|
|
|
|
 |
A band that has since the late 60's called themselves the greatest rock and
roll band in the world, the Rolling Stones are a band almost without
peer, selling out tours over forty years after forming, and having never
truly disbanded along the way. Taking the low road during the early
Merseybeat days of the Beatles, they were a dangerous alternative to the
poppy sound that most of the British Invasion groups of the time were
employing in an attempt to grab the teen ears of the era. Rather than play
it safe, they utilized a blues based rock sound that was to become a part of
their signature for decades (and decades!) to come.
The driving heart and soul of the
Stones has always been their larger than life, cock of the walk-strutting
frontman and singer Mick Jagger and ballsy, blistering guitarist Keith
Richards, a duo the likes of Lennon/McCartney in regards to their importance
to the band. Meeting first at Dartford Maypole County Primary School, the
two drifted apart but years later crossed paths again in 1960 thanks to
mutual friend Dick Taylor, who was attending Sidcup Art School with
Richards. Jagger was attending the London School Of Economics as well as
playing with guitarist Taylor in a band called Little Boy Blue and the Blue
Boys. Not long after their reacquiescence Keith joined the group. In the next
year Brian Jones came on the scene, having already lived a wild life;
dropping out of school, running away to Scandinavia and fathering two
illegitimate children by the time he was 16. Playing in Blues, Inc. with Ian
Stewart and then band drummer Charlie Watts, Jagger and Richards
occasionally played cameos with the group and before long a demo was
recorded but rejected by EMI. Taylor left the band to attend the Royal
College Of Art, but not before the band took the name the Rolling Stones for
themselves, borrowed from a Muddy Waters song.
The Stones played their first gig at the Marquee Club in London in July,
1962 with a lineup consisting of Jagger, Richards, Jones, Stewart, drummer
Rick Avery and returning Derek Taylor, who again left and was replaced by
Bill Wyman. Avery also departed at this time. The Stones brought in Tony
Chapman for a period but were unsatisfied with his sound and recruited their
old friend from Blues, Inc. Charlie Watts, who had left when that group's
touring schedule became too hectic. Thus the Rolling Stones lineup was for
the most part set, and they began an eight month stint at the Crawdaddy
Club, where they caught the attention of Andrew Loog Oldham who became their
manager. It was he who played up the angle of the band as being irreverent
bad boys, an antithesis of the Beatles clean cut cuteness. At Oldham's
insistence Stewart was asked to leave the band, though he would still play
on their albums and tours until his death in the mid-eighties.
With Oldham as the helm the band signed with Decca Records and in June 1963
cut a cover of the Chuck Berry tune "Come On", sped up to under two minutes
in length and becoming a minor hit that the band was somewhat averse to
playing at their shows. Late that year they covered the Lennon/McCartney
song "I Wanna Be Your Man", which placed in the top 15. In 1964 they
recorded Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and made a name for themselves across
the ocean in the United States. Playing up an us vs. them rivalry with the
Beatles, all number of stories were beginning to appear in the British press
about the bad boys on the pop scene, helping the group's popularity gather
momentum. In 1964 they cut their first album as well as the tune "It's All
Over Now", their first British number one hit, and toured the U.S. to
enormous success, also coming up with another hit song,."Little Red
Rooster". At this point Oldham began pushing Jagger and Richards to begin
composing their own songs in order to make more money for themselves and
Oldham's publishing company. Their first original release, "Tell Me (You're
Coming Back)", made the U.S. Top Ten and was followed by a slew of others
over the next few years- "Time Is On My Side", "Satisfaction", "Get Off My
Cloud," "19th Nervous Breakdown," "As Tears Go By," and "Have You Seen Your
Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?". Jagger and Richards used their
penchant for hard driving bluesy rock and roll to their advantage when
penning material for themselves, and the Rolling Stones signature sound
became one that bands would emulate for decades to come.
NOTE: Stones fans, feel free to e-mail me on any errors I've made regarding the synopsis given here!
The Rolling Stones Under Review is a 90 minute documentary, reviewing
and studying those early formative years of the band. As I have never looked
into the history of the Stones, this film was informative, if a bit on the
basic side. The period footage used is bleary and muddy, but entertaining
enough, following the group through its infancy with pictures and film of
early club shows and studio performances; seeing Jagger and Richards looking
so incredibly young is entertainment in itself. Touting a number of
interesting interviewees, the early story is related rather well. Stones
bodyguards, NME and Melody Maker journalists of the times and even original
Stones member Derek Taylor sit in, giving relaxed, humorous insights and
impressions on his times with the boys. As stated at the beginning, Stones
material is reviewed and critiqued by panel members, sometimes with curious
results. The recordings one gets to witness here include the Stones
performing "Satisfaction", "The Last Time", "Little Red Rooster" and "Come
On".
The filmmakers portray much of the archival footage shown here as being rare; whether or not this
is accurate I have no idea, but it certainly isn't film I've seen, nor a
manner in which I've looked at the Stones before. One problem with
'unauthorized' documentaries like this is the absence of any current
band member telling some of their own stories and insights of the period.
Material akin to the treatment here has long existed in regards to the Beatles market with
an eye on their vast legions of rabid fans, so it stands to reason that the
Rolling Stones would become the subject of like minded projects. It's
uniqueness in covering such an early period was also part of its drawback
for a more average fan such as me; the viewer will likely have a feeling of
wanting more Stones history, but with a band as storied as this 90 minutes
isn't very long to tell the tale, and it is probable that later material would have been cost prohibitive for the filmmakers.
Video-
Aspect ratio here is 1.33:1 fullscreen. Picture quality here greatly
differs; much of the older footage is bleary, soft and pretty much a mess,
but still fun to watch considering the subject. Newer interview footage is
acceptable, if a bit on the soft side. Of note, this is an NTSC Region 0
disc.
Audio-
Audio track here is English Dolby Digital stereo 2.0; voices are clear and
easy to understand, and for the most part the music is well represented.
Overall this is a solid track for documentary purposes.
Extras-
Stones Stories- Clocking in at about 6 minutes this is a series of
additional reminiscences by some of the contributors to the documentary. A
nice little addition to the disc and worth a look.
The Hardest Rolling Stones Quiz in the World Ever- A list of 25
questions on Rolling Stones history, most of which are answered by the
documentary itself.
Final Thoughts-
That the Rolling Stones is one of the most influential rock and roll bands
in history is indisputable, and Mick and Keith may indeed be correct in
their pronouncement of being the best rock and roll band in the world.
Getting an opportunity to see them perform at such an early period is fun,
and some of the commentary here is intriguing as well. While I think this is
something diehard Stones fans should have on their shelves, the average fan
will likely want to see something that covers a longer period in their
career. I'd recommend that you rent it. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Special Offers
|
|
|
| DVD Blowouts
|
|
|
| Special Offers
|
|
|
|
Buy: