The beginning of my obsession with the band. Maybe the second strangest album in their catalog (after TSMR). Out at roughly the same time as Zep's Presence. Let's give it a look/listen.

Hot Stuff - The first thing one notices is the much better production than IORR. Then it hits ya. This is funk. Charlie and Keith are locked in there but this ain't CYHMK. I really like HS though. Some reggae influence. Mick vocal on the rap near the end sounds processed, but sorta current still (NYC going broke). Fun start. 9

Hand Of Fate - Stones we know and love. Nice rhythm guitar and Charlie really shines. Great lead. Mick's lyrics are cool too. I like the break in the middle. A fine song top to bottom. 9.8

Cherry Oh Baby - Always hated this one. It drags. Heard the original years later and liked it. Maybe recorded while taking Quaaludes. -14

Memory Motel - My favorite Stones song (along with Under My Thumb). Beautiful ballad as long as one doesn't have Dave Matthews nightmares. Keith's part is paradise. 10

Hey Negrita - Ronnie's contribution. It sounds like nothing else they've ever recorded. Okay, but not special. 7

Melody - Billy's contribution. It sounds like nothing else they've ever recorded. Nice bluesy/jazzy piano and guitar. Better than Negrita. 8

Fool To Cry - Much hated by many on IORR, much loved by Elmo. I like the build up and especially the wah-wah guitar after the break. 9.5

Crazy Mama - Stones 101. Nice chugging song. I like the "bust yo' knee with a brick" line. 9

Only 8 songs of wildly varying quality. Woulda been better with "Slave" and "Worried About You". Drop COB. A time and place album for me (parents divorcing, first real girlfriend breaks up with me, it really helped me through). I still love it and listen to it often. What about you?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-03-20 16:05 by Elmo Lewis.

Great album. Great songs, great production, great sound.

BTW, Hey Negrita is my favourite on this album

I always heard, "Gon' bust yo knees with a bullet."

Unbelievable! Who are you Elmo Lewis? B&B was the beginning for my obsession with the band too. The first record I ever bought. Totally agree with all the comments. A time and place album for me too, my parents divorcing, moving to another house with my mother brother for the first time.
Unbelieveable!!!

Got to mention the cover too.

I thought this was finally the best LP cover the Stones ever did.

Is that the Gulf Of Mexico in the background?

My favorites are Crazy Mama, and Hand Of Fate.

obsession? shiver me timber(nardi)s!!!

Great album. It always reminds me of the summer I was sneaking around with Elmo's girlfriend.

I started buying singles by the band(and other bands) in 1964 as a 7 year old with older siblings to "guide" me. My obsession started by 1971-72 as a freshman in HS. I must admit when "B & B " was first released(and I was always down at the record store asking exactly what min of what day it would be available!) I really was dissapointed but mostly confused when compared to earlier releases. Bottom line it went on the shelf for a few years. Later I went back to it and started digging it alot. So I guess that shows how "when" you start getting into a band certainly affects your opinions as to the bands best work(at the time).

Agree with Elmo, except that Cherry is a 7, Negrita is a 9 and Melody a 10!

C

First album I ever bought as well. Still love it.

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Lukester
Great album. It always reminds me of the summer I was sneaking around with Elmo's girlfriend.

Lukester, I'm gonna bust yo' knee with a brick/bullet.

"No Anchovies, Please"

I love it!! Great groove.

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T&A
obsession? shiver me timber(nardi)s!!!

4 star posting! Platinum certified! 10/10! Brilliant!

Distinctive memories.

An early spring which did not break and blended into a long hot summer on which Fool To Cry floated as the soundtrack. Punctuated by Knebworth. Black&Blue that summer's party record. All the right ingredients for lively times - but relaxed with it.

In mid September the spell was broken by most of the year's rain falling in one momth as Anarchy For The UK was hit the airwaves

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Kirk
Unbelievable! Who are you Elmo Lewis? B&B was the beginning for my obsession with the band too. The first record I ever bought. Totally agree with all the comments. A time and place album for me too, my parents divorcing, moving to another house with my mother brother for the first time.
Unbelieveable!!!

