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Rolling Stones FAQ [2/4]
Rolling Stones FAQ [2/4]
Archive-name: music/rollingstones-faq/part2
Last-modified: 1998/05/29
Version: 5.05
Rolling Stones' Mailing list/newsgroup FAQ
====================================================
http://www.netaxs.com/~rzepelaa/undercover
Part Two
The Rolling Stones--Live and Unreleased recordings
/***********************************************************************/
COPYRIGHT 1994-1998 (c) Anthony J. Rzepela (editor)
This collection of four works is under the copyright of the editor,
who may, at his discretion, relinquish said copyright to the authors
named herein.
This collection may not be broken up, or be made available
by any publisher. It may not be redistributed in any form
if any changes are made to it except by the holder of the
copyright.
The editor of this FAQ retains all rights for use of it.
No author or proofreader or assistant credited herein grants
the use of his or her name to any publisher. Be warned that
attempts to publish this shared work-in-progress may interfere
with legal commitments individual authors may privately hold
with publishers.
/***********************************************************************/
The Rolling Stones--Live and Unreleased Audio
(Version 4.4 of *this* document, May 28, 1998)
The Rolling Stones have been around for over 30 years and have
released many albums. However, for some fans, they haven't released
enough. This is a guide for those fans who want to know what the
Stones were doing on their many unrecorded tours, or are curious to
hear the various working stages of a classic song. The only way to
hear this is from unauthorized recordings.
This portion of the FAQ is an introduction and guide to the
unauthorized recordings of the Rolling Stones. This information is
for educational purposes only. Please note that this article is
_not_ written by Tony Rzepela. Your humble author chooses to remain
anonymous; call me Mr. X. Any comments, questions, or additional
information concerning this portion of the FAQ should be posted to
Undercover; I will see it and modify the FAQ as needed.
(Thanks to those of you who have contributed. You know who you are.
Also thanks to those of you who have posted reviews to Undercover,
which I have added to fill gaps in my knowledge. Hope you don't mind
:)).
This is intended to be a general reference, to be carried around when
looking for unauthorized recordings. If you see such a recording, check
the date/location in the FAQ for quality and my comments. This document
doesn't have song titles but does include standard live set lists, in case
you are looking for a live version of a certain song but aren't sure if it
was ever performed. Set lists don't vary too much except for the first
shows of a tour and the Voodoo Lounge tour. For song titles on a
particular CD/LP, consult John Artukovich's "Fingerprint File" at
http://www.primenet.com/~ayso13/, _Hot Wacks_ (many mistakes but at least
the song titles are right), a more specialized book such as Nico Zentgraf's
_Collector's Delight or Collector's Disease_, or a fanzine. For setlists,
try accessing Nico's data on the web at
http://www.castrop-rauxel.netsurf.de/homepages/j.delmere/stones/books/zent.htm.
For current CD info, especially Vinyl Gang Productions, consult Jaime
Castenada's "The Stones Files" at http://www.zip.com.au/~jaime
Also, a new version of Dieter Hoffmann's "Schwarzbuch" (Black Book)
is now out. It's the definitive Stones bootleg book. This edition
is done loose leaf style so future releases can be added easily.
Unauthorized recordings may be either live concerts or studio
outtakes. Live concerts may be recorded in several ways: In the
audience using a hand held tape recorder, by a sound man from the
soundboard, or from a radio broadcast. Audience recordings will
generally sound the worst, but modern technology makes it possible to
have very good audience recordings. Studio outtakes are generally of
good quality as the recording is usually professionally done. In all
cases, sound quality will deteriorate as analog copies are made from
one generation to the next.
This is a partial list of unauthorized recordings of the Rolling
Stones. It is not complete. I have omitted many LPs and CDs, and
virtually all tape only performances. Many of the best recorded
performances have been released by as many as 10 different companies;
I have listed only the best or one of the best versions. This list
is biased toward in-print CDs since they are what most people want,
and can be found without too much difficulty. However, I have
included some out of print and hard to get items which I consider
important.
Listings are by location, date, length, quality, and source. All
quality ratings from 1 to 10 are done by the author, with 1 being
unlistenable and 10 being perfect release quality. Since I can't
listen to everything, some ratings are from books, fanzines, or
postings to Undercover. These ratings are in the form of EX
(excellent), VG+ (very good plus), etc. 'm' indicates mono, 's'
stereo, and 'es' electronic stereo.
Part 1: The Early Years with Brian Jones
Most of the recordings from this period are either from media
appearances such as the BBC and TV shows, or studio outtakes.
Although the band toured constantly, there are few unauthorized
concert recordings. This was the time of Beatlemania, and screaming
girls and often riots at concerts. With the extremely primitive PA
systems of the era, the Stones were frequently drowned out by the
audience.
Set lists:
Second English tour, Feb./March 1964: Talking About You, Roadrunner,
Roll Over Beethoven, You Better Move On, Beautiful Delilah, It's
Alright, Not Fade Away, I Wanna Be Your Man.
September/October 1964 UK tour: I Just Wanna Make Love to You,
Walking the Dog, If You Need Me, It's Alright, Around and Around,
It's All Over Now.
March 1965 UK tour: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Pain in My
Heart, Down the Road Apiece, Time is on My Side, I'm Moving On, It's
Alright, Little Red Rooster, Route 66, The Last Time, Everybody Needs
Somebody to Love.
September/October 1965 UK tour: Mercy Mercy, Cry to Me, The Last
Time, Oh Baby We Got a Good Thing Going, I'm Moving On, She Said
Yeah, Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, That's How Strong My Love is,
Talkin' 'bout You.
Paris March 28, 1966: The Last Time, Mercy Mercy, She Said Yeah,
Play with Fire, Not Fade Away, That's How Strong My Love is, I'm
Moving On, The Spider and the Fly, Time is on My Side, 19th Nervous
Breakdown, Around and Around, Get Off of My Cloud, It's Alright,
Satisfaction.
Paris April 11, 1967: Paint It Black, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Lady
Jane, Get Off of My Cloud, Yesterday's Papers, Under My Thumb, Ruby
Tuesday, Let's Spend the Night Together, Going Home, Satisfaction.
No audience tapes earlier than 1967 are circulating although there
are rumors of earlier tapes. Two of the April, 1967 audience tapes
have been made into German LPs and Japanese CDs, but neither are
listed as they are hard to get and sound pretty bad.
BBC '63-'65; 52 min; 9.5 m&s; "Get Satisfaction if You
Want"/others
Interesting BBC studio recordings; a few songs have a live audience. This
LP/CD and its numerous copies are made from 1985 rebroadcasts; older LPs
("Beautiful Delilah," "Rape of the Vaults," etc.) are made from tapes
recorded off the air in the '60s and are much worse quality but have some
different songs. "Beat Beat Beat at the Beeb" is a compilation of BBC
releases in varying quality. VGP's "The Lost Treasure" is said to be
nothing new.
BBC TV & ITV '63-'65; 50 min; 8.0 m; "Crackin' Up"
This '80s LP and its CD copy are made from tapes recorded off the air back
in the '60s, with quite good sound quality. There is little overlap with
the above and it's worth hearing.
Ed Sullivan TV '64-'67; 7.5 m; "Conquer America"/others
Their famous TV appearances are available on several LPs and CDs, for over
20 years, and video as well. Many if not all performances are live vocals
with the rest of the band miming to the studio version of the song, so not
that interesting. The 1969 appearance is not on this disc because at the
time of its release, the performance was not yet 20 years old; this legal
barrier was surmounted for later releases. Of course some people don't
worry about things like that.
Outtakes '63-'65; 30 min; 9.0 s; "Bright Lights Big City"
A combination of very early outtakes and Chess Studios outtakes. Old LPs
are made from scratchy acetates but sound quite good otherwise; later CD
releases have lost the scratches. (Old LPs also have an inferior Montreux
'72, see below.) Moderately interesting; the early Stones sound none too
confident in the studio.
Outtakes '64-'70; 210 min; 9.0 m&s; "The Black Box"
Compilation of most of the decent sounding outtakes from the early period.
Most have been available on other releases but a few are new here.
Includes the Stones portion of the "Karaoke" (instrumental outtakes) CD.
Having this set would be enough early outtakes for most people.
Outtakes '64-'70; "From Mason's Yard to
Primrose Hill"
Nothing particularly rare here, but said to be "superior" quality. I
haven't heard it. The title comes from Gered Mankowitz's limited edition
photo book.
Outtakes '64-'73; 70 min; 8.0 s; "Mad Shadows"
A fine collection of material over the years including material never
available before, even to tape traders. Mostly excellent sound.
TAMI show 10/29/64; 25 min; 9.5 m; tape (laser disc)
This performance is available on at least one LP but may not be on CD. The
video is available on a legal Japanese laser disc. Fantastic performance;
being able to see it makes it even better. Great guitar work by Keith and
Brian, and Mick does all his James Brown moves.
Stereo mixes/outtakes 65-'67; 60 min; 7.5 s; "Dartford Renegades"
This includes some of the stereo mixes that are on the non-US "Hot Rocks 1"
CD, in noticeably worse quality but with slightly longer fade-outs, plus
others that have never been officially released in stereo such as "The Last
Time." Also includes outtakes dubbed from the rare German LP "As Time Goes
By."
Swedish TV 4/2/65; "Gather No Moss"
I quote from an Undercover review: "...muddy but listenable... It appears
all are live vocals with pre-recorded studio backing tracks. Nothing
astounding here." (This CD also includes Paris '65-'67)
Paris 4/18/65; 40 min; 7.5 m; "All Those Years Ago"/
others
A French radio broadcast but the sound is primitive. Good concert though
out of tune toward the end, and the crowd is riotous. The show has been
available for years on many LPs and CDs, but the listed Japanese CD is the
best I've ever heard. Other releases miss the first song, are tinny, run
too slow, etc. (The listed CD also includes other early material). (Also
available on "Gather No Moss," a 2CD set with different early material,
possibly a slight upgrade).
Paris '65, '66, '67; 38 min; 8.5 m; "Still I'm Gonna Miss You"
A sampler of the Paris '65, '66, and '67 broadcasts in best possible
quality. It is apparently made from a more recent broadcast and sounds
noticeably better than any of the complete broadcast releases. I
particularly like the '67 tracks which have some suitably freaky guitar
work; also note the early-Pink Floyd-style keyboards on Satisfaction. (The
listed CD also contains 5 songs from Shindig TV 5/26/65). (Also available
on "Gather No Moss," a 2CD set with other early material, this time with an
announcer between the Paris shows).
Paris 3/28/66; 37 min; 4.5 m; "F***ing and Sucking"
Rare Japanese CD. Another French radio broadcast; the complete tape is not
as good as the '65 broadcast. It's nowhere near the quality of the sampler
above.
Honolulu 7/28/66; 30 min; 7.5 m; "In Action"/others
First available on LP in horrendous and then pretty bad quality, this
concert is finally available in quite good quality on CD. This is the only
known true soundboard recording from the Brian Jones era. Amusing
performance; Charlie gets to introduce a song and announces one they
already did, and Mick says it will be their last concert ever! Undoubtedly
he was influenced by the Beatles, who would have their last concert on
August 29. "Paris Match" omits the goofy introduction--another reason not
to buy it. (The listed CD also includes "Trident Mixes" outtakes). VGP's
"So Much Younger Than Today," which lifts its title from an old TSP LP, may
be a slight upgrade but I haven't heard it.
Outtakes and live '66-'69; 75 min; 10.0 s/6.0 m (varies);"Time Trip 4"
This latest in the Time Trip series, this marks a return to form after the
sub par Time Trip 3. Superb quality outtakes, either never before
available or better than before, plus a few lesser quality live tracks.
"Carol" at the end is the same version as "Ya Yas" but sounds better here
IMHO.
London Palladium 1/22/67; 15 min; 6.0 m; "All Those Years
Ago"/others
The performance where the Stones achieved even more notoriety by not waving
to the TV audience at the end of the show. There is an interesting re-
working of "It's All Over Now." (The listed CD also includes other early
material).
Vienna 4/2/67 + The Hague 4/15/67; "Groovin' Around"
I quote an Undercover review: "...It's an audience source of a day-night
double-header [not quite--ed.]... Same 7 songs totaling 14 tracks. The
first 7 are listenable (not bad for the time), the last 7 are poor. You
can hear Mick and some of the band in the first, but hardly anything but
the German audience in the latter..." Note: I've haven't heard this CD
but Vienna 4/2/67 on an LP is 4.0 m. This CD is probably similar. I hate
to think of what The Hague show sounds like.
Paris 4/11/67 complete; 30 min; 5.0 m; "F***ing and Sucking" CD
This is the best available complete recording of the 1967 tour of Europe,
the last tour with Brian Jones. LP releases of this concert are from a re-
broadcast and are combined with the 4/18/65 concert; sound quality is a
little better, but not as good as the '65/'66/'67 broadcast, which is the
best possible quality. "Gather No Moss" may be an upgrade over this title
but I haven't heard it.
TSMR sessions 5-9/67; ~430 min; 9.5 s; "The Satanic Sessions"
8 (!) CDs worth of rehearsals for TSMR, with Jigsaw Puzzle at the end.
Near-perfect quality; in some respects better than the official release.
These are early run-throughs of songs, some barely recognizable compared to
the finished album versions. There are also jams which were never
released, and it's easy to see why. Some remind me of the Kinks, possibly
because there's lots of piano by Nicky Hopkins (I assume). There are no
vocals and lots of aborted takes. Interesting to hear once but probably
not worth repeated listening. Note: This does not have as many takes of
"Citadel" as "Request and Requires," but it's much better quality.
Surrey 3/68 reh + int; 45 min; 5.5 m; "1968 Surrey Rehearsals"
Interesting jams with the origins of Jumping Jack Flash, Stray Cat Blues,
and many other classics. Brian is not present; Mick and Keith laugh about
it. This was apparently recorded on a portable tape recorder by a visiting
reporter, and the quality is not very good. The Japanese CD is better than
the original LP.
Part 1a: Brian is phased out
The Stones did their last tour with Brian in the spring of 1967.
They were unable to tour after that due to Brian's legal and health
problems. The Rock and Roll Circus was to be a way around this,
bringing the performance to the audience instead of the other way
around.
Beggars Banquet outtakes; 73 min; 9.0 s; "RSVP"
An interesting yet frustrating CD of alternate takes and mixes from
"Beggars," plus outtakes from that era. Some of the alt mixes sound
arguably better than the official release, but others simply sound odd. A
few run too fast. All the outtakes are available in better quality on old
vinyl LPs; most are probably dubbed from "Trident Mixes" (see below).
Worthwhile, but probably would have been better if it had not attempted to
make an almost-complete alternate "Beggars."
"Sympathy..." reh. 5-6/68; 20 min; 8.0 m; "Angie"
This LP has part of the music in the "Sympathy for the Devil" movie. Good
sound but not necessary now that the film is easily available.
Outtakes '68-'72; 70 min; 8.0 s; "On the Rocks"
Decent collection of outtakes including a few which first appeared here.
Good sound quality but later releases such as "The Black Box" (above) make
this mostly unnecessary.
