Stonesmonth Podcast Reviews



The Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge Uncut Album Review
Concert: Miami 1994
Released: November 2018

Enjoyed the intro with Whoopi Goldberg and then the music that obviously accompanied the video montage that began the show. It’s a great build-up of excitement and it makes me wish I was there.

1. Not fade away: The stones not afraid of making a quiet entrance here, introducing instruments one by one. A good move. And one that is pretty much unique to this tour. They usually prefer to start with a bang.

2. Tumbling Dice: The full ensemble enters. Very good version this, played at fervent speed. Although it’s the first time one notices the clean tones of the guitars and perhaps the fact Keith is too low in the mix.

3. You got me rockin:. Nothing saves this song as it sidles up to and joins ‘I go wild’ in going down as blights on their career.

4. Rocks off: While the band rocks fine. Jagger simply doesn’t carry the song as he should. The back-up vocals are supposed to compensate but they just don’t. The song has long been troublesome for Jagger who presumably gave the approval for the bridge to be cut from the 2003 live licks version. The reason is for that abominable piece of editing is anyone’s guess but perhaps it was that he didn’t like the way he sang that bit.

Have a listen to the blistering version from the 1973 Australian tour available on youtube. One can hear that he doesn’t hit the notes he hits on the album version in 73’ either but it matters not one bit as he does a good alternative at a lower register. Something he could presumably still do. It’s disappointing because it’s one of their best songs of all time.


5. Sparks will fly: I like it. It rocks and Keith’s guitar is awesome. Add it to my list of favourite meaningless rockers like ‘Let me go’, ‘Summer Romance’, ‘Lies’ and ‘Terrifying’ off ‘Steel Wheels!’ That’s right I said ‘Terrifying’ off Steel Wheels. I dig it.

6. Live with Me: Interesting giving Sheryl crow the first verse. The key’s too high for her but she pulls it off with aplomb. Good pace. It’s a start up and go song until it ends.

7. Satisfaction: surprisingly appearing in the middle of the set. What can one say. How many times can they play it? Answer? Pretty much every show since the 1981 tour. I went to a show in Melbourne, Australia 6 months after this show in Miami. A lot of the people in the front rows weren’t’ real fans. When Satisfaction came along the show finally made sense to them.

8. Beast of Burden: Keith plays beautifully. Ronnie’s solo, brilliant and hilarious. The 78’ and 81’ versions are superior but whatevs. It’s always great to hear Keith caress this great song with a style that is all his. Jagger sings this very well.

9. Angie: I ignored this song for years but it really is a great song. It’s played well here. I think someone forgot to tell Ron Wood he was doing a solo.

10. Dead flowers: Another great song. Played well in the modern way. The only shame is that we don’t get Ronnie’s wild B bender solo as in later years as both Keith and Ron play acoustics here.

11. Sweet Virginia. Another great song. The band sit in a wonderful groove here. Lisa and Bernard sound fantastic and Bobby Keys too. Jagger is right in the pocket of this one. One of the great barroom singalongs.

12. Heartbreaker: Almost an anomaly here from 1973’s ‘Goats Head Soup.’ The band struggles to find a groove. Could have been culled from what is quiet a lengthy gig.


13. It’s all over now: Great song that doesn’t quite work here. It’s something to do with the pace of it. It could be that it suffers from what we here at ‘Stonesmonth’ call “The beats per minute syndrome”. A post 1981 policy of taking certain songs back to their album version speed. Needs to be quick and reckless to work I reckon.

14. Stop breakin down: the band limps in to this one with Jagger or Charlie mistaking the timing. It’s the kind of thing that happens from time to time. Most notably on ‘Little Queenie’ off Get ya ya yas out. Charlie fixes it and they move in to quite a good groove.
Nice solo from Robert Cray. Enjoyable version. This version seems to miss Bill Wyman.

15. Who do you love: with Bo Diddley hilarious. Keith plays in a different key for a minute or so. Everyone seems to play too much. Would have liked Bo’s guitar lifted.

16. I go wild: Pushing this beyond 6 minutes is exactly that. Pushing it. I’m not sure what this song is. But I think It’s worse than ‘You got me rockin’. The almost bizzare 3 way guitar thing involving Mick Jagger on a telecaster at the front of the stage is a point of interest and rarely seen.

17. Miss You: The point of miss you is to dance right? And hear Keith and Ron play off the drums? Can you dance to this version? Sure. Just in a different way to 1978 I guess. Can you groove off the drums if your Keith and Ron? I can’t hear it. There is not one version of ‘Miss You’, and there has been many, comes close to the seductive groove placed down on the ‘Some Girls’ album in 1978. Still this version is enjoyable on a certain level.


18. Honky Tonk Women. Such a great song. More than serviceably played here. Keith’s piano bit is a humorous addition. Everything sounds great. The horns, Chuck on the piano, Lisa and Bernard.

19. Before they make me run: Featuring Keith’s great vocal phrasing, fine backing vocals and a generally rockin band.

20. ‘The worst’: love it. Keith can do his modern day swagger and again his soulful vocals are a feature. Ronnie on the steel. Bernard a great harmony.

21.’Sympathy for the devil’. I wasn’t looking forward to this one. King of the anti- groove since 1989. But I found I could easily bop along to it peeling spring onions.

22. ‘Monkey Man’: Very cool. This probably a bit quick really. Charlie showing signs of auto pilot. Keith having to rush his great riffs. Still enjoyable. Ronnie with his copy of the album version’s bottleneck slide track. Originally done by Keith I Think. The horns and Lisa adding goodness near the end.

23. ‘Street fighting man’: great piano and Keith jam to take it out.

24. ‘Start Me Up’ Charlie on fire here. All good. Ronnie’s solo entry a highlight.

25. ‘It’s Only Rockin Roll’ Another good version. Lisa and Bernard sound great. Great lead from Keith. Not sure where Ron is? The guitars sound a bit clean in general.

26. Brown sugar: Chuck Leavell and Bobby keys starring here. It’s all systems go. Great pace. Jagger in top form. Enjoyed the outro jam. Keith on fire. Ronnie holding steady. Darryl doing well. Keith takes over. The audience loves it!

27. Jumping Jack Flash: What comes through is Keith’s joy! He’s clearly having a ball. And therefore so are the band!

I would call that a fan's raving rather than a review...

The only thing I would add is that the sound quality is not much different than the circulating bootleg. You'd think Eagle Rock could do some remastering. I know it wont be like Bob Clearmountain on Brussels, but something...

Agreed Lucab12. Thought the sound was quite average on the whole although I haven’t got very good speakers at the moment. The stripped stuff sounds better.

Thru disc 1:

The small stage songs suffered, especially Angie and Dead Flowers. Mick is great on Who Do You Love. Maybe Ronnie should have played lead on All Over Now.

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Stoneage
I would call that a fan's raving rather than a review...

Who needs enemies when you got «raving fans» like the OP

«You got me rocking: Nothing saves this song as it sidles up to and joins ‘I go wild’ in going down as blights on their career».

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jonnylamar
Agreed Lucab12. Thought the sound was quite average on the whole although I haven’t got very good speakers at the moment. The stripped stuff sounds better.

Agreed as well bought the vinyl, not one of the better sounding live albums I own. Sounds thin.cant see it getting s whole lot of play here

Well, I am very much enjoying the CD’s, the digital sound is too flat, the blu Ray I haven’t got to and probably won’t (I am 95% audio only)

‘Who Do You Love’
Awesome
‘Beast of Burden’
love love love

Get the CD’s and own it.