ian Stewart (piano); Al Kooper, Leon Russell (keyboards); London Bach Choir. The long, seductive blues of "Midnight Rambler" and the success of "Gimme Shelter" on the airwaves showed the Stones were maturing, even as the Beatles (their only competition for rock preeminence) were disintegrating. However, LET IT BLEED was the group's last album with Brian Jones, who left the band citing "creative differences." He plays on two songs, "Midnight Rambler" and "You Got The Silver." He died soon after the album's release. Guitarist Mick Taylor was chosen to replace him. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was re-released in 1973, and became a hit single. |
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THROUGH THE PAST, DARKLYOrder from: |
1. Paint It
Black |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards (guitar, background vocals); Brian Jones (guitar, various instruments); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Producers: The Rolling Stones, Andrew Loog Oldham, Jimmy Miller. The Stones went from being a great R&B band to the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band. Both titles are slightly dubious because much of the material on this vital package consists simply of good pop songs. This will probably also be the last time this record and its sister, HIGH TIDE & GREEN GRASS, make their way into any recommendations. The recent CD packages have a bigger and better selection. CD does not yet have age on its side, unlike this record. This is the Stones (mostly) in transition, with Brian Jones still present. The hexagonal cover was brilliant but a severe pain to own as it soon began to tear. |
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GET YER YA-YA'S OUT!Order from: |
1. Jumpin'
Jack Flash |
Generally acknowledged to be the Stones' best live album, GET YER YA-YA'S OUT catches them on their 1969 tour of America, which included the infamous Altamont concert. The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica); Keith Richards (guitar, background vocals); Mick Taylor (guitar); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel includes: Ian Stewart (piano). Recorded live at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York in 1969. Returning to the American concert scene after a three-year layoff, the Rolling Stones recorded GET YER YA-YA'S OUT! during a triumphant two-date stand at Madison Square Garden in late November 1969 that found B.B. King and Ike & Tina Turner opening for them. Having amassed an impressive recorded output during their three years away from touring, the Stones peppered their sets with hits including "Honky Tonk Women," "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Street Fighting Man." Tipping their collective hats to Chuck Berry, the band also included covers of "Carol" and "Little Queenie" alongside more blues-influenced numbers such as "Stray Cat Blues" and "Love In Vain." Having been a member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, new guitarist Mick Taylor parlayed his experience into some impressive slide guitar work. The piece-de-resistance of what is arguably the best live Rolling Stones recording is the eight-minute plus reading of "Midnight Rambler." Between Mick Jagger's unearthly harmonica playing and the tight interplay between Taylor and Keith Richards, the sinister vibe emanating from this song was eerie, foreshadowing to the tragedy that would occur at Altamont less than two weeks later. |
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STICKY FINGERSOrder from: |
1. Brown
Sugar |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards, Mick Taylor (guitar, background vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Ry Cooder (slide guitar); Paul Buckmaster (strings); Bobby Keys (saxophone); Jim Price (trumpet); Nicky Hopkins, Ian Stewart, Jim Dickinson, Jack Nitzche (piano); Billy Preston (organ); Rocky Dijon (congas); Jimmy Miller (percussion). Engineers include: Andy Johns, Jimmy Johnson, Glyn Johns. Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Olympic Studios, London, England. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Sound Studios). Sounding subdued, or at least more wary than most Stones albums, STICKY FINGERS' 1971 release betrayed the difficulties the band members were enduring. From Mick's breakup with the emotionally troubled Marianne Faithfull, to Keith's concern about his newborn son Marlon, the band found themselves re-evaluating their lives, and this depth of emotion made its way into the album. Be it in the terrifyingly spare "Sister Morphine" and "Moonlight Mile," or the near-dangerous electrified "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," the songs on STICKY FINGERS are anything but innocent. The lineup on this album solidified with Mick Taylor in place as a second guitarist. Recorded partially in the legendary Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama, the Stones were flirting with the blues, but adding a Southern soul flavor. Much of STICKY FINGERS is this tasteful mixture of blues and soul. Added to the brew are the spicy horn arrangements of saxophonist Bobby Keys and trumpet player Jim Price. The use of horns in the Stones' repertoire seemed inevitable--when they kick in during "Brown Sugar" and "Bitch," it's as if Keith's guitar is rebirthed in brass. STICKY FINGERS proved that the endless summer of the 1960s was over, but that the Stones would rock just as hard in the following decade. |
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HOT ROCKS 1964-1971Order from: |
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Disc: 1
Disc: 2
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The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards, Brian Jones (guitar, background vocals); Mick Taylor (guitar); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Producers: Andrew Loog Oldham, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Miller. When it comes to the rock & roll verities, this is about as elemental as it gets. The Rolling Stones are one of the most important bands in rock & roll history, and HOT ROCKS is a two-disc distillation of their very finest work. If you want to lay claim to being more seminal than that, your name had better start with Chuck and end with Berry. All the essential Stones tunes are here, from their early R&B days ("Time Is on My Side," "Heart of Stone") to the psychedelic sixties ("Paint It Black," complete with sitar, and the baroque "Ruby Tuesday.") The lean, mean, rocking Stones of the '70s are well represented here by the anthemic "Street Fighting Man," the wry, kinetic "Sympathy For the Devil" and the inevitable "Jumpin' Jack Flash," whose signature riff in and of itself qualifies Keith Richards for his own entry in Webster's Dictionary. |