Outtakes '68-'72; 70 min; 9.5 s; "Trident Mixes"
One of the classic LPs; has been copied onto CD. Fantastic sound quality,
especially for the vinyl era, though it's a bit scratchy. Some if not all
the music is from acetates, which are generally scratchy, so that could be
the reason. Several interesting cuts but I find some of the instrumentals
pretty dull. If you can find them, there are 2 CD-Rs of this material plus
the Exile outs (see below), which are said to be very good quality without
surface noise.
Outtakes/diff. mixes '68-'73;100 min; 10.0 s; "Time Trip" 1 and 2
An interesting yet frustrating set of CDs. Some alternate takes of classic
songs, combined with alternate mixes of classic songs which barely sound
different. Both CDs contain part of Montreux 5/72, see below. Superb
sound quality plus material which was never available in the vinyl era, but
probably could have been edited down to 1 CD.
R & R Circus reh. 12/10?/68; 10 min; 7.5 m; "Gravestones"
With the release of the R&R Circus video and CD, I'll mention that
alternate versions of Parachute Woman and YCAGWYW are available on this old
LP. Where's the video? (I'm also told that the boot LP versions of "Yer
Blues" [not on this LP] are different from the official release. Haven't
checked yet. Anyone?) (This rare old LP is a mixture of all sorts of
tracks, which are all out on CD now in better quality, except for these two
songs. It's usually packaged with "Rape of the Vaults," an LP of BBC
tracks in low fidelity).
Part 2: The middle period with Mick Taylor
After the forced exit of Brian, the Stones hired Mick Taylor as new
lead guitarist. His excellent playing made this lineup arguably the
best for live performances.
His first gig with them was a free concert in London's Hyde Park
before several hundred thousand people. Brian Jones had died 2 days
earlier and the concert became a tribute to him.
Hyde Park 7/5/69; 85 min; 8.0 m; "Hyde Park 1969"/others
First released on LP from an audience tape; later releases are from the
movie soundtrack and a WLIR FM documentary, with only "Down Home Girl" from
the audience tape. The performance is sloppy but energetic. This concert
has an unusual set list, partly due to Taylor's unfamiliarity with the
band. Note that some CDs are dubbed from LPs so they sound good but still
have surface noise; the Swingin' Pig release is from tape.
The first actual tour with Mick Taylor was the fall/winter 1969 US
Tour. "Let It Bleed" was released at the end of the tour. Toward
the end of the tour the band did some recordings at Muscle Shoals,
Alabama (partly documented on "Time Trip" above). New York, Muscle
Shoals, and Altamont are documented in the movie "Gimme Shelter." The
official live album from this tour is the excellent "Get Yer Ya-Yas
Out." This tour established a pattern which would continue until
1982: US tour every 3 years, with a European tour the following
year. There was no 1979 European tour, but the New Barbarians toured
that year.
Typical set for 1969 US tour: Jumping Jack Flash, Carol, Sympathy
for the Devil, Stray Cat Blues, Love in Vain, Prodigal Son (not at
all shows), You Gotta Move (not at all shows), Under My Thumb,
Midnight Rambler, Live with Me, Little Queenie, Satisfaction, Honky
Tonk Woman, Street Fighting Man. Played infrequently: I'm Free,
Gimme Shelter. Played only at Altamont: The Sun is Shining (by
Jimmy Reed), Brown Sugar.
Quite a few of these shows were recorded by fans in the audience.
These tapes vary from atrocious to excellent. All of the good tapes
have been made into LPs or CDs.
Fort Collins, CO 11/7/69; 70 min; 5.5 m; "Catch Your Dreams Before
They Slip Away"
Distant, mediocre audience recording of the first show of the tour. For
those who have to have everything.
L.A. Forum 11/8/69 2nd show; 70 min; 7.0 m; "Born in a Crossfire
Hurricane"/ others
This is an unusual show in that there are two completely different, above
average audience tapes. Neither tape came into wide circulation until the
'90s. This CD is the only release of the slightly better tape. This is
the best of the early shows in my opinion; Keith rocks. The other source
tape is best heard as one of the CDs in "Cocaine on a Dentist Chair."
Oakland 11/9/69 1st show; 70 min; 7.0 m; "Bring It Back Aliver"
Another audience tape that did not circulate until the mid '90s. The PA
blows out early on; the replacement system is quiet which makes for a good
recording. The show is average. The rare "Liver Than They'll Ever Be" LP
and CD sound better than the more easily available title listed; this is
probably available on a Japanese CD as well.
Oakland 11/9/69 2nd show; 70 min; 8.0 m; "Liver Than You'll Ever
Be"/ many others
The first Stones bootleg. Many, many different releases on LP, now almost
the entire concert is on CD. (The listed CD is not quite complete due to
tape flaws but there is a rare Japanese CD of the entire Oakland tape, with
flaws.) Good audience recording for the time but Mick's voice is too loud.
Average performance. The LP, the first rock music bootleg with good sound,
caused a sensation back in 1970 and was even reviewed in Rolling Stone
magazine. CDs sound about the same as the old LPs, without the scratches
which plague some pressings. Coincidentally, a primitive incomplete
soundboard tape recorded by either Bill Graham's Grateful Dead-related
people and broadcast on KSAN in 1972 is available on a rare German LP which
was dubbed onto the "Hangout" CD. The best source may be the "Oakland
Sixty-Nine" CD, which I have not heard. The soundboard tape sounds much
different but the overall quality is similar.
San Diego 11/10/69; 40 min; 8.0 m; "Stoneaged"/others
Best 1969 recording though it's an audience tape, good even by modern
standards. Decent performance, marred by the amazingly out of tune show-
closer Street Fighting Man. The original LP has been copied onto CD; the
complete (70 min) performance is also available on CD. Original LPs sound
better than any CDs. Of the current, complete CDs, the VGP release, "It's
No Hangin' Matter," is preferred by some but others prefer TSP's release,
which is carefully spliced to add in missing pieces of the show.
Personally, I think VGP's is a tiny bit better. (The VGP CD also includes
yet another re-release of MSG 11/27/69).
Phoenix 11/11/69; 50 min; 6.5 m; "Gathering Madness"/
others
This is a decent audience tape which suffers from low frequency distortion.
The tape didn't circulate until the '90s. Supposedly it was recorded by
the same people (TMOQ) who did the earlier West Coast shows. Worth getting
if you have to have everything. Note "Sky Pilots" is said to be slightly
better but I haven't heard it. It also includes the Amsterdam 10/9/70
concert in mediocre quality.
Champaign, IL 11/15/69 1st show; 60 min; 4.0 m; "Cocaine on a Dentist
Chair"
This is a below average audience tape which first turned up in 1993. The
tape recorder couldn't handle the volume and distorts on everything except
the acoustic songs. Jagger's comments to the crowd are at least amusing.
The title must have gotten lost in the translation; maybe it refers to
Keith's bragging about how he used to buy drugs from a guy who stole them
from dentists.
Detroit 11/24/69; 70 min; 6.0 s; "Live in Detroit"/others
Decent audience recording for 1969 but not good by modern standards.
Originally released as the second ever Stones boot (also reviewed in
Rolling Stone mag) "We Didn't Really Get It on Until Detroit;" supposedly
Mick said this meaning it was the first really good show of the tour. Now
out on this CD, dubbed from the very rare 2 LP set with minimal loss in
quality but some dialogue chopped out. 3 songs (where are the rest?) from
a soundboard tape (from a video!) are available on a rare German LP and the
CD-R "American Tour, 1969 Soundboard Compilation."
Baltimore 11/26/69; 60 min; 6.5 m; "Baltimore 1969"
Decent audience tape of one of the best 1969 shows. First available on the
"Devil's Disciple" LP, now the entire tape is on CD in better sound. A new
source tape for the first 30 minutes of the concert started circulating in
the summer of 1995 and was soon made into the misleadingly titled "Live in
Washington 1969" CD; later pressings have the title corrected to Baltimore.
Its quality is even better. Love in Vain on "Ya Yas" is from this show,
not NYC as claimed.
MSG, NYC 11/27/69; 65 min; 7.0 m; "It's No Hangin' Matter"/
others
This show was another early boot LP; the entire concert is now on CD,
roughly the same quality but without LP surface noise. Above average
audience tape, good show. If interested, see Chris M.'s detailed article
on what from this show was used on "Ya Ya's." The listed CD is said to be
the best ever release; it also includes San Diego 11/10/69.
MSG, NYC 11/28/69 2nd show; 65 min; 5.0 m; "Live in NY 1969"
This rarely circulated tape is not a good recording, but it's a useful
document for those who want to hear a "Ya Ya's" show without overdubs.
(This CD also includes the 11/27/69 show).
Baltimore + NYC acetate tracks; "Get Your Ya Ya's Out"/1
other
This CD is dubbed from an acetate with somewhat different version of the
tracks on "Get Yer Ya Ya's Out." Most interesting are probably the extra
Taylor parts in Jumping Jack Flash and the missing verse in Sympathy.
Sound is said to be clear and crisp but scratchy. The listed CD also
includes bonus tracks from the official release in said to be superior
quality.
Boston 11/29/69 2nd show; 65 min; 6.5 m; "That's No Way To Get
Along"
Above average audience tape. Not great though. This CD runs a little
fast.
West Palm Beach, FL 11/30/69; 70 min; 6.5 m; "Palm Beach 1969"/others
A good up front audience tape, marred by speed variations which start
halfway through. This was a damp, chilly concert where the Stones didn't
go on until 4 AM, and the guitars are frequently out of tune. Still worth
hearing. This Japanese CD is made from a very low generation tape,
probably the best available. Note: VGP has released "Miami Pop Festival,"
which might be better.
Altamont Speedway 12/6/69; 82 min; 5.5 m; "The Killer Festival"
The infamous free concert. A tape recorder is visible in the "Gimme
Shelter" movie; is this the tape? The recording is flawed, very muffled at
times, and the drums are frequently inaudible. Great concert highlighted
by improvised performances of Jimmy Reed's "The Sun is Shining" (or
Lightnin' Slim's "Help Me Spend My Gold," if you prefer that title) and the
just-written "Brown Sugar." Even the comments from the crowd are
interesting. This 2CD set has the entire concert in best-ever audience
quality, in mono instead of the usual reprocessed stereo. One song, "Gimme
Shelter," is available from a near perfect board tape on "A Shot of
Salvation" below.
"Gimme Shelter" soundtrack; 40 min; 9.5 s; "There's No Angel Born in
Hell"/ others
There are several LPs and CDs made from the movie soundtrack.
Unsurprisingly, those released after the movie became available on HiFi
video sound quite good. Unlike "Ya Yas," these songs have minimal if any
overdubs. Note that the video in the movie is spliced together from
several shows and does not always match the music. The remastered video
which was released in 1992? is virtually in mono but ca. 1989 CDs are
stereo because they are made from the earlier HiFi videos. (Don't know if
the "Gimme Shelter" unauthorized CD is mono or stereo.)
Live & Studio '69-'74; 60 min; 8.5 s; "A Shot of Salvation"
This was the first outtakes CD to break new ground compared to the vinyl
era. It has outstanding to excellent sound and includes material never
before available, even on tape. Rumor has it that this and some of the
other "Scorpio" and related CD are made from tapes sold at Sotheby's
auction house, which would certainly explain why some of the material is
"new" to collectors.
The next tour, Europe in the fall of 1970, was musically similar to
the 1969 US tour except that a horn section was used for the first
time.
Typical set for 1970 European tour: Jumping Jack Flash, Roll Over
Beethoven, Sympathy for the Devil, Stray Cat Blues, Love in Vain,
Prodigal Son, Dead Flowers, Midnight Rambler, Live with Me, Little
Queenie, Let it Rock, Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman, Street Fighting
Man. Played infrequently: Gimme Shelter.
Most of these shows are available as audience tapes. As with 1969
tapes, quality varies from atrocious to pretty good. Almost all of
the good tapes have been made into LPs or CDs.
Malmo, Sweden 8/30/70; 71 min; 5.0 m; "Made in Sweden"
This recording, like the other two in this 3 CD set, is a very typical 1970
audience tape, which is to say it's lousy by almost any standard. The
sound is garbled in the middle of the concert. Definitely for fanatics
only. At least it's roughly the equal of the tape being traded. This is
the first show of the tour and the only known 1970 performance of Gimme
Shelter. (This CD also includes other 1970 Swedish recordings). Also
available as the single CD "Sweden 1970."
Stockholm 9/4/70; 39 min; 5.5 m; "Made in Sweden"
Probably the best recording of the set, which isn't saying that much, but
unfortunately not complete.
Gothenburg 9/6/70; 58 min; 4.5 m; "Made in Sweden"/1 other
Almost complete, but this is the worst recording of the three. Also
available on "Live in Frankfurt and Gothenburg."
Hamburg 9/14/70; 67 min; 6.5 m; "Let it Rock"/others
Decent, well balanced audience tape. The speed gets warbly toward the end.
Good performance as are all 1970 shows. Also available on "Prodigal Sons
Tour Mother Europe," coupled with a poor recording from Copenhagen 9/12/70.
Also available on "Germany 1970," paired with Frankfurt 10/5.
Berlin 9/16/70; 70 min; 7.0 m; "Shake Your Hips"/others
Above average audience tape but not great by modern standards. Very good
performance before a wildly enthusiastic crowd. Parts of the concert are
also available on LPs in varying quality. This Japanese CD is the best
release yet of this concert and surpasses all previous LPs and CDs.
Cologne 9/18/70; 65 min; 7.0 m; "Cologne 1970"/others
Above average audience tape which did not turn up until 1993. Worth
hearing. There is a dedication to Jimi Hendrix, who died that morning.
There is at least one other CD of this show which has tape flaws through
the first 4-5, called "Eau de Cologne"--avoid it.
Paris 9/22/70; 70 min; 5.5 m; "Paris Affair" (FM
w/commentary)
This tape comes from a French radio broadcast, but the sound isn't very
good. Apparently the source tape came from a microphone held to the radio
speaker. How times change. The recording is certainly no better than an
audience tape, and the between song commentary is annoying. This VGP CD is
a little better than previous releases but might run a little fast.
Paris 9/23/70; 60 min; 7.5 m; "Shake Your Hips"/others
The only 1970 soundboard recording to date, and a primitive one at that
which surfaced in 1993. It's another fine 1970 show with a long "Brown
Sugar" and hot "Sympathy." This Japanese CD is the best release yet of
this concert and surpasses all previous CDs. For some reason it's missing
the last two (inferior quality) songs from a radio broadcast which were on
an earlier CD, also from VGP. (Note: There is a great [9.0] snippet of
"Sympathy" from this show on VGP's "From the Vaults;" see below).
Various live '70-'73; 58 min; varies; "From the Vaults"
This is a compilation of various live performances and the quality varies
widely, from 5.5 to 9.0. Starts off with an amazing incomplete recording
of "Sympathy" from Paris 9/23/70, which is by far the best soundboard
recording of 1969 or 1970. Where's the rest??? It's all downhill after
that, but worth getting anyway as it includes the two Dick Cavett show '72
tracks and the Montreal '72 newsreel audio in fine quality. There are also
two songs from the Vienna '73 audience tape in best ever quality. Lesser
tracks are various audience recordings, and '73 German TV tracks which can
be heard on "MT We Thank You" (see below) in better quality.
Milan 10/1/70; 60 min; 5.5 m; "Street Fighting Men in
Milan"
This LP was really criticized in "Hot Wacks," the so-called bootleg bible.
