The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones | |
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Background information | |
Origin | London, England |
Genre(s) | Rock and roll, Blues, Country, Rhythm and blues, Reggae, Psychedelia |
Years active | 1962 – Present |
Label(s) | Decca Rolling Stones Records Virgin Records |
Website | RollingStones.com |
Members | |
Mick Jagger Keith Richards Charlie Watts Ron Wood |
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Former members | |
Bill Wyman Brian Jones Mick Taylor Ian Stewart |
The Rolling Stones are an English band whose blues, rhythm and blues and rock and roll-infused music became popular during the "British Invasion" in the early 1960s.[1] The band was formed in London in 1962 by original leader Brian Jones, but eventually led by the songwriting partnership of singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Pianist Ian Stewart, drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman completed the early primary lineup. Their early image of unkempt and surly youth is one that many musicians still emulate.[2]
Jones died in 1969 shortly after being fired from the band and was replaced by twenty year old Mick Taylor. After Taylor quit the Stones in 1974, former Faces guitarist Ron Wood began his continuing tenure. Wyman retired in 1993 being replaced by hired hand Darryl Jones.
The band have released 55 albums of original work[3] and compilations, and have had 32 U.K & U.S top-10 singles.[4] They have sold over 200 million albums worldwide.[5] 1971's Sticky Fingers began a string of eight consecutive studio albums at number one in the United States. In 1989 the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004 they were ranked #4 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[6] Their latest album, A Bigger Bang, was released in 2005 and accompanied by their highest-grossing tour, which lasted into late summer 2007. During the 1969 American tour, tour manager Sam Cutler introduced them as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World".[2]
Contents |
Band history
Founding: 1960-1962
In 1951 Keith Richards and Mick Jagger met while attending Wentworth County Junior School.[7] In 1960, the two became reacquainted while Richards was attending Sidcup Art College.[8] Richards remembered in a 1971 interview, "I was going to school, and he was going up to the London School of Economics... So I get on this train one morning, and there's Jagger and under his arm he has four or five albums... He's got Chuck Berry and Little Walter, Muddy Water"[9] With mutual friend Dick Taylor (later of Pretty Things), they formed the band Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys.[8] Stones founders Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were active in the London R&B scene fostered by Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner. Jagger and Richards met Jones while he was playing slide guitar sitting in with Korner's Blues Inc. Korner also had hired Jagger periodically and frequently future Stones drummer Charlie Watts.[1] Their Stones's first rehearsal was organized by Jones and included Stewart, Jagger and Richards - the later who came along at Jaggers invitation. In June 1962 lineup was Jagger, Richards, Stewart, Jones, Taylor, and drummer Tony Chapman. Taylor then left the group. Jones renamed the band The Rollin' Stones, after the song "Rollin' Stone" by Muddy Waters.[2][10]
1962-1964
On 12 July 1962 the group played its first gig at the Marquee club in London, billed as "The Rollin' Stones".[11] The line-up was Jagger, Richards, Jones, Stewart on piano, Taylor on bass and Tony Chapman on drums. Often Mick Avory has been mentioned as having been the drummer that day, but he has always denied that. He only rehearsed with the pre-Stones twice in a pub, the Bricklayers Arms.[12] Jones intended for the band to play primarily Chicago blues, but Jagger and Richards brought the rock 'n roll of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley to the band.[citation needed] Bassist Bill Wyman joined in December and drummer Charlie Watts the following January to form the Stones' long standing rhythm section.[11][8]
An eight month residency at Giorgio Gomelsky's Crawdaddy Club led to a growing fan base as well as attention from labels.[8] The Beatles recommended the Stones to future manager Andrew Loog Oldham[citation needed], and George Harrison who encouraged Dick Rowe at Decca Records to sign the band.[13] Their first EP, The Rolling Stones and album (also titled The Rolling Stones, except in the US where it was titled England's Newest Hit Makers), were comprised primarily of covers drawn from the band's live repertoire. A notable hit from the album was the band's first Top 40 single written by Jagger and Richards, "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)". After signing with Decca, the Stones began touring the UK and Europe. On their first tour of England, the Stones were packaged with American stars including Ike and Tina Turner, Bo Diddley, The Ronettes, The Everly Brothers and Little Richard.[11] The first tour also cemented the Stones' shift from a rhythm and blues band to more of a pop band, resulting in a drastic reduction in the number of blues songs the band played live.[citation needed] The Rolling Stones No. 2 (The Rolling Stones, Now! in the United States) (UK #1; US #5) again contained mainly cover tunes, but was augmented by songs composed by Jagger and Richards. After the album's release, the band began a schedule of constant touring. The Rolling Stones' first UK chart topper was their cover of "It's All Over Now" in June 1964.
