Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out was recorded in 1969 at Madison Square Garden and finds the Rolling Stones at their peak. Even the jacket photo with Charlie Watts, guitars, hat, and donkey is a classic.
1977 finds Ron Wood as the lead guitarist on Love You Live. This album is a very good representation of the Stones mid seventies sound. It is also an album that many people either hate or love. I have to say that I am fine with this release. It may contain a couple of clunkers and odd song choices but overall presents a large number of credible performances.
“If You Can’t Rock Me/Get Off Of My Cloud” is an interesting and well played medley. Keith Richards gives an excellent performance of “Happy,” “Hot Stuff,” and “Star Star” come across better than the studio versions. The final four songs, “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Brown Sugar,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and an eight minute “Sympathy For The Devil” present The Rolling Stones at their best. Ron Wood will never be Mick Taylor but by this time he had melded well into the group and the Stones were performing at a high level.
One side of the original two record release was recorded at the El Mocombo Club in Toronto. Mick Jagger wanted to record some old rhythm & blues tunes in an intimate setting. My only criticism was Billy Preston’s organ work was better suited for the Stones arena concerts. They should have gone with their basic unit and not added any other instruments. Still, it is nice to hear such songs as “Mannish Boy” and “Little Red Rooster” performed live.
Got Live If You Want It, Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out and Love You Live present The Rolling Stones at three distinct periods in their career and include all of their lead guitarists. While Got Live If You Want It is a thrown together affair and Love You Live could have been abbreviated, still when all is said and done, they provide an excellent documentation of the Rolling Stones evolution on stage with some fine listening along the way.
Article comments
1 - Rob
Judiciously put.
Only error, and cliche I find in this review is that Stones were at their peak for Ya-Ya's. Taylor had just barely hit the ground (albeit running) for that tour.
Because legal issues from former biz mgr Allen (ABKco) Klien precluded the release of a '72/'73 live album, we must hunt down 'bootleg' recordings from those tours to hear the Stones at their true peak performance. If you think the 8.5 minute Ya-Ya's Midnight Rambler is outstanding (you're right), wait 'til you get hold of the 13 minute '73 Europe versions: The Keith/Taylor interplay is Outrageous, with MT doing a blues opera on a wah-wah pedal; throw in the rest of the band and you're in for a Rock experience of Biblical proportions.
2 - Mat Brewster
The Rolling Stones may have released more live albums than any other rock artist or group.
The Grateful Dead have released a lot more than the Stones. The Dicks Picks series is into the thirties by my last count not to mention the Vault series, the boxed set and various compilations.
Pearl Jam have released entire tours to CD.
3 - El Bicho
Matt's right. Plus many other bands followed PJ's model and have had authorized bootlegs of entire tours. We're not talking audience recording, but straight from the soundboard, so at this point, the Stones aren't even in the conversation.