In fact it's a very typical 1970 audience tape, unfortunately with many
cuts and an incorrect song listing. Worth picking up for those interested
in the 1970 tour; I don't think this is on CD.
Frankfurt 10/5/70; 60 min; 5.5 m; "Live in Frankfurt
10/5/70"/1 other
An average audience recording, a little warbly sounding. Missing one song.
Worthwhile for Taylor fanatics. Also available on "Germany 1970," paired
with Hamburg.
Frankfurt 10/6/70; 45 min; 6.5 s; "Live in Frankfurt and..."
This is an above average recording for the time but not great by modern
standards. The CD is made from a rarely traded tape. The tapers are
audible on the tape and sound American; you get one guess as to what
they're doing while watching the show. (This CD also includes the poorly
recorded Gothenburg 9/6/70 show).
Essen 10/07/70; 50 min; 7.0 m; "European Tour 1970"
Another early boot; until the mid '80s this was the only easy to get 1970
show. A very well recorded audience tape of a good concert. The LPs have
been copied onto CD, but the best source is the old Rubber Dubber 2 LP set
though all pressings have surface noise.
Before their contract with Decca expired, The Stones were required to
record one more song. Fed up with Decca, they recorded Cocksucker
Blues, an obscene tale about a lonesome schoolboy. Its unauthorized
releases are frequently paired with a studio outtake of Brown Sugar
featuring Eric Clapton on third guitar.
"CS Blues"/"Brown Sugar"; 10 min; 10.0 s; "CS Blues"/12"/7"
"CS Blues" is a cool song if you're not offended by the subject matter and
have a sense of humor about it. Even Mick cracks up a little while
singing. This "Brown Sugar" is interesting and has more of a funky/party
feel than the official version. Both songs are usually available in
extremely good quality.
The band did a farewell tour of England in March, 1971 before moving
to France as tax exiles. "Sticky Fingers" was released after this
tour. Let It Rock from Leeds 3/13 has been legally released in
Europe on vinyl.
Typical set for 1971 English tour: Jumping Jack Flash, Live with Me,
Dead Flowers, Stray Cat Blues, Love in Vain, Midnight Rambler, Bitch,
Honky Tonk Woman, Satisfaction, Little Queenie, Brown Sugar, Street
Fighting Man. Played infrequently: I Got the Blues, Let It Rock
(encore).
Coventry 3/6/71 2nd show; 62 min; 5.0 m "Farewell tour Coventry
1971"
After this release, every known tape from this short tour is now out on CD.
Too bad this is such a bad recording; if more '71 tapes were around this
probably never would have come out on CD. This might be worthwhile for
those who want to hear more from 1971.
Leeds, UK 3/13/71; 60 min; 10.0 m; "Get Your Leeds Lungs
Out"/ many others
Great recording from the BBC though in mono. The first 2 songs are missing
from every release. Relatively laid back performance. The rare LP on the
Royal Sound label is the best sounding release IMHO, but Swingin' Pig
releases are nearly as good. Their "...Revisited" CD features thunderous
bass, and includes the stereo "Let It Rock" from the Spanish "Sticky
Fingers" LP. (The Revisited CD is also electronically reprocessed to
simulate stereo, and runs faster than the original release).
London 3/14/71; 52 min; 6.5 m; "London Roundhouse"
Mediocre audience recording on LP. Good performance. "More Music and
Better Sound" LPs have "Prodigal Son," others don't. The LP sounds a
little slow. This has been copied onto different Japanese CDs. The CD of
the same name sounds over-processed to my ears but I recommend the version
that comes with the "Lost Marquee Tapes" set (see below), as it's a nice
transfer, speed corrected and carefully equalized.
Marquee Club 3/26/71; 40 min; 8.0 m; "Marquee 71 + Sticky Out"
(sic)
TV broadcast with bad sound for a professional recording. Fine performance
but it was touched up in the studio. This is the only live version of "I
Got the Blues." The enhanced original broadcast is available on several
LPs but the CD listed above is best. The unenhanced performance, which was
going to be re-broadcast in 1992, is available on 2 different CDs; the
better one is the Japanese "The Lost Marquee Tapes 1971."
"Exile on Main Street" was recorded in the basement of Keith's house
in France. Outtakes are available.
"Exile" outtakes 10/70; "Wingless Angels"/others
No, this isn't the new Keith Rastafarian release. It's 10 Exile outtakes
in arguably best ever quality, though with some hiss. Leadoff track is the
early version of Shine A Light (Get A Line On You), from an official Leon
Russell Mobile Fidelity CD. Also includes 7 songs from Fort
Worth/Philadelphia '72 (see below), equal in quality to "Very Ancient,
Thank You Kindly" (see below).
Rehearsing for the upcoming 1972 US tour, the Stones were filmed by
the BBC.
Montreux rehearsals 5/21/72; 25 min; 9.0 m; "Gather No Moss"
Also available on several LPs ("Bright Lights Big City" for one) and the
Time Trip CDs; the listed CD is fine quality and there are no duplicate
songs as on Time Trips.
The 1972 US tour in support of "Exile on Main Street" was successful
both musically and financially. Not one but two movies were made,
the unreleased behind-the-scenes "Cocksucker Blues" and the concert
documentary "Ladies and Gentlemen the Rolling Stones." Several
concerts were recorded for a double LP live album but it remains
unreleased due to Decca withholding the rights to songs.
Typical set for 1972 US tour: Brown Sugar, Bitch, Rocks Off, Gimme
Shelter, Happy, Tumbling Dice, Love in Vain, Sweet Virginia, You
Can't Always Get What You Want, All Down the Line, Midnight Rambler,
Bye Bye Johnny, Rip This Joint, Jumping Jack Flash, Street Fighting
Man. Played infrequently: Loving Cup, Honky Tonk Woman (encore),
Uptight/ Satisfaction (encore). Played once: Torn and Frayed,
Ventilator Blues, Don't Lie to Me, Dead Flowers, Sweet Black Angel.
Many of these shows are available as audience tapes, with the quality
ranging from atrocious to very good. All of the good tapes have been
made into LPs or CDs except for snippets here and there.
Vancouver 6/3/72; 85 min; 6.5 m; "Vancouver 1972"
Decent audience recording. First show of the tour and sloppy, but this is
the only live performance of several songs. This Japanese CD is said to be
the better of at least 2 from this show.
Seattle 6/4/72 1st show; 80 min; 5.0 m; "A Fair to Remember
Revisited"
Seattle 6/4/72 2nd show; 80 min; 6.0 m; "A Fair to Remember
Revisited"
I read a favorable review of this on Undercover but am not so impressed.
The first show has never been available in very good quality; this CD is
about as good as it gets which is to say average '72 audience at best. The
recording sounds a bit slow too. The second show is an above average
recording for the era but this CD is not made from the best available tape;
there is hiss which shouldn't be there. This definitely runs slow as well.
At least both shows include "Loving Cup." The CD title is lifted from a
European LP of the mid '80s.
Hollywood Palladium 6/9/72; 55 min; 6.5 m; "Burning at the..."
Decent audience recording. Very good show. For some reason none of the
1972 TMOQ recordings turned out as good as their 1969 recordings. LP has
been copied onto a rare Japanese CD.
LA Forum 6/11/72 2nd show; 80 min; 6.0 m; "Get Your Rocks Off"
Decent audience tape but not great. Not sure if this has been copied onto
CD (yet).
Dallas 6/23/72 reh.; 135 min; 7.5 s; "Stones Touring Party"/
others
Apparent studio rehearsals, perhaps to get ready for the upcoming filming.
Hard to say, because the material is fairly uninteresting jams with little
in common with the '72 set. Mediocre mixing board recording with excessive
vocals.
Fort Worth, 6/24/72 1st show; 83 min; 6.5 m; "Sweet Black Angel"
Fort Worth, 6/24/72 2nd show; 78 min; 6.5 m; "Sweet Black Angel"/
others
This CD is made from 1st generation previously uncirculated audience tapes,
recorded near the stage. Keith's guitar is very loud but not
objectionable; otherwise these are very nice recordings though perhaps a
bit trebly. Most interesting to collectors, these shows feature rare
songs, as the band was filming the "Ladies and Gentlemen" tour movie. The
1st show includes the previously unknown Sweet Black Angel and Dead
Flowers, and the 2nd show includes Don't Lie to Me. (Also available on a
competing CD "Ain't No Angel on Main Street," also a 4CD set, said to sound
better, and with bonus tracks from Philly). (The 2nd show is also
available on the "Mick Taylor We Miss You" CD, from a totally different
audience tape which is not as good. This is not to be confused with the
old LP of the same name, which is the Philadelphia/ Fort Worth soundboard
tapes).
"Ladies & Gentlemen" sndtrk; 80 min; 8.5 s; "Dragon Slayers"
This is the 1972 tour movie recorded in Fort Worth and Houston 6/24-25.
This Japanese CD is quite good quality but not as good as what can be heard
in "25x5." Earlier LPs, including "Dragon Slayers," are not as good as
this CD.
Mobile, AL 6/27/72; 70 min; 6.0 m; "Mobile 1972"
Decent audience tape; available slightly better on tape than on this CD.
There are some similarities to the Fort Worth shows but no rare songs.
Washington, DC 7/4/72; 75 min; 6.5 s; "Jack Daniels on Tour"/
others
This is an above average audience tape, and this CD is better than all
previous releases of this show, so this might be worth tracking down. Note
that this title was previously used for an old LP of the Fort Worth/Philly
soundboard material.
Norfolk, VA 7/5/72; 75 min; 6.0 m; "Drive Me Crackers"/others
Decent audience tape. Frustratingly, the old, incomplete LP "Going Back to
the Roots" is better sounding (7.0 m). I am told there is an improved CD
with the same title as the old LP, but haven't heard it yet. (The GBTtR CD
also includes Indianapolis 7/12/72).
Charlotte, NC 7/6/72; 62 min; 7.0 s; "Back to the Roots"/
others
Best audience recording of the '72 tour. Missing the first 2 songs. A
rare Japanese CD includes the incomplete second song. Available on LPs
since not long after the concert, but the CDs are better and more complete.
However, even the CDs are not as good as some tapes.
Akron, OH 7/11/72; 72 min; 5.5 s; "Akron Rubber Bowl"
Not a great recording, but this audience tape prominently features Nicky
Hopkins. For hardcore fans only, or Nicky fans.
Indianapolis 7/12/72; __ min; ___ _; "Goin' Back to the Roots"
Said to be okay quality, recorded far from the stage. Haven't heard the
CD, but that sounds like my tape. (This CD also included Norfolk 7/5/72).
Toronto 7/15/72 2nd? show; "Street Fighting Men in
Toronto"
Said to be a "very good" audience tape. Also available on a nicely
packaged 2LP set, "Standing at the Kitchen Door," which is only 6.0 m
quality
Boston 7/18/72; 75 min; 6.5 m; "They're Really Rockin' in
Boston"
This concert started very late after Mick and Keith were arrested earlier
in the day. Decent recording. This CD omits the mostly unintelligible
speeches explaining the delay.
Philadelphia + Fort Worth; 170 min; 8.5 s; "Philadelphia Special"(1 &
2)/ others
Some of the unreleased '72 live album has come out on boots. Legend has it
these versions of the recordings were first broadcast on either Radio
Luxembourg or WMMS Cleveland, but a more believable story is that 2
cassettes were sold backstage during the 1975 tour by a Stones associate.
(Apparently the cassettes were then played over the radio in Cleveland.)
These are fine raw recordings that have not been properly mixed in the
studio, and do not have any overdubs AFAIK. Best sources are the pre-
Swingin' Pig "Philadelphia Special" 2 LP set (b&w cover, 'RSGL 72' written
in dead wax) and the Swingin' Pig "Philadelphia Special 2." The "pitch
corrected" single CD "Philadelphia Special," no company name, matrix #
94101 is a dub of the RSGL 72 LP with the same cover, and is also
recommended. All other LPs and CDs are inferior; the Swingin' Pig
"Philadelphia Special 1" is overly NoNoised, but does have a few more
tracks than the original release. The "Unreleased Decca Live Album"
(should be Rolling Stones Records, btw) is hissy; avoid. Incidentally
"PS2" includes a few songs from the "Ladies and Gentlemen" soundtrack for
some reason.
Various live '72-'73; 75 min; 8.5 s; "Very Ancient, Thank You
Kindly, American Tour
1972"
This is an interesting release. It's mostly finished/close to finished
mixes of the Lost Live Album, with a few lesser quality bonus tracks.
Sound on the Lost Live Album tracks is noticeably better than on
"Philadelphia Special" though I wish the guitars were louder. There are
noticeable vocal overdubs in places. Some of these tracks were previously
released on the "Keep Your Motor Runnin'" LP, but there are more here, and
in stereo instead of mono. (Unfortunately no "You Can't...," which is on
KYMR). However, KYMR is still worthwhile, as it has slightly more/better
treble than VATYK, and runs at the correct speed whereas VATYK is a hair
fast. All tracks recorded in Fort Worth/Philly/Houston except: Rocks Off-
-Charlotte (audience tape); Dead Flowers--Ladies and Gents soundtrack;
Ventilator Blues, Torn and Frayed, and Loving Cup--Vancouver; band intros--
Pittsburgh; Don't Lie to Me--Fort Worth (unmixed soundboard tape ala
"Philadelphia Special"); It's All Over Now--Hawaii '73. (Note that good
quality supposed Philly tracks are on "Wingless Angels;" see 10/70
listing.)
Pittsburgh 7/22/72; 70 min; 7.0 s; "The Royal Dragon"/others
The second 1972 soundboard tape to surface; this one didn't turn up until
the summer of 1996, though it was long rumored in tape trading circles.
The listed CD, which I haven't heard, is said to be "definitely better"
than two previous, similar CDs. They were made from a high generation
tape. On all releases Sweet Virginia is from Fort Worth 6/24/72 2nd show,
not Pittsburgh.
MSG, NYC 7/24/72; 80 min; 4.5 m; "MSG '72"
This is listed so you can all avoid it. This show is available in average,
listenable quality on tape. However, this CD runs much too fast and is
made from a poor generation, hissy tape. Both tape and CD are garbled at
the end.
MSG, NYC 7/26/72; 45 min; 8.5 s; "Welcome to New York"
Mick Jagger's 29th birthday was also the last concert of the '72 tour.
Legend has it this stereo soundboard recording was stolen from the mixing
desk by 2 fans. Some LPs ("Tour '72," some versions of "Madison") are in
mono and only have the "Mick Taylor" channel so Keith can barely be heard.
Swingin' Pig releases are dubbed from old vinyl and drastically over
NoNoised. Best source is old vinyl with 'RS 546 REI' written in the dead
wax. Good luck finding a copy! Next best is probably the later pressing
with the '2815' matrix; these are considerably easier to find.
MSG, NYC 7/26/72 (audience); 30 min; 6.0 m; "The Loveliest Night of
Seattle 72"
This tape was completely unknown in trading circles until it was discovered
through the Internet, of all places, in 1993. The Japanese of course put
it out on CD. It's a decent recording, and captures the first part of the
concert which is missing from "Welcome to New York." (Most of this CD is
Seattle 6/4/72, 2nd show).
The next tour was to Australia with a few stops along the way. The
first stop was Los Angeles, where the Stones played a benefit concert
for victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake. Musically, this tour was
similar to the '72 US tour, except the LA and Hawaii shows feature
attempts at older songs such as Route 66 which don't work that well
and are dropped for the Australian tour.