[profile.myspace.com]

"No Anchovies, Please"

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GNAT

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T&A
obsession? shiver me timber(nardi)s!!!

4 star posting! Platinum certified! 10/10! Brilliant!

You are sooo bad !

It´s still a pleasure to listen to,altough I don´t like Fool To Cry.

I loved Black & Blue when it came out,and still love it!
Pivotal LP because it served as an audition vehicle for the replacement of Mick Taylor. Ronnie was not a such bad guitarist as someone said.They could turn to Keith,but he had..hmmm some problems.
Great rythmic section.
A happy Billy Preston + Mick on keyboard
Energetics Hand Of Fate & Cazy Mama!
Mick's voice sweet as sugarpie.
Mick's eyes folllowing me on the sleeve jacket of the LP.



I am a Frenchie ,as Mick affectionately called them in the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977 .

Ooooooooooooooooooh Elmo...........you're probably not gonna like this LOL

I've always had a very special place in my heart for this album as well - it's a fantastic album start to finish, allbeit FAR too short!! Hand of Fate is one of their best - would LOVE to hear it live. However, it's special place in my heart is because it came out the year I was born!!!! SORRY! Not trying to make anyone here feel old! LOL

Absolutely great album. Partially because it's NOT golden era - they never did or would sound like this again. They sort of had a bit of a melding sound from Beggars to Exile; it got hazy with Soup and even hazier with IORR; this album sounds like someone put some glasses on.

Without a doubt would have been a better LP with either Slave or Worried About You (or both) and with leaving COB off.

As much as Fool To Cry is so...silly - I still like it. Having heard the edit version for eons (Time Waits For No One, Sucking In The Seventies, Rewind, what else, Forty Licks) the LP version is always a nice change.

Cover was shot in South FLA somewhere - maybe one of the Keys, I can't recall exactly - Summer Key? - and yeah, that is the Gulf Of Mexico behind them.

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VoodooLounge13
Ooooooooooooooooooh Elmo...........you're probably not gonna like this LOL

I've always had a very special place in my heart for this album as well - it's a fantastic album start to finish, allbeit FAR too short!! Hand of Fate is one of their best - would LOVE to hear it live. However, it's special place in my heart is because it came out the year I was born!!!! SORRY! Not trying to make anyone here feel old! LOL

Yeah, I was 15 at the time, so I'm proud to still be here. "Great to be here, ....."

"No Anchovies, Please"

love the mood of the album....love the tunes....love the cover

It's funny because when I first picked it up in the late 90's, I never paid much attention to it. Oh this is a bizarre record, all over the place, really and not like anything else they've done...so I never listened to it much, but over the next few years, it really came to be in my top 10, maybe top 8 albums. It's a true classic.

its a summer romance

might be the last album that isn't overly "formula-based" - starting with SG, you can pretty much tell that the lads were using templates of song types as they wrote/crafted tunes...the SG album ushered in the era of the formula rocker (respectable, whip, etc.), the formula country tune, the formula dance tune...and so on. most subsequent songs leveraged a template from that group of songs. b&b songs tend to stand on their own in that regard...

VoodooLounge13, have you listened to Mickboys "from Rags To Excess"? I think you can still d/l it here on the Hot stuff page. Anyway he changed the running order and added 2 or 3 outtakes which is kinda neat.If you dont mind him taking a little liberty with it I think you may enjoy the effort!

I'll have to look for that, scottkeef. thanks

love it! in my top 5....well top 7! COB sucks, but the rest is just awesome!
love the production. especialy after the horrible IORR production this just sounds so cool!

when I first heard the black N Blue Album what struck me about it was how Funky they sounded on Hot Stuff and Hey Negrita. I was impressed by their sound on those songs. I was really into Miss You, but that song is more disco. Black N Blue is more Funk.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2009-03-20 23:48 by ryanpow.

don't forget the outtakes ,,hey negrita" (10 min) " slave " aso

I walked into a NJ record store at age 14 in the spring of 1976 and saw the cover of Black and Blue and thought to myself "who are these guys?" Still their best album cover and the music inside it (although criticized at the time) was great and still holds up. Been a devoted fan ever since...