On their successful first American tour in June 1964, the Stones began recording almost exclusively in American studios, including Chess Studios in Chicago and RCA Studios in Los Angeles.[2] At Chess, where they would record Five by Five, fans began to riot as the band held a press conference.[8] The Stones' version of “Little Red Rooster,” which went to #1 in the UK, was banned in the US because of its “objectionable” lyrics. By this time Oldham had begun to craft the band's image "into the opposite to what the Beatles [were] doing".[1] The Stones also appeared on national variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show[1] and the The Hollywood Palace where host Dean Martin made fun of their longish hair, which was considered provocative.[14] In October the band appeared on The T.A.M.I. Show where they had the unenviable task of following James Brown. On their appearance, Jagger said in 2003, "We weren't actually following James Brown because there were hours in between the filming of each section. Nevertheless, he was still very annoyed about it..."[11]
1965-1969
The first Jagger/Richards composition to hit #1 in the UK was "The Last Time" in early 1965. The U.S. version of that year's Out of Our Heads LP contained seven original songs, including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", which became the band's first #1 in the US where it remained for four weeks in July. It would soon be followed by their second #1, "Get Off of My Cloud".[1] Out of Our Heads and the US-only released December's Children would also be the last Stones albums to predominantly feature covers. The release Aftermath (UK #1; US #2) in the late spring of 1966 was the first Stones album to be comprised exclusively of Jagger/Richards songs. An eclectic mix, Aftermath included the chart-topping, Middle Eastern-influenced "Paint It, Black", the ballad "Lady Jane", and the almost twelve-minute long "Going Home".
Jagger, Richards, and Jones began to be hounded by authorities over illegal drug use - which for Richards continued into the later Seventies. In 1967 the Sussex police, tipped off by the News of the World, raided a party at Keith Richards' home, "Redlands". Jagger and Richards were charged with drug offences. On the bust, Richards said in 2003, "When we got busted at Redlands, it suddenly made us realize that this was a whole different ball game and that was when the fun stopped. Up until then it had been as though London existed in a beautiful space where you could do anything you wanted. And then the hammer came down and it was back to reality."[11]
Amid this, January would see the release of Between the Buttons (UK #3;US #2). The US version would include the double A-side singles of "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday". The Stones would famously perform the former on The Ed Sullivan Show, where Jagger was forced to mumble the song's lyrics and change the chorus to "Let's Spend Some Time Together" due to the threat of censorship.[8] The album would also mark Oldham's last venture as the Stones' producer (and, effectively, manager as well). On his departure, Jagger said in 2003, "The reason Andrew left was because he thought that weren't concentrating and that we were being childish. It was not a great moment really - and I would have thought it wasn't a great moment for Andrew either. There were a lot of distractions and you always need someone to focus you at that point, that was Andrew's job."[8]
In May 1967, shortly prior to the trials of Jagger and Richards, Brian Jones was arrested for possession of cannabis[8] He escaped with a fine and probation but was told to seek professional help. On 27 June Jagger and Richards were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour.[8] Following an editorial critical of the convictions and sentences in The Times, entitled "Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?", Richards' conviction was quashed on appeal, and Jagger's prison sentence was reduced to a conditional discharge. The band recorded a new single, "We Love You", as a thank-you for the loyalty shown by their fans during the trials.[15]
December 1967 would bring the release of Their Satanic Majesties Request (UK #3; US #2), released shortly after the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[8] Satanic Majesties was recorded in difficult circumstances while Jagger, Richards and Jones were in and out of jail. (Unusually, Bill Wyman wrote and sang a track on the album — "In Another Land" — and the front cover of the album had a 3-D sleeve.) Jagger was a strong advocate of the psychedelic sound of the album, but rarely have any songs from the record been played live. Though the band has periodically released psychedelic flavored tracks, Satanic Majesties is an anomaly. It would also mark the first time the Stones would produce their own album.
By early 1968 the Stones had acquired Allen Klein as their new manager. The band spent the first few months of the year compiling material for their next album. Those sessions would result in the song "Jumpin' Jack Flash", released as a single in May. The song, and later that year the resulting album, Beggars Banquet (UK #3; US #5), marked the band's return to its blues roots with new producer Jimmy Miller. Featuring the album's lead single, "Street Fighting Man", and the opening track "Sympathy for the Devil", Beggars Banquet is another eclectic mix of country and blues inspired tunes and was hailed as an achievement for the Stones at the time of its release. On the musical evolution between albums, Richards said, "There is a change between material on Satanic Majesties and Beggars Banquet. I'd grown sick to death of the whole Maharishi guru shit and the beads and bells. Who knows where these things come from, but I guess [the music] was a reaction to what we'd done in our time off and also that severe dose of reality. A spell in prison... will certainly give you room for thought... I was fucking pissed with being busted. So it was, 'Right we'll go and strip this thing down.' There's a lot of anger in the music from that period."[11] During this time Richards started using open tunings, most prominently a 5-string open-G tuning (with the lower 6th string removed), as heard on the 1969 single "Honky Tonk Women", "Brown Sugar" (Sticky Fingers, 1971), "Tumbling Dice", "Happy", (Exile on Main St., 1972), and "Start Me Up" (Tattoo You, 1981). This tuning would become part of the Stones' (and Richards') trademark sound.