Typical set for winter 1973 tour: Brown Sugar, Bitch, Rocks Off,
Gimme Shelter, Happy, Tumbling Dice, Love in Vain, Sweet Virginia,
You Can't Always Get What You Want, Honky Tonk Woman, All Down the
Line, Midnight Rambler, Little Queenie, Rip This Joint, Jumping Jack
Flash, Street Fighting Man. Played infrequently: Route 66, It's All
Over Now, No Expectations, Live with Me.
There are several audience tapes from this tour not made into LPs or
CDs. None are that exciting quality wise.
LA Forum 1/18/73; 80 min; 6.5 m; "Winter Tour 1973"
Mediocre audience tape with a couple rare songs. The LPs have been copied
onto a Japanese CD which has the treble considerably boosted. The
scratches sure are loud (!) but the music does sound better this way.
Honolulu 1/21/73 1st show; 71 min; 7.5 s; "In Exotic
Honolulu"/others
Above average audience recording. Good performance. Available incomplete
on LP, CD is complete, similar quality. This listed CD title is the same
as the original LP, and it includes both shows on two CDs in what has to be
about the best possible quality.
Honolulu 1/21/73 2nd show; 77 min; 7.5 s; "In Exotic
Honolulu"/others
Another above average recording, from a tape which first surfaced in 1992.
There are several CDs in roughly the same quality though the listed title
is said to be the best; some CDs miss "Street Fighting Man" due to the
length of the show.
Auckland, NZ 2/11/73; 75 min; 7.0 m; "Winter Tour-Auckland
1973"/ others
The first show of the Australia/New Zealand tour, this tape did not
circulate until the CD was released in 1994. It's a good, clear recording
of a subpar performance. The Stones are pretty sloppy here. For those who
have to have everything.
Melbourne 2/17/73; 73 min; 7.0 m; "Melbourne All You Can
Eat"/ others
Good up front audience recording with some speed fluctuations. This tape
did not circulate before the "Temperature Rising" CD was released. Good
performance. The listed CD runs at the correct speed throughout, unlike
"TR," and its copy "125 Degrees in the Shade," which are too fast for the
most part. (Listed CD also includes Melbourne 2/18/73).
Melbourne 2/18/73; 77 min; 6.0 m; "Advantage Melbourne"
Average audience tape of a typical good performance, presented on a rare
and expensive CD. You make the call. Note: Also on the VGP CD "Melbourne
All You Can Eat," which is from a different, muffled tape source.
Perth, Australia 2/24/73; 50 min; 9.0 s; "Rocks Off"
A classic. This stereo soundboard tape first turned up in 1987 on a German
LP and is now on several CDs. Great recording and performance. I think
this Swingin' Pig release is the best; it's a combination of the 2/24 show
with parts of the 2/26 show; there is no 2/24 2nd show as some boots claim.
It sounds a little better than disc 1 of "Happy Birthday Nicky" below.
(Note: Total time of Rocks Off is longer; 50 min is the length of the 2/24
portion).
Sydney 2/26/73; 65 min; 8.5 s; "Happy Birthday
Nicky"/others
The CD may claim disc 2 is 2/24 2nd show, but there was no 2nd show that
day; it's actually Sydney 2/26. This is another stereo soundboard
recording though not quite as good as 2/24; the tape has been copied a few
more times. Avoid the Japanese "Winter Tour 1973" 2CD set if you ever see
it; it's the audience tape of the show. At least it has the last 2 songs
missing from the soundboard tape. VGP's "Rock 'n Roll Stew" is the
soundboard tape with the last two songs tacked on from the audience tape,
and the missing beginning of Brown Sugar added in from Perth; said to be
similar quality.
Sydney 2/27/73; 65 min; 8.0 s; "Welcome to Australia"/
others
This tape did not surface until 1993. It's another stereo soundboard but
not as good as the 2 above. The last show of the tour; Mick babbles at
times, but it's another good performance as usual. This release is the
first and only one so far with the entire concert, plus it's the best
quality yet, so it's worth tracking down. (This is the first complete
Taylor era soundboard tape to turn up, and it's taken 23 years).
To promote "Goats Head Soup" the Stones recorded 4 songs for Don
Kirshner's TV show.
Don Kirshner TV 7/17/73; 20 min; 8.5 m; "Beast of Eden"/others
I haven't heard this CD; they are also on the old "Angie" LP and of course
video too. Unexciting to hear but kinda neat to watch.
For the fall of 1973 there was a European tour in support of "Goats
Head Soup." Billy Preston replaced Nicky Hopkins as the keyboard
player. This would be the last tour with Mick Taylor.
Typical set for 1973 European tour: Brown Sugar, Gimme Shelter,
Happy, Tumbling Dice, Star Star (deleted from KBFH broadcast), Angie,
You Can't Always Get What You Want, Dancing with Mr. D, Heartbreaker
(first half of tour only), Midnight Rambler, Honky Tonk Woman, All
Down the Line, Rip This Joint, Jumping Jack Flash, Street Fighting
Man. Played infrequently: Bitch, 100 Years Ago, Silver Train, Sweet
Virginia.
Most of these shows are available as audience tapes. Quality varies
but most are mediocre.
Rotterdam reh. 8/73; 75 min; 7.0 m; "Can You Hear the Music?"
First available on an LP and now on a CD with the same title, in slightly
better quality and with more music. This is the best sounding part of
about 180 min of tour rehearsals. It's mostly uninspired workouts, but
there are songs never performed live, such as the title track. Listen
closely and you can hear odd sounds in the background, like cars starting.
Vienna 9/1/73; 90 min; 8.0 m; "Goodnight Vienna"/ others
Very good audience tape for the time. First show of the tour and there are
some mistakes but also some rare songs. Taylor burns on the rarely
performed "100 Years Ago." Available on several LPs and CDs; this recent
CD is the best release ever. VGP has done a nice job of splicing together
several different tapes to get the complete show.
Mannheim 9/3/73; 95 min; 5.0 m; "Mannheim on Ice"
Very ordinary audience tape. This rare Japanese CD is its first release.
Probably the only reason for its release is that several infrequently
performed songs are performed for the last time.
London 9/9/73 & 9/8/73 2nd show; 70 min; 6.0 m; "Come Back London '73"
This CD is a combination of 2 London shows though only 1 is listed. It's a
fairly hissy audience recording of great performances, among my favorites
from '73.
Manchester 9/12/73; 75 min; 6.5 m; "Manchester 1973"
Decent audience tape. Might not be worth paying the high Japanese price.
Newcastle 9/13/73 1st show; 75 min; 5.5 m; "Newcastle 1973"
Not the well-known soundboard excerpt, this is the complete audience tape.
The recording is average at best. Good performance as usual but this is
for completists only.
Various, Radio Luxembourg; 30 min; 10.0 m; "A Shot of Salvation"/
others
This is a combination of Newcastle 9/13 and London 9/9. Great mono
recording and performance. The rare Japanese CD "CS Blues" has the songs
in the correct order and with longer edits than "A Shot..." but sounds the
same. Two versions of this broadcast exist. The alternate version can be
heard on a rare German LP, a rare Japanese CD, and the "Gather No Moss" CD
(mislabeled as "Brussels"); it is not as good quality, but does include one
extra song, "Midnight Rambler."
Birmingham 9/19/73 1st? show; 70 min; 8.0 s; "Birmingham Odeon 1973"/
others
Very well done audience tape and good performance. The Oh Boy CD is the
best of at least 2. This is probably the best audience recording of the
tour and the listed CD is made from a low generation tape.
Bern 9/26/73 1st show; 70 min; 6.0 m; "Swiss Made"
Nowhere near as good a recording as the second show, this is a very
ordinary audience tape.
Bern 9/26/73 2nd show; 70 min; 7.5 s; "Swiss Made"
Very clear audience tape reveals some sloppiness by the band. This CD is
made from a better generation source tape than "Bern-1973." This CD lists
the date as 9/25/73 which is probably wrong.
Munich 9/28/73 2nd show; 75 min; 6.0 m; "Olympia Hall 1973"
Average audience recording. Note that this is the true Munich recording;
this date is sometimes given for the King Biscuit broadcast (see below).
Frankfurt 9/30/73 1st show; 75 min; 6.5 m; "Frankfurt Tapes 1973"
Frankfurt 9/30/73 2nd show; 75 min; 6.5 m; "Frankfurt Tapes 1973"
Both shows are available in a 2CD box. Each is a pretty good audience
tape. Mick Taylor is quite loud here, especially in the 2nd show.
Hamburg 10/2 1st, Essen 10/10/73, misc; "The Stars in the Sky..."/
others
Very good up front audience recording of both shows. This first appeared
as "The Jean Clarke Mammorial Sonic Barbecue" LP (7.0 s quality), which was
copied onto "The Stars in the Sky..." LP, and single and double CDs of the
same name. The 2CD has both complete shows but is not as good as the
original LP. The latest CD is by Midnight Beat, and includes the original
LP in supposedly best possible quality, plus filler tracks, mostly 10/17/73
2nd, to simulate a complete concert.
Copenhagen 10/7/73 1st show; 70 min; 5.5 m; "Greatest Dane"/others
Unspectacular audience tape. For fanatics only.
Copenhagen 10/7/73 2nd show; 70 min; 6.5 m; "Wonderful Wonderful
Copenhagen"
Decent audience tape. Uses cover art from a rare German LP but this is the
entire concert, plus it runs at the right speed, unlike the LP. It is
believed this is actually the 2nd show, not the 1st as claimed.
Essen 10/9/73; 55 min; 6.0 m; "Brown Sugar & White Snow"
Decent audience tape, somewhat tinny. The LP repeats part of the tape by
accident. Not available on CD as far as I know.
Essen 10/11/73; 72 min; 6.5 m; "Essen 1973"
Another pretty ordinary recording put out on CD. The last two songs are
from 10/10/73.
Rotterdam 10/13/73; 75 min; 5.0 m; "The Rotterdam Tapes 1973"
Rotterdam 10/14/73 1st show; 75 min; 5.0 m; "The Rotterdam Tapes 1973"
This is a very nicely packaged 2CD set in a box. Quite expensive, and the
recordings are below average. For those with yen burning a hole in their
pocket.
Antwerp 10/15/73; 77 min; 4.5 m; "How Come You Taste So
Good"
Some Japanese labels apparently will release any old tape they can get.
This is not a good recording; it's distant and very hissy.
Brussels 10/17 1st + London 9/9/73; 75 min; 9.5 s;"Brussels Affair"/others
This is a very common show on many bootlegs from the time of its first
broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour in Sep. 1974 until now. All
songs are from Brussels except Happy, Gimme Shelter, Heartbreaker, and
Street Fighting Man are from London. Old 2LP sets such as "Nasty Music"
combined this broadcast with 4 songs from the NYC 7/26/72 concert. Later
CDs have confused things further, for example "Brussels Affair" uses a
remixed broadcast for the first 3 songs, which happens to use the Brussels
versions of Happy and Gimme Shelter. Got it? The absolute best sounding
release of this broadcast is the rare German LP "Europe '73;" the "Brussels
Affair" CD is dubbed from it after the first 3 songs. The "Nasty
Music/Sound"/"A Tour de Force" LPs are almost as good; the classic
"Bedspring Symphony" LP is slightly below them but does have a hilarious
introduction. The 2 CD set "Headin' for an Overload" reproduces the first
2 broadcasts from 1974 (note 1 disc exactly matches "Bedspring Symphony")
in very nice quality, and is nicely packaged, but the CDs overlap and
neither is complete. (It also includes a ca. 1974 Dudley Moore/Peter Cook
interview with MJ and CW about "It's Only Rock and Roll.") The CD-R "La
Bruxelles Complete" pieces together the Brussels concert from various
broadcasts; quality varies somewhat. The most recent release of this show
is called "Lost Brussels." This CD includes Star Star from the Brussels
audience tape but otherwise is apparently the usual songs. I haven't heard
it, but it's probably a good choice if "Brussels Affair" is not available.
FM '73 1987/88 remixes/alt. vers.; 70 min; 10.0 s&m; "Nasty Remixes"
This material was first available on rare German LPs but it sounds much
better and is more easily available on this CD. It's both 1987-88 remixes
and edits of the familiar Brussels and London songs, plus two new ones
which were not broadcast until 1987-88: Brown Sugar from Rotterdam 10/14/73
2nd? show and Street Fighting Man from London 9/9/73. Note the first 3
songs here are identical to "Brussels Affair." Personally I prefer the
original mixes but think this Japanese CD is worth tracking down. Note:
This CD is also available in a remastered version which is said to have a
slight improvement in sound quality.
Brussels 10/17/73 2nd show; 25 min; 6.5 s; "Back to the Graveyard"
For a long time this tape was traded as Antwerp 10/15/73 2nd show. It's
apparently the 2nd Brussels show. This is a soundboard tape, but
incomplete and hissy. This is a rare Japanese CD; this show is also
available slightly incomplete on "Reflections of a Stone Alone." Note:
The "Gather No Moss" CD claims to be partly from this show; it's not. See
9/13/73. (The listed CD/LP also includes other 1973 material. The LP is
missing one song from Brussels due to space considerations.)
Berlin 10/19/73; 75 min; "Tour Over Europe 1973"
I quote from an Undercover review: "...A very good audience recording, but
a bit bass heavy. A quick adjustment of the tone controls easily solves
this problem. A tight sounding set as one might expect after touring for
the past two years." This tape was in trading circles for a few months
before VGP put it out.
Alternate mixes and outtakes from "Goat's Head Soup" and "It's Only
Rock and Roll" surfaced in 1996:
'73-'74 alt mixes/outtakes; 64 min; 9.5 s; "Acetates"
Once again interesting material which was never circulating has turned up
on CD. Really good quality with only slight distortion on a few songs, no
typical acetate crackles. I prefer most of the alternate mixes to the
released versions, and the outtakes are pleasant enough. The last few
songs are unimportant "mono mixes" which don't sound any different to my
ears.
To promote "It's Only Rock and Roll," the band again appeared on Don
Kirshner's TV show.
Don Kirshner TV 7/74; 13 min; 8.0 m; "Beast of Eden"
I believe this CD is the first unauthorized release of these songs; they
are fairly easily available on video. The widely seen "It's Only R&R"
video is from this show, as are the less well known ultra camp "Till the
Next Goodbye" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg."
Part 3: The Ron Wood era:
Just before the Stones were to go into the studio to record "Black and
Blue," in December 1974, Mick Taylor quit. Three different guest
guitarists ended up on the album, and the band also jammed with Jeff
Beck.
Outtakes '73-'79; 45 min; 9.5 s; "Lonely at the Top"
A classic LP of great quality, interesting studio outtakes. Most songs
have Ron Wood but a few are with Mick Taylor. The LP was copied onto CD
long ago. Now there are two different CDs with extra tracks; one is 58 min
long. Haven't heard the CDs so can't say how their quality compares to the
LP, but they are probably quite good.
Studio reh. 1-4/75; 70 min; 7.5 s; "Black and Blue Sessions"
Not so great quality CD of outtakes. The source tape is fairly hissy.
Moderately interesting with some extended songs; some songs are without
final overdubs. This is a fairly rare Japanese CD; similar material is on
the more easily available "Outtakes '74-'75" CD and the "Reggae and Roll"
LPs.
