the stones' psychedelic elephant in the room

Here's a piece of classic 1967 psychedelia in the form of the promo clip for "2000 Light Years From Home" taken from probably the most argued over Stones album ever, 'Their Satanic Majesties Request'.
Seen by many as the worst record the Stones ever made, for others a moment of Stones magic never to be reproduced again. Richard Metzger at Dangerous Minds made the album his favourite Stones recording and frankly we're with him on this. Despite all the criticism of how the Stones had abandoned their rhythm and blues roots in a trendy move of the era to counter the seminal psychedelia of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper album, 'On Their Satanic Majesties' not only out psyched The Beatles with probably a better representation of just what an acid soaked year it had become but had intriguingly found the group abandoning up until then, a pretty slavish resistance to anything outside of rhythm and blues influenced rock and roll.
The studio sessions were also notoriously shambolic with hangers on and wannabe's flocking round their chosen ones. Even producer Andrew Loog Oldham walked out when the chaos had become too much.
Bill Wyman at the time

" it was a lottery as to who would turn up and what – if any – positive contribution they would make.."

Jagger was quoted as saying

"There's a lot of rubbish on Satanic Majesties. Just too much time on our hands, too many drugs, no producer to tell us, "Enough already, thank you very much, now can we just get on with this song?" Anyone let loose in the studio will produce stuff like that. There was simply too much hanging around. It's like believing everything you do is great and not having any editing"

Even Brian Jones chipped in at the time

"It's really like sort of got-together chaos. Because we all panicked a little, even as soon as a month before the release date that we had planned, we really hadn't got anything put together. We had all these great things that we'd done, but we couldn't possibly put it out as an album. And so we just got them together, and did a little bit of editing here and there."
BAND QUOTES FROM WIKI ARTICLE

Down the years Keith Richards has also agreed with his band mates criticism calling the album "a load of crap" but also added he did like some of the songs "2000 Light Years from Home", "Citadel" and "She's a Rainbow".

Which is actually a good lump of the album. And yes, and there's the rub Keith, like it or not those songs have stood up remarkably well over the decades. Even to the extent that you were playing one at a recent Knebworth gig, remember? (er well probably not)
In fact the tracks sound brighter and more inventive today than in 67 when groups were experimenting far more broadly with music than they do in recordings now. Remember also this experimentation was done with real instruments and much manual handling of recording techniques.
The band had also, in keeping with the general chaos of the event, invited some willing helpers with backing vocals and other duties from Nicky Hopkins (piano, organ, mellotron, harpsichord) - John Paul Jones (string arrangement on "She's a Rainbow") - Lennon and McCartney (backing vocals and percussion on "Sing This All Together") - Ronnie Lane (backing vocals and acoustic guitar on "In Another Land") - and Steve Marriott (backing vocals on "In Another Land")
Who, it might be said , were all willing night trippers and sky pilots in 1967. And you don't have those guys hanging around without some magic floating about those sessions. No, it's obvious that for the first time in those chaotic sessions The Rolling Stones were flying without a wire and they didn't much care for it especially on reflection. Not being in control that is and as we all know Messrs Jagger and Richards have always preferred it down nice and tight.

The Stones never did make another album in the same way. The diversity and chances taken in making this astounding piece of audio were never dared attempted again, mores the pity. And the opportunity to have Brian Jones playing Mellotron, keyboards, guitars, flute, brass, soprano saxophone, electric dulcimer, recorder and percussion was soon gone forever.
The original album cover was suitably audacious to suit the recording, it came with a 3D panel on the front, and to go with the album a psychedelic video promotion of course, rare enough in itself for the time, of "2000 Light Years From Home" which was also released as a single in the UK.
With it's fabulous mellotron arrangement either by Nicky Hopkins or Brian Jones, a downright wicked bass riff from Bill Wyman and general eeriness of the track this surely has to be a sound that groups like the Moody Blues went on to explore further. There is a disembodied unearthly sound about the whole album and "2000 Light Years From Home" embodies it perfectly.

mick jagger introduces monty python live

This is getting a laugh...

hyde park 1969

Brian Jones is sacked from The Rolling Stones on June 10th 1969. On July 3rd, Jones is found dead. 2 days later The Stones played the Hyde Park Concert. As a dedication and tribute to Jones thousands of butterflies were to be released.

"Jagger wanted to release these white butterflies so I had to liaise with a butterfly farm in the West Country and the parks people who were concerned the wrong sort of butterflies might upset then ecosystem of the park.
Early on the morning of the concert I went to Paddington to collect boxes of butterflies. I peeped inside and as far as I could see it was full of dead butterflies. I called the farm in a panic and said "They're dead!" And they said they're not dead, they're cold, they are sleeping, you've got to warm them up.
How the fuck are we going to warm them up? We had these two hot plates, the sort that students use to heat baked beans, and so we put the boxes on them. I think one caught fire. When Mick opened the boxes, some of the butterflies flew away, but most dropped senseless to the stage. They weren't dead, they were cold. They only died when they got trodden on."
Andrew King. (promoter). Uncut Magazine. Aug.2013.