By the release of Beggars Banquet, Brian Jones had become increasingly less involved with the band. His rampant drug use had become a hindrance, as well as his inability to obtain a visa. Jagger said in 2003, "He didn't seem very interested in staying in the band. He'd made his contribution to it. People are different. Not everyone wants to be in a rock band for forty years. You've got to want to do it. Some people are not psychologically suited to this way of life, and Brian was one of them. He really wasn't cut out to do this."[11] On the June 8 meeting at Jones' house between Jagger, Richards, Watts, and Jones, Richards said in 1971, "We went down to see him and he said, 'I can't do it again. I can't start again and go on the road again like that again.' And we said, 'We understand. We'll come and see how you feel. Meantime, how do you want to say? Do you want to say that you've left?' And he said, 'Yeah, let's do it. Let's say I've left, and if I want to I can come back.'"[9] But Jones was removed from the Rolling Stones that day. His replacement was the twenty-year-old guitarist Mick Taylor, formerly of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, who started sessions with the band immediately. Jones remained at his Cotchford Farm home in Sussex, where he died in his pool less than a month after his exit from the band.
1969-1974
Despite the death of Brian Jones two days prior, a scheduled concert in London's Hyde Park went ahead in front of an audience of 250,000 fans.[8] The band had just released "Honky Tonk Women" on 3 July, also coinciding with the death of Jones. The band's performance was captured by a Granada Television production team, later to be shown on British television as Stones in the Park. Jagger memorably read an excerpt from Percy Bysshe Shelley's elegy Adonais and released thousands of butterflies in memory of Jones.[8] The concert was the first gig for the band in a little over a year and would also mark Mick Taylor's first performance as a Rolling Stone.[1] Among those in attendance that day were Eric Clapton, Donovan, Paul and Linda McCartney, Cass Elliott and David Gilmour.[11]
The release of Let It Bleed (UK #1; US #3) would come in December. Their last album of the Sixties, Let It Bleed featured "Gimme Shelter", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Midnight Rambler", as well as a cover of Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain". Most of these songs would become part of the live show for the resulting tour of America, their first in three years. Making their way from New York to California, the tour culminated with the band's staging of the Altamont Free Concert, at the then-disused Altamont Speedway, located about forty miles east of San Francisco. The concert was a chaotic disaster, due in part to the hiring of a local chapter of the Hell's Angels to undertake general security. Meredith Hunter, a young man, was stabbed and beaten to death by the Angels.[16] The tour and "Altamont" were documented in Albert and David Maysles' film Gimme Shelter. As a response to the growing popularity of bootleg recordings, the live album Get Yer Ya-Yas Out! (UK #1; US #6) was released in 1970 and was considered by critic Lester Bangs the best live record ever.[17]
By 1969, the band's 1963 contract with Decca Records had come to an end, and the Stones formed their own record company, Rolling Stones Records. Sticky Fingers (UK #1; US #1), released in March 1971, was the band's first album on their own label. The album contains one of their best known hits, "Brown Sugar", and the country-influenced "Wild Horses".
Sticky Fingers would continue the band's immersion into heavily-blues influenced compositions. Some of the tracks (including "Brown Sugar" and "You Gotta Move") were recorded at Alabama's Muscle Shoals Sound Studio during the 1969 American tour. The album is noted for its "loose, ramshackle ambience"[18] and marked Mick Taylor's first full release with the band. Taylor collaborated on several songs with Jagger (likely "Sway" and "Moonlight Mile"), partially because of Richards' substance addictions and resulting unreliability. However, when released, all original songs were credited to "Jagger/Richards".
Following the release of Sticky Fingers, the Stones departed England under pressure by the UK. Inland Revenue service for several years in unpaid income tax. The band moved abroad to the South of France. Richards rented a chateau, Villa Nellcôte and sublet rooms to the band members and entourage. Using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio they continued recording sessions that stretched as far back as 1969. The subsequent recordings would be finished in Los Angeles by Jagger. The resulting double album, Exile on Main St. (UK #1; US #1), was released in May 1972. Given an A+ grade by critic Robert Christgau[19] and disparaged by Lester Bangs—who reversed his opinion within months—Exile is now commonly accepted as one of the Stones' best albums. The film Cocksucker Blues, never officially released, documents the subsequent, highly publicised 1972 North American ("STP") Tour, with its retinue of jet set hangers-on. The band's early 1973 Pacific Tour saw them banned from playing in Japan and almost banned from Australia.