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EXILE ON MAIN STREETOrder from: |
1. Rocks Off
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Originally released as a 2 LP set. The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar, piano, bass); Mick Taylor (guitar, bass); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Al Perkins (steel guitar); Bobby Keys (saxophone, percussion); Jim Price (trumpet, trombone, organ); Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins (piano); Billy Preston (keyboards); Amyl Nitrate (marimba); Bill Plummer (acoustic & electric basses); Jimmy Miller (drums, percussion); Clydie King, Vanetta, Jerry Kirkland, Tammi Lynn, Shirley Goodman, Joe Green, Kathi McDonald (background vocals). Engineers included: Andy Johns, Glyn Johns, Joe Zaganno. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). If the late '60s were the Rolling Stones' road trip through rock's American roots, then EXILE ON MAIN STREET was the stop at the highway diner. Still inspired by their STICKY FINGERS recording sessions in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, EXILE was recorded in a basement in France, and found the Stones sounding more like Keith Richards' juke-joint band than ever before. Following their 1969 tour, the Stones found themselves unable to pay their exorbitant British income taxes. The band left England as tax exiles, and EXILE became a fitting title for a band on top of the rock charts, yet unable to pay their bills. EXILE's production shows their in-hiding status, with a final mix that gives no hierarchy to specific instruments like other Stones albums. That EXILE was recorded in a basement is no surprise--much of it sounds as if it was recorded live at a gospel revival. In this rich assortment of gospel and blues Mick is by no means out of his element, but EXILE is under Keith's revivalist tent. Armed with an assortment of backing musicians and vocalists, EXILE is the closest the band ever came to religion. The luxurious "Tumbling Dice" and "Loving Cup" betray their Southern gospel leanings, while their cover of Robert Johnson's "Stop Breaking Down" shows their undeniable respect for American blues. EXILE ON MAIN STREET's double-album configuration allowed the band to relax a bit, and allowed less obvious singles to dominate the final mix. |
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MORE HOT ROCKSOrder from: |
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Disc: 1
Disc: 2
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MORE HOT ROCKS contains 5 songs from The Rolling Stones' first EP and "What To Do" from the British version of AFTERMATH. The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar); Brian Jones (guitar, various instruments); Mick Taylor (guitar); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel includes: John Lennon, Paul McCartney (background vocals). Producers: Andrew Loog Oldham, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Miller. When you're anthologizing the Rolling Stones, one of the first things you must accept is the fact that you're doomed to failure. No one album can possibly tell the story of the band that's explored so many different musical avenues and recorded so many memorable songs. Credit where credit's due; HOT ROCKS, and this, its sequel, come perilously close. This double LP wisely doesn't attempt to be comprehensive. Instead, it just picks out various gems from different points in the band's development. Their R&B/roots period is well-represented by covers of "It's All Over Now" and "Not Fade Away." "She's A Rainbow" and "2000 Light Years From Home" are monuments to the bands psychedelic phase. "No Expectations" and "Let It Bleed" are bluesy tunes that cut to the quick, emphasizing the Stones' gift for visceral compositions. |
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GOATS HEAD SOUPOrder from: |
1. Dancing
With Mr. D. |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano); Keith Richards, Mick Taylor (guitar, bass, background vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Jim Horn (flute, alto saxophone); Bobby Keys (tenor & baritone saxophones); Chuck Finley (trumpet); Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins (piano); Billy Preston (keyboards); Pascal, Rebop, Jimmy Miller (percussion). Recorded at Dynamic Sound Studios, Kingston, Jamaica. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). Following the enormous success of STICKY FINGERS and EXILE ON MAIN STREET, GOATS HEAD SOUP found the Rolling Stones jetting down to Jamaica in 1973 and tweaking their rebellious image with a bit of voodoo imagery. Kicking things off with "Dancing With Mr. D.," the Stones picked up the thread of "Sympathy For The Devil" and gilded their already hedonistic reputation with some Satanic allusions. References to Beezelbub aside, SOUP offered up some of the Stones' more heartfelt ballads including "Angie," "Winter" and "Coming Down Again." Of course, being known as "The World's Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Band" means a number of songs more than back up this moniker. Among them are "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)," propelled by Mick Taylor's wah-wah pedal and Billy Preston's electric piano, and the twang and slide guitar of "Silver Train." With an abundance of cheeky attitude despite a slew of slow songs, the Stones close GOATS HEAD SOUP with a backhanded tribute to groupies called "Star Star" (aka "Star F***er.") |
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IT'S ONLY ROCK & ROLLOrder from: |
1. If You
