Something hopefully fun and not too controversial to start the week, and I don't see any recent posts about it. Like I'm guessing more than a few of you, I had not seen the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in quite some time - in fact, I sold my DVD years ago (a mistake). Luckily, I found a used copy over the weekend for $10.
Anyways - I think it's great fun. Certainly in the spirit of its time. Where else can you see the Stones (with Brian Jones!) and the Who, and John Lennon jamming with Keith and Clapton and Mitch Mitchell, an early Jethro Tull etc. I actually think the Taj Mahal song is one of the better tunes of the show (need to give a watch of his couple extras).
Guessing this was right around the time Jagger did Performance based on his looK? Back when Mick still had an air of danger to him. And Keith seldom looked cooler. You can tell the audience (how lucky were those people?) are really getting into the Stones set - at one point you even see one of the cameramen dancing away.
Sure, some of it's a bit silly (makes for a great double feature along with the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, another one I have been enjoying after not seeing it for MANY years also). Both are very 'gummie friendly'. :-)
Be interested to hear people's thoughts on it - and if you have not seen it in a long time, give it another go. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Lots of good stuff on it. The Who destroyed everyone. As they did at the time.

And Jethro Tull

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crholmstrom
Lots of good stuff on it. The Who destroyed everyone. As they did at the time.

It's a great thing to have, but you can see why the group, or Mick, didn't release it at the time. They are outshined by other people, because they were running the show and were exhausted by when it was their turn. Brian is a mess, and his appearance would have invited a lot of nasty comments in the British press. One wonders what their performances of such classic songs would have been if they'd been filmed first, when their energy was up.

It's true I do watch it more for the Who, Jethro Tull, and the Dirty Mac. I wince at watching Brian fall apart right before our eyes.

The only performance I like as much as the Stones' set is Marianne Faithfull's.

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Congratulations
The only performance I like as much as the Stones' set is Marianne Faithfull's.

Wot, you didn't like Yoko's vocal?

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georgemcdonnell314
And Jethro Tull

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crholmstrom
Lots of good stuff on it. The Who destroyed everyone. As they did at the time.

It's been mentioned here previously, Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi is the guitarist with Tull.

Taj Mahal

Gotta give some love for Taj also.
Jessie Ed Davis at 2:27 is awesome

Weren’t the Stones up like almost 24 hours when they hit the stage.They must have been tired and Brian probably had indulged in a quiet a few substances.I think it adversely affected their performance.

let's not forget everyone's favorite julius katchen

complete show





and here's the work print from the stones performance with an alternate audio mix and camera angles







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-02-07 03:19 by ProfessorWolf.

personally i always feel that rnr circus is part of a 68 trilogy with one+one and performance and usually watch them with it

anyone else do this?

my order is usually

performance

one+one

rnr circus

and sometimes i finish off with hyde park

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ProfessorWolf
personally i always feel that rnr circus is part of a 68 trilogy with one+one and performance and usually watch them with it

anyone else do this?

my order is usually

performance

one+one

rnr circus

and sometimes i finish off with hyde park

I find One+One hard going as a complete movie, but the other 3 are amongst my most watched VHS tapes/DVDs ever.

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ProfessorWolf
personally i always feel that rnr circus is part of a 68 trilogy with one+one and performance and usually watch them with it

anyone else do this?

my order is usually

performance

one+one

rnr circus

and sometimes i finish off with hyde park

Sometimes I'll give BB a spin and watch (or just listen to) Rock'n'Roll Circus.

It's nice to hear the BB-tracks in a «live» setting.

If they'd let someone who knew what they were doing organise and produce it, the RNR Circus could have been a brilliant show and and wonderful record of the vibe at that time.

As it stands, it's a fun an interesting watch for those who appreciate the context.

The the casual viewer, it probably comes over as a lot of amateurish nonsense.

More in the Live Album Talk: [iorr.org]

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ProfessorWolf
personally i always feel that rnr circus is part of a 68 trilogy with one+one and performance and usually watch them with it

anyone else do this?

my order is usually

performance

one+one

rnr circus

and sometimes i finish off with hyde park

I get what you mean.

I think the three films capture interestingly the spirit of the fascinating times, the zeitgeit, and document an unique and highly important (transformation) period for the band. The muse was present. But I think STONES IN THE PARK belongs essentially to that picture and experience. And it all happens within a year in London.