In November 1972, the band began sessions in Kingston, Jamaica for their follow-up to Exile, Goats Head Soup (UK #1; US #1) (1973). The album would spawn the worldwide hit "Angie", but would prove to be the first in a string of commercially successful but tepidly received studio albums.[20] The sessions for Goats Head Soup would also spawn a number of outtakes, most notably an early version of the popular ballad "Waiting on a Friend", which would not be released until Tattoo You, eight years later. The making of the record was hindered by another legal battle over drugs, this one dating back to their stay in France.
The band went to Musicland studios in Munich to record their next album, 1974's It's Only Rock 'n Roll (UK #2; US #1), but Jimmy Miller, who had drug abuse issues, was no longer producer. Instead, Jagger and Richards assumed production duties, and were credited as "the Glimmer Twins". Both the album and the single of the same name were hits, even without an immediate tour to promote them.
Nearing the end of 1974, Taylor had begun to get impatient because there had been no tours since October 1973.[21] The band found itself in a stalemate, with band members opting to spend their time abroad between recording sessions, while Jagger was getting increasingly exasperated with Richards, whose behaviour was becoming more and more unpredictable. The other members of the band ended up paying the fines and legal bills resulting from Richards' convictions, which also led to the entire band being denied entry to certain countries and missed income for all. Taylor spent his time helping Jagger compose and record songs in the studio, while Richards was often absent. Jagger promised Taylor recognition for his contributions in the form of official credits on tracks. When this did not happen, and with no tour in sight by the end of 1974 and a recording session already booked in Munich to record another new album, Taylor abruptly quit The Rolling Stones.[22] Taylor said in 1980, "I was getting a bit fed up. I wanted to broaden my scope as a guitarist and do something else... I wasn't really composing songs or writing at that time. I was just beginning to write, and that influenced my decision... There are some people who can just ride along from crest to crest; they can ride along somebody else's success. And there are some people for whom that's not enough. It really wasn't enough for me."[23]
1974-1982
The Stones used the recording sessions in Munich to audition replacements for Taylor. Guitarists as stylistically far-flung as Humble Pie lead Peter Frampton and ex-Yardbirds virtuoso Jeff Beck were auditioned. American session players Wayne Perkins and Harvey Mandel appeared on much of the album, but the band settled on Ron Wood, who had recorded and played live with Richards and already contributed to the recording and writing of It's Only Rock 'n Roll. The resulting album, Black and Blue (UK #2; US #1) (1976), would feature all of their contributions. Wood eventually left The Faces to commit to the Stones in 1974. The 1975 Tour of the Americas featured stage props including a giant inflatable phallus and a rope on which Jagger would swing out over the audience.
Although The Rolling Stones remained popular through the first half of the 1970s, music critics had grown increasingly dismissive of the band's output, and record sales had failed to meet expectations.[1] However, Keith Richards would have more serious concerns in 1977. Mick Jagger had booked a live recording session at the El Mocambo club in Toronto to balance out a long-overdue live album, 1977's Love You Live (UK #3; US #5), which would be the first Stones live album since 1970's Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!. Richards' addiction to heroin delayed his arrival in Toronto for the session; the other members of the band had already assembled in Toronto, awaiting Richards, and sent him a telegram asking him where he was. On February 24th, 1977, Richards and his family flew in from London on a direct BOAC flight and were detained by Canada Customs after being found in possession of a burnt spoon and hash residue. On March 4th, Richards' common law Anita Pallenberg quietly plead guilty to drug possession and was fined for the original airport event.[24] On Sunday, February 27th, after two days of Stones rehearsals, armed with legal arrest warrants for Pallenberg, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police discovered "22 grams of heroin"[25] in Richards' room. Richards was charged with importing narcotics into Canada, which carried a minimum seven-year sentence upon conviction.[26] Later the Crown prosecutor conceded that Richards had procured the drugs after arrival.[27] Despite the arrest, the band played two shows in Toronto, only to raise more controversy when the estranged and eventually-divorced wife of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was seen partying with the band after the show.[24]
The drug case dragged on for over a year until Richards received a suspended sentence and was ordered to play two free concerts for the CNIB in Oshawa, Ontario.[27] This sparked one of Richards' first musical projects outside of the Stones (with more to come as Jagger's own solo interests dawned in the 1980s), as he and Wood formed a band, The New Barbarians, to perform at the shows. This motivated a final, concerted attempt to end his drug habit, which proved largely successful.[8] It also coincided with the end of his relationship with Anita Pallenberg, which had become increasingly strained since the death of their third child (an infant son named Tara) and her own inability to curb her heroin addiction while Keith struggled to get clean.[28]
While Richards was settling his legal and personal problems, Jagger continued his jet-set lifestyle. He was a regular at New York's Studio 54 disco club, often in the company of model Jerry Hall. His marriage to Bianca ended in 1977. By this time, punk rock had become highly influential, and the Stones were increasingly criticised as being decadent, aging millionaires,[8] and their music was considered by many to be either stagnant or irrelevant.[29] In 1978, the band released Some Girls (UK #2; US #1), which included the hit single "Miss You", the country ballad "Far Away Eyes", "Beast of Burden", and "Shattered". In part a response to punk, many songs were fast, basic, guitar-driven rock and roll.[29] After the US Tour 1978, the group did not tour Europe the following year, breaking the routine of touring Europe every three years that the band had followed since 1967.