For the summer of 1975 US tour, Ronnie Wood was the "guest" lead
guitarist. Although Black and Blue was mostly recorded before the
tour, it was not released until after the tour was over. The 1975
and 1976 tours featured much longer sets than had been played in the
past. Billy Preston also performed two songs at each show.
Typical set for 1975 US tour: Honky Tonk Woman, All Down the Line,
If You Can't Rock Me/ Get Off of My Cloud, Star Star, Gimme Shelter,
Ain't Too Proud to Beg, You Gotta Move, You Can't Always Get What You
Want, Happy, Tumbling Dice, It's Only Rock and Roll, Heartbreaker,
Fingerprint File, Angie, Wild Horses, That's Life, Outta Space (both
sung by Billy Preston), Brown Sugar, Midnight Rambler, Rip This
Joint, Street Fighting Man, Jumping Jack Flash. Played infrequently:
Rocks Off, Sure the One You Need, Star Star, Gimme Shelter, Luxury,
Dance Little Sister, Cherry Oh Baby, Lady Jane (a capella by Mick),
Sympathy for the Devil (encore at about half the shows).
Most 1975 shows are available as audience tapes. In general audience
tapes from this point on are noticeably better; the drums sound
better in particular.
Baton Rouge, LA 6/1/75 1st show; 135 min; 7.0 s; "Cajun Queen's..."
Baton Rouge, LA 6/1/75 2nd show; 135 min; 7.0 s; "Whores in the Night"
The first 2 shows of the 1975 Tour of the Americas. First available on LP
incomplete and in mediocre quality, these are both 3LP sets of the entire
concerts, made from good clear audience recordings. The first show is
available on the Japanese CD "Baton Rouge '75." Both shows seem a little
tentative but not bad.
Kansas City 6/6/75; 135 min; 5.5 m; "Sure the One You Need"
Not a good recording, especially compared to some of the well-known ones
from this tour. The attraction here is the rarely performed title track.
I quote from an Undercover review: "...It's a complete audience recording
with quite a bit of hiss (worse in some places than others). The last few
songs are very distorted and muffled; not listenable. I'll keep it, if for
no other reason than the rarities played here: Sure the One You Need,
Luxury and Dance Little Sister (fortunately these appear during the better
portion of audio--less hiss and better clarity)."
Buffalo 6/15/75; 65 min; 7.5 s; "Hot As Hell"
Soundboard recording.
Toronto 6/17/75; "Toronto"
I quote from an Internet review: "The sound quality is good to very good
audience mono. Good guitar mix and vocals; drums and bass (bottom-end
frequency response) are a missing dynamic in the sound." This is available
on both extremely limited edition vinyl and limited edition CD. Note that
at least one song from this show is on "Love You Live."
NYC 6/22/75; "MSG 75"
I quote from an Undercover review: "A not so great audience recording.
The 2nd half of the concert only with special guest Eric (is God) Clapton
on SFTD. The sound is quite cluttered throughout and not very clear. If
Clapton is playing, it is quite hard to distinguish it. Even Phil Spector
would have a hard time liking this wall of sound. Too bad really..."
NYC 6/27/75; 7.5 s; "Preserve for
Future/Discover New
York/100% Odd Lots"/others
Well recorded audience tape. First available on LP back in the '70s
("Stereo Baby"), this has been on several LPs and CDs, but these Japanese
CDs are the best so far.
LA Forum 7/11/75; 160 min; 7.5 m; "LA Connection"/ others
Taken from the slightly famous "Hot As Hell" video except this is the
complete show. Soundboard recording with excellent drum sound but the
guitars are too low. This CD is said to be the best release yet of this
show. Mediocre performance IMHO. Apparently this show, on a Friday, was
reviewed positively in Rolling Stone magazine, leading to the misleading
"LA Friday" title given to some 7/13 releases.
LA Forum 7/13/75; 152 min; 9.0 s; "LA Friday"/ others
An extremely good audience tape, even by modern standards. This was
recorded by the people who released it on vinyl as the classic "1975 Tour
of the Americas" 3LP set. Now out on CD in even better quality than the
old LPs. This title is the definitive release, as it includes both Billy
Preston songs! Plus, it sounds a little better than the other CDs too.
However, it was not recorded on a Friday; it was a Sunday, but the title is
taken from one of the old LPs. Maybe it's just the recording, but IMHO
these are mostly better performances than sides 1, 2, and 4 of "Love You
Live."
Cow Palace, SF 7/15/75; 123 min; 8.5 s; "It's Only Rock & Roll"
Very nice audience tape, almost as good as the above recording but not
quite. This Japanese CD uses the cover artwork from a rare German 3 LP box
set but sounds noticeably better. The 7/16 Cow Palace show is available on
CD and LP in similar quality.
Chicago 7/23/75; VG ; "American Compendium"
Audience recording. Incomplete; only the 2nd half of the show. The CD
title is taken from an old LP.
Detroit 7/28/75; 90 min; 7.5 m; "Rock and Roll Goes on the
Road Again"/others
Soundboard recording though not the greatest. There is now another release
called "Don't Forget the Motor City," possibly a CD-R. I quote from an
Internet review of it: "Not the complete show... Great sound, though it
seems to my ears the master was running a bit fast..." 83 min. long. Also
available as "Detroit Rock City," which is probably similar quality.
Jacksonville 8/2/75; 104 min; 7.0 m; "A Tour De Force"
A very ordinary audience recording, with some hiss. There are some song
cuts and the Billy Preston songs are missing. Overall ok, but you can do
better. Note that this title was first used for a repackaged LP of the '73
King Biscuit broadcast.
Buffalo 8/8/75; "Sad Songs Is All I Know"
I quote from an Undercover review: "A very good audience recording with
little crowd interference. Only drawback is a thin layer of hiss
throughout the show from the tape source used. If not for that, this one
could rank with the best from this tour. Still very listenable..." Note
that this title is lifted from an LP of a different '75 show.
The 1976 European tour was musically similar to the 1975 US tour,
except that songs from "Black and Blue" were played.
Typical set for 1976 European tour: Honky Tonk Woman, If You Can't
Rock Me/ Get Off of My Cloud, Hand of Fate, Hey Negrita, Ain't Too
Proud to Beg, Fool to Cry, Hot Stuff, Star Star, Angie, You Gotta
Move, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Happy, Tumbling Dice,
Nothing from Nothing, Outta Space (both sung by Billy Preston),
Midnight Rambler, It's Only Rock and Roll, Brown Sugar, Midnight
Rambler, Street Fighting Man, Jumping Jack Flash. Played
infrequently: All Down the Line (twice), Rip This Joint, Angie,
Cherry Oh Baby (once), Sympathy for the Devil. Played at Knebworth
only: Satisfaction, Around and Around, Little Red Rooster, Stray Cat
Blues, Let's Spend the Night Together, Dead Flowers, Route 66, Wild
Horses, Honky Tonk Woman, Country Honk theme.
Most shows are available as audience tapes. For some reason there
are also a fair number of soundboard tapes available.
Frankfurt 4/29/76; 45 min; 7.5 s; "Frankfurt 1976"
The listed CD is a soundboard recording. Now it plus more of the concert
from a "very good" audience tape is out on "More than Welcome to
Frankfurt," which was originally the title of LPs from the '82 tour.
Kiel 5/2/76; "European Tour Kiel 1976"
Said to be good audience quality.
Berlin 5/3/76; VG ; "Low Tide and Fair Hits"
I quote from an Undercover review: "...above average audience recording.
For fans of the 75/76 Tours (like me) it is a good buy, but not essential."
Title is lifted from an old, lousy Knebworth LP.
The Hague 5/29/76; "Any Port in a Storm"
Incomplete show. Said to be VG audience quality. CD title is lifted from
an '80s European LP.
Dortmund, Germany 6/1/76; "Happy Birthday Ronnie"
I quote from an Undercover review: "Another of many above average audience
recordings from 1976. Again the quality is good enough to please
completists of this tour, but not for more discriminating tastes."
Paris 6/6/76; 100 min; 8.5 es; "Paris Aux
Printemps"/others
Soundboard recording, made from a pro-shot video. Parts of this show are
on "Love You Live." Good performance, arguably better than the next night;
worth getting. (The Swingin' Pig release is better than the Speeder Ball
release; TSP release has the wrong date).
Paris 6/7/76; 125 min; EX- ; "Paris Par Exc."/others
I quote from an Internet review: "...'Paris Par Excellence' [CD] is a bit
disappointing to me. VGP had already released [this] some time ago on
'Europe 76' [which] was the entire show but unfortunately only an audience
recording. [This is a] soundboard recording, but it's incomplete! 3
tracks are missing: 'Angie' and the two Billy Preston tracks (and also the
band introduction). The missing of the Preston tracks [is inexcusable]:
They are available in the same soundboard quality on the old bootleg LP
'Paris Par Excellence'... The first part of the show (disc 1) appears for
the first time ever as soundboard recording and is of slightly worse
quality (hiss) [than] the second part which was available before on some
bootleg LPs." Whew. Not much to add but I'll note that the old LP is 8.5
s; haven't heard the CD. The audience tapes are 7.0 m. Good performance;
parts of this show are on "Love You Live."
Lyon 6/9/76; 71 min; 8.0 s; "Backstage Limited"
I quote from an Undercover review: "Very good soundboard... missing a
couple Stones songs and the Preston numbers... Has a looser feel than the
Paris shows that preceded it. The vocals are a bit strong in the mix, but
so are the guitars and keyboards (at times). Listening to Midnight
Rambler, you get the full force of Mick's harp playing like seldom heard
elsewhere!..." The complete show is available on tape in slightly better
quality. This is a rare CD; this performance is available on the more
common "Les Inrockuptibles" (huh?).
Barcelona 6/11/76 "Barcelona Y'Ole"
I quote from an Undercover review: "...A solid audience recording, but
with many available from this tour, probably for completists only or those
that attended. Very acceptable quality though..."
Knebworth 8/21/76; "Hot August Night"/many
others
One of the Stones longest concerts, definitely the longest of the '60s and
'70s, before a large crowd. The Stones worked up a special expanded set
list for this show only. Interesting performance, if only to hear the
unusual songs. Many audience tape recorders were running, so was one at
the soundboard, plus there's a pro-shot video! There are many boots from
various sources: The "Best of Knebworth Fair" CD is worthwhile: 64 min;
7.5 m; it's made from the videos. Nice package but unessential. At least
one LP and two different CDs share the listed title; the latest CD (VGP is
apparently the best. I quote from an Internet review: "...Finally--after
so many bad releases--the perfect Knebworth CD. All tracks come in best
possible quality which means an exc. stereo soundboard recording for [most]
of the show. Only some songs in the second part are very good audience
recordings, but of these tracks no soundboard recordings exist."
The Stones came to Toronto in early 1977 to record live at the El
Mocambo Club. Keith was arrested there for heroin possession, but
recording took place and became side 3 of "Love You Live."
Toronto 3/4 & 3/5/77; 40 min; 8.5 s; "Small Club Gig"
I don't have this CD, but have a rare German LP. That is a combination of
a soundboard tape and 3 songs from an acetate, which were released on a fan
club disc. Good performance.
The next studio album was "Some Girls." Outtakes are available.
Outtakes late '77; 100 min; 9.0 s; "Paris Outtakes" I & II
This material is available on several LPs and possibly several CDs, but the
Vigatone set of 2 CDs is superior to anything else I've heard. Very good
recording and some interesting alternate and outtakes.
Outtakes late '77; 65 min; ___ s; "Some Girls Sessions"
I haven't heard this exact release but am told quality is an 8. I quote
from an Internet review: "...My copy is damn good quality with no clicking
or obvious problems which detract from listening. The ripping versions of
Hang Fire and Black Limo are worth the price alone IMHO... This is the
same as Place Pigalle Vol. 3, with a slight difference in track listing,
but the same running order..."
S.G./E.R. outs + SNL '78; 74 min; EX ; "Twilight Zone"
I quote from an Undercover review: "Quality is very good, but there is
some background hiss... [It] doesn't detract from the music much (more
noticeable between tracks, rather than during the songs) and it's well
worth getting.
For the 1978 US tour, the band played most of "Some Girls" and
dropped many older songs. The sets were considerably shorter than
the '75-'76 sets. Billy Preston was sacked; keyboardists Ian Stewart
and Ian McLagan were featured prominently. After the tour, the
Stones appeared on Saturday Night Live; they are the only band to
appear and play a three song set without interruption.
Typical set for 1978 US tour: Let It Rock, All Down the Line, Honky
Tonk Woman, Star Star, When the Whip Comes Down, Lies, Miss You,
Beast of Burden, Just My Imagination, Shattered, Respectable, Far
Away Eyes, Love in Vain, Tumbling Dice, Happy, Sweet Little Sixteen,
Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash. Played infrequently: Hound Dog,
Satisfaction, Street Fighting Man.
Most if not all shows are available as audience tapes. This tour was
heavily bootlegged; about 75% of the tour dates are available on
vinyl. Most have decent but not great quality. The listing below is
rather short since the LPs are all long out of print and I don't
collect them all.
Woodstock 5/78 reh.; 290 min; 8.5 s; "The Complete Woodstock
Tapes"/ others
Very nice soundboard quality. I quote from an Undercover review:
"Overall, the set has noticeably less hiss than the other Woodstock CD
releases I have [lists 3]. I have yet to hear any LP crackles either."
Another Undercover review: "4 CDs of very different/cool versions of songs
old and new. Some tracks are tedious, others abruptly end in the middle of
a song, but the sound throughout is excellent. The definitive set." This
recent release may be more than you want to hear (45 tracks), but there are
lots of old classics, including CS Blues (!) and other songs never played
live. Previous releases only have half of this material, or less.
Passaic, NJ 6/14/78; 90 min; 9.0 s; "Garden State 78"/others
Excellent stereo soundboard recording; probably the most well known boot of
the tour. Legend has it the tape was stolen from the soundboard before the
show ended which explains why the end is missing. Good performance except
the incomplete encore "Street Fighting Man" sounds completely unrehearsed;
it's terrible. Original LPs sound better than any CD release; in fact The
Swingin' Pig "Out on Bail" and Scorpio's "Capital Connection" both appear
to be dubbed from vinyl.
Washington, DC 6/15/78; "Far Away Washington"
The last of the small gigs which opened this tour; the Warner Theater only
holds a few thousand people. I quote from an Undercover review:
"...Another keeper. Above average sounding with a typically short set-
list..."
Chicago 7/8/78; "Tight Dresses and
Tampax"/ 1 other
I quote from an Undercover review: "A very good audience recording which
[is one of]... the two best audience recordings I've heard from this high
octane tour. Very pleased with this one." CD title is taken from an '80s
European LP which wasn't that great; sounds like this CD is better. Also
available on "Speed Freaks" which I also haven't heard.
Tucson, AZ 7/21/78 "Let the Juice Pumping"
I quote from an Undercover review: "A good but not great audience
recording. Very listenable but at lower volume levels. A bit too much
distortion interferes with what would have been a very good sounding show.
Especially compelling because Linda Ronstadt guests on Tumbling Dice, but
the damn recording volume was too high thus making the distortion. A
keeper, but sort of disappointing with what might have been."