- Doxa

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Doxa

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ProfessorWolf
personally i always feel that rnr circus is part of a 68 trilogy with one+one and performance and usually watch them with it

anyone else do this?

my order is usually

performance

one+one

rnr circus

and sometimes i finish off with hyde park

I get what you mean.

I think the three films capture interestingly the spirit of the fascinating times, the zeitgeit, and document an unique and highly important (transformation) period for the band. The muse was present. But I think STONES IN THE PARK belongs essentially to that picture and experience. And it all happens within a year in London.

- Doxa

Very much so, Stones in the Park completes augments the picture. Again...not a great performance, but a fascinating document of the times.

Were there any IORR members at the recording? Would be interesting to hear a first hand account of how the evening went down.

If there were any of us there ...they've sure kept it quiet all these years.

Would be cool to see the best bits from RnR Circus, One pus One, Stones in the Park and Gimme Shelter all in one neatly edited movie. Of course Gimme shelter is in a league of its own from those 4 but there are some great bits in the other 3. Off the top of my head YCAGWYW and PW from RnR, the woo woo bit from One plus One, Satisfaction (out of tune guitars n all) from Stones in the Park are just a few of the many bits which could be included.

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redkev
Would be cool to see the best bits from RnR Circus, One pus One, Stones in the Park and Gimme Shelter all in one neatly edited movie. Of course Gimme shelter is in a league of its own from those 4 but there are some great bits in the other 3. Off the top of my head YCAGWYW and PW from RnR, the woo woo bit from One plus One, Satisfaction (out of tune guitars n all) from Stones in the Park are just a few of the many bits which could be included.

Well, they could continue the story of "Sympathy For The Devil" after telling its creation in ONE PLUS ONE. You know, its story did not end there... The theatretical live introduction in R&R CIRCUS, like the dudes knowing they have a new killer song there. Then the huge Hyde Park final fiesta, hundreds of thousands hippies in half trance. And to end by showing what happened in Altamont...

I guess that very rarely, if ever, is the story of one song documented that well (and having such a story to go with it). A helluva song it is.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-02-07 13:18 by Doxa.

I've asked this question before, but... why doesn't Keith do any backing vocals at R&R Circus and Hyde Park?

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Congratulations
I've asked this question before, but... why doesn't Keith do any backing vocals at R&R Circus and Hyde Park?

Who knows. Probably we should ask from the man himself, if he happens to recall.

One reason could be that as a live band they were rusty at the time, with no experience of performances for some time (something we can hear in results). So Keith could have thought that better stick to the essentials, and put all his energy and concentration into guitar duties. Most of the material was novel (and re-arrenging the new studio material into live concept might have been a challenge that kept a band leader busy).

- Doxa



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023-02-07 13:44 by Doxa.

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Congratulations
I've asked this question before, but... why doesn't Keith do any backing vocals at R&R Circus and Hyde Park?

He does on Salt Of The Earth, but yeah it's a bit strange that he didn't sing more.

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DandelionPowderman

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Congratulations
I've asked this question before, but... why doesn't Keith do any backing vocals at R&R Circus and Hyde Park?

He does on Salt Of The Earth, but yeah it's a bit strange that he didn't sing more.

Well, if we look at him doing the vocals in "Salt of The Earth", he doesn't look comfortable at all. From that base one could conclude that he gladly skipped the whole task...

- Doxa

He did sing at the 1968 NME Poll Winners performance:

One of the reasons might be that he carried a heavier load than usual in the guitar department.

I loooove their performance of Parachute Woman at the Rock n Roll Circus.

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

But if we think the following American Tour 1969, how much Keith actually did back-up vocals there? In "Honky Tonk Women" surely, but were there any others?

It could be that instead that of being a practical matter (like I suggested earlier) or Keith not feeling like singing (shy, disinterested?) it might have been an artistic choice how the band wanted to present their live sound at the time. That they were a 'serious' modern blues rock act, not a merry 60's vocal group with back-up harmonies. Those were interesting times, and the band was all the time reshaping their act in order to keep relevant.

The famous Mick and Keith sharing a mic and doing the choruses together occurred later, in upcoming tours (so effective in things like "Can't Always Get What You Want", "Dead Flowers", "Happy", etc.)

- Doxa



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023-02-07 15:15 by Doxa.