Entering the 1980s on a renewed commercial high due to the success of Some Girls, the band released its next album Emotional Rescue (UK #1; US #1) in mid-1980. The recording of the album was reportedly plagued by turmoil, with Jagger and Richards' relationship reaching a new low. Richards, more sober than at any time during the previous ten years, had begun to assert more control in the studio again—more than Jagger had become used to—and a power struggle had ensued and clashes were rife. Though Emotional Rescue hit the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, it was panned by critics as a lackluster and inconsistent effort. Following a boggled (due to an extremely drunken Richards[citation needed]) press conference to announce the album's release, the group decided not to tour in support of the album and went on hiatus.[citation needed]
In early 1981, the group reconvened and decided they would tour the U.S. that year, leaving little time to write and record a new album, as well as rehearse for the tour. That year's resulting album, Tattoo You (UK #2; US #1) featured the Stones staple "Start Me Up". Two songs on the album ("Waiting on a Friend" and "Tops") featured Mick Taylor's guitar playing, while jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins played on "Slave" and overdubbed a part on "Waiting on a Friend".
In mid-1981, the band rehearsed for its upcoming U.S. tour at Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR) at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen, the site of the former Cheetah Club. During this time at SIR, the Stones recorded the music video "Start Me Up" in rehearsal studio #1. They also recorded the video for "Waiting On a Friend" in the streets of Manhattan's East Village around the same time.
The Stones' American Tour 1981 was their biggest, longest and most colourful stage production to date, with the band playing indoor arenas and outdoor stadiums for over 3 months, and became the highest grossing tour of that year. Some shows were recorded and filmed, resulting in the 1982 live-album Still Life (American Concert 1981) (UK #4 / US #5), and the 1982 Hal Ashby concert film Let's Spend the Night Together.
In mid-1982, to commemorate their 20th anniversary as a band, the Stones took their successful American stage show to Europe. European Tour 1982 was their first European tour in six years. For the tour, the band was joined by former Allman Brothers Band piano player Chuck Leavell, who continues to play and record with the Stones to this day. By the end of the year, the band had signed a new multi-million dollar recording deal with a new label, CBS Records.
1983-1991
Throughout the early and mid 1980s the Jagger/Richards split widened and the band eventually shut down until working relations between Jagger and Richards could be repaired.
Before leaving Atlantic the Stones released in late 1983, Undercover (UK #3; US #4) Despite some good reviews the record sold below expectations. Subsequently the Stones signed with new marketer/distributor CBS Records which who took over distributing the Stone's Atlantic catalogue.
In 1985, co-founder, pianist, road manager and long-time friend Ian Stewart died of a heart attack. According to Richards, Stewart's death left the band without a moderating force that could have helped the band during a period which, according to Richards, he and Jagger waged "WW III".
By this point, Jagger was spending more time on his solo recordings than on those of the Stones, and much of the material on 1986's Dirty Work (UK #4; US #4) was authored by Keith Richards, with more contributions by Ron Wood than on previous Stones albums. Jagger refused to tour in support of the record. The Stones were awarded a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Jagger's solo records, She's the Boss (UK #6; US #13) (1985) and Primitive Cool (UK #26; US #41) (1987)), were moderate success, and Richards disparaged them all. With the Stones inactive due to Jagger's solo career, Richards released his first solo album in 1988, Talk Is Cheap (UK #37; US #24), which fans and critics received well, going Gold in U.S. Included on the Talk Is Cheap album was the song "You Don't Move Me", Richards' stab at his estranged songwriting partner.
In early 1989, The Rolling Stones, including Mick Taylor, Ronnie Wood and Ian Stewart (posthumously), were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jagger and Richards appeared to have developed a new understanding and appreciation for each other, and they recorded a new album as The Rolling Stones, which would eventually become Steel Wheels (UK #2; US #3). Widely heralded at the time as a return to form, which included the hit singles "Mixed Emotions", "Rock and a Hard Place" and "Almost Hear You Sigh". Additionally, the album included the song "Continental Drift" which included musicians from the Moroccan mountain village of Jajouka that Brian Jones had recorded and released a record with.
