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CousinC
While their playing was very intense and some songs are really good - others are not that great imo.There are better 72 versions of Midnight Rambler and others for shure.
Pity they hadn't filmed the 72 MSG shows for the movie as well . .

There are better versions of TD, YCAGWYW and SFM for instance. I like the Rambler version. Excellent bluesy guitar work by Taylor.

UK DVD review as requested


"Ladies & Gentlemen... The Rolling Stones"

Eagle Vision DVD

Lightning strikes twice. Following the success of the Exile re-releases Mick Jagger has again reluctantly looked over his shoulder, resulting in the first ever proper release for "Ladies & Gentlemen”. Shot on the STP tour of the USA in June 1972, the band were filmed playing small halls in Houston and Fort Worth, Texas. On this tour the Stones were augmented by Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart on piano, Bobby Keyes on Sax and Jim Price on trumpet. Add the contrasting guitars of Mick Taylor and Keith Richards, the Bill Wyman / Charlie Watts rhythm juggernaut and Mick Jagger on harp and vocals and there's a lot going on. However careful remixing and remastering has balanced each element beautifully - for the first time I can hear the horns throughout. The picture quality is also improved, but director Rollin Binzer chose to use only concert lighting so it seems dark by modern standards, particularly as red light is used throughout and the follow-spot frequently doesn't. Only when we get to the countdown-to-ecstasy final four numbers do the lights go up and we see both band and audience fully illuminated. But it doesn't matter as the shadowy visuals are a perfect accompaniment to the music.

The very first glimpse of the band indicates the delights to come. Richards swaggers before he's even plugged in. Jagger manages to make a purple satin jumpsuit and jewelled eye make-up look non-ridiculous. Watts wears a shirt with so many ruffles he looks like an armadillo. Highlights are Richards and Jagger sharing a microphone for Dead Flowers, Taylor's exquisite slide solo on All Down The Line and the whole band nailing the tempo of a definitive Tumbling Dice. Only Jagger's belt-whipping of the stage during Midnight Rambler seems dated - I guess you had to be there.

Even the extras are worth a look. Rehearsal versions of Shake Your Hips, Tumbling Dice and a dull Bluesberry Jam recorded at the Rialto in Montreux for German TV are here in best-ever quality, but sadly the promo of Loving Cup filmed at the same session is omitted. Richard Williams fails to get anything interesting out of Jagger in March 1972, but Paul Sexton does better with an interview done earlier this year which introduced cinema showings of "Ladies & Gentlemen".

I am disappointed that Eagle have not included the highly entertaining footage from the Dick Cavett TV special, instead restricting it to the inevitable 3DVD Special Limited Edition Box Set. Additional tracks such as Rocks Off, Sweet Black Angel and Don’t Lie To Me were filmed in Texas but remain unseen. And didn't anyone film the Stones and tour support Stevie Wonder joining forces on their regular encore medley of Uptight and Satisfaction? Even if you are a hardcore Stones fan with a recent bootleg such as the 4Reel remaster you still need this - the improvement in picture and sound quality is significant. The best live depiction of The Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band In The World, this release is an essential purchase.

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johnnythunders
Even the extras are worth a look. Rehearsal versions of Shake Your Hips, Tumbling Dice and a dull Bluesberry Jam recorded at the Rialto in Montreux for German TV are here in best-ever quality, but sadly the promo of Loving Cup filmed at the same session is omitted.

gee, I wonder why--could it be because it's a playback of the album track? Otherwise not a bad review.

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kleermaker

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CousinC
While their playing was very intense and some songs are really good - others are not that great imo.There are better 72 versions of Midnight Rambler and others for shure.
Pity they hadn't filmed the 72 MSG shows for the movie as well . .

There are better versions of TD, YCAGWYW and SFM for instance. I like the Rambler version. Excellent bluesy guitar work by Taylor.

Of course it is not bad and particularly Taylor is good.

But - the playing of the band and most so in the middle part is quite uneven.
There are versions with a better flow and better performance as well.

There is a reason that the L & G audio boots have never been among the most favourite live boots among fans.The audio altogether is just not that great - while some songs and moments are fantastic!

Thanks for posted review, johnnythunders

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dandelion1967
Could anybody tell me if the movie is in the right speed?? Because the traditional version is a half-tone up (Happy is in C!! sounds like Alvin and the chipmunks!!) the Jointrip version is in the real key...

It sounds good to me. Of course, the speed can still deviate slightly, but it'd have to be less than one percent.

>And didn't anyone film the Stones and tour support Stevie Wonder joining forces on their regular encore medley of Uptight and Satisfaction?


As a matter of fact, yes -- Robert Frank, who used it for @#$%& BLUES.

The swedish tabloid Expressen has a five-star review of the film. Per Hägred went to the premiere in Copenhagen, Denmark.He says "This might very well be the best rock concert ever"! Here is the link: [www.expressen.se]

This was my first contribution to IORR Talk Forum. Since I´m swedish, english is only my second language. So I hope you won´t judge my "swenglish" to hard!

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Stoneage
So I hope you won´t judge my "swenglish" to hard!

My only language is English, and your English might be better than mine!

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Stoneage
This was my first contribution to IORR Talk Forum.

And thank you for it. Welcome.

