Re: Live in Texas - thoughts and reviews
Date: October 19, 2011 06:50
This movie/film/concert is the best thing they've ever put out that is live. That was a band on fire.
The goofiness - and intensity - of Mick Jagger is beyond anything ever. The facial remarks he makes, the communication, how they laugh at their screw ups (the 'never never never' bits in Beast Of Burden, which is astoundingly awesome), how Mick teases Ronnie throughout the show, how Mick screws up lyrics and just makes up something or slows some of the other words down. He's on the fly and the Stones are flying. This is a much better band than what appears in Ladies & Gentlemen... They play better than that Stones.
The film reveals what's wrong with the Stones as far as (enter year here without Bill Wyman). Although they've had some pretty good moments in the post-Wyman years, a major component of the engine that left has simply never been replaced. It can't be. And this movie, with the clear sound in the theatre, truly reveals that. It's one thing to listen to Voodoo, Stripped, Bridges, No Security, Live Licks and A Bigger Bang and to wish Wyman was on something and to say or think 'Darryl is a good bass player, he does alright', it's another to really feel what is missing from hearing them at a live performance peak like this WITH Wyman: the movement. The movement is there, in this film. It's almost tangible. They don't have movement anymore and haven't since Steel Wheels/Flashpoint, with exception to Jeff Sarli on the three tracks he played on for Bridges.
And it's amazing. Hearing Wyman's playing in this film really reveals this. It also reveals just how...out of touch the Stones are/have been overall since then with their own music (for the most part - like I said, there have been exceptions, at least to/for me). That the cruise control they've been on for the past few tours really is not worth the money to see them. No way. The intensity that they used to play with is gone and has been for years; now it's just a mere ghost of it. Overall at least.
And the decline in the string section really helps with this scenario.
This movie really puts things into perspective. More so than Ladies & Gentlemen since it's the Ronnie Wood Rolling Stones. The simplicity of this show and that tour is almost nerve rattling - WHAT THE HELL HAVE THEY BEEN DOING SINCE 1989!!!!!!!?????? The sonic career review. Making most of it pretty, shiny friendly and clean.
No wonder people love the 1981 boots - it's the last time the Stones toured without 19,000 backing musicians. They were still sloppy, fast, frantic, alive and interested.
Live In Texas is a real eye - and ear - opener. Especially to how they've been since 1981-82. I still stand by my thoughts that Undercover was the last inventive, creative and demonstrative album of the Stones BEING the Stones. Some Girls was obviously some massive recharge for them that they were able to somewhat handle for a few years, with the culmination of it all being Tattoo You and the tours for it. Perhaps the biggest irony of the Stones of all time is how big Some Girls was and how little they put into it via touring: it's their shortest live supported album ever as far as the big tours go especially considering how well received the album was.
Interesting observation, at least to me - in the movie, Mick is all over the place, like lightning. The jumping up and down, the in place kicking, the jitters, the shaking, the suddenly bolting from the microphone for some freak out and then back, the foot in the air, grabbing his crotch, the expressions, the leering and glaring, all the different voices he uses.
Yet Keith somewhat stays in his place and plays his ass off while expressing himself with? The poses and moves he now does rote. Back then they actually meant something - they were part of his playing; now they are part of his posing. Meanwhile Mick has gotten tamer and tamer and is nothing at all like the Jagger from 1978 (or 1981 for that matter) in terms of how he is on stage in what seems to be his truest sense. There is no wildness anymore - it's all choreographed and tightly managed. Of course, people change. In this movie he's certainly in touch with his inner Jagger, ha ha. It seems he's more in touch with his outer Jagger, starting in 1989.