Beyond The Wizards Sleeve "Spring" 2006***

I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not into electronic music, like, at all. I mean it occupies a very small corner in my wall-to-wall CD shelves. Just a few very mainstream stuff: Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk etc. So what is a 12'' "dance" vinyl by a couple of underground UK DJ's doing in my collection? I stumbled on it by accident at my neighborhood record store's bargain bin, and was drawn by the cover artwork. So I took it to the shop's listening station and liked what I heard. First of all, a few words about the artist: As it turns out, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve consists of two famous London DJ's. One of them (Richard Norris) used to work for Bam-Caruso in the 80s; I have some fabulous 60's popsike compilations by that label, and can only imagine how much psychedelic music flowed into their offices for them to be able to compile those LPs. So it's not surprising that Norris himself likens it to "going to psychedelic university". Since he came in contact with these psychedelic 60's rarities, his self-confessed obsession became to combine them with modern dance music, something that drove him to get involved in the acid house scene of the late 80's. Finding a kindred spirit in DJ/producer/remixer Erol Alkan, they starting organizing DJ sets together and re-editing some of their psychedelic faves for the dancefloor. Spring marks one of their earlier releases, showcasing their ability to bring new life to psych pop classics by re-editing them, adding beats, and inserting samples both of older works and of newly constructed music by the duo. Two of the pieces they choose to cover are fairly well-known: The Rolling Stones' "2000 Light Years from Home" (1967) and Neu!'s - "Hallogallo" (1972). From the fact that the sale of this release on discogs isn't permitted, I would guess that the guys haven't exactly obtained permission for their use of these samples. "Light Years" (as it's called here) sounds trippy in this incarnation, but then again so does the original. Seeing as it's such an overly familiar tune, I may have like to hear it more transformed. I prefer what they did with The Neu! song (here under the name "I Swim Around"): it's chugging along in its familiar motorik rhythm but it's far more spacy. According to the whosampled website, it also contains a sample of "The Other Side" by Tiny Tim (1968). Opener "Don't Cry Girl" is really Illés' "A Bolond Lány" (1967), an upbeat rocker from Hungary with a funky beat that lends itself well to a dance-floor friendly re-imagination. Ditto with "Words", originally a glam pop single called "It's Only Words" (1973) by completely unknown (to me, that is) band Rescue Co. No. 1. "The Fifth Note" meshes garage rocker "Black Butter, Present" by Strawberry Alarm Clock with spoken word "The  Blue Sari" by Chiitra Neogy (both 1968), while closer "The Perfumed Garden" only utilizes the spoken word intro on "Romany Soup"  by Tyrannosaurus Rex (1969) backed by a music carpet of spacey/psychedelic sound effects. This mix of classic psychedelia with dance music seems to have created an exciting sub-genre: Another band in the same vein would be The Amorphous Androgynous (also known as the psychedelic side project of techno duo The Future Sound Of London). Their Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble compilations are also highly recommnded.

**** for Words, I Swim Around

*** for Don't Cry Girl, The Fifth Note, Light Years 

** for The Perfumed Garden

The Rolling Stones "Reggae 'N' Roll" (rec.1975, release 1978?)****

Back to the subject of rare recordings that I have and are being made more readily available, I have this RS bootleg, subtitled "The Stones in Studio with Jeff Beck". Now, I know that the new Black And Blue reissue contains outtakes featuring Jeff Beck, so does that include what I have here? Apart from "Sexy Night", which is retitled "I Love Ladies", there are also three jams featuring Jeff Beck on the Deluxe edition of the new reissue, but the titles are different ("Blues Jam", "Rotterdam Jam" and "Freeway Jam") so who knows? Back to the sessions for Black And Blue, Mick Taylor had just quit The Stones feeling creatively stifled, as well as unable to follow the others' frantic pace of non-stop gigging and partying. So the band reconvened in Rotterdam and Munich to try out new material and audition guitarists. Among those considered: Peter Frampton, Steve Marriott, Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins, Robert A. Johnson, Ronnie Wood, Rory Gallagher, and Jeff Beck. Clapton was apparently also there, but doesn't seem to have recorded anything or to have been seriously considered. Perkins, Mandel, and of course Wood, can be heard on the final album. Marriott also being a singer, was vetoed by Jagger. Gallagher impressed everyone and was leading the race, but had to go off on a Japanese tour; when he came back, the seat was filled. Later he recognized a riff he played during his audition as the main riff on "Start Me Up", released a few years later on Tattoo You (1981). It's not surprising, as The Stones hadn't written any new songs for that album, raiding their archives for any useable half-finished stuff instead. Two more outtakes from the Black and Blue sessions appearing on Tattoo You were "Worried About You" (here under the title "Sometimes I Wonder Why") and "Slave" (here in an instrumental version under the title "Black 'N' Blue Jam"). The former is a nice ballad with a falsetto vocal by Jagger, a bit too similar to "Fool To Cry", which explains why it wasn't included on Black And Blue. According to Wikipedia, the solos are played by Wayne Perkins, not Beck - but then, they may have tried it with different guitarists during their Rotterdam residency. The latter is a funky jam with lots of organ, quite good, and showing a different direction for the band. As is relaxed instrumental "Reggae 'N' Roll", apparently also known from other bootlegs as "Munich Reggae". "Back To The Country" aka "Cellophane Trousers" is another, more rock'n'roll, instrumental and "Memory Motel" a shorter instrumental version of the track that ended on the finished album. "Sexy Nite" is a slow funky piece with a falsetto vocal - the version on the 2025 Black and Blue deluxe reissue is obviously heavily overdubbed, with better sound. But that's not to say that this bootleg suffers in the sound quality department. After all, it's not an amateur concert recording: it was recorded on the RS' own mobile studio. The last song "Come On Sugar" (aka "Let's Do It Right") may probably be the best unreleased RS song (well, after "Cocksucker's Blues" of course). It is a very danceable funk jam with Jagger on top form, as is everyone really. Does Jeff Beck play guitar here, too? I wouldn't know; I think that the title is misleading; probably he plays on some, but not all, of the tracks here. Truth is, he found The Stones' rock'n'roll playing style rather limited (he was in his virtuoso jazz phase at the time) and elected to continue his solo career. In the end, The Stones chose to go with Beck's former bandmate (he played bass in The Jeff Beck Group) Ronnie Wood, mostly because he was an English lad, and a member of a similarly hard-partying band, The Faces. Now, this bootleg is (probably) a Dutch release, but I've never seen it in all the years I've been living here. Instead, I found it in Tokyo. I'm not a big fan of bootlegs, given their questionable sound quality, but the price (I think slightly over ¥1000, so less than €10) and my curiosity as to what a combination of The Stones and Jeff Beck would sound like, convinced me to get it. Which was a good choice, because I love the masterful playing and relaxed vibe of it - you can really tell that the lads are enjoying themselves. I might even like this bootleg better than certain official RS albums.

**** for Sometimes I Wonder Why, Memory Motel, Sexy Nite, Black 'N' Blue Jam, Come On Sugar 

*** for Reggae 'N' Roll, Back To The Country

"Rolling Tickets - Live Back-" 1964-1969(rec)1982(comp)*****

Wow, it's been a month to the day - probably the longest time I've been away from you. Truth is, I've been quite busy at work, and then travelling - in Japan, for a large chunk of last month. You can bet I visited a lot of record shops there, and I have the receipts to prove it! I bought mostly albums by Japanese bands, although I found great stuff in all kinds. I'll present as many of my purchases as I can in this blog (notice I've given up on the ambition to present all, or even the bulk of, my collection here). Let's start with this one, by the "Rolling Tickets":

Who are the Rolling Tickets? you ask. Fair question, that's what I asked myself when I came across this LP at the Shinjuku Rock branch of Disk Union. My first guess was some kind of Japanese Rolling Stones tribute band, perhaps? No siree, this is a Japan-only official Rolling Stones compilation. What the hell does the title mean, then? Why tickets? Is it a live recording? What does the word back refer to? I guess what we have here is a typical case of Engrish, otherwise known as Japanglish. You'll see it everywhere in Japan, from street signs to slogans on standardized food packages: English phrases that apparently sound good to Japanese ears but make zero sense to English speakers. Something else that makes zero sense to me is the concept of this comp: sure, what we have here is 10 stone cold classics from the 60's. One could argue for the inclusion of "Paint It, Black" and a couple of others, but there's no doubt that the songs included here are among the band's best. For some reason, 4 of them are repeated twice, once in their studio version and once live. Hence the "live" of the title. Each side opens with two versions of one song and closes with two versions of another. Sandwiched between these we get 3 more studio recordings on each side. The LP comes with a big 4-page insert, containing the band's discography, complete lyrics for all the songs with their Japanese translation, and info on the latest 1981-1982 Rolling Stones world tour, as well as a short text on each track. So we learn that 3 out of the 4 live tracks come from Have Live If You Want It ("Under My Thumb","Time Is On My Side" and "Satisfaction") and one from Get Your Ya Ya's Out ("Honky Tonk Women"). The provenance of the rest is less clear: we learn that these are studio recordings (or, in one occasion at least, "rocordings") which appear in this or that single, album, or comp, but not which mix is included. I'm guessing it's the US versions (Rolling Stones albums were released with different titles and tracklisting on the two sides of the Atlantic), because the record label is London, Decca's US subsidiary. While I know that some of these early songs were also recorded and released in stereo, the label denotes "mono" so these are the original mono mixes rather than the true stereo ones or the hastily "electronically re-channeled for stereo" ones which are reviled by audiophiles. I confess I have the vinyl "digitally remastered in stereo" reissues of those early US albums, and never had any complaints about the way they sound. Then again, I didn't have the original mono LPs for comparison. Maybe I should listen to them back-to-back with this Japanese comp and see which sounds better. In any case: Rolling Stones compilations are a dime a dozen, but this one may appeal to collectors because it centers on mono mixes exclusively, or because they get to listen the same song in two successive versions, a live and a studio one; notice the difference on the two versions of "Under My Thumb" below.

***** for Under My Thumb, Let's Spend The Night Together, Let It Bleed, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Time Is On My Side, Honky Tonk Women - Live, Honky Tonk Women, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Street Fighting Man, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

**** for Under My Thumb - Live, Time Is On My Side - Live, Mona (I Need You, Baby), (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Live

 

The Rolling Stones "Hackney Diamonds" 2023***

Now, I know y'all have been waiting for more than a year to read my review of The Rolling Stones' latest album. Is it worth buying? Well, I guess that by now its price has dropped significantly, so that may well be the case. You know what? when I'm listening to this on my stereo, I'm thinking to myself "this isn't half bad", basically it's way better than anyone could reasonably expect from a bunch of geriatric rockers. But afterwards this simile came to my mind: you know how there are tricks one can use to make stale bread edible again, delicious even? (If you don't, just ask Marina). Well, that's how it feels: like I just ate some stale bread and enjoyed it. Just how was this miracle achieved? First of all, it's the raw materials: Jagger's ageless vocal, Keef's riffs, the underrated Ron Wood. Sure, Charlie has left the planet, but there's a substitute for everything nowadays, isn't there? Just look at your supermarket aisle: vegan "cheese", "chicken" nuggets, "steaks" etc (no disrespect meant for Steve Jordan, but he's a hired hand, not a Rolling Stone). In the end, it's all a matter of finding the right cook: enter 33-year old Andrew Watt, who graduated effortlessly from producing popstars like Justin Bieber and Rita Ora to 80-year old rock legends like The Stones, Ozzy, and Iggy Pop. One may doubt his credentials, but one thing's evident: the guy is like a great forger; one who may not be able to paint a masterpiece but has studied Van Gogh's technique well enough that he can produce a new version of "sunflowers" and pass it up as an original work by the master himself. Case in point, opener "Angry": a typical Stones rocker reminiscent of classics like "Start Me Up" or "You Got Me Rockin'". Some may call this a "return to form", others "self-plagiarism". Same difference, really. It sounds good, but I have the nagging feeling that it could have been written by an AI with access to a Rolling Stones greatest hits compilation. I much prefer the attempts to slightly modernize The Stones' sound: "The Whole Wide World" and "Mess It Up" remind me of British 90's indie bands - let's say Ocean Colour Scene and Franz Ferdinand, respectively. It sort of takes me back to Bridges To Babylon; not among The Stones' best albums, but the last one in which they tried to sound contemporary. "Bite My Head Off" is reminiscent of another time The Stones tried to follow the spirit of the age, albeit with better results: back in '78, they wrote a number of punk-inspired songs for Some Girls. They rocked OK, but didn't sound entirely convincing then, and sound even less convincing now. The best part of this punkish tune is a distorted bass guitar solo played by... Paul McCartney - the Beatles vs. Stones antipathy always was a media myth, Paul's on good terms with The Stones, he's even the one who suggested they use Watt as a producer. "Live By The Sword" is another unconvincingly aggressive hard rocker. It nevertheless has the distinction of reuniting Mick and Keith with The Stones' original rhythm section for the first time in decades. Not only is it one of two tracks here featuring Charlie Watts on drums (recording sessions started in 2019, when he was still in good health) but Bill Wyman also briefly rejoins the band on bass after 30 years of absence. To top it all up, Elton John makes a cameo on piano. "Get Close" and "Driving Me Too Hard" are a couple of mid-tempo rockers that fall under the previously mentioned self-plagiarizing category. Recognizable as The Stones, yet utterly forgettable. Ballads include "Depending On You", the obligatory Keith Richards lead vocal "Tell Me Straight", and acoustic country "Dreamy Skies" - nice slide guitar and harmonica here. Which brings us to the undisputed album highlight "Sweet Sounds Of Heaven". A gospel-style tour de force sounding like a (heavenly, indeed) cross between "Wild Horses" and "Gimme Shelter". Jagger delivers his most soulful vocal in ages, while famous guests rise to the occasion: Lady Gaga on vocals channels the spirit of Aretha, while Stevie Wonder on keyboards channels... well, himself; what more can one ask for? The album closes with a faithful acoustic cover of Muddy Waters' "Rolling Stone Blues", the song that gave the band their name. It's their most honest song here, and among the most satisfying - just as their previous blues covers album was among their best of the last 40 years, an obvious labor of love instead of yet another attempt to resurrect old glories. If "Rolling Stone Blues" turns out to be The Stones' last song on their last LP, it'd be taking them full circle and make for a perfect career closure. That's nevertheless probably not the case; according to Jagger, there are many more songs left at the cutting room floor, waiting to be re-worked and polished until they sign as brightly as the ones included in Hackney Diamonds. As there should be; after all the band hadn't made an album of new material in 18 years, they're bound to have written more songs than these. The question is: do we really want to hear the ones that didn't make the initial cut? When it took so much time and effort, famous guests and hotshot producers, to make a simply decent album from the top-tier of the available songs? Or is it time to quit? Well, people have been asking that last question for 40 years, and the answer has always been NO. My guess is it'll continue to be the same, at least as long as Mick and Keith are still physically able to sing and play guitar.

***** for Sweet Sounds of Heaven

**** for Angry, Whole Wide World, Mess It Up, Rolling Stone Blues

*** for Get Close, Depending on You, Bite My Head Off, Dreamy Skies, Live by the Sword, Driving Me Too Hard, Tell Me Straight

The Dirty Strangers "Dirty Strangers" 1987***

30 years ago, the Dirty Strangers' debut found its way to European record shops. The name of the band  couldn't have been familiar to many outside their Shepherd Bush (London) neighborhood, but the record had something more eye-catching than a picture of crudely painted boobs on its cover: a hype sticker announcing "Guest stars Keith Richards and Ron Wood". Now how the hell did get a complete unknown like the Dirty Strangers' singer/songwriter Alan Clayton get two Rolling Stones to play guitar on his record? Apparently the guy used to work as a bouncer when a roadie introduced him to Richards, and the two hit it off. They'd jam together from time to time when Keith was tired of Jagger's superstar antics and yearning for some honest working class-lads' rock'n'roll, so when Clayton had a steady band and enough songs for an LP he invited Keith to play. Keith brought his pal Ron along and even paid to do some guitar overdubs because the band's bludget wouldn't allow it. Imagine that, Keith Richards paying out of his own pocket so that he can play on your album! It is a decent production, thankfully devoid of 80's studio gloss but with a clear and full sound. The music is organic old-time rock'n'roll with a bit of soul and some punk attitude. Not surprising, considering that the Dirty Strangers included occasional Chuck Berry sideman ‘Scotty’ Mulve on keys and former Rut Paul Fox on guitar. Richards' guitar features prominently in both singles, the Stonesy "Thrill Of The Thrill" and Chuck Berry pastiche "Bathing Belles". Ron Wood plays on 3 tracks: rocker "Baby" with distinctive horns as well as nice piano by Blockhead Mick Gallagher, ballad "Eager to Please" with soulful backing vocals by Angie Brown and "Here She Comes" which to my ears sounds Clash influenced. Richards adds some classy guitar licks to 4 more songs: punky "Oh Yeah", rockabilly "Wide Boys And Slim Pickings" and two quasi-ballads: Otis Redding soul tribute "Diamonds" and country-ish "I didn't Want To Be An Angel". The rest of the songs include Stonesy R&B "Hands Up", "Little Miss Vanity" with its groovy organ, and "Wild One" - the latter may be inspired by the rockabilly classic of the same name, but is a Clayton original same as the other songs here. The Rolling Stones connection proved a mixed blessing, helping sales in Europe but prohibiting the album from getting a US release for contractual reasons. Clayton would later join The Rolling Stones road crew as well as play and record with different versions of The Dirty Strangers. His friendship with Richards took him to places he wouldn't have gone otherwise but he had the tunes, too - this is his music, and it isn't half bad. To be honest, while this is nothing more than a slice of decent pub rock, it's still better than some of the stuff his famous friends released around the same time.

**** for Thrill of the Thrill

*** for Baby, Easy to Please, Oh Yeah!,Didn't Want to Be an Angel, Wild One, Bathing Belles, Here She Comes, Hands up, Diamonds

** for Wide Boys & Slim Pickings, Little Miss Vanity

The Rolling Stones "Blue & Lonesome" 2016****

The day before I started writing this entry I went to see The Rolling Stones play for the second time in their lives (well, mine too of course). 20 years ago they had impressed me with their energy and ability to create excitement live. This time I was rather apprehensive: could they still put on a great show now they're in their seventies? Well, let's put it this way: they're not doing their legacy any disservice. Yesterday they didn't seem to have aged a single day. Keith's face may now look like a Halloween rubber mask but he's still got that mischievous look in his eye and he can still shake a stadium with a simple riff of his guitar. As for Jagger, he's in ridiculously good shape. If he ever dies he should donate his body to science - if he still has some body left, he seems to be shrinking in size as he's getting older. But of course we didn't pay a pretty penny to see if they're holding up well, it's all about the music, and one can't complain in this department. The band were playing well and the setlist was nearly perfect - even Keith's "Slipping Away" came at the right time to use the restroom or get beers from the bar. Other than that, the only songs that weren't stone-cold classics were the two blues covers from their latest album, and these were played with obvious gusto and skill. 
"Blue & Lonesome" was an unpredictable move from one of rock's most predictable dinosaurs: For decades now The Stones had been following the routine new album/huge tour/commemorative live cd. Big groups need new releases to promote on tour, to keep them from looking like a nostalgia act. Building tours around archive compilations like 40 Licks and GRRR was getting old, so they had to enter the studio again and come up with new material. After their 80's slump, their albums had been craftmanlike, neither exciting nor embarassing so one would normally expect more of the same. But instead of spending months honing in new songs as planned, they had an outburst of spontaneity, returning to their roots and the common love which brought them together: the Blues. Beginning the recording sessions with a blues cover just to warm things up, they found out they were enjoying themselves too much to stop playing blues and go back to trying to emulate their former glories. Three short days later, the band that took its name from a Muddy Waters tune and cut their teeth as Alexis Korner's sidemen had recorded its very first pure blues record as well as their first all covers album. They made a point of covering many relatively unknown classics, including no less than four songs by Muddy Waters' harmonica player and Chess Records solo artist, Little Walter. These include downhome blues "Just Your Fool" and "Blue And Lonesome" as well as the more jump blues-like "I Gotta Go" and "Hate to See You Go". The renditions are traditional in style, recreating without imitating the smoky atmosphere of 50's Chicago joints where this music was born. They're the most direct music they have done in decades, the band being super tight and recorded for the most part live straight to tape. The guitarists exchange licks without drowning the songs in solos as is too often the case in modern blues. Keith of course is not your typical lead guitarist (Woods played most of the solos in yesterday's concert), this kind of material would be perfectly suited to Mick Taylor, his counterpart in The Stones circa 1969–74. One can imagine how this album would have sounded with Taylor by listening to "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" which contains some melting slide courtesy of guest Eric Clapton who plays in a similar style to Taylor. Clapton also plays lead on the closing "I Can't Quit You Baby". A bold move by The Stones, taking on a song made famous by Led Zeppelin. The Stones' version is emotive and powerful - maybe not as powerful as Zeppelin in their youth, but then again what is? The two Clapton songs count among the album's best, together with the Little Walter tracks, Jimmy Reed ballad "Little Rain", blues rocker "Ride 'Em On Down" and Howlin' Wolf's "Commit A Crime". Looking at him one can't imagine Jagger sounding as menacing as Wolf, a man twice his size with a voice to match. But Jagger is the most pleasant surprise here. I would expect Woods and Richards or seasoned sidemen like Chuck Leavel to be in their element playing traditional blues, but Jagger is the one that sounds the most rejuvenated by this project. His vocals are emotive and powerful, he has swagger when appropriate and oozes pain in the bluesier pieces. Above all, his harmonica playing throughout is one of the record's highlights. Being a "mere" covers album I doubt this will go down in history as one of the great Stones' records. Despite that, there's no denying it contains their most spirited playing in decades - not to mention it's the best British Blues album since the genre's heyday with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac.

**** for Just Your Fool, Commit a Crime, Blue and Lonesome, I Gotta Go, Everybody Knows About My Good Thing, Ride 'Em on Down, Hate to See You Go, Little Rain, I Can't Quit You Baby

*** for All of Your Love, Hoo Doo Blues, Just Like I Treat You

Rolling Stones "Bridges to Babylon" 1997***

Last year, when I learnt the Stones were to tour again, I was delighted. As their only appearance in the Netherlands was in a festival near the German border, I even booked a hotel at a nearby town and got ready for the day the tickets would be on sale. Alas, it was not to be. When I logged in around 12, it was already sold out (in less than two hours). Same with their gig in Belgium. I was disappointed of course, but at least I was lucky enough to catch The Stones during the Bridges to Babylon tour in Athens. It was their second appearance in Greece. The first was in April 1967, only a few days before the coup d'etat that saddled us with a fascist military junta for 7 years. Greece is now going through a similar period, only the CIA has been replaced by the EU (a euphemism for Germany & minions), elected government is blackmailed into submission rather than overthrown and tanks have been replaced by banks as weapon of choice. 
Anyway, the Stones' Athens concert in '67 ended in violence when Jagger approached the crowd handing out red flowers, a gesture the police chief on duty found to be too subversive for his liking. The one I witnessed was a much happier affair, with the band playing their hits for an enthusiastic generation-spanning crowd. Truly one of my best memories as a concert-goer. Of course, I had already bought the album and learnt the songs. Despite the absence of any real classics, it's quite good. After the return to form that was "Steel Wheels", 1994's "Voodoo Lounge" was a semi-successful effort to recapture former glories by recycling riffs and melodies from the past. "Bridges to Babylon" on the other hand was a product of Jagger's constant attempt to stay modern, this time by adding elements of electronica. He hired producers Dust Brothers (Beck, Beastie Boys) and Danny Saber (Black Grape) to produce some tracks, while Keith chose others for his own songs and Don Was oversaw the record as a whole trying to bind the different elements together. Thankfully it still sounds like the Rolling Stones, with only "Might as Well Get Juiced" and "Gunface" veering too closely to electronica. Lead single "Anybody Seen My Baby?" does feature a rap sample but is an otherwise typical mid-tempo Stones ballad with a lusty Jagger vocal.

A RS concert in '98 cost 12.000 drs ( €36) 

 And, with a young Angelina Jolie playing the subject of his desire in the video clip, I think we can all share in that sentiment. Just before the album's release, Keith's daughter pointed out the song's chorus similarity to k.d. Lang's "Constant Craving". Despite never having listened to Lang's song, Keith and Mick acknowledged a possible unconscious debt and gave her a part of the royalties, thus making the Canadian songstress a good deal richer. Opener "Flip the Switch" is arguably one of the Stones' fastest songs, followed by a typical Stones rocker in "Low Down" and emotive, insecure ballad "Already Over Me". The aggressive electronically treated rocker "Gunface" comes from the other end of the emotional spectrum while reggae-ish "You Don't Have to Mean It" is the first of 3 songs featuring a lead vocal by Richards. Unlike Mick, he sure keeps getting better as a singer as he gets older. Uptempo funk rocker "Out of Control" was the album's second single and "Saint Of Me" the third. As if we needed convincing, Jagger explains he's not fit for Sainthood over a warm gospel/r&b melody augmented by electronic drum loops. The funky electronica of "Might as Well Get Juiced" is followed by acoustic ballad "Always Suffering" and rocker "Too Tight", while the album closes with a couple of fine, jazzy Richards ballads in "Thief in the Night" and "How Can I Stop". All in all, another well crafted but rather nonessential latter-day Rolling Stones album, notable mostly for its (thankfully cautious) flirtation with electronica...

**** for Anybody Seen My Baby?, Already Over Me, You Don't Have to Mean It,Out of Control, Saint of Me

*** for Flip the Switch, Gunface, Always Suffering, Too Tight, Thief in the Night, How Can I Stop

** for  Low Down, Might as Well Get Juiced

Rolling Stones "Emotional Rescue" 1980****

"Emotional Rescue" is my penultimate Rolling Stones album (I only miss "Undercover" now, plus a couple of live albums and compilations). It was given away as premium with the Sunday paper and I thought I'd better get it at last. Until now it had escaped me, since it didn't feature any songs I knew and liked - other than the famous title track, which I had in countless compilations. And if that was the best song on, or even indicative of, the album, I could certainly do without it. As it turns out there were still decent Rolling Stones songs that I hadn't heard yet. Weird, because I grew up (later) in the 80's and "Emotional Rescue" was such a bit hit at its time - their first #1 on both sides of the Atlantic, for a very long time. You'd expect DJ's to be still playing more songs from the album on the radio after a few years. It followed the (commercial and critical) success of Some Girls, and they are obviously trying to replicate the formula, the title track being a blatant attempt to copy "Miss You" (as if one Stones disco single wasn't enough). Listen here, Mick, if I want to listen to disco I'll play ABBA or Boney M. My God, how did Keith put up with that bozo? What's that with the ridiculously high falsetto? And yet, despite myself, I like the song: blame Bobby Keys and his fantastic saxophone - an unsung hero that worked with the Stones for 45 years, up to his death a few months ago. I don't think he had his equal in rock - except maybe Clarence Clemons from the E-Street Band. The album opens with another disco number, "Dance Pt.1". I can't honestly say I hate it - the band falls into a nice groove - if it came out of the speakers of a club, I'd get up and dance to it. I also dig the weird bird noises (courtesy of rastaman Max Romeo, who also plays some percussive instruments throughout the record). Romeo also appears on the reggae-ish "Send It to Me", which has some tasty guitar licks by Keith and a disco chorus (you guessed it, another Mick tune). The lyrics are about someone ordering a mail order bride - I can't tell if Jagger is trying to sound lusty or funny when he sings "She could be Romanian, she could be Bulgarian, she could be Albanian...she could be the alien, just send it to me." Many a Greek man has sung that tune, believe me! Just watch the hilarious (and true) Sugartown movie... "Summer Romance" and "Let Me Go" are two competent rockers of the kind Jagger and Richards can write in their sleep. Nice solos, though! "Indian Girl" would be a typical Stones ballad if it wasn't for the Latin element (marimba, mariachi horns) and the unexpected lyrics: The Indian girl's family are communist rebels, off at war "shooting down planes with their M-16 and with laughter". The narrator seems to feel sorry for the girl but has nothing to say to her tales of hunger, rape and murder except that "Life just goes on and on getting harder and harder" or, in other words "Stop talking politics, you're making me uncomfortable". I've heard that one, a lot! "Where the Boys Go" is a nice surprise: high octane garage punk - who knew that the Stones could sound like the Undertones? Great girly backing vocals, too. "Down in the Hole" is the 3rd pleasant surprise in a row, the bluesiest Stones song for years - I officially like this record! "She’s So Cold" was the album's second single, a strong rocker with dump lyrics, hitting a spot between their own "Honky Tonk Women" and the Talking Heads' excursions into soul. "All About You" is a Keith Richards ballad. Like Dylan's, his voice is an imperfect instrument, but his emotive delivery does the song justice and closes the album on a nice bittersweet note. For the clip I chose one of the less known songs from the album because it's fun and, most importantly, shot with a "futuristic" thermographic camera (the same they used for the record cover) and you don't have to watch Jagger's ugly mug, making faces at the camera...

**** for Indian Girl, Where the Boys Go, Emotional Rescue, She’s So Cold

*** for Dance Pt. 1, Summer Romance, Send It to Me, Down In the Hole, All About You

** for Let Me Go

Rolling Stones "Flashpoint" 1991***

The latest Rolling Stones albums given away with Sunday's Real News is a live album from 1991. I would probably not have bought it otherwise, since I already have a bunch of those ("Get Your Ya Ya's Out" from 1969, "Live Licks" 2004. the acoustic "Stripped" from 1995, plus DVD's "Some Girls Live '78" and "Shine A Light" from 2007). As great as "Satisfaction" and "Brown Sugar" are, how many versions does one need? At the time, the album worked well as a souvenir of the record breaking Steel Wheels Tour. Thanks to the hit-laden tracklist, it can also function as a live Best-Of album. More than that, it is an irrefutable document of a great (maybe the greatest?) rock'n'roll band in its natural habitat: the stage. From the opening notes of "Start Me Up", it's evident that the band's 80's slump is behind them and that they've rediscovered their chemistry: Jagger sings with passion rather than just prancing up and down the stage as he sometimes did, Watts hits the drums harder than any time in memory and Wymann propels the band forward flawlessly (albeit for the last time) with his bass. Best of all, Richards' and Wood's intertwined guitars weave an amazing guitar tapestry - even on the disco "Miss You", which Richards claims to hate. It is, of course, Mick's tune and he really rips through it, improvising on spot and interacting with the audience as he goes. More good news: The Steel Wheels tracks "Sad Sad Sad", "Rock and a Hard Place" and "Can't Be Seen" really come alive in a live setting, surpassing their studio counterparts. Then they up the ante by skipping two decades and facing off against their younger selves: Can they match their Sixties heyday? Well, not quite. But, let's be fair: who the fuck can? The inclusion of "Ruby Tuesday" and "Factory Girl" are a nice surprise, as they're not often performed live. But the former's 60's whimsy and latter's sympathy-to-the working-class sentiment seem far removed from today's Stones. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" sounds a bit anaemic but gives Jagger the chance to sing along with the audience and adds to the overall live feel. Which leads us to an amazing sequence of 60's classics, beginning with "Little Red Rooster", a song they originally cut at the fabled Chicago Chess studios in 1965. It's played as it's meant to be played, in a real downhome blues style. Midway through the song, God (Remember the graffitis in London walls back in 1965?) just appears and puts in an amazing blues solo. And yet, the next song beats even that! A Spanish guitar intro gives way to galloping drums and all-time favourite "Paint It Black". After that, who should make an appearance but Lucifer himself? "Please allow me to introduce myself..." Jagger sings and he takes us back to 1968 with "Sympathy for the Devil" - It's as if not a single day has passed! "Brown Sugar" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" also rock as hard as they ever did and "Satisfaction" is transformed into a soul dynamite with the horns playing the main riff instead of the guitar. Otis Redding's version springs to mind. Adding a couple of new studio recordings after a song sequence as strong as this was a bad idea, but someone must have thought he can hook in fans by including new, previously unreleased songs. Not that they're bad, per se: "High Wire" is The Stones' first political song since the 60's, a competent rocker against the (first) Gulf War, a sentiment I wholeheartedly applaud. If only it was recorded live and placed somewhere in the middle of the album... As it stands now, it sounds like an afterthought and completely out of place. "Sex Drive" is a funky dance number that would sound right at home in "Dirty Work". Hell, it'd be one of the album's highlights. But "Flashpoint" is a pure rock'n'roll record, so if you make a playlist of it, I'd urge you to leave "Sex Drive" out. Generally, this CD left me satisfied beyond my expectations. Still...Am I going to play it often? Don't think so. As good as these versions are, anytime I feel like listening to "Paint It Black" or "Jumping Jack Flash", I'll choose the studio version instead...

**** for Start Me Up, Miss You, Rock and a Hard Place, Little Red Rooster, Paint It Black  Sympathy for the Devil, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction

*** for Sad Sad Sad, Ruby Tuesday, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Factory Girl, Can't Be Seen, Highwire, Sex Drive

** for (Intro) Continental Drift (0:27)

Keith Richards and The X-Pensive Winos "Live At The Hollywood Palladium, December 15, 1988" 1991***

Keith Richards was the last Stone to venture a solo album and even when he did so in 1988 with "Talk Is Cheap", it was with a minimum of fuss and promotion. He wrote some songs together with drummer/producer Steve Jordan, assembled a band he named The X-Pensive Winos and took them on a brief tour around America. It seems that his main motivation was to stretch his musical muscles while co-founder of the Rolling Stones Mick Jagger was busy promoting his solo albums. The Hollywood Palladium concert was recorded as a personal souvenir of the Winos' short existence, but Richards decided to release it commercially after he heard some inferior quality bootlegs that had already gotten out. Musicians that night included, among others, guitarist Waddy Wachtel, Ivan Neville on keyboards and bass and longtime Stones associate Bobby Keys on sax. The band were obviously relaxed and enjoyed playing together. 9 out of 11 songs from "Talk Is Cheap" get an airing, together with a few Rolling Stones numbers. Of those, "Time Is On My Side" is sung by Sarah Dash and gets an excellent soulful treatment. Reggae-ish "Too Rude" sounds great, liberated from "Dirty Works"'s stiff production and Bobby Keys' sax solos really bring it to life. "Happy" and "Connection", from '72 and '67 respectively, get sprightly arrangements and Talk Is Cheap's "Take It So Hard" opens the album swinging, with its big guitars and rolling pianos, easily topping everything the Stones had produced in the preceding years. "I Could Have Stood You Up" serves up old-time rockabilly, "How I Wish" and "Whip It Up" some fiery solos, "Big Enough", "Struggle" and "Rockawhile" funk-rock, and "Make No Mistake" and "Locked Away" are a couple of emotionally honest ballads. All in all, a reminder that Richards is the beating heart of The Rolling Stones, while Jagger is - I don't know...The lips? Ass maybe?

**** for Take It So Hard, Time Is On My Side, Locked Away, Struggle

*** for I Could Have Stood You Up, Too Rude, Make No Mistake, Big Enough, Whip It Up, Happy, Connection

** for How I Wish, Rockawhile

Rolling Stones "Dirty Work" 1986**

"Dirty Work" is considered one of The Stones' weakest records, which is why I kept postponing buying it for so long. Recently, it was given away as premium with Greek newspaper Real News and thus came in my possession. The circumstances under which it was made were not the best: Jagger had just made his solo album, much to Richards' annoyance. It had gotten into his head that he'd have more success as a solo pop artist rather than with The Stones' rock'n'roll direction. It flopped and managed to estrange him from his co-writer and co-leader of the group. Drummer Charlie Watts (with the blue shirt, falling asleep and sliding down from the couch) was addicted to alcohol and heroin and barely took part in the proceedings. A number of replacement drummers was used to finish the album. 2nd guitarist Ronnie Wood thankfully stepped in and, for the first time, contributed to 4 songs. But the songwriting results were so poor that they resorted to covers for the first time in a decade. Not only that, but these two covers were among the highlights of the album: "Harlem Shuffle" was the leading single, a soul number that at least achieves its purpose - if that purpose is getting people dancing. The other cover is a white-boy-reggae tune called "Too Rude", sung by Keith Richards. Keith also sings on "Sleep Tonight", the Dire Straits-like ballad that closes the record and, although his voice isn't the sharpest instrument in the world, he sounds at least honest and emotionally vested in the songs. More than what I can say for Mick Jagger. He came to the studio after the rest had finished their contributions and added his vocals on top of the already finished instrumental tracks: He growls, he shouts, he roars - but he forgets to sing. Somehow he must have gotten the idea it's enough to wear a smart suit and jump up and down while spitting the words. Well, maybe that works when appearing live in huge arenas, but not on record. It's a pity, if only for Richards who kept piling great riffs one after another. It's not often remarked, but his guitarwork in this album is brilliant. It's just buried under that 80's "state of the art technology" sterile production that managed to suck the life out of so many mainstream albums. Those modern techniques is the reason the record sounds even more outdated (if that's at all possible) than it looks (Check the Stones' suits on the album cover: aren't you glad the 80's are over?) Add to the mix the lazy, incomplete compositions, perfunctory singing and monotonous beat - would anyone buy this album without The Stones' name on the cover? Opener "One  Hit (To the Body)" is probably the best of the bunch, a hard rocker that features three world-class guitarists (Richards, Wood and Jimmy Page). "Fight", "Hold Back" and "Dirty Work" are similarly hard rocking, with good riffs but otherwise totally indifferent. "Back to Zero" is pseudo-funky New Wave and sounds like something discarded from a contemporary Talking Heads album. "Winning Ugly" and "Had It with You" are bluesier numbers, the latter being the only natural sounding R&B rocker. With an actual harmonica instead of layers of synthesizers,horns and backing vocalists. And if I have to praise the Rolling Stones song for sounding like Dr. Feelgood, you know it's not a good record! A short piano instrumental rounds up the record. It's a small tribute to early band member and later road manager Ian Stewart, who had recently died of heart attack at the age of 47. Final verdict: Only buy this album if you're really intent on collecting The Stones' complete studio output. I am - and still have just a couple of records to go!

**** for One Hit (To the Body)

*** for Harlem Shuffle, Too Rude, Dirty Work, Had It with You, Sleep Tonight

** for Fight, Hold Back, Winning Ugly, Back to Zero, Piano Instrumental

Rolling Stones "Steel Wheels" 1989***

A Greek Sunday paper ("Real News") recently began giving away Rolling Stones CD's, as premium. I own almost all of them, but I re-bought "Steel Wheels" (yes, the paper is also available in The Netherlands) because I had it on vinyl and a 54-minute LP inevitably suffers from inferior sound quality (my copy, at least, was mastered too low). Time to re-listen it, then. Back in '89, my reaction on hearing the LP for the first time was positive, as it hit me as being more interesting and less pop oriented than other RS albums of the era. With hindsight, it marks the beginning of climbing out of their 80's slump. Like its immediate predecessors, "Steel Wheels" tries to sound contemporary by employing a "clean" (try sterile) production and going for the kind of AOR rock played at the time by Huey Lewis and Bryan Adams. It is superior to them, thanks to the rekindling of the spark between the songwriting duo of Jagger and Richards - who had reportedly not been getting along for quite some time. It starts off with a "Sad Sad Sad", an up tempo song displaying rock chops rather than the usual pop. Lead single "Mixed Emotions" is a good rocker, but laden with a rather dated 80's sound. So is "Terrifying", the last single released from the album: It's obvious that the band was aiming for a new "Miss You", but the result sounded more like Robert Palmer fronting Foreigner. "Hold on to Your Hat" is comparatively better, a fast rock'n'roll number with hard rock guitar solos. "Hearts for Sale" may feature some good bluesy guitar licks but is otherwise a weak song, just like "Blinded by Love", the ballad that follows it. Second single "Rock And A Hard Place" is a soulful dance song, with horns, keyboards, backing vocals and guitars blending for once really well together."Can't Be Seen" is another typical 80's rocker, only this time sung by Keith Richards. "Almost Hear You Sigh" is a beautiful ballad with acoustic guitar, which was released as a single and even got a Grammy nomination at the time. "Continental Drift" sounds out of place here - and that is a good thing. It starts off with Moroccan wind instruments and percussion played by The Master Musicians of Jajouka. For those with a short memory, it's the group that former Stone Brian Jones discovered while on holidays in the desert, back in 1968. He recorded them and released their album through Rolling Stones Records, ushering the era of so-called World Music. I personally find the inclusion of this song very refreshing and the track comparable to Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" (without, of course, the massive riffs). Next up, there's "Break the Spell" a song with bluesy harmonica and a Tom Waits-influenced vocal that, unfortunately, seems to be missing something. Closer "Slipping Away" is a beautiful ballad proving that Keith Richards can be a warm and emotive singer. Final thoughts: The Rolling Stones had been flying on auto-pilot since 1977's "Some Girls". None of their albums after that date is essential listening. Like with so many classic rock groups, every new album is just an excuse to go on the road and from that point of view "Steel Wheels" was a huge success. The ensuing tour was attended by 6 million fans worldwide and grossed about $100 million (almost $190m in today's prices). The album on the other hand, although still an enjoyable listening experience, is a less successful affair that will appeal to completists and dedicated fans, only.

***** for Continental Drift

**** for Rock and a Hard Place, Almost Hear You Sigh, Slipping Away

*** for Sad Sad Sad, Mixed Emotions, Terrifying, Hold on to Your Hat, Can't Be Seen

** for Hearts for Sale, Blinded by Love, Break the Spell

Peter Wolf "Sleepless" 2002****

The name of Peter Wolf didn't sound that familiar. But the cover I knew I had seen in one of those All Time Greatest lists (#427 on Rolling Stone's Top 500). Had I known he was the lead singer of J. Gelis Band I may not have bothered to pick this one up. I mean, J.Gelis had that silly country-pop hit "Centerfold". But I'm glad I got it, because it's a thousand times better than his old band was (at least the 80's version of it). The music is a timeless mix of country, soul, blues and rock'n'roll that acts as a veritable showcase of an album for everything that's good about American music. Opener "Growin' Pain" is a Dylan-meets-J.J. Cale song with mandolins and "Nothing But The Wheel" sounds like a brother of the Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers". Well, no wonder: That's Mick Jagger singing backing vocals there. "A Lot Of Good Ones Gone" is a soulful ballad with a Van Morrison vibe and "Never Like This Before" a Stones-like rock and soul romp. "Run Silent, Run Deep" is a lyrical Dylanesque track with a beautiful piano and violin. Otis Rush's "Homework" is an absolute delight with its Tom Waits-like delivery, "Five O'Clock Angel" a forlorn ballad and "Hey Jordan" folk-soul. "Too Close Together" is a raucous modern blues with Keith Richards on guitar and backing vocals and "Some Things You Don't Want To Know" (this time with Steve Earle) honky-tonk country. "Oh Marianne" is Mexican-flavored doo-wop and "Sleepless" a modern country soul ballad with pedal steel guitar and great horns. It's often said - but rarely true - about an album that it's all killer no filler. Well, Peter Wolf's "Sleepless" is the real thing. Not only that, it transcends genres creating what I hitherto will call an Americana Panorama (catchy name or what?) of music. I'm going to be checking more of Mr. Wolf's solo work. Who knows, I might even go back to old J. Gelis Band CD's to listen to them with fresh ears...***** for Homework   **** for Growin' Pain, Nothing But The Wheel, A Lot Of Good Ones Gone, Run Silent, Run Deep, Too Close Together, Oh Marianne  *** for Never Like This Before, Five O'Clock Angel, Hey Jordan, Some Things You Don't Want To Know, Sleepless 

Mick Taylor "Mick Taylor" 1979****

Of all the guitarists in The Rolling Stones (the others being Keith Richards, Brian Jones and Ronnie Wood), Mick Taylor was the most technically proficient and his period in the band (1969–74) was by far the Stones' best. His contribution to the music was important, although he was no showman when it came to performing live. Exactly why he left them at the peak of their success is uncertain. He probably felt out of place in the world of jet-setters, top models and drug dealers the Stones were moving at that time - or maybe he didn't like being called Mick no.2 (just joking). He had begun his career at the age of 16 with psychedelic rockers Gods, playing alongside future Uriah Heep and Jethro Tull members. At 18 he was called upon to fill some very big shoes, namely the lead guitarist spot in John Mayall's Bluebreakers, formerly occupied by Eric Clapton and Peter Green who had just left to form Fleetwood Mac. Two years later he replaced Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones, making his live debut in front of 250,000 people at the historic Hyde Park concert in 1969. "Mick Taylor" is his first album after leaving the Stones. You probably won't find it at your local record store, since it never sold well and drifts in and out of print. Many reasons for that are mentioned, one being that his vocals were rather ordinary and another that in 1979 his style was out of synch with current trends. One thing that can't be blamed is his guitar playing which is amazing throughout. He combines blues, rock and jazz, sometimes reminding of the Stones, others of Clapton and more often of Jeff Beck in his jazz-rock period. Which is why, although the vocals tracks are also nice, the instrumentals steal the show. Opener "Leather Jacket" was the projected "hit" of the album, but not the best song. It's rather typical rock of the era, something you might find in Bad Company or Stones album of the late 70's but you'd still not really notice. "Alabama"is much better, with great slide guitar like something from the Stones' "Let it Bleed" or "Sticky Fingers". "Slow Blues" is what it says, an instrumental with beautiful bluesy solos. "Baby I Want You" is a commercial bluesy ballad of the kind Eric Clapton produced in the same period. "Broken Hands" is the only bona fide rocker and the one that will remind you of The Rolling Stones."Giddy-Up" is a masterful instrumental and "S.W.5" another commercial blues rock ballad with a nice vocal by Mick. Closer "Spanish / A Minor" is his tour de force, a complex 12-minute piece with light and fluid playing in a variety of styles (Rock, Jazz and Latin). It's an amazing instrumental that proves Taylor was the equal of his more celebrated colleagues like Eric Clapton and David Gilmour. He nevertheless was never destined to have a solo career, lending his talents to, among others, Bob Dylan, Alvin Lee and John Mayall.

**** for Alabama, Slow Blues, Broken Hands, Spanish/A Minor

*** for Leather Jacket, Baby I Want You, Giddy-Up, S.W.5