Can't Rock Me |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar, bass); Mick Taylor (guitar, bass, synthesizer, congas, background vocals); Bill Wyman (synthesizer, bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Billy Preston (piano, Clavinet); Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins (piano); Kenny Jones (drums); Ray Cooper (percussion); Charlie Jolly (tabla); Ed Leach (cowbell); Willy Weeks, Blue Magic (background vocals). Recorded at Musicland Studios, Munchen, Germany. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). After years of building off their rhythm and blues credentials, the title IT'S ONLY ROCK & ROLL insinuates a lowbrow rock aesthetic, but on this album the Stones mixed rock's aggression with an unparalleled appreciation for soul music. In homage to the black soul artists who originally inspired the Rolling Stones as an early-'60s R&B cover band, IT'S ONLY ROCK & ROLL is not only rock. From their joyous cover of the Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" to "Time Waits For No One," Mick Jagger boldly duplicates the feel of James Brown's early singles. The Stones gave a twist to their R&B roots--"Fingerprint File" is heavily funk-based, sounding more like Isaac Hayes' "Shaft" than "Satisfaction." By 1974, the Stones were in a state of flux. Unsatisfied by his low place on the totem pole, Mick Taylor's participation is minimal, and the album relies more on Keith's guitar than on previous albums. Ronnie Wood's increasing involvement with the band is obvious--the song "It's Only Rock & Roll" started as a demo for Wood's then-in-progress solo album, but became his first contribution to the band. Musically, IT'S ONLY ROCK & ROLL is a portrait of a band in transition. |
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BLACK AND BLUEOrder from: |
1. Hot Stuff
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The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, piano, percussion); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar, piano); Ron Wood (guitar, background vocals); Bill Wyman (bass, percussion, background vocals); Charlie Watts (drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Wayne Perkins (acoustic & electric guitars); Harvey Mandel (guitar); Billy Preston (piano, organ); Nicky Hopkins (piano, synthesizer); Ollie Brown (cowbell, percussion); Ian Stewart (percussion). Engineers: Keith Harwood, Glyn Johns, Phil McDonald, Len Hahn. Principally recorded at Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany between December 1974 and April 1975. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). With BLACK AND BLUE the Rolling Stones geared up for another installment of records as the world's best-loved rock and roll band. Aided by Ronnie Wood's enrollment as foil to Keith's unmistakable guitar, BLACK AND BLUE assured, to those who dared doubt, a new era had begun. Flavoring their existing rhythm-and-blues format with Caribbean beats and cocktail-swilling pianos, BLACK AND BLUE's strongest moments are in the band's obvious enjoyment. Catering to Mick's lounge-act instincts, "Melody" seems the obvious precursor to "Miss You," allowing Billy Preston's piano and vocal harmony to carry the Stones with a more stylized, less formulaic batch of songs. BLACK AND BLUE was the resting period which allowed the band to release a followup album with the punch of SOME GIRLS. The casualness of the album's material served as perfect contrast to the Motown-esque stylings of IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N ROLL and allowed the band to save their energy for another decade of releases. |
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LOVE YOU LIVEOrder from: |
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Disc: 1
Disc: 2
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The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar); Ron Wood (guitar, bass, vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Ian Stewart (piano); Billy Preston (keyboards); Ollie Brown (percussion). Engineers: Eddie Kramer, Keith Harwood, Ron Nevison. Recorded live in Paris, France and Toronto, Canada in 1976-1977. |
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SOME GIRLSOrder from: |
1. Miss You |
This is a limited edition "Album Replica" CD of SOME GIRLS specially packaged to simulate the original LP design with die-cut cover. The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, piano); Keith Richards (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, piano, bass); Ron Wood (acoustic & electric guitars, pedal steel guitar, bass, percussion, background vocals); Bill Wyman (synthesizer, bass); Charlie Watts (drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Sugar Blue (harmonica); Mel Collins (saxophone); Ian "Mac" McLagan (electric piano, Hammond organ). Principally recorded at E.M.I. Studios, Paris, France. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). SOME GIRLS includes the hits "Beast Of Burden" and "Shattered," and one of the biggest-selling singles of the Stones' career, the disco-crossover "Miss You." The title track caused its share of controversy when its lyrics were attacked as sexist and racist. Possibly fearing the aging dinosaur label in the punk climate of 1978 New York City, SOME GIRLS rocked harder and more consistently than most Stones albums from the '70s. Revitalized by the chummy guitar dynamic between Keith Richards' impressionistic riffs and Ronnie Wood's perfectionist lead work, the album's merit is in the diversity of its tracks. Starting with the disco elixir of "Miss You," SOME GIRLS marked new territory for the band. As Ronnie's second album as an official member, the album showed that the Stones' sound had reworked itself, proving there was more to their dynamic than just white boy blues. The range of Ronnie's guitar work spans from the searing country lead in "Far Away Eyes" to the near-rockabilly twang in "Shattered," and finds the Stones sounding tighter and more excited than on their previous albums. From placing their stamp on The Temptations' "Just My Imagination" to the big-city neurosis of "When The Whip Comes Down" and "Shattered," 1978's SOME GIRLS is a wild rumpus throughout. |
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EMOTIONAL RESCUEOrder from: |
1. Dance