-------------------
Keep On Rolling

I really feel 'Ladies And Gentlemen' shows the Stones at an absolute pinnacle. It is when their primary rock 'n' roll/blues influences connected most with the sort of earthy, funky, soulful and sexy sound which in the years since the Stones have often tried, but have never truly been able to recapture. Sex has always been a major part of their musical make up, but for whatever reason, be it psychedelia in 67, or even to a degree, the darkness that engulfed them on their 69 tour etc., it has always had to be in competition with whatever else the Stones had in voque at the time. In 72, those other elements were very much stripped away, to leave the Stones existing as primarily an incredibly loose and sexy, and wonderfully soulful rock 'n' roll party band. This is also pretty much where Jagger came into his element in a visual sense, as an incredibly lithe and potent, loose lipped, and flamboyant purveyor of all things rock 'n' roll where sex became very much the key word. His every gesture very much compliments the funkiness within the music, and the rest of the band are very much focused in on playing their parts to perfection in enhancing that sound. I see very little, if anything at all wrong with the film, or the Stones performances, and have never been able to truly believe the film focuses too much on Jagger, at the expense of his bandmates. Jagger of course is the focal point, because he very much interprets visually what the music is purveying in its sound. In that regard he's at his absolute peak at this point, and before the Stones become a touch more theatrical, and overblown which there are hints on on the late 73 tour.

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CousinC
Pity they hadn't filmed the 72 MSG shows for the movie as well . .

The well-known Dick Cavett Show footage has live footage (BS, SFM) from MSG '72. Edited versions of these short clips appear on the official Cavett show DVD. When I asked the production company if they had access to a complete video recording of MSG 1972, they stonewalled me with a "cannot confirm or deny" comment.

Good point Glam Descendant, and here it is

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5Ux_Ht3IfA

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Glam Descendant
>And didn't anyone film the Stones and tour support Stevie Wonder joining forces on their regular encore medley of Uptight and Satisfaction?


As a matter of fact, yes -- Robert Frank, who used it for @#$%& BLUES.

I thought they only did that medley at the end of the show on Mick's birthday show at Madison Square Garden.

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loog droog

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Glam Descendant
>And didn't anyone film the Stones and tour support Stevie Wonder joining forces on their regular encore medley of Uptight and Satisfaction?


As a matter of fact, yes -- Robert Frank, who used it for @#$%& BLUES.

I thought they only did that medley at the end of the show on Mick's birthday show at Madison Square Garden.

No, on quite a few shows!

I didn't see it, but in the new theater release, supposedly in Mick's interview he says Rocks Off was not included because of some tuning vocal issues- was he saying the song was shot and not included in the cut? It wasn't clear to me - and always puzzled me why that was not in the final cut

It seemed to me that yes it was recorded but that it was out of tune.. the guitars...that is how Mick's interview came across to me at least

"Well my heavy throbbers itchin' just to lay a solid rhythm down"

yes. gits out o tune mick said at first then added , perhaps graciously, that he wasnt on it either...tunewise.

Hard to believe that the Stones played that song four times out of tune.

Four concerts were filmed.

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mitchflorida
Hard to believe that the Stones played that song four times out of tune.

Four concerts were filmed.

Maybe they didn't play it at all four concerts, Einstein.

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bustedtrousers

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mitchflorida
Hard to believe that the Stones played that song four times out of tune.

Four concerts were filmed.

Maybe they didn't play it at all four concerts, Einstein.

Ah, but they did, Kind Sir.

My impression of Micks statement in the interview was that he really didn´t know why "Rocks off" wasn´t included. He was just speculating about the reasons (guitars out of tune ...). That´s OK because this was almost 40 years ago ...

Shame it's not included as it was one of the staples from that tour but there you go.

The version on the Fort Worth Express bootleg is a bit of a mess - they'd got it sorted by the Australian tour the following year if the Perth concert is anything to go by...

Nice review in Wall Street Journal
The Rolling Stones Restored
[online.wsj.com]

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proudmary
Nice review in Wall Street Journal
The Rolling Stones Restored
[online.wsj.com]

-They've got it right!

so was it filmed? does it exist?

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hbwriter
so was it filmed? does it exist?

If you mean Rocks Off,in Stones in Exile there is a clip of Mick singing the song live with the studio version playing over the top,so it can presumed that it does.

In truth i don't think it really worked on that,or any other tour really. It never grooved along like the rest of the songs did to me. On the other hand it's 38 years later and,whilst i wouldnt expect it to have been inserted back into the film,i see no reason why it couldn't have been included amongst the extras,slightly out of tune or not.

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still ill

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hbwriter
so was it filmed? does it exist?

If you mean Rocks Off,in Stones in Exile there is a clip of Mick singing the song live with the studio version playing over the top,so it can presumed that it does.

In truth i don't think it really worked on that,or any other tour really. It never grooved along like the rest of the songs did to me. On the other hand it's 38 years later and,whilst i wouldnt expect it to have been inserted back into the film,i see no reason why it couldn't have been included amongst the extras,slightly out of tune or not.

I disagree slightly. I reckon it didn't work too well on the US 1972 Tour BUT rocked on most of the Aussie '73 shows...

Would have been nice to see Sweet Black Angel, or Don't Lie To Me etc.. on the movie as they played these "rare" songs for the movie in the first place!

I suppose Jagger looked back on those performances and cut them out.

I disagree even more!

Rocks off was all in all a highlight during 72 tour as well. Back in those days many said the first 3 numbers and the last 2 were the best part of the show,
although on some dates they had problems with the song.
But at all 4 of those recorded gigs?!