The subsequent U.S. Steel Wheels Tour saw the Stones touring for the first time in seven years (since Europe 1982), and it was their biggest stage production to date. The opening acts were Living Colour and Guns 'N Roses. By the time the massive tour reached Europe in 1990, the tour's name had been changed to the Urban Jungle Tour. Recordings made from the tour produced the 1991 live album Flashpoint (UK #6; US #16). The live album also included two new songs recorded in 1991, the hit single "Highwire" and "Sex Drive". This tour was the last for Bill Wyman who, after years of deliberation and increasing unwillingness to tour any longer, finally left the band, although it wasn't made official until 1993. He then published Stone Alone, an autobiography, which was based on memoirs he had been writing since the early days in London.
1992-1999
After the successes of Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tours, the band took a break and all released solo albums. Charlie Watts released two jazz albums; Ronnie Wood made his fifth solo album, the first in 11 years, called Slide On This; Keith Richards released his second solo album in late 1992, Main Offender (UK #45; US #99) and did a small tour including big concerts in Spain and Argentina. Mick Jagger got good reviews and sales with his third solo album Wandering Spirit (UK #12; US #11). The album sold well over 2 million copies worldwide going Gold in U.S.
After Bill Wyman's departure, the Stones' new distributor/record label, Virgin Records, remastered and repackaged the band's back catalog from Sticky Fingers through Steel Wheels sans the three live albums, and issued another hits compilation in 1993 entitled Jump Back (UK #16; US #30). By 1993 the Stones set upon recording their next studio album. Watts chose Darryl Jones, former sideman of Miles Davis and Sting, to be Wyman's replacement for 1994's Voodoo Lounge (UK #1; US #2). The album was met with strong reviews and sales, going double platinum in the US alone. Reviewers took note of the album's "traditionalist" sounds, which were credited to the Stones' new producer Don Was.[30] It would go on to win the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.
1994 also brought the accompanying Voodoo Lounge Tour, which lasted into 1995. Various recorded shows and rehearsals (mostly acoustic) made up Stripped (UK #9; US #9), which featured a cover of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", as well as infrequently played songs like "Shine a Light", "Sweet Virginia" and "The Spider and the Fly".
The Rolling Stones ended the 1990s with the album Bridges to Babylon (UK #6; US #3), released in 1997 to mixed reviews. Despite the lack of a hit single from the album, sales were reasonably equivalent to those of previous records, and the subsequent international tour Bridges to Babylon Tour that crossed Europe, North America and various other destinations proved the band to be a strong live attraction. Once again, a live album was culled from the tour, No Security (UK #67; US #34), only this time all but two songs ("Live With Me" and "The Last Time") were previously unreleased on any prior live albums. In 1999, the Stones staged the No Security Tour in the U.S., as well, and continued and finished the Babylon tour in Europe.
2000-present
In late 2001, Mick Jagger released his fourth solo album Goddess in the Doorway (UK #44; US #39), which met mixed reviews. Both Jagger and Richards would take part in "The Concert for New York City", performing "Salt of the Earth" and "Miss You".
In 2002, the band announced the Licks Tour and released Forty Licks (UK #2; US #2), a greatest hits album that spanned their career and contained four new songs recorded with the latter-day core band of Jagger, Richards, Watts, Wood, Leavell and Jones. The same year, Q magazine named The Rolling Stones as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die",[31] and the 2002-2003 Licks Tour gave people that chance. On 30 July 2003, the band headlined the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto concert in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to help the city—which they had frequently used for pre-tour rehearsals—recover financially and psychologically from the effects of the 2003 SARS epidemic. The concert was attended by an estimated 490,000 people.
On 9 November 2003, the band played its first concert in Hong Kong as part of the celebration, also in support of the SARS-affected economy. In November of 2003, the band exclusively licensed the right to sell their new 4-DVD boxed set, Four Flicks, recorded on the band's most recent world tour, to the U.S. Best Buy chain of stores. In response, some Canadian and U.S. music retail chains (including HMV Canada and Circuit City) pulled Rolling Stones CDs and related merchandise from their shelves and replaced them with signs explaining the situation.[32]
On July 26, 2005, Jagger's birthday, the band announced the name of their new album, A Bigger Bang (UK #2; US #3), which was released on September 6 to typically strong reviews, including a glowing write up in Rolling Stone (often noted for its consistent support of the group).[33] The album included perhaps the most controversial song from the Stones in years, "Sweet Neo Con", a criticism of American Neoconservatism from Jagger. The song was reportedly almost dropped from the album due to objections from Richards, who prefers to avoid overtly political or topical songs because he believes that such songs rarely stand the test of time.
The subsequent A Bigger Bang Tour began in August 2005, and visited North America, South America and East Asia in a mixture of venues. In February 2006, the group played the high-profile half-time show of Super Bowl XL. By the end of 2005, the Bigger Bang tour had set a record of $162 million in gross receipts, breaking the previous North American mark that had also been set by the Stones in 1994. Later that month, the band played to a massive crowd of 1.5 million (estimated) on the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro in a free concert. After performances in New Zealand, Keith Richards went to the hospital on May 2006 for brain surgery after an apparent fall from a coconut tree on the island of Fiji, causing a six week postponement in the European leg of the tour.