(Pt. 1) |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, piano); Keith Richards (guitar, piano, vocals); Ron Wood (guitar, pedal steel guitar, bass); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Sugar Blue (harmonica); Bobby Keys (saxophone); Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins (piano); Michael Shrieve (percussion); Max Romeo (background vocals). Principally recorded at Pathe-Marconi Studios, Paris, France and Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). Having reestablished themselves as the world's greatest rock and roll band with 1978's SOME GIRLS, the Stones returned to the same stylistic well for EMOTIONAL RESCUE. The album continues the band's fascination with the disco sounds of the time and the reggae grooves they'd been indulging in since BLACK 'N BLUE. But best of all for long-time Stones fans, RESCUE was stacked full of the kind of rhythmically propelled garage rockers that made the band's early '70s albums wall-to-wall classics, with Jagger at the top of his game. Many of the tracks had been leftover from the SOME GIRLS sessions and reflect the band's loose-limbed state. "Dance, Pt.1" is classic Stones riffology, with free-associative pro-New York lyrics that make it "Shattered"s more ragged cousin. "She's So Cold" is a Chuck-Berry-at-Studio-54 declaration that Jagger and Richards could by this time write in their sleep. The classic title track is a slick, mid-tempo slinker that ranks among the most unique sonic statements in the band's catalog. The whole collection is at once so familiar and effortless that few could argue the point that, in 1980 the Stones were as good as Big Rock got. |
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TATTOO YOUOrder from: |
1. Start Me
Up |
Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Keith Richards, Ron Wood (vocals, guitar); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel includes: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone). Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). After bum-rushing the '80s with EMOTIONAL RESCUE, the Stones released TATTOO YOU, the second half of a potent one-two album punch that showed the band asserting themselves as they entered their third decade of music-making. Essentially made up of songs dating as far back as 1972 sessions for GOATS HEAD SOUP, the Stones' 1981 release is still a potent slab of swagger and sass. "Hang Fire" is a tight two-minute and twenty second redefinition of surf music, and "Start Me Up" is classic Stones, replete with Jagger's sexual braggadocio and Keith's patented "Honky Tonk Women"-style riffs. The bluesy shuffle that is "Black Limousine" is only surpassed by the cocky "Little T & A," sung by an endearingly raspy Keith Richards. Most impressive on TATTOO YOU is the wistful "Waiting On A Friend," featuring jazz giant Sonny Rollins wailing away on his saxophone as the song fades out. |
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STILL LIFE (AMERICAN CONCERT...)Order from: |
1. Intro:
Take The "A" Train - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra |
Full title: Still Life (American Concert 1981). The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Keith Richards, Ron Wood (guitars, vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Ernie Watts (saxophone); Ian Stewart (keyboards). |
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UNDERCOVEROrder from: |
1.
Undercover Of The Night |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Keith Richards, Ron Wood (guitar, bass, background vocals); Bill Wyman (piano, bass, percussion); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Jim Barber (guitar); Chops (horns); Ian Stewart (piano, percussion); Chuck Leavell (keyboards); Moustapha Cisse, Brahms Coundoul, Martin Ditcham (percussion); David Sanborn, Sly Dunbar. Recorded at EMI Studios, Paris, France and Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). Up until 1983's UNDERCOVER, it had been quite a long time since rock's reigning aristocracy made anything besides their status as such (and the rewards thereof) an album's theme. But with the exception of "She Was Hot," a lustful rocker that wouldn't have sounded out of place on SOME GIRLS, this year's Rolling Stones had something else on their minds. There's violence amidst the freaky reggae and soul of UNDERCOVER's grooves, a darkness unfelt on a Stones album since Altamont made them want to leave such devilish business behind. With Afro-Cuban percussion and dub textures scattered throughout, UNDERCOVER sounds like a soundtrack to a bloody Caribbean coup d'etat. The machine-gun rattle of Linndrums on "Feel On Baby," the viciously dubbed-out guitars of the title track, and Jagger's reliance on sado-masochism as a central lyrical theme ("Tie You Up" and "Pretty Beat Up" being the most obvious examples) add to the notion that the Stones were reflecting a world gone wrong back upon its audience. But past its bleakness, UNDERCOVER is among the last exciting bits of music the Stones ventured to make. |
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DIRTY WORKOrder from: |
1. One Hit
(To The Body) |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards, Ron Wood (guitar); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Bobby Womack, Don Covay, Chuck Leavell, Jimmy Page, Patti Scialfa, Jimmy Cliff, Tom Waits, Kirsty MacColl, Ivan Neville, Anton Fig, Steve Jordan, Charley Drayton, Philippe Saisse, Dan Collette, John Regan, Alan Rogan, Ian Stewart, Janis Pendarvis, Dolette McDonald. Recorded at Pathe Marconi Studios, Paris, France. Originally released on Rolling Stones Records. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). DIRTY WORK includes an unlisted instrumental track. Three years after releasing 1983's UNDERCOVER, the Rolling Stones returned to the studio to record DIRTY WORK. During the band's sabbatical, Mick Jagger had released his solo debut SHE'S THE BOSS, sparking resentment from Keith Richards, who did not approve of Jagger making music outside of the band. A notable distinction of DIRTY WORK is Ron Wood's collaboration with the Jagger/Richards songwriting axis on four songs, "One Hit (To The Body)", "Fight," "Had It With You" and the title track, which may have been code for the Glimmer Twins' then-strained relationship. Since Stones recording sessions are always special events, a number of famous guests made cameos on this 1986 release. Among them are Stones heroes Bobby Womack and Don Covay, Tom Waits, Jimmy Page and producer Steve Lillywhite's wife Kirsty MacColl. Despite any infighting, the Stones continued their history of interesting cover choices. A minor 1964 hit by Bob and Earl hit the top five for the Stones, while Half Pint's "Too Rude" continued the band's love affair with reggae. |