Fort Worth 7/18/78; 90 min; 10.0 s; "Handsome Girls"
Part of this show was already available on the (rare) CD "Somewhere in
Dallas," but this is the entire show in best possible quality. I am told
this CD was made from tapes liberated from the King Biscuit archives, which
explains its outstanding quality. (This CD also includes '78 radio
broadcasts).
US radio '78 (various); 140 min; 10.0 s; "Handsome Girls"/many
others
These songs have been widely available since they were first broadcast in
1979, but this is their best quality ever. CDs 3 and 4 of this set compile
almost every song ever broadcast (4 are missing; they're on a few other
boots), plus a few that never were (Star Star). Since the source tapes
were liberated from the King Biscuit archives, they are not bleeped or
censored as they were for broadcast.
LA 8/78 outtakes; 93 min; EX- s; "One Night with
Tallahassee Lassie"
This is a copy of a rare Japanese CD "The Harder They Come," with extra
material added. The LA material was never before available.
Keith's sentence for heroin possession in Toronto was light: Perform
a benefit concert for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
At the start of the New Barbarians tour in Toronto, the Stones made a
surprise appearance.
Toronto 4/22/79 2nd show w/New Barbs; 100 min; 9.0 s; "Blind Date Revisited"
This used to be only available as an audience tape but a soundboard tape
turned up in 1995 and was put out by The Swingin' Pig. John Belushi
introduces the band. The performance can charitably (pun intended) be
described as "ragged;" the singing is mostly atrocious. In some respects
the audience tape is better; it has a better guitar sound for example.
"Emotional Rescue" outtakes are available.
"Emotional Rescue" outtakes; 67 min; EX- s; "Emotional Rescue Demos"
I don't have this CD, but these songs can be heard in quite good quality on
LP; the CD should be similar.
Outtakes 12/74, 1-3/78, 1-2/79; 73 min; 9.5 s; "Static in the Attic"
Great quality outtakes, mostly from "Emotional Rescue" though some are
earlier. Some are previously unheard and the others are probably in best
ever quality. Leadoff track is an undated interview with Mick, which I
happen to know is from Europe 1970. Asked about bootlegs, Mick says he
likes bootleg records! Of course, back in those days, being bootlegged was
almost an honor; it meant the band had serious fans.
As mentioned previously, the Stones broke from previous trends by not
touring Europe in 1979. The New Barbarians, with Keith and Ronnie,
toured instead. The next Stones tour was in the US, 1981, for
"Tattoo You." There was an official live album, "Still Life," and
movie, "Let's Spend the Night Together."
Typical set for 1981 US tour: Under My Thumb, When the Whip Comes
Down, Let's Spend the Night Together, Shattered, Neighbors, Black
Limousine, Just My Imagination, 20 Flight Rock, Going to a Go Go, Let
Me Go, Time is on My Side, Beast of Burden, Waiting on a Friend, Let
It Bleed, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Little T&A, Tumbling
Dice, She's So Cold, All Down the Line, Hang Fire, Star Star, Miss
You, Start Me Up, Honky Tonk Woman, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash,
Street Fighting Man (a few shows), and/or Satisfaction (most shows).
Played infrequently: Tops, Down the Road Apiece, Mona, Star Star.
Most if not all shows are available as audience tapes. About two
thirds of the tour dates are available on vinyl. The listing below
is rather short since the LPs are all long out of print and I don't
collect them all.
USA '81 (various, FM); 90 min; 9.5 s; "Time is on Our Side"/many
others
The various FM broadcasts are on many different LPs and CDs. As with the
'78 broadcasts, different versions of some songs are available. The
official live album "Still Life" overlaps with these broadcasts. Excellent
quality on almost all releases; some CDs are copied from old LPs.
Philadelphia 9/25/81; "Ain't It Good to be
Alive"/ others
Tour opener. I quote from an Undercover review: "Clearest of all
recordings [of this show]. Complete show. Slight hiss throughout which
reveals intermittent tape flaws (static sounding). Strong bass, vocals,
piano and drums, but weak guitar. Charlie's cymbals are very crisp." Goes
on to say it's better than "Philadelphia '81," for which I quote from an
Undercover review: "...'Tops' was performed here... As [usual with early
shows], the band is a bit less polished than later in the tour, but they
played this show with an edge that was clearly lacking as the tour
progressed..."
Philadelphia 9/26/81; "Waiting on 50 Million
Friends"
Originally available on LP; also available on CD, for which I quote an
Internet review: "...as is the case with most new Stones tours, [this
performance] contains rarely played songs like Mona and Down the Road
Apiece... [The CD] also has bonus songs from the New Jersey Meadowlands...
Though it is an audience recording, IMO it ranks right up there with the
better known soundboards from this tour in terms of performance and indeed
sound quality... After the very first song though the recording remains
perfect throughout... The guitars are very strong throughout, but the
major reason I love this title so much is the piano playing which you
hardly hear on any other titles..." As is frequently the case, an upgraded
CD has now appeared, for which I quote an Undercover review: "Richer,
fuller sound but nothing groundbreaking here. Unfortunately, VGP decided
to lop off the two bonus tracks that appeared at the end of the first
edition. Too bad, but I do like the sound better here."
Buffalo 9/27/81; ___ min; "Buffalo '81"
I quote an Undercover review: "This is a GREAT audience recording... There
is little crowd noise and it's nice and clear. Also this neat gem contains
the rare '81 tour track TOPS." Also includes Down the Road Apiece.
Los Angeles 10/11/81; "Never Too Old to Rock and
Roll"
Said to be "an above average audience recording." This CD title is lifted
from an LP title of the same show, but I don't know if the recording is the
same.
Seattle 10/15/81; 125 min; 8.5 m; "Now We Need You More Than
Ever"/ 2 others
Raw recording from a pro-shot video, but I like it. Good sound mix with
lots of guitar. First available on the hard-to-get Terappin (sic) label, a
similarly titled CD is now out from VGP. I haven't heard it, but it should
be as good if not better. "Bloody Night in Seattle" isn't quite as good,
and runs a bit slow.
San Francisco 10/18/81; "Candlestick Park '81"
I quote an Undercover review: "...You've got to hear how crisp it sounds
to believe it. It's an audience tape that sounds BETTER than a lot of
soundboards! Has the rarely played Star Star too..."
Houston 10/28/81; "Houston Can You Sing"
I quote an Internet review: "...It's a video soundboard in much the same
quality as Seattle 81 minus the ever present 'hum'... The sound improves
nicely after the first couple of tracks leaving this 'raw' soundboard
intact... The mix is steady once the sound levels out with the vocals
quite clear and the guitars right up front..."
Chicago 11/22/81 w/M. Waters; 35 min; EX _; "Sweet Home Chicago"
The Stones pay tribute to one of their heroes by playing with him and other
Chicago blues stars in a small club. Semi-professionally recorded and
filmed (the film has the wrong date). Worth seeing, or settle for the
audio.
Tempe, AZ 12/13/81; EX _; "Satisfaction Guaranteed"
This show was professionally recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour
radio show, and filmed for the "Let's Spend the Night Together" movie. Now
an almost complete soundboard tape has turned up. I quote an Undercover
review: "Excellent soundboard, which many have heard in the movie...
However, here the music isn't edited to death like the movie was. You get
the full blown concert without the requisite studio overdubs. A definite
keeper!" Another Internet review said, "...superb soundboard quality,
better than Hampton!"
Kansas City 12/1?/81; 145 min; "Didn't We Meet Somewhere
Before"/ others
I quote from an Undercover review: "An upgrade of the many incarnations of
the KC reunion show with Mick Taylor guesting from the tenth song on. I've
bought a couple of them [lists 2] only to be disappointed. ...[This] sounds
GREAT and blows the others away... I'm still not sure if this isn't a
soundboard. If it's an audience source, it sure doesn't have much crowd
interference... This one immediately became my favorite of the '81 tour,
both because of the superb sound and one last hurrah for Mick T. Long live
the Lead King!..." After that review, I'm sorry to say I haven't heard
this. I've heard some of the earlier releases--avoid them.
Hampton, VA 12/18/81; 140 min; 10.0 s; "20 Flight Rock"/many
others
Pay-per-view cable special available on many different LPs and CDs. Of
course videos also circulate. Excellent recording, unsurprisingly. I
think a few songs are on the official live album "Still Life." The listed
CD is said to be better than the well known Swingin' Pig title, which is
said to be overly NoNoised.
The next tour was the 1982 European tour, which was musically similar
to the 1981 tour.
Typical set for 1982 European tour: Under My Thumb, When the Whip
Comes Down, Let's Spend the Night Together, Shattered, Neighbors,
Black Limousine, Just My Imagination, 20 Flight Rock, Going to a Go
Go, Chantilly Lace (first part of tour), Let Me Go, Time is on My
Side, Beast of Burden, Let It Bleed (first part of tour), You Can't
Always Get What You Want, Little T&A, Tumbling Dice, She's So Cold,
Hang Fire, Miss You, Honky Tonk Woman, Brown Sugar, Start Me Up,
Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction. Played infrequently: Angie.
About two thirds of the tour dates are available on vinyl.
Rotterdam 6/2/82; "Hot Hot Hotterdam"
This is a CD-R from a new "label." I quote from an Undercover review:
"Overall the sound is somewhat bassy especially Charlie's bass drum but the
bass level improves during the course of the recording only to pick back up
during the last 1/3 of the show. Keith is way upfront at the start of the
show and mixes in at a more level range as Ron at the end... However,
Woody's solos' are turned up just at the right time. Mick remains at a
constant level and is quite clear. Some 'waviness' as I call it occurs
throughout the recording as if someone is moving with the recorder or there
is wind... but [it] is subtle enough to not be too distracting. The nearby
audience... remains polite during the show [but] their clapping and singing
become more evident at MY onward. One obvious distraction to the recording
is some guy who calls out the next number that he thinks will be played.
He obviously followed the '81 tour as he is right on except when Mick
throws out Chantilly Lace...! Sound quality rates well overall and makes
this [mono] recording... very comparable to other '81/'82 audience
recordings. This basically opening night of the '82 tour recording is rare
and can be appreciated by most hard core collectors... The performance is
very loose and upbeat and would be hard pressed to be considered a typical
opening night show. Woody flat out WAILS. Keith is tight and Charlie is
managing the pace of the songs like a master. The few minutes of rare
interviews with Mick by Dutch radio only adds to the completeness of these
discs..."
Rotterdam 6/4/82; VG+ ; "Rotter' Beast of Bourbon"
First available on LP; now out on CD using the same title. I quote from an
Internet review: "Although it's a nice show, this is really for the people
who were there as the sound is not very good. It's a decent audience
recording for the time, but it could have been better. All the audience
participation (me included!) doesn't make it better although the atmosphere
is great. Complete show with intro 'Take The A Train' and 3 minutes of
fireworks at the end." "Chantilly Lace" is said to be only G+ quality.
Berlin 6/8/82; "Beast of Bourbon"
I quote an Undercover review: "No question the best audience recording
from the '82 tour... All instruments are here, especially the guitar (the
acoustic on Waiting on A Friend is the best I've heard). It's the complete
show... A must have for 81/82 tour enthusiasts." Previously available on
a European LP with the same title, which I have, and it's nowhere near as
good as this CD must be.
Munich 6/10/82; "Willkommen in Munchen"
I quote from an Undercover review: "A very good audience recording with
radio broadcast reports interspersed throughout... Sound is upfront, only
a shade less in quality than 'Beast of Bourbon' and 'Demain le Soleil.'"
Paris 6/13/82; VG ; "Demain le Soleil"
I quote from an Undercover review: "A very good audience recording, but
the sound is a bit condensed. Doesn't sound as good as 'Beast of Bourbon,'
but a keeper nonetheless." Entire show.
Gothenburg, Sweden 6/19/82; 130 min; 8.0 m; "One More Time"
Quite good audience recording. Rare LP, copied as "Never Stop" which is
now out on CD. I quote from an Undercover review of the CD: "...IMO it's
an excellent audience recording and a keeper. Sure the audience is
present, but to me it enhances the show. This one and 'Beast of Bourbon'
are two of my favorite '82 tour releases."
Wembley, London 6/26/82; 45 min; 9.0 m; "One Day in June"
Rare German LP made from a BBC video (never broadcast?). Also on a
Japanese CD with the same title. This is apparently the show where Keith
punches Ronnie for spacing out on stage. That's not on the video, but the
start of "She's So Cold" is incredibly bad and the entire concert is pretty
lame. Naturally this is a really good recording.
Turin 7/11/82; "Mundialito 1982"
Available on a nicely packaged LP and a CD. The LP does not sound too
good. For the CD, I quote an Undercover review: "Average at best audience
recording with quite a bit of hiss throughout. Not an essential title,
except for completists. Angie was played here..."
Naples 7/17/82 + hotel/backstage; 102 min; 9.0 m/EX s; "Shattered in
Europe"
The concert portion of this is 76 min. It's a very nice soundboard, well
balanced with a little too much MJ. Sounds like a pretty good performance;
this is a must for any '82 tour fan. Minor speed variation at the end
though. Keith's (and Ronnie's?) backing vocals are very ragged; kind of
amusing. The rehearsals, which I have not heard as not all CDs have them,
are 26 min and said to be extremely good quality.
Due to tensions within the band, there was no touring again until
1989.
Outtakes are available for "Dirty Work."
"Dirty Work" outs. 7-11/85; "Crushed Pearl"/others
I quote an Undercover review: "...a truly excellent boot. The sound
quality is very good, although faint hiss can be detected on some tracks.
The guitar playing and interchange on tracks like One Hit and Dirty Work
are real razor-blade stuff. Dynamic. If only these takes had been on the
album... The real goodies on this CD are the Keef tracks, and there are
plenty of them. Crushed Pearl is truly awesome; a 10 min Too Rude that's
*sooo* laid back; the CMTV (but good) treat Me Like a Fool and the Sleep
Tonight-esque You're Too Much are all worth getting the CD for IMHO.
There's also an out from the (very) rough hotel demos, Broken Hearts for Me
and You. Definitely one to look out for."
After much speculation if there would ever be another tour, the
Stones finally toured the US in 1989 in support of "Steel Wheels."
For the first time, most of the live material was not from the new
album. Each concert was a look back on their long career, and they
performed songs that had never been attempted live. The band also
used a much larger cast of supporting musicians than in the past. The
Stones "toured" Japan in February 1990 by playing in Tokyo for about
10 days.
Typical set for 1989 Steel Wheels US tour: Start Me Up, Bitch, Sad
Sad Sad, Undercover of the Night, Harlem Shuffle, Tumbling Dice, Miss
You, Ruby Tuesday, Play with Fire, Rock and a Hard Place, Mixed
Emotions, Honky Tonk Woman, Midnight Rambler, You Can't Always Get
What You Want, Little Red Rooster (not at all shows), Before They
Make Me Run or Can't Be Seen, Happy, Paint It Black, 2000 Light Years
from Home, Sympathy for the Devil, Gimme Shelter, It's Only Rock and
Roll, Brown Sugar, Satisfaction, Jumping Jack Flash. Played
infrequently: Shattered, Salt of the Earth, Dead Flowers, One Hit to
the Body, Angie, Almost Hear You Sigh, Terrifying.
Most shows are available as audience tapes. The sophisticated sound
system plus improvements in tape recorders and microphones means some
audience recordings are very good indeed.
