This is the soundtrack for Scorcese’s new concert film about the Stones, shot over two nights at New York’s Beacon Theater in 2006. It’d be interesting to review this record like nobody had ever heard the Rolling Stones before. But why do that? The Stones did major things for rock and roll – they introduced all the danger and dirt that was absent from The Beatles and Herman’s Hermits, and they also developed the concept of big budget blockbuster corporate monster rock (and thus helped create punk rock). You’ve got to love the way that they (like many in the baby-boom generation) could turn rebellion into money. And praise Mammon, they’ve done it again.
So do we need another Rolling Stones concert record? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean it’s no good. Like a lot of concert performances the music is more uptempo and energetic than on record. And this is a tighter, chunkier, more cleanly-recorded version of the Stones than you’ll remember from their ’60s and ’70s classic incarnations (in case you’ve been ignoring them since then out of principle). But it’s still a brilliant collection of songs (like ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, ‘Shattered’, ‘Brown Sugar’, ‘Satisfaction’, ‘Paint it Black’) which make many other bands and artists seem like underachieving infants. Indeed, there are appearances from special guests as diverse as Christina Aguilera and Buddy Guy, but they all seem tiny next to Mick Jagger. When Jack White duets on ‘Loving Cup’ I imagine he’s perched on Mick’s knee like Orville (we’ll find out for sure when we see the film).
So (apart from the bits where Keith sings) this is a joyous celebration of all that the Rolling Stones represent, from totemic 1960s rebels, to shrewd corporate brand leaders. And if you listen carefully you can hear 1,000 record company executives in the background weeping and gnashing their teeth. For we will never see their like again.
Key Track: ‘Start me Up’