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SINGLES COLLECTION (THE LONDON YEARS)Order from: |
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Disc: 1
Disc: 2
Disc: 3
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This box set is a compilation of all the Rolling Stones' singles from 1963 to 1971), including A-sides, B-sides and alternate B-sides from the U.S. and the U.K. These 58 songs on 3 discs have been digitally remastered with most tracks in mono to reflect the sound of the original 45s. It includes a 78-page, 12" x 12" book with lyrics, detailed track annotations by Bruce Eder and essays by Anthony De Curtis and Andrew Oldham. Also available on Abkco (1231) in a 6" x 12" box without the book. The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica, percussion); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Bill Wyman (vocals, bass); Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica, organ, marimba, sitar, dulcimer, recorder, bells, saxophone, harpsichord, Mellotron, background vocals); Mick Taylor, Ron Wood (guitar); Charlie Watts (drums, percussion). Additional personnel includes: Joe Moretti (guitar); Ian Stewart (piano, organ); Reg Guest (piano); Nicky Hopkins, Jack Nitzsche (keyboards); Eric Ford (bass); Jimmy Miller (drums); Rocky Dijon (percussion); The London Bach Choir, Madelaine Bell, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Nanette Newman (background vocals); Gene Pitney, Phil Spector, Steve Marriott, Doris Troy, Al Kooper, Ry Cooder, Andy White. Producers: Andrew Oldham, Eric Easton, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Miller, Jack Nitzsche. Engineers include: Roger Savage, Ron Malo, Dave Hassinger. |
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STEEL WHEELSOrder from: |
1. Sad Sad
Sad |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, percussion); Keith Richards (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars); Ron Wood (guitar, dobro, acoustic & electric basses, background vocals); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Bachir Attar Farafina (various instruments); Phil Beer (mandolin, fiddle); Matt Clifford (strings, piano, electric piano, harmonium, clavinet, keyboards); Kick Horns (brass); Chuck Leavell (piano, organ, Wurlitzer piano, keyboards); Luis Jardin (percussion); Sonia Morgan, Bernard Fowler, Sarah Dash, Lisa Fischer, Tessa Niles (background vocals); Master Musicians Of Jajouka. Recorded at Air Studios, Montserrat. Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering Studios). Some 30 years after "Satisfaction" the Rolling Stones were still at it, pumping out gritty rock and roll and playing to huge, adoring crowds. Later records sound fuller, the production a bit cleaner, but the Stones still sound like the Stones. STEEL WHEELS, released in 1989, was the first studio album by the band since 1986's DIRTY WORK. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had put out solo records in 1987 and 1988 respectively, and the reformed band got back into the studio for a record they would launch a massive world tour to support. It was the last studio effort upon which original bassist Bill Wyman would play. The album yielded two strong singles, "Mixed Emotions," which is buoyed by one of the stronger choruses of late-era Stones, and the nasty rocker "Rock and a Hard Place." Beginning with the line "The fields of Eden are full of trash," the song seems a genuine gesture of empathy for victims of a callous world. "Continental Drift" is the album's most unusual track, a powerful, Middle-Eastern-tinged number with "African instruments" played by the legendary Master Musicians of Jajouka. On the country-flavored "Blinded By Love," the Stones' show their long-standing appreciation for rootsy American music. |
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VOODOO LOUNGEOrder from: |
1. Love Is
Strong |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, maracas, castanets); Keith Richards (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, piano, bass, tambourine); Ron Wood (acoustic, electric, slide, pedal steel & lap steel guitars); Charlie Watts (drums, tambourine). Additional personnel: Pierre De Beauport (acoustic guitar); Max Baca (bajo sexto); Frankie Gavin (fiddle, pennywhistle); Bobby Keys, David McMurray (saxophone); Chuck Leavell (piano, harpsichord, harmonium, Wurlitzer piano, Hammond organ);, Benmont Tench (Hammond B-3, piano, accordion); Darryl Jones (electric bass); Luis Jardim, Lenny Castro, Phil Jones (percussion); Bobby Womack, Ivan Neville, Flaco Jimenez, Mark Isham, Bernard Fowler. Recorded at Windmill Lane Recording, Dublin, Ireland. VOODOO LOUNGE won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. In an age of pre-fabs, readymades and wannabes, it's a jumping jack gas to hear the truth, the guts of rock and roll peek through the curtains of time. VOODOO LOUNGE is a remarkable experience, the most visceral, daring Rolling Stones album since...who knows when. Without seeking to alter their basic approach, producer Don Was has given this classic band a contemporary perspective. VOODOO LOUNGE proves that the Stones are still hard after 30 years on the world stage. There's an edge and a sense of danger to VOODOO LOUNGE that is palpable from the reassuring crunch of Richards and Wood on the opening "Love Is Strong," through the honky tonk bump of "Baby Break It Down" and the blue suede groove of "Mean Disposition." The departure of bassist Bill Wyman has forced the Stones to dig deep, and the arrival of Darryl Jones has given drummer Charlie Watts, if not a new lease on life, a different point of view. Watts and Wyman were like the Benny Benjamin and James Jamerson of rock'n'roll, and without his trusted rhythm mate, the drummer has to listen like his life depended on it. Because producer Don Was insisted Mick have actual lyrics ready for the basic tracks, it obliged the Stones to return to the kind of live, spontaneous rhythm section feel that made even their most humble throwaways just jump out and bite you on the ass. |