The following month, it was reported that Ron Wood was entering rehabilitation for several weeks following increased recent alcohol abuse. The Stones returned to North America for another round of concerts in September 2006, and returned to Europe on June 5, 2007. By November 2006, the Bigger Bang tour had been declared the highest-grossing tour of all time, earning the band $437 million. The North American leg brought in the third-highest receipts ever ($138.5 million), trailing their own 2005 tour ($162 million) and the U2 tour of that same year ($138.9 million).[34] The Stones show in Horsens, Denmark drew 85,000 people, which was the largest audience at any show on the scheduled part of the tour.
In December 2006, a commercial for a major credit card appeared using the Stones song "I'm Free" as the background music. In late October 2006, filmmaker Martin Scorsese filmed the Stones during several live performances at New York City's Beacon Theater, featuring an audience that included several world leaders, for release as a documentary in 2008 titled Shine a Light.[35] On March 24, 2007, the band announced a tour of Europe called the "Bigger Bang 2007" tour. June 12, 2007 saw the release of the Stones' second four-disc DVD set entitled The Biggest Bang, a seven-hour document featuring the band's shows in Austin, Rio de Janeiro, Saitama, Japan, Shanghai, and Buenos Aires, as well as extras. As with their first DVD set, the collection will be sold exclusively through Best Buy.[36]
On June 10, 2007, the band performed their first gig at a festival in 30 years, at the Isle of Wight Festival, to a crowd of 50,000. On August 26, 2007 they played their last concert of the A Bigger Bang Tour. Mick Jagger will release a compilation of his solo work called The Very Best Of Mick Jagger including new songs on October 2, 2007. Rumours for a new tour in 2008 were confirmed by Ronnie Wood in a recent interview.
Personnel
Line-ups
(1962) |
with
|
---|---|
(1962-1963) |
|
(1963-1969) |
|
(1969-1974) |
|
(1974-1993) |
|
(1993-present) |
|
Discography
- Further information: The Rolling Stones discography
Tours
- 2005/2006/2007 - A Bigger Bang Tour
- 2002/2003 - Licks Tour
- 1999 - No Security Tour
- 1997/1998 - Bridges To Babylon Tour
- 1994/1995 - Voodoo Lounge Tour
- 1989/1990 - Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour
- 1982 - European Tour 1982
- 1981 - American Tour 1981
- 1978 - US Tour 1978
- 1976 - Tour of Europe '76
- 1975 - Tour of the Americas '75
- 1973 - European Tour 1973
- 1973 - Pacific Tour 1973
- 1972 - American Tour 1972 (also known as S.T.P. Tour)
- 1971 - UK Tour 1971 (also known as the Goodbye Britain Tour)
- 1970 - European Tour 1970
- 1969 - American Tour 1969 (famous but didn't seem to have a name)
- 1967 - European Tour
- 1966 - Australia and New Zealand Tour, European Tour, North American Tour, British Tour
- 1965 - 1 Far East tour, 4 European tours, 3 British tours, 2 North American tours
- 1964 - 4 British tours, 2 US tours, 1 concert on European Continent (The Netherlands)
- 1963 - British Tour (as an opening act)
Videography
- 1968: One Plus One (also titled Sympathy for the Devil), film by Jean-Luc Godard(DVD)
- 1969: Stones in the Park (DVD)
- 1970: Gimme Shelter (DVD)
- 1972: Cocksucker Blues
- 1974: Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones
- 1982: (DVD)
- 1984: (VHS)
- 1989: (VHS)
- 1990: Live at the Max (VHS)
- 1995: Live from the Voodoo Lounge (DVD)
- 1996: The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (DVD - concert de 1968)
- 1998: Bridges To Babylon Tour '97-98 (DVD)
- 2003: Four Flicks (DVD)
- 2007: The Biggest Bang (DVD)
- 2008: Shine a Light directed by Martin Scorcese
See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart
References
- ^ a b c d e f g The Rolling Stones Biography. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-06-01.
- ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Rolling Stones Biography. All Music Guide. All Media Guide. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
- ^ Rolling Stones Discography. All Music Guide. All Media Guide. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
- ^ Paulson, John. Deep Cuts: The Essential Stones. Deep Cuts. Bullz Eye Music. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
- ^ "Everything is turning to gold", Record sales of the Rolling Stones.
- ^ The Immortals: The First Fifty. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
- ^ "Biography of the Stones" , accessed 1 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n The Rolling Stones Biography. Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone magazine. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
- ^ a b Greenfield, Robert (1981). The Rolling Stone Interviews - Keith Richards. New York: St. Martin's Press/Rolling Stone Press. ISBN 0-312-68954-3.