Toronto 9/3/89; 95? min; EX ; "Live in Toronto"
Made from a pro-shot video.
Toronto 9/4/89; "Wheeler Dealers"
I quote from an Undercover review: "...audience tape of complete show...
An excellent recording... ...very little crowd heard here. The music is
strong w/ some lesser played gems like one hit to the body. A definite
keeper." This was previously available on an LP with the same title.
East Troy, WI 9/9/89; "East Troy '89"/1 other
Soundboard recording. The listed CD is said to be better than "Wisconsin
Flat."
LA 10/19/89; "Live at the LA Memorial
Coliseum"/ 2 others
Hmmm. I haven't heard this one, but have seen two drastically different
reviews. One said: "...The guitars are right up from where they belong,
Keith's will make your ears bleed (unfortunately, the stage hands dropped
the guitar volume on a couple of songs)... The best release from the 89
tour bar none and that includes Atlantic City, Wembley, and Tokyo..." The
other review noted that there is another CD of the same recording but with
one extra song, and said neither is that great: "...'Get Back To Los
Angeles 1989' is a mediocre stage soundboard, with Mick Jagger's voice a
littler louder than I like it in the mix. The sound quality is identical
[to "Live at...]." Until I hear this, I'll trust the review that this
isn't so hot.
Dallas 11/11/89; 145 min; 8.5 m; "Texas Rangers"
Again, made from a pro-shot video.
Atlanta 11/21/89; 120 min; EX ; "Back in Business"
Atlantic City 12/19/89; 150 min; 10.0 s; many CDs + videos
Widely available.
Tokyo 2/24/90; "Steel Wheels Alive and
Rollin' 1990"
Said to be a soundboard recording with 3 audience tracks from other Tokyo
shows. I quote from someone else's review: "It is a mono soundboard, and
good but not great... almost no crowd noise, a little flat sounding; this
sounds like it came from the video mix..."
Tokyo 2/26/90; 140 min; 10.0 s; "Steel Wheels Tokyo 1990"/
others
Available on several LPs and CDs but this is said to be the only release
which is complete. Japanese CD.
The 1990 Urban Jungle Tour was musically similar to the Steel Wheels
tour. Typical set for Urban Jungle Tour: Start Me Up, Sad Sad Sad,
Harlem Shuffle, Tumbling Dice, Miss You, Almost Hear You Sigh, Ruby
Tuesday, Rock and a Hard Place, Mixed Emotions, Honky Tonk Woman,
Midnight Rambler, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Can't Be Seen
(3/4 of shows), or Before They Make Me Run (1/4 of shows), Happy,
Paint It Black, 2000 Light Years from Home, Sympathy for the Devil,
Street Fighting Man, Gimme Shelter, It's Only Rock and Roll, Brown
Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction. Played infrequently: Bitch,
Angie, Dead Flowers, Factory Girl, Blinded by Love, Terrifying,
Little Red Rooster, I Just Wanna Make Love to You.
Most shows are available as audience tapes.
Frankfurt 5/27/90; "Frankfurt Shuffle"
Said to be a nice audience recording. Another Internet review says, "The
mix is slightly off... all instruments except Charlie's drums are a little
too low... I would give this a VG+ rating, and it seems to be the complete
show."
Cologne 5/30/90; "Remember These Days"
I quote from an Undercover review: "An above average audience recording at
best. A bit distant, which seems to be prevalent with the Urban Jungle
tour recordings so far... Unless you are a big fan of this tour, I would
not recommend this one." Title is taken from a 1991 LP of the same show,
but this CD is complete unlike the LP.
Paris 6/25/90; VG+ ; "The Singer and the Fly"
Audience recording.
Basel, Switz. 6/27/90; 145 min; 7.5 s; "Basel '90"
Fairly good audience tape.
London 7/7/90; 135 min; 10.0 s; "Seventh of July"
From a BBC broadcast. I find Chuck Leavell to be very annoying during
"Midnight Rambler."
Berlin 8/13/90; "August Children"
Said to be a very good to excellent audience recording.
Outtakes from the Stones' next studio album "Voodoo Lounge" first
turned up on a 4 CD set.
Voodoo Lounge outtakes 7&9/93?; ___ min; 10.0 s; "Voodoo Brew"
It's almost scary how good this recording is. Whoever lifted these tapes
was definitely an insider. Some people have said they prefer these
versions to the official release. Nice box set packaging but some people
don't like the cover art.
Voodoo Lounge outtakes 7&9/93?; ___ min; 10.0 s; "Voodoo Stew"
The follow up to Voodoo Brew. Quality is once again outstanding. Some
people prefer this to Voodoo Brew. The only question is, are 8 CDs of
outtakes really necessary?
Voodoo Lounge outtakes 7&9/93?; ___ min; 10.0 s; "Voodoo Residue"
Another 2 CDs worth of outtakes. I quote from an Internet review:
"...more studio quality (JUMP OUT AT YA quality, as I would say!) rejects
and first cuts from 'Voodoo Lounge' sessions in Barbados. I have only
listened to the first disk ('Jamming with Richard') and most seems to be
Keith solo numbers. Liner notes indicate that only Mick, Keith, and
Charlie are in the studio on both disks, and bass is covered by Keith or
Mick when present. Some tracks are pretty great and some are a snorefest,
at least to my mind. Overall, I'd say if you like 'Voodoo Brew' and/or
'Stew,' this is another must have!" Also note the discs appear to be CD-
Rs.
In 1994 the Stones went on tour again, in support of "Voodoo Lounge."
This was their first tour after the departure of bass player Bill
Wyman; his replacement Darryl Jones is not a permanent band member.
Typical set list for Voodoo Lounge Tour: Not Fade Away, *, Tumbling
Dice, **, You Got Me Rockin', Shattered, Rocks Off, Sparks Will Fly,
Satisfaction, Beast of Burden, ***, ^, Memory Motel or Wild Horses,
****, #, Miss You (not at first show), ##, ###, ####, @, @@, @@@, I
Go Wild, Honky Tonk Woman, Before They Make Me Run or Happy, The
Worst, @@@@, Love Is Strong, Monkey Man, Street Fightin' Man
(preceded "Brown Sugar" until beginning of September), It's Only Rock
'n' Roll, Start Me Up (followed "Monkey Man" until beginning of
September), Brown Sugar, Jumpin' Jack Flash (encore).
Sometimes played:
*Undercover of the Night (first two DC shows only),
**Live With Me,
***Out of Tears,
****No Expectations (Club gig and Cleveland 8/28 w/Lenny Kravitz),
#All Down the Line,
##Hot Stuff (first DC show only),
###Can't Get Next to You,
####Brand New Car,
@Sad Sad Sad (Toronto 8/19 only),
@@It's All Over Now,
@@@Heartbreaker (added Philadelphia 9/23),
@@@@Sympathy for the Devil (added Las Vegas 10/14),
^Far Away Eyes (added San Antonio 11/5)
Played only in Miami November 25:
Live with Me (with Sheryl Crow), Stop Breaking Down (with Robert
Cray), Who Do You Love (with Bo Diddley), acoustic set of Angie, Dead
Flowers, and Sweet Virginia. Several songs dropped for this show to
make room for the special ones.
Most if not all shows are available as audience tapes.
Toronto 7/19/94 club gig; 75 min; 7.5 m; "Secret Gig"
Audience tape. Not great by modern standards but listenable. Missing the
first song, a rare Japanese double CD has it.
Washington, DC 8/1/94; 135 min; 8.5 s; "First Night Stand"/others
State of the art audience recording. Other CDs are not as good unless they
are copied from this one. As this was the first night of the tour, there
are many CDs to choose from.
Washington, DC 8/3/94; 135 min; 7.0 s; "Welcome to Washington"
This is the only release of the second show of the Voodoo Lounge tour.
This is not a great recording, but it's listenable.
Birmingham, AL 8/6/94; "Out For Blood"
Best audience recording from the '94 Tour according to the Fingerprint
File.
Giants Stadium 8/14/94; EX m; "Welcome to Voodoo Lounge"
Giants St. 8/14/94 (video); EX s; "Sparks Will Fly"
Giants Stadium 8/15/94; EX s; "The Circus is Back in
Town" /others
Giants Stadium 8/__/94; "Bite the Big Apple"
Soundboard tape. The source tape is said to be a bit bass-heavy, with too
little high end, but not too bad.
Toronto 8/19/94; VG s; "Out for Blood"
Philadelphia 9/23/94; VG m; "Honky Tonk Motel"
New Orleans 10/10/94; EX s; "Voodoo Kiss"/others
Very muddy sounding radio broadcast. This is on many, many CDs. This was
remixed for an edited re-broadcast the week of June 26, 1995, which I
happened to hear part of. It sounded much better; this is now available on
disc 1 of the Japanese "But Naked" CD. (Disc 2 is the Stripped TV show).
The radio show CD is Westwood One Superstar Concert Series show #95-27.
Las Vegas 10/14&15/94; VG+ s; "Voodoo Lounge Lizards"
Oakland 10/31/94; 129 min; 9.5 s; "All Hallow's Eve"/ others
Made from a pro-shot video. This is the first non-broadcast pro-shot video
of this tour to become available. Some people prefer the sound of "Voodoo
at Halloween."
Miami 11/25/94; EX s; "Miami Dice"/many others
Pay-per-view cable special and also a radio broadcast. Much better sound
than the original New Orleans broadcast. CDs made from the radio broadcast
lack "Beast of Burden." The listed CD is said to be direct from the
satellite feed, which had cleaner sound than local cable or radio stations.
After playing Vancouver, BC, December 18 (Keith's birthday), the
North American Tour ended.
The tour continues in 1995 with dates in Mexico, South America, South
Africa, Japan, Australia, and Europe.
Several 1995 set lists have been posted to Undercover, here they are:
Rio, Feb. 4: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice, You Got Me Rocking, It's
All Over Now, Live With Me, Sparks Will Fly, Satisfaction, Out Of
Tears, Angie, Midnight Rambler, Rock And A Hard Place, I Go Wild,
Miss You, Introductions, Honky Tonk Women, Happy, The Worst, Sympathy
For The D., Monkey Man, Street Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only
Rock'n Roll, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash
Santiago, Chile Feb. 19: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice, You Got Me
Rocking, Rocks Off, Rock And A Hard Place, Sparks Will Fly,
Satisfaction, Angie, Out Of Tears, Love Is Strong, It's All Over Now,
I Go Wild, Miss You, Honky Tonk Woman, Before They Make Me Run,
Slipping Away, Sympathy For The Devil, Monkey Man, Street Fighting
Man, Start Me Up, It's Only Rock and Roll, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack
Flash (encore)
Johannesburg, South Africa, Feb. 25: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice,
You Got Me Rocking, It's All Over Now, Live With Me, Sparks Will Fly,
Satisfaction, Out Of Tears, Angie, Rock And A Hard Place, Midnight
Rambler, I Go Wild, Miss You, Intros, Honky Tonk Women, Happy,
Slipping Away (first performance), Sympathy For The Devil, Monkey
Man, Street Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only Rock'n Roll, Brown
Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash
Tokyo Dome, March 6, 8, 9, and 12: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice, You
Got Me Rocking, Live With Me (March 6, 12) OR Shattered (March 8) OR
All Down The Line (March 9), It's All Over Now (March 6) OR Rocks Off
(March 8, 9, 12), Sparks Will Fly, Satisfaction, Angie (March 6, 12)
OR Love In Vain (March 8) OR No Expectations (March 9), Sweet
Virginia (March 6, 12) OR Dead Flowers (March 8) OR Let It Bleed
(March 9), Doo Doo Doo (March 6) OR It's All Over Now (March 8) OR
Rock and Hard Place (March 9, 12), Love Is Strong, I Go Wild, Miss
You, Honky Tonk Women, Before They Make Me Run (March 6, 9, 12) OR
Happy (March 8), Slipping Away (March 6, 8, 12) OR The Worst (March
9), Band Introduction in Japanese, Sympathy For The Devil, Monkey
Man, Street Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only R'n'R, Brown Sugar,
Jumping Jack Flash (encore)
Western Springs, Auckland, NZ April 15: Not Fade Away, Tumbling
Dice, You Got Me Rocking, Shattered, All Down The Line, Sparks Will
Fly, Satisfaction, Beast of Burden, Angie (acoustic), Sweet Virginia
(Acoustic), I Go Wild, Miss You, Honky Tonk Women, Before They Make
Me Run, Slipping Away, Sympathy For The Devil, Gimme Shelter, Street
Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only R n R, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack
Flash
Amsterdam, Holland, May 27 (club gig): Not Fade Away, It's All Over
Now, Live with Me, Let It Bleed, Beast of Burden, Angie, Wild Horses,
Sweet Virginia, Dead Flowers, Still a Fool, Down in the Bottom, Shine
a Light, Like a Rolling Stone, Jump on Top of Me, Connection,
introductions, Before They Make Me Run, Slipping Away, Monkey Man,
Can't Get Next to You, All Down the Line, Rip This Joint, Respectable
Nijmegen, Holland, June 13: Not Fade Away, Tumbling Dice, You Got Me
Rocking, It's All Over Now, Live With Me, Sparks Will Fly,
Satisfaction, Beast Of Burden, Wild Horses, Like A Rolling Stone,
Gimme Shelter, Rock And A Hard Place, I Go Wild, Miss You,
Introductions, Honky Tonk Women, Before They Make Me Run, The Worst,
Sympathy For The Devil, Street Fighting Man, Start Me Up, It's Only
Rock 'n Roll, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash
Naturally most of these shows are available as audience tapes.
Rio de Janeiro 2/4/95; ___ min; EX s; "Bucketful of Water"
others
From a TV broadcast. The other release of this is apparently mono.
Buenos Aires 2/16/95; 140 min; 10.0 s; "Sympathy for the Voodoo
Cult"
This is said to be a soundboard tape, as opposed to the more common
broadcast or audience tape. Based on my brief listen, I'd say it could be
a broadcast. The sound is extremely good and so is the mix: The guitars
are very loud and the keyboard is way down.
Santiago, Chile 2/19/95; ___ min; EX s; "Southern Quotations from
Chile 1995"
This has received some very good reviews but I haven't heard it. It is
said to be a raw, in your face recording; definitely the kind I prefer.
It's apparently from an FM broadcast. The CD title is reminiscent of a '78
vinyl LP; Vinyl Gang pays tribute to their predecessors once again.
Johannesburg, S.A. 2/25/95; ___ min; 9.5 s; "Everything But The Cobra"
From a TV broadcast, except "Rock and a Hard Place" is an audience
recording from 2/24, due to a commercial during the broadcast. Slightly
tinny sound or this would be a 10. "Johannesburg '95" is said to be
slightly better, with RAAHP substituted from Buenos Aires.
Tokyo 3/12/95; ___ min; 10.0 s; "F*ckin' Tired"/ many
others
This was a pay per view TV broadcast so sound should be excellent on any
release. I am told that some have a glitch at one point; sorry don't know
which ones. This is also out as a legit 2 laser disc set and probably VHS
video as well. The recording is perfect on the listed CD, which also
includes a third CD of songs done at other shows, from audience tapes.
Tokyo 3/16/95; "Hope You Guess My Name"
Said to be an audience DAT Recording, with a slight echo.