44 years later, tomorrow July 6th and also July 13th they play Hyde Park again.
No butterflies allowed.

keef goes clubbing

Mick cavorts and prances wrapped in the Stars and Stripes, but Keef spies a problem off stage in the form of a berserker fan about to make his grand entrance. Fortunately Keef is well prepared for such eventualities and in an apparent well practiced maneuver, as quick as a ninja he delivers the coup de grace with the solid end of his axe. Job done he picks up the mark and continues the verse to Satisfaction. Mick looks aghast at the whole sorry affair.
As usual.

charlie watts don't like festivals

“I don't want to do it. Everyone else does. I don't like playing outdoors, and I certainly don't like festivals. I've always thought they're nothing to do with playing. Playing is what I'm doing at the weekend . That's how I was brought up. But that's me, personally. When you're a band … you do anything and everything. But Glastonbury, it's old hat really. I never liked the hippy thing to start with. It's not what I'd like to do for a weekend, I can tell you.”
Charlie Watts - The Guardian. 4 April 2013

44 years after the free Hyde Park gig in London on 5 July 1969, some folk in the UK have suggested the rather deluded romantic idea that this years appearances at the Glastonbury Festival followed by Hyde Park (no it won't be free) might just be the farewell gigs for The Stones, but they'd be well wide of the mark as a further 18 date tour of the US is announced.
Oh yes you can be sure the circus will continue until they drop... er scratch that, Mick or Keef drop.
Here's the real Rolling Stones in halcyon days. Watch out for Charlie Watts appearing as a well dressed beatnik in the first few minutes and Brian Jones playing sitar. Has to be circa 1967.

the stones - crossfire huricane

Last night (Saturday) here in the UK we had the first screening of "Crossfire Hurricane" on BBC2. The broadcast of Part One of The Rolling Stones 50th anniversary documentary film begins in the early years of The Stones from 1962 upto 1969 with the death of Brian Jones and the following concert in Hyde Park. With off screen comments from the group in the present day supplementing the early black and white footage of the group when they were just in their early twenties.
Today The Stones are so much part of an established generation of rock stars accepted as the mainstream it's not easy to think of them as a bunch of young men who were seen very much as anti-establishment.
Keith Richards : "The Beatles had the white hat so we ended up with the black hat". The perceived arrogance and undesirable appearance seemed to confront the very heart of the establishment here in the UK and although it was with more curiosity in the USA they still were seen as a similar threat.
Watching the early interviews was virtually like 'take 1' of what the Sex Pistols were seen to be 15 years later, only here the Rolling Stones' sneering humour at how they were being seen seemed even more confronting to an older generation of people who had 15 years before this affront had just come out of World War 2.
It wasn't just the supposed threat to society these young guys had to live with but for several years when on stage they had to deal with riots breaking out at their live shows.
"We used to have bets on how long we'd get to play for... 10 minutes maybe..".
And that's not cute little girls fainting but aggressive attacks to them personally which seemed born out of part adulation and part obsession, it looked dangerous and damn scarey if you were on the receiving end. The security in those days being left to the bemused local police who often gave up or just weren't bothered.
Rock and roll had become a powder keg ready to explode in a minute. What it represented to the establishment in the UK was yet to get to grips with and when it did try it came in the way of attempted imprisonment on half assed charges.

But above of all the groups archive film was to show the one over riding impression was if you were to see a group today perform as they had done then it would still stand out, it would still be noticed, it would still be confrontational.
Here are the Rolling Stone in 1966 being attacked by fans on stage. It was amusing to the group once. Night after night less so.
Get to see Crossfire Hurricane if you can.

new stones song

Doom and Gloom is the first Rolling Stones song in 6 years and a new single which is quite a throwback to the halcyon days of Jumping Jack Flash or Brown Sugar, without the same riff of course but the feels all there. Jagger's lyrics seem remarkably on message with plenty of modern references from that familiar voice which has still surprisingly got some edge.
Neat video as well with the lyrics scrolling by as the content, which is a smart move as the whole becomes more or less timeless without the visual reminder of the old rockers. It's all quite a turn around from more recent recordings. There seems more life in this band than they've been letting on, maybe the challenge of Dylan's last recording has woken them up.

weekend gig : stones at the marquee

12th July 1962 and the Rolling Stones played their first gig at The Marquee Club in Wardour St, Soho.
Jagger and Charlie Watts were interviewed by all news channels in the UK about the event. No great insights, as Jagger said it was "difficult to remember the exact gig", the Stones were to play there many times in their early days, but he thought "it was with a different drummer while they persuaded Charlie to play with the band". Charlie was up until then playing with Alexis Korner and Blues Incorporated. Of course there's no footage of them at the Marquee then but less than 10 years later they did return for one last time in 1971. Brian Jones now gone. Mick Taylor the guitarist who replaced him. The site of The Marquee is now a Santander Bank... mmm.
Here's the complete video.

altamont

also see Beggars Banquet