- ^ Muddy Waters:Rollin' Stone. Rolling Stone.com. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Loewenstein, Dora; Philip Dodd (2003). According to the Rolling Stones. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-4060-3.
- ^ It's Only Rock 'n' Roll: The Ultimate Guide to the Rolling Stones, Facts On File, Inc. New York NY 10001 (1997), P. 58
- ^ "Everything You Need to know about The Rolling Stones BBC.
- ^ "The Hollywood Palace"TV.com, accessed 1 June 2007
- ^ Janovitz, Bill. The Rolling Stones "We Love You". allmusic. 2007 (accessed 1 June 2007).
- ^ Burks, John, "Rock & Roll's Worst Day: The aftermath of Altamont", Rolling Stone, 1970-02-07, URL retrieved 2007-04-18.
- ^ Bangs, Lester. "The Rolling Stones: Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out". Rolling Stone. November 12, 1970 (accessed 28 April 2007).
- ^ "Sticky Fingers" allmusic, accessed 30 August 2007
- ^ "Reviews - The Rolling Stones" Robert Christgau, accessed 30 August 2007
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. The Rolling Stones "Goats Head Soup". allmusic. 2007 (accessed 17 June 2007).
- ^ "Mick Taylor Biography" allmusic, accessed 25 June 2007
- ^ Smith, Curtis. "Why Mick Taylor Quit the Stones" micktaylor.net, accessed 25 June 2007
- ^ Obrecht, Jas: "Mick Taylor: Ex-Rolling Stones On His Own", page 20. Guitar World, Feb. 1980.
- ^ a b Sandford, Christopher. Keith Richards: Satisfaction, Caroll & Graf: New York, 2003, p. 227
- ^ Greenspan, Edward (editor), Regina v. Richards 49 C.C.C. (2d), Canadian Criminal Cases (1980), Canada Law Book. p. 518
- ^ Sandford, Christopher. Keith Richards: Satisfaction, Caroll & Graf: New York, 2003, p. 225
- ^ a b Greenspan, Edward (editor), Regina v. Richards 49 C.C.C. (2d), Canadian Criminal Cases (1980), Canada Law Book. p.517-527
- ^ Sandford, Christopher. Keith Richards: Satisfaction, Caroll & Graf: New York, 2003, p. 232-3, 248-250
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Some Girls. AMG. allmusic. Retrieved on 2006-06-01.
- ^ "Voodoo Lounge"AMG, 2007. accessed 3 September 2007
- ^ "Q - 50 Bands You Must See Before You Die"rocklist.neyt, September 2002. accessed 7 June 2007
- ^ "Some U.S. retailers join Stones boycott"CNN, November 2003. accessed 14 June 2007
- ^ "A Bigger Bang: Review" Rolling Stone, 22 September 2005. accessed 14 June 2007
- ^ "Stones Roll Over U2 To Claim Highest Grossing Concert Tour", 29 November 2006
- ^ "Shine A Light"Internet Movie Database, 16 January 2007
- ^ "Best Buy Brings The Biggest Bang to Life for Rolling Stones Fans"Yahoo!, 30 May 2007
Further reading
- Gered Mankowitz: The Rolling Stones - Out of Their Heads. Photographs 1965-67 and 1982. [ISBN 3-89602-664-X]
- Stanley Booth, The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones, Chicago Review Press (2000), ISBN 1-55652-400-5
- Stanley Booth, Dance With the Devil: The Rolling Stones and Their Times, Random House (1984), ISBN 0-394-53488-3
- Roy Carr, The Rolling Stones: An Illustrated Record, Harmony Books (1976), ISBN 0-517-52641-7
- Robert Greenfield, S.T.P.: A Journey Through America With The Rolling Stones (1974), Reissued De Capo Press, 2002. ISBN 0-306-81199-5
- Greil Marcus, "Myth and Misquotation", The Dustbin Of History, Harvard University Press (1997), ISBN 0-674-21858-2
- James Phelge, "Nankering with the Rolling Stones", 2000. ISBN 1556523734
- The Rolling Stones, According to The Rolling Stones, Chronicle Books (2003), ISBN 0-8118-4060-3
- The Gram Parsons Homepage FAQ
- CBC Digital Archives - The Rolling Stones: Canada gets Satisfaction
- T.O.T.A '75 The official illustrated account of The Rolling Stones Tour of The Americas '75
- Stanley Booth, "Keith:Standing In The Shadows", St. Martin's Press (1995), ISBN 0-312-11841-4
External links
- Official website
- IORR The Rolling Stones Fan Club of Europe
- The Rolling Stones at MusicBrainz
- The Rolling Stones at Rolling Stone
- The Rolling Stones at Discogs
- The Rolling Stones songs in the charts
- The Rolling Stones at the Internet Movie Database