Melbourne, Austr. 3/27/95; VG ; "Keef Sings Slippin' Away"
Melbourne, Austr. 3/28/95; "Voodoo Rain Dance"
Said to be one of the best audience recordings from the '95 Tour. "Keef
Sings Happy" is inferior.
Amsterdam 5/26/95 1st; "Through The Secret
Nights, Paradiso 1995"
I quote from an Internet review: "Cutting to the chase: the sound quality
on this is, for the most part, significantly inferior to any of the other
1995 club gigs. Disc 1 is especially difficult, especially the first half
dozen songs, because Mick's vocals have a hollow, distant quality, and the
band is not particularly prominent...but the crowd singing, talking and
clapping along is well-documented... The guitars become more prominent,
however, through the rest of disc 1 and through disc 2 and the sound
quality for the most part improves significantly the rest of the way..."
The last couple songs are missing. An Undercover review: "This audience
recording is very good until toward the end of CD 2 where the sound gets
pretty muffled (taper hiding his mic?), then the finale is a perfect
soundboard version of SFM which may have even come from Stripped(?).
...The crowd is a bit intrusive at times (VERY PUMPED), but doesn't really
detract from the quality."
Paradiso 5/27/95; "Foottapers And Wheel
Shunters Club Gig"
I quote from an Undercover review: "This is the show that 80,000 (!)
people watched at a video screen (while 1100 were inside Paradiso) and it's
an excellent (acoustic) show with a very interesting setlist (arguably
better than Olympia or Brixton)... Not superb sound, probably because the
sound system wasn't prepared for a show on such a big square, but it's
miles better than 'Marvelous Mickey' or other releases." Available on 2
different Japanese CDs in similar quality. Some people claim the Vinyl
Gang release sounds better; others claim the Real Live release sounds the
same and like the fact that it omits the long pauses between songs.
Stockholm 6/3/95; 8.5 s; "Voodoo, I Like It"
Very nice audience tape, based on a brief listen. Also includes 1 song
from Helsinki June 6 and 3 songs from a TV broadcast of this show;
broadcast songs are perfect.
Nijmegen 6/13-14 + Landgraaf 6/18/95; "Voodoo Lounge Holland"
A 3CD Box of all songs played at these shows plus a 4th CD with the songs
from Rotterdam 8/29-30 not played in Nijmegen/Landgraaf, plus JJF. I quote
from an Internet review: "[Don't buy] unless you 'really' like to hear
LOUD cross-talk, out of tune sing-a-longs and shitty stadium recordings in
crystal clear sound!" Also available without the 4th CD.
Cologne 6/20/95; VG++; "Eau de Cologne"
Complete show. This is also the title of an old LP.
Hannover 6/22/95; EX-; "Die Cobra im Black"
Complete show.
Werchter, Belgium 6/24-5/95; "Beast of Belgium"
I quote from an Undercover review: "...a fantastic recording... all
instruments well balanced, guitars up front and Mick not at all echoey; the
audience really give it much more atmosphere. The performance is also shit
hot--they guys sound like they're having more fun not playing the same old
US track list... probably the most fun or entertaining big VL gig title
around."
Paris Olympia 7/3/95; 135 min; 8.5 s; "French Made 95"/other(s)
Great audience recording of one of the small venue shows. Interesting song
selection and good performance. The listed Japanese CD is said to be
considerably better than other, cheaper CDs, which I have not heard. This
CD apparently uses a better source tape.
London 7/15/95; VG+ ; "London Lounge"
Audience recording.
Brixton Academy 7/19/95; 128 min; 8.0 s; "Welcome to Brixton
Academy"/ 3 others
Another club gig with a different set list from Paris/Amsterdam. This is a
very nicely done audience tape with a moderate amount of crowd noise. This
release is said to be the best for this show. The "Acoustic" CD is said to
be poor.
Lisbon, Portugal 7/24/95; "Da'Lapa Incident"
I quote an Undercover review: "This is a strong and impressive stereo DAT
audience recording... They are playing well late in the tour, seemingly
well greased, and enjoying themselves... This is one of the better live
Rolling Stones documents ever, in spite of a noisy Portuguese crowd."
Montpelier, France 7/27/95 w/Dylan; "Voodoo Minstrels"
I quote an Undercover review: "The original issue of this featured a quite
mediocre, somewhat muddy audience recording, and a full color photo of Mick
and Bob singing together from the same microphone at the show on the front.
The new version features a different audience recording, better sound, much
clearer vocals, though still not a state of the art aud recording... Also,
a different front cover, showing the Stones with a big white dog in front
of a house (an outtake of the shot used with the original issue)...and the
photo of Mick and Bob together has been flipped to the rear of the CD
package, with the track listings to the right."
Wolfsburg, Germany 8/25/95; "The Last Incarnation"
Said to be a VG++ audience recording.
The Stones' 1997-98 tour is in support of "Bridges to Babylon."
Supporting musicians include the usual cast of Darryl Jones, Chuck
Leavell, Lisa Fischer, and Bernard Fowler. Concert boots are now
out, with more to come as the tour continues. Sound is generally
quite good, even for audience recordings, due to the great sound
system and modern tape recorders/microphones. An outtakes album has
also been rumored, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it, especially
because of Keith's comments about having better versions of several
songs "in the can" than the ones that ended up on the album.
Typical set list for "Bridges to Babylon" tour: Satisfaction, It's
Only Rock and Roll, Flip the Switch, Let's Spend the Night Together,
Gimme Shelter, Sister Morphine, Anybody Seen My Baby, 19th Nervous
Breakdown, Out of Control, Star Star, Miss You, All About You
(Keith), Wanna Hold You (Keith), Little Queenie*, Crazy Mama*, You
Got Me Rockin'*, Sympathy for the Devil, Tumbling Dice, Honky Tonk
Women, Start Me Up, Jumping Jack Flash, Brown Sugar (encore).
*played on small stage
For complete set lists, see
http://www.stonestour.com/tour/setlist.html. Sets vary from night to
night, with some songs in rotation, and one song per night chosen by
Internet vote.
Chicago club gig 9/18/97; "Behind the Double Door"
I quote from an Undercover review: "I haven't heard this start to finish
yet, but I've skipped through bits of every track. Everything appears
intact here, no major tape glitches that I've discovered yet... The first
couple songs Mick's vocals and the guitars are not quite as upfront
...[but].with every track, the guitars, drums and mikes all get better...
Just a decent quality aud from a club gig, with a wonderfully rare song,
the bluesy Shame Shame Shame. Considering how tight the security had to
have been for this gig, I am shocked how good this recording is. BTW,
reports that the band sounds ragged in performance here aren't really true
A few songs [have] some weaker moments, but that's been true of every show
they've done on this tour. For the most part, the band sounds terrific."
Note: This is a shorter set than the following stadium shows.
Chicago 9/23/97; 7.5 s; "Chicago We Wanna Hold
You"/ others
This is a decent audience recording but not great. Certainly not as good
as you would expect for 1997; the wind seriously affects the sound.
Another CD, "Piece of Gold," is 13 songs from a video (international TV?)
feed, in incredible 10.0 quality. It could easily pass for an official
release in terms of sound. Note that 8 soundboard songs, 3 incomplete, are
on "Came to Rock the 10 Spot," below.
Chicago 9/25/97; "Sweet Home Chicago"/1
other
I quote from an Undercover review: "...[This] is by far the best audience
recording I have EVER heard. There's little audience interference and the
mix is superb... Puts many a soundboard to shame. In fact, I prefer this
one to 'Piece of Gold,' as good as it is." Another Undercover review:
"There are some problems with the system mix (e.g. Keith on
Satisfaction)... Little Queenie and the small stage stuff sound fantastic,
as do the Keith tracks, OoC and the greatest hits section. Rainbow and
Morphine are strong, but low on Ron on Morphine... Overall, not much
audience talking near the mic, and a clear, sharp recording..." This is
said to be better than the more expensive "Another Evening with the Rolling
Stones," which uses a different source tape, recorded near annoyingly
talkative people.
Charlotte 10/10/97; "Anybody Seen My Stone in
Charlotte"
I quote from an Undercover review: "Simply an outstanding audience
recording !! Barely any audience noise!" An Internet review said: "Great
audience tape! So far, best audience tape of the Bridges Tour to surface
on CD..."
Philadelphia 10/12/97; "Philadelphia Special 1997"
I quote from an Undercover review: "It's a very good recording, with the
only technological complaints being the house's fault: Mick's vocal seems
mixed low, there's a (very) brief echo problem, and then there is the sound
of the confetti machines during the encore of 'Brown Sugar.' There _is_
significantly annoying audience (and security guard) chatter, but the folks
closest to the mikes didn't have too much to say once the show got rolling,
which is good, considering how their voices carry (Word of caution: douse
the volume during those first three songs. Whoo!). Overall, a top notch
audience job." Then again, I've also seen this called "piss poor." Listen
before buying.
Giants Stadium, NJ 10/16/97; "Bite the Big Apple Again"
I quote from an Undercover review: "10/16 and 10/17 complete. Both are
excellent audience recordings, but [as] with 'Scrap of Flesh' (10/17),
Mick's vocals sometimes get lost in the mix..."
Giants Stadium, NJ 10/17/97; "Scrap of Flesh"
I quote from an Undercover review: "A superb audience recording, equal to
(at least) Charlotte... first-rate. And the performance strikes me as
quite hot, even with Mick apparently forgetting the lyrics to start
IORR..." Another Undercover review: "A very good audience recording, but
not on a par with 'Sweet Home Chicago...' Sound is very good, but [there
are]... some spots where the sound engineer apparently fell asleep on the
job..." Also includes two tracks from the 10/16/97 Giants Stadium concert.
Boston 10/20/97; "Boston You're Big Enough"
Said to be a quite good audience recording, though not as good as the best
of the tour. Another report said VG, so it's obviously not one of the
best.
Port Chester, NY 10/25/97 + misc.; "Came to Rock the 10
Spot"/ others
16 broadcast quality tracks from 3 sources: 5 from "10 Spot," 8 from
Chicago opening night, 2 from VH1 Fashion Awards, plus "Angie" apparently
from the Japanese B2B. I quote from an Internet review: "...The mixes
between the 10 Spot and VH1 versions are much different. In the 10 Spot's
'Baby,' Keith and Ron can easily be heard weaving their guitar work around
each other, whereas the VH1 version is blended together better for a smooth
full sound and much less of individual sounds..." Also, The "10 Spot,"
VH1, and 2 songs from Chicago opening night are on "Rock and Roll Babylon,"
which is said to be inferior to the listed title. There is also "Out There
in Babylon," for which I quote from an Internet review: "All the tracks
(and more) have been available on the CD-R 'Came To Rock the 10 Spot',
however, this CD benefits from re-mastering, particularly in the bottom
end..."
Oakland 11/__/97; "Liver Than You'll Ever Be
1997 Part 2"
Said to be a very good audience recording.
Oakland 11/__/97; "He Didn't Rat Me Out"
Said to be one of the best audience recordings of this tour, which is
saying something.
Saint Louis, MO 12/12/97; "Take Me Up St.
Louis"/many others
Pay per view w/special guests Dave Matthews, Taj Mahal, and Joshua Redman.
Due to the many releases, here are summaries of Undercover and Internet
reviews: "Take Me Up St. Louis" (VGP)--excellent. "TWA Dome, St. Louis"--
has static running throughout most of the recording; avoid. "St. Louis To
Babylon" (Eternal Records), 3 CD of PPV plus 3 from Philadelphia 10/12/97
aud., 3 from DC 10/23/97 aud., '10 Spot,' and 'VHI Fashion Awards'--mixed
reviews, remastered version probably excellent, aud. tracks "average."
Unknown title on Dandelion--mono; avoid. "St. Louis Blues"--probably ok
but not confirmed. "From London To St. Louis" (Boss Hawg)--"a great
recording," but doesn't include the band intros. "Don't Fuck With Me, Or I
will Breathe On You and You Will Die" 3 CD of PPV plus '10 Spot,' Chicago
first 2 songs and the VH1 songs,--"more low-end and less highs [and] slight
sound fluctuation[s]"
MSG, NYC 1/14/98; "Back to the Garden"
I quote from an Undercover review: "A very good audience recording, but
not quite as upfront, clear and consistent as 'Welcome to MSG VIP Lounge'
(2nd show). Rarely played songs are: Low Down, Memory Motel, How Can I
stop, IORR and Little Red Rooster (Stones at their lovable best natch)." I
have also seen this title described as "mediocre" for 1997.
MSG, NYC 1/16/98; "Welcome to the Madison
Square Garden VIP Lounge"
I quote from an Undercover review: "A very good audience recording, which
I rate higher than VGP's 1st show 'Back to the Garden.' A better
performance IMO with riskier setlist (Respectable, Already Over Me,
YDHTMI)..." I have also seen this title described as "mediocre" for 1997.
MSG 1/17/98 + 1/14/98; 9.5 s; "Sweet Home New York
City"/ 1 other
I quote from an Undercover review: "...[CD1] Initial impressions are
outstanding. The mix couldn't be much better--everything is pretty much
exactly where you would want it--guitars way up front and every instrument
balanced with Mick's vocals. It's crisp but gutsy... and has very, *very*
little audience interference... For the most part the performance is quite
stunning, including the opening numbers (even LSTNT has an energy that
seems to have been lacking elsewhere)... The sound on [CD2] is more
reminiscent of the Chicago 2nd show on Crystal Cat (no bad thing) than the
1st CD--a bit more trebly perhaps, but still without the lack of crowd
noise. CD2 also has 3 bonus tracks from MSG1--Lowdown, MM, Rooster. The
sound on these is bassier and more muffled..., and there's more audience
presence (but nothing really awful)..." VGP's competing release is said to
have distorted vocals and is evidently not as good.
Honolulu 1/24/98; "Hawaiian Holiday 1997"
Said to be a very good audience recording but not one of the best of this
tour. No unusual songs performed here.
Portland 1/31/98; "Bridges to Oregon"
Said to be very good to very good plus audience quality.
San Diego 2/3/98; "Stoned in San Diego"/
others
This was an FM broadcast, so expect many CDs and CD-Rs. All should be
quite good. For the listed title, I quote from an Undercover review:
"[It] sounds somewhat brighter than my off-air tape of the radio broadcast,
but still retains that 'FM noise' sound. They did a good job of cross-
fading or whatever to mask the excised commercial breaks. Of the 3 bonus
cybervote tracks, 'No Expectations' from Atlanta stands out soundwise,
although it has the Jaw-ja Dome echo." Another Internet review said: "The
sound is slushy, distorted FM 'quality'.." Evidently the perfect release
isn't out yet. The Dandelion release is said to be excellent.
Tokyo 3/98; "Far East 98"
I quote from an Internet review: "[It's] a 12 (!) CD set with all 6 Japan
1998 shows from March 12, 14, 16, 17 (all 4 in Tokyo), 20 and 21 (both in
Osaka)... I skipped through the Tokyo shows and noticed that the typical
Tokyo Big Egg sound is present again: Hollow sound although the
instruments are quite sharp; Mick's voice is clearly not as up front as the
music, still these are state of the art audience recordings. The Osaka
shows sound better; Mick's voice and the instruments are better balanced,
sound comes close to excellent. Not sure if I would recommend this set in
general; price is high, presentation is minimal, but strong points are the
Osaka shows, rare tracks like Angie, Shine A Light and Time Is On My Side
to name a few, and the fact that you get Japan 1998 c