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ROCK & ROLL CIRCUSOrder from: |
1. Mick
Jagger's Introduction Of Rock And Roll Circus |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Keith Richards (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); Brian Jones (electric & slide guitars); Bill Wyman (bass); Charlie Watts (drums). The Dirty Mac: John Lennon (vocals, guitar); Eric Clapton (guitar); Keith Richards (bass); Mitch Mitchell (drums). Additional performers: Jethro Tull, The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Yoko Ono, Ivry Gitlis, Nicky Hopkins. Producers: Jimmy Miller, Jody Klein, Lenne Allik. Recorded live in England on December 10-11, 1968. Includes liner notes by David Dalton. THE ROLLING STONES ROCK AND ROLL CIRCUS documents a December 1968 show, originally intended for broadcast on British television, that featured clowns, acrobats, tigers, a fire-eater, the Rolling Stones and a menagerie of musician friends that included the Who, Eric Clapton, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The show never aired. The Stones, unhappy with their performance, shelved it. A clip of the Who performing "A Quick One While He's Away" made it into the documentary "The Kids Are Alright," but the rest of the show remained on the shelf until the 1996 release of a laser disc, video and this soundtrack. The Stones put together this circus shortly after releasing BEGGAR'S BANQUET. Ringmaster/producer Mick Jagger recruited the above friends along with Marianne Faithfull, Taj Mahal and the relatively-unknown Jethro Tull. Twenty hours of filming resulted in a production that alternates between vaudevillian spectacle and magical rock and roll performances. Especially noteworthy is a blistering version of the Beatles' "Yer Blues" by the Dirty Mac, a supergroup featuring John Lennon on rhythm guitar and vocals, Eric Clapton on lead, Keith Richards on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. The Stones went on at 1 in the morning on December 11, performing a set that included several songs from BEGGAR'S BANQUET and the not-yet-released "You Can't Always Get What You Want," sometimes playing a song two or three times to get it right for TV. Despite the numerous takes and the late hour, the Stones' intensity never flagged. This is, despite what they thought, a great performance. It builds up to a hypnotic "Sympathy For The Devil" and a rousing sing-along version of "Salt Of The Earth" that ends the circus. |
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BRIDGES TO BABYLONOrder from: |
1. Flip The
Switch |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica, keyboards, shaker); Keith Richards (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, piano); Ronnie Wood (electric, slide & baritone guitars, pedal steel, dobro); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel includes: Waddy Wachtel (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); Danny Saber (guitar, clavinet, keyboards, bass); Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone); Blondie Chaplin (piano, bass, percussion, background vocals); Benmont Tench (piano, Hammond B-3 & C-3 organs, keyboards); Don Was (Wurlitzer piano, keyboards, bass); Billy Preston (Hammond B-3 organ); Darryl Jones, Doug Wimbush (bass, background vocals); Me'Shell Ndegeocello (bass); Jim Keltner (percussion, background vocals). Producers include: The Glimmer Twins, Don Was, The Dust Brothers. Engineers include: Rob Fraboni, Ed Cherney, Jim Scott. BRIDGES TO BABYLON was nominated for a 1998 Grammy for Best Rock Album. "Anybody Seen My Baby?" was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. Kicking off with Charlie Watt's whip-smart timekeeping, BRIDGES TO BABYLON finds the Rolling Stones swaggering towards the millenium with a record that confidently asserts that rock & roll is far from a young person's game. Don Was returns behind the boards, and joining him at Mick Jagger's behest are uber-technophiles The Dust Brothers. Rather than leaping headlong onto an ill-fitting bandwagon, The Stones wisely gild their rock & roll lily with subtle electronic nuances. The sampled rap tossed into the the noirish mood of "Anybody Seen My My Baby?" and the swooshing laser sounds of "Might As Well Get Juiced" are present-day window dressing for a legacy deeply rooted in rhythm and blues. The Stones stop long enough to cleverly acknowledge their past by dropping a harp playing the main riff of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" into the mid-tempo "Out Of Control" and using "Saint Of Me" to revel in their bad-boy persona. Keith Richards remains the soul of the Stones. His riffing and his endearing rasp continue to stand out, and his crooning on "You Don't Have To Mean It" demonstrates his deep love of reggae. The emotive one-two punch of "Thief In The Night" and "How Can I Stop" shows Keef to be a closet romantic camouflaged by a bad-ass strut. |
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NO SECURITYOrder from: |
1. Intro |
