It's also easy to see so why many hardcore Stones fans still view the so-called "Mick Taylor" years as the creative high water mark of the Stones entire career here.
Taylor's lead guitar work throughout this performance is nothing short of stunning. There are numerous standout solos on songs like "Love In Vain" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want." But it is mostly on the rockers like "All Down The Line," "Tumblin' Dice" and "Midnight Rambler" that Taylor's leads meld seamlessly into Keith Richards' powerhouse riffs to a form a perfectly fluid whole.
Speaking of "Midnight Rambler," Mick Jagger's extended theatrical mid-song belt whipping and primal screaming turn this into another of the standout performances on this DVD. As a frontman, Jagger is actually a force of nature throughout here.
It's particularly interesting to see the way he traded in the darker, more satanic "Jack Flash" persona seen on the 1969 tour document Gimme Shelter, for the heavily sequined and mascaraed — and no doubt Bowie influenced — early-seventies preening glitter rock dandy he is here.
But what really makes Ladies And Gentlemen The Rolling Stones arguably the best pure document of a Stones concert though, is the way it concentrates strictly on the concert and nothing else. As great a film as Gimme Shelter is for example, there's no denying the fact that the actual concerts the Stones played in 1969 take a back seat to the events leading up to the disaster at Altamont. That's the real story in that film.
Likewise, on Martin Scorsese's more recent Shine A Light — though there are some great performances as well — the real story there is how the Stones can still be a great rock and roll band on any given night, even well into their twilight years.
Article comments
1 - carl j. mancuso
Glen: Nice review. I just got my copy of this DVD today. It is the best concert video of The Rolling Stones. I saw it when it originally appeared in movie theaters in 1974. I always wondered why it was not released before now, but Jagger explains that the band didn't own the film for many years. Sure, some folks will say that the restoration could be better, but you can only do so much with footage and sound that was recorded in the early 1970's. In this video the Stones were playing with a chip on their shoulder after the nightmare of Altamont in 1969. They have always had a reputation of being rough around the edges on the stage and in the studio. To some people, that's part of the Stones' charm. You can see all of that in their most recent concert videos ("Shine a Light", "Live Licks", "Live at the IMAX", etc.) This video has everyone playing on top of their game. Mick Taylor shows his technical proficiency on guitar. The great ones make it look so effortless. I was going to write about this video for blogcritics, but I think you took the words right out of my mouth, and I can't improve upon what you produced for the rest of us. Carl
2 - carl j. mancuso
I thought one of the best parts of "Shine a Light" was the bonus footage of the band putting together an instrumental acoustic version of "Wild Horses".