Flashpoint

by

The Rolling Stones

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Flashpoint was released Feb 2, 1991. It was recorded on the Steel Wheels (American) and Urban Jungle (European) tours during 1989-90. It was their 6th live album (the most recent had been 10 years earlier - Still Life). The tracks on the album were actually recorded as follows:

.....11-25-89 Jacksonville

.....11-26-89 Clemson SC

.....12-19-89 Atlantic City

.....2-26/27-90 Toyko

.....6-14-90 Barcelona

.....7-6-90 Wembley (also filmed for the IMAX film and their 1st DVD release)

There was a special quad gatefold edition of the album (which is now out of print) that included a 2nd disc (titled Collectibles) of rare, extended version, or dance mix tracks previously released only on 12" vinyl singles or as B sides.

Many reviewers consider this either their best live album or the 2nd best (after the 1970 release Get Your Ya Ya's Out). The album includes the UK single Highwire and the US single Sex Drive, both of which are studio tracks added to the live tracks from the tour. In addition it has the live version of Ruby Tuesday that was released as a CD single in the UK along with Play With Fire, You Can't Always Get What You Want, and Undercover Of The Night (all live versions from the album). Flashpoint also includes what many people think is the best version they ever did of Little Red Rooster (it features Eric Clapton on lead). Most people know the music, so in my reviews I try to give you data on the sessions and interesting facts connected with the songs and the album. Here we go:

Interesting notes include:

.....the 115th show of the combined Steel Wheels and Urban Jungle tours at Wembly Stadium in London was the last live performance with Bill Wyman (it was filmed on IMAX cameras and is available as the DVD The Rolling Stones Live at the MAX)

.....the Steel Wheels tour set a new American attendance record of 3.4 million, they sold out 10 shows in Tokyo, and the Urban Jungle tour included their 1st shows in East Germany and Czechoslovakia where a ticket was recognized as a one day passport for Hungarians and Poles...the combined tours grossed $200 million

.....the first show of the tour (at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia) was loud enough they blew a generator (causing 3 minutes of silence in the middle of Shattered)....they dropped the song from the setlist for the remainder of the tour

.....this was the first gargantuan stage tour....Steel Wheels featured blow up bimbos (named Angie and Ruby) during Honky Tonk Women and a diversionary lightning effect while Mick rode an elevator 8 stories up to a high stage where he sang Sympathy in a hellishly lighted cloud of smoke (because there were already so many live versions of these two songs on other albums, neither made it to the CD releases)....Urban Jungle featured two rabid canines (with erections) to go with the recently released single Terrifying.

This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own collection, with some of the notes from Davis' "Old Gods Almost Dead." Both books are available from amazon.com.

Notwithstanding Mick Jagger's soupy commentaries, especially his blabber in some foreign language that leads Keith Richards at some point to blurt out, "alright, let's cut out the crap," and notwithstanding their rock-a-billy version of "Sympathy for the Devil," and notwithstanding Eric Clapton's boilerplate - yawn - lead on "Little Red Rooster," this live recording has a few good tracks.

The only track that really stands out is "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which they keep at the slower pace so that the guitarists can offer up some nice blues during the breaks. They fall into the trotting tempo at the end, but the chordal structure of the song really lends itself to keeping it slow, as it's about what you need, which is some good blues.

Otherwise, they are self-conscious about "Get Your Ya Ya's Out" in a way that doesn't make up for the huge gulf between these two releases as far as continuity, song selection and order and performance is concerned. Had they dumped "Sympathy," "Paint it Black" (never was a good song), "Miss You" (ancient history), and put in good renditions of "Slipping Away," "Terrifying," and "Blinded by Love," not to mention some of the other good ones from "Steel Wheels," then it would have gelled better and you might have gotten something near the perfection of "Get YOur Ya Ya's Out."

Symptomatic of this effort is the indirect reference to Howlin' Wolf's release with Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts (London Sessions), on which Clapton serves up one of his best, wide-ranging performances. But, on "Flashpoint" the little red rooster comes off more like a big old yawn.