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar); Ronnie Wood (guitar); Charlie Watts (drums). Additional personnel: Dave Matthews, Taj Mahal (vocals); Andy Snitzer (saxophone, keyboards); Joshua Redman, Bobby Keys (saxophone); Kent Smith (trumpet); Michael Davis (trombone); Chuck Leavell (keyboards); Pierre de Beauport (Wurlitzer piano); Darryl Jones (bass); Johnny Starbuck (shaker); Bernard Fowler, Blondie Chaplin (background vocals, percussion); Lisa Fischer, Leah Wood (background vocals). Engineers include: Ed Cherney, Dave Hewitt, Ulli Poesselt. Principally recorded live at the Arena Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Holland; River Plate, Buenos Aires, Argentina; TWA Dome, St. Lois, Missouri and Zeppelinfeld, Nuremberg, Germany. Despite the fact that the tattooed couple on the cover of NO SECURITY are far more threatening than the Rolling Stones sounded in the late '90s, the World's Greatest Rock And Roll Band still manage to put together an interesting clutch of live performances here, with a couple of surprises thrown in for good measure. On their seventh live album, the Stones avoid the standard greatest hits package expected of most bands of their stature and instead go with an interesting mix of newer songs and old favorites. So you get songs off of 1997's BRIDGES TO BABYLON ("Flip The Switch," "Out Of Control") and 1994's VOODOO LOUNGE ("You Got Me Rocking") as well as 1965's OUT OF OUR HEADS ("The Last Time"). The Stones show off their longevity by having special guests who represent different generations. Thus, you have Taj Mahal playing with them on his "Corinna" 30 years after his appearance in The Rolling Stones Rock 'N' Roll Circus and Dave Matthews joining in on "Memory Motel." The final old-to-new transition comes when young lion Joshua Redman reprises the sax break featured in "Waiting on A Friend" that jazz colossus Sonny Rollins played on the original version. |
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Packed with facts, fun, and1,000 questions, Stone Me! is more than a quiz book--it is a virtual pocket history of a group whose legendary status has spanned four decades. Test your knowledge or just enjoy the memories! Covering The Rolling Stones' entire career, the book features20 categories, including the early days, the tours, the singles, the albums, the covers, the girlfriends, the myths, and the amazing lives of Mick, Keith, Charlie, Ron, and Bill. Each category has a short introduction and questions of varying difficulty. |
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| When the Rolling Stones decided to broadcast one of their stops on 1994's Voodoo Lounge Tour to the entire world, they probably hoped to give home viewers the authentic feeling of being at the stadium. Well, it worked. For over 90 minutes, you feel like you're sitting right in the middle of Miami's cavernous Joe Robbie Stadium. The sound cuts in and out, you can't understand a word Mick says, the fans' screams are louder than Keith, Ronnie, and Charlie's playing, and the only real pleasure is watching close-ups of the aging band's still-energized antics on a screen. The boys look like they're having a blast, especially when guest guitarists Robert Cray and Bo Diddley join them for such classics as Robert Johnson's "Stop Breaking Down," and "Who Do You Love." But the audio transfer here continually frustrates and baffles. It best resembles an audience bootleg tape. The Stones may have been too concerned with the show's visual production value because the real reason to watch the thing, the music, pales in comparison. They've got giant snakes breathing fire, screens flashing computer animation, ramps, ledges, suggestive backup singers, and enough costume changes that "Las Vegas Lounge" would have been a more apt tour moniker. If you like the Stones potent, dangerous, and truly inspired, you'll have to wait for better film representations, such as Gimme Shelter, Cocksucker Blues, and Rock and Roll Circus. If you're a die-hard, the set list reads like this: "Not Fade Away," "Tumbling Dice," "You Got Me Rocking," "Satisfaction," "Angie," "Sweet Virginia," "It's All Over Now," "Stop Breaking Down," "Who Do You Love," "Miss You," "Honky Tonk Women," "The Worst," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Start Me Up," "It's Only Rock 'n Roll," "Brown Sugar," and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." | |
| Like any good brand, the Rolling Stones know to preserve the formula even when updating the package, and this long-form concert video underscores that market strategy. As with each of their tours since the early '80s, the quartet, augmented by a discreet auxiliary of backup musicians, gives the fans new eye candy while dishing up a familiar set list spiked with Mick Jagger's lip-smacking vocals and Keith Richards's signature guitar riffs. The visual twists are at once spectacular and conservative: a cyclopean main stage design with massive pillars (presumably the Babylonian connection), a vast oval video screen (shades of Big Brother), and a hydraulic bridge enabling a midconcert sortie into the audience, with the Stones playing a more stripped-down, intimate set on a small satellite stage. That huge physical setting doubtless made the live shows eye-filling rock spectacles, but the video crew necessarily accepts the limitations of the small screen, focusing more on close-ups of the band, rapid cuts, and racing, hand-held tracking shots to convey excitement while keeping the viewer close to the action. The evening's repertoire sticks to the band's most familiar hits, and if the Glimmer Twins occasionally slip their masks to let the routine show, the real wonder is how effectively they keep the playing focused. During the first half of the program, the band's newest songs (especially "Saint of Me" and "Out of Control") elicit conspicuously higher energy from the band, if not the audience. But just as the show seems doomed to a certain anomie, the escape onto the smaller, no-frills stage pumps up players and crowd alike, particularly when they launch into "Like a Rolling Stone," a cover that winds up sounding like a great idea too long deferred. | |
| This 1991 concert film was shot in the IMAX format and was originally presented on enormous IMAX screens, with outstanding visual and audio clarity. The dimensions may have been scaled down for this DVD release, but the show is still huge in energy and talent. Filmed during a European leg of the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels tour, this production boasts 15 songs and an extraordinary stage set with inflatable floozies (for "Honky Tonk Woman") and wild dogs (rather cleverly for "Street Fighting Man"). The Stones' set emphasizes material from the late 1960s and early '70s ("Tumbling Dice," "Happy," "You Can't Always Get What You Want"), but the band's performance is so furious that the show is far from a pandering oldies act. Highlights include "Paint It Black," at once brutal and delicate, as well as a muscular "Rock and a Hard Place," a psychedelicized "2,000 Light Years from Home," and a cheeky "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll." Once kings of a gloriously sloppy sound, the Stones prove to be as effective in their artistic maturity with small, breathtaking touches as they are with chunky orchestration. Guitarists Keith Richards and Ron Wood play as if they are of one mind, Richards providing powerful leads while his partner captures some of the texture of the group's original recordings. Bassist Bill Wyman, still in the band at this phase, offers wit and an encyclopedic grasp of rhythm & blues history, while drummer Charlie Watts adds control and swing. Mick Jagger prowls, climbs around the set, and delivers all the charismatic goods for adoring audiences, even touching the forbidden fruit again in a feverish peformance of "Sympathy for the Devil." The DVD also includes a full Stones discography. |
