Love You Live

by

The Rolling Stones

Edit

1) It contains the only officialy released live versions of the overlooked mid-70s classics If You Can't Rock Me, Fingerprint File, and Star, Star, and all sound excellent

2) The version of Hot Stuff on here is better than the album version in my opinion, for what that's worth to you.

3) Good performances of the smash hits You Can't Always Get What You Want and Sympathy For the Devil.

4) A smoking version of Happy

5) The blues and early rock tracks Mannish Boy, Crackin' Up, Little Red Rooster, and Around and Around.

Now if you are a casual fan, you should get Get Yer Ya Ya's Out first. In fact, even the new Live Licks contains more hits than Love You Live if that's what you're looking for. But for the more seasoned fan, there are performances on here from every Stones era up to this point - very early songs, several from the 68-72 years, and at least one song from each 73-76 album. It's a great snapshot of the band at a crucial stage of their development.

Having said that, I can't give it five stars for a couple reasons. First, it's not as good as Ya Ya's. Second, there are a couple terrible performances. Jumpin' Jack Flash is just awful , due to Mick's lack of effort on vocals. I've only been able to get through this track once. If you want this one live, buy Flashpoint or Ya Ya's. In my opinion the Flashpoint version is the best, but anything's better than the one on this album. But when you take this double album as a whole, there is much more good than bad, and several great moments.

To preface this review:

A. I am a self-professed Monster Stones Fan

B. I love all Stