Unable to see the Rolling Stones perform on their current European Tour, by way of compensation I have spent the past couple of weeks re-engaging with the astonishing body of work created by the most iconic rock band of our time.
This has included a first viewing of the excellent 2012 documentary ‘Crossfire Hurricane‘ – embarrassed to admit owning it for a few years before taking the time to watch.
While watching ‘Crossfire Hurricane‘ – a two hour history of the Rolling Stones told through archival studio and concert footage with members of the group acting as unseen narrators – it occurred to me I had reached my fortieth anniversary as an unashamed Rolling Stones fan, their 1978 ‘Some Girls‘ album the first I bought at the time of release.
At this juncture they were not only the most famous rock group on the planet, a title held to this day, but sixteen years into their career still the most notorious.
Guitarist Keith Richards was subject to the serious criminal charge of drug-trafficking by the Canadian authorities; the cover and advertising campaign for the ‘Some Girls‘ LP had brought protests from feminist groups who called for a boycott of the album – while the new single ‘Miss You‘ had been disparaged by many critics, who offered it up as further evidence of the Stones decline, underway now for at least five years.
It appeared this new devotee had arrived at the party in the era of swansong rather than great songs, not yet aware of the first Commandment of rock music – never bet against the Rolling Stones.
Richards received the most punitive of sentences and ‘Some Girls‘ went on to become their biggest-selling album (up to that point). Containing material such as ‘Beast of Burden,’ ‘Faraway Eyes,’ ‘Respectable,’ ‘Before They Make Me Run‘ and worldwide number one ‘Miss You,’ it was their most inspired work in years.
The (relatively) uninitiated had just learned a valuable lesson – be it chaos, controversy, presumption or poll, the Stones always come out on top. Unbeknownst to me at this point, with them it had always been thus.
Delving deeper into their past came discovery of the 1968-1972 period – which encompasses the death of founder member Brian Jones and horror of the Altamont Festival when a member of the audience is clubbed to death by Hells Angels during the Stones performance, only feet from where lead singer Mick Jagger is delivering the lyrics to ‘Sympathy For The Devil‘ (further fuelling the dark, often disconcerting mythology surrounding the group).
To this can be added the escalating and finally out of control drug habit of Richards, that would see him spend much of the 70s in a precarious state of health.
So this salacious, swaggering, antagonistic mob, for whom Jagger and Richards have already written at least half a dozen of the greatest singles ever recorded (‘Satisfaction,’ and ‘Get Off My Cloud,’ to a name just two) flounder badly do they during all this terrible late 60s/early 70s upheaval?
Yeah right.
They simply react in the way any volatile, cohesive, menacing rock act would – by making some of the most exciting, eloquent, frightening and dare it be said, beautiful popular music ever made. The case can be made for any one of ‘Beggars Banquet‘ (1968), ‘Let It Bleed‘(1969), ‘Sticky Fingers‘ (1971) and ‘Exile On Main Street‘ (1972), being the finest album of all time – then put seminal live set ‘Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out‘ (1970) into the line and there stands the greatest sequence of albums ever made by anyone.
Oh and by the way some of the singles put out during this time ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash,’ ‘Honky Tonk Women,’ ‘Tumbling Dice‘ and ‘Brown Sugar‘ – all Jagger-Richards compositions – are none too shabby either.
The mid-70s have come to be viewed as the Stones most barren period. With Richards frequently worse for wear, there is a sense of Jagger taking control (someone had to) and although a series of albums – ‘Goats Head Soup‘ (1973), ‘It’s Only Rock n’ Roll‘ (1974), and ‘Black and Blue‘ (1976) – lack consistency, dismissing them out of hand is unfair.
If a dozen years down the road a rock band can said to be in transition that is what the Stones were. Mick Taylor, the fine young guitarist who had replaced Jones, plays wonderfully during this time but always looked nonplussed or on the verge of tears – his 1975 replacement Ronnie Wood from day one looking more like a Rolling Stone than Taylor ever did.
But all through this period Jagger cannot seem to find an assured direction in which to take the band, ‘Angie,’ ‘Luxury,’ and ‘Fool To Cry,’ from each of those respective albums, are all interesting, nay admirable attempts to ring the changes – but all too often the Stones retreat to familiar territory with recycled material that has plenty of braggadocio and stance, but nothing like the substance of old.
Which is why the aesthetic quality of ‘Some Girls‘ came as such a relief, not to say surprise and from that point onward they have rarely been out of kilter again. In the wake of Keith cleaning up they adopted the philosophy of ‘we’re the Rolling Stones, the greatest rock band in the world – let’s be content with that.’ To deliver that manifesto they re-wrote ‘Brown Sugar‘ as ‘Start Me Up,’ which in turn became a huge hit, beginning the 80s in total resurgence.
There has been the odd hiccup as the most celebrated buccaneers in popular culture have aged beyond forty, fifty, sixty and now seventy. Original bass player Bill Wyman (whose contribution cannot be overlooked) departed before the 80s were out, Mick and Keith have publicly insulted each other from time to time (usually when there is a book, solo album or Stones tour to promote) – while new albums have tended to be well-crafted, often veering between pedestrian and pleasant.
The notable exception is ‘A Bigger Bang‘ (2005), a late in the day offering that was far more gratifying and original than anyone had a right to expect.
On stage the Stones have continued to be a masterful live act. Indeed, a huge revelation in the ‘Crossfire Hurricane‘ documentary is just how dynamic their early 70s shows could be – despite the cocaine, Jack Daniels, heroin and all manner of lusciousness hedonism taking place.
These days the shows are still, for the most part, an energetic run through the most brilliant of back catalogues, danger and debauchery now assigned to annals of legend.
Yet Jagger remains rocks’ definitive front man, its foremost showman, Richards the purveyor and protector of the rousing rhythms, Woody backs him up with playing that thrusts and darts but just as importantly looks the part – while from the backseat he has been content to occupy for nigh on sixty years, Charlie Watts sets time with impeccable panache.
In rekindling my Stones fire nothing has been more invigorating than hearing his wonderfully innovative playing, the touch and finesse Watts displays on ‘Moonlight Mile‘ (‘Sticky Fingers‘) a true landmark in rock n’ roll percussion.
So if you have or will be seeing the Rolling Stones this summer I am respectfully jealous.
Me? I plan to continue celebrating their history, hubris, hits and misses for a little while longer, because in this maelstrom of pop, R & B, country, funk and blues can be found not only the essence of the Rolling Stones – but the true essence of rock music itself.
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This article was first published on 11/6/2018.
NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of MONTY’S DOUBLE – an acclaimed thriller now available as an Amazon Kindle Book.