| When the Rolling Stones decided to broadcast one of their stops on 1994's Voodoo Lounge Tour to the entire world, they probably hoped to give home viewers the authentic feeling of being at the stadium. Well, it worked. For over 90 minutes, you feel like you're sitting right in the middle of Miami's cavernous Joe Robbie Stadium. The sound cuts in and out, you can't understand a word Mick says, the fans' screams are louder than Keith, Ronnie, and Charlie's playing, and the only real pleasure is watching close-ups of the aging band's still-energized antics on a screen. The boys look like they're having a blast, especially when guest guitarists Robert Cray and Bo Diddley join them for such classics as Robert Johnson's "Stop Breaking Down," and "Who Do You Love." But the audio transfer here continually frustrates and baffles. It best resembles an audience bootleg tape. The Stones may have been too concerned with the show's visual production value because the real reason to watch the thing, the music, pales in comparison. They've got giant snakes breathing fire, screens flashing computer animation, ramps, ledges, suggestive backup singers, and enough costume changes that "Las Vegas Lounge" would have been a more apt tour moniker. If you like the Stones potent, dangerous, and truly inspired, you'll have to wait for better film representations, such as Gimme Shelter, Cocksucker Blues, and Rock and Roll Circus. If you're a die-hard, the set list reads like this: "Not Fade Away," "Tumbling Dice," "You Got Me Rocking," "Satisfaction," "Angie," "Sweet Virginia," "It's All Over Now," "Stop Breaking Down," "Who Do You Love," "Miss You," "Honky Tonk Women," "The Worst," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Start Me Up," "It's Only Rock 'n Roll," "Brown Sugar," and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." | |
| Like any good brand, the Rolling Stones know to preserve the formula even when updating the package, and this long-form concert video underscores that market strategy. As with each of their tours since the early '80s, the quartet, augmented by a discreet auxiliary of backup musicians, gives the fans new eye candy while dishing up a familiar set list spiked with Mick Jagger's lip-smacking vocals and Keith Richards's signature guitar riffs. The visual twists are at once spectacular and conservative: a cyclopean main stage design with massive pillars (presumably the Babylonian connection), a vast oval video screen (shades of Big Brother), and a hydraulic bridge enabling a midconcert sortie into the audience, with the Stones playing a more stripped-down, intimate set on a small satellite stage. That huge physical setting doubtless made the live shows eye-filling rock spectacles, but the video crew necessarily accepts the limitations of the small screen, focusing more on close-ups of the band, rapid cuts, and racing, hand-held tracking shots to convey excitement while keeping the viewer close to the action. The evening's repertoire sticks to the band's most familiar hits, and if the Glimmer Twins occasionally slip their masks to let the routine show, the real wonder is how effectively they keep the playing focused. During the first half of the program, the band's newest songs (especially "Saint of Me" and "Out of Control") elicit conspicuously higher energy from the band, if not the audience. But just as the show seems doomed to a certain anomie, the escape onto the smaller, no-frills stage pumps up players and crowd alike, particularly when they launch into "Like a Rolling Stone," a cover that winds up sounding like a great idea too long deferred. | |
| This 1991 concert film was shot in the IMAX format and was originally presented on enormous IMAX screens, with outstanding visual and audio clarity. The dimensions may have been scaled down for this DVD release, but the show is still huge in energy and talent. Filmed during a European leg of the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels tour, this production boasts 15 songs and an extraordinary stage set with inflatable floozies (for "Honky Tonk Woman") and wild dogs (rather cleverly for "Street Fighting Man"). The Stones' set emphasizes material from the late 1960s and early '70s ("Tumbling Dice," "Happy," "You Can't Always Get What You Want"), but the band's performance is so furious that the show is far from a pandering oldies act. Highlights include "Paint It Black," at once brutal and delicate, as well as a muscular "Rock and a Hard Place," a psychedelicized "2,000 Light Years from Home," and a cheeky "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll." Once kings of a gloriously sloppy sound, the Stones prove to be as effective in their artistic maturity with small, breathtaking touches as they are with chunky orchestration. Guitarists Keith Richards and Ron Wood play as if they are of one mind, Richards providing powerful leads while his partner captures some of the texture of the group's original recordings. Bassist Bill Wyman, still in the band at this phase, offers wit and an encyclopedic grasp of rhythm & blues history, while drummer Charlie Watts adds control and swing. Mick Jagger prowls, climbs around the set, and delivers all the charismatic goods for adoring audiences, even touching the forbidden fruit again in a feverish peformance of "Sympathy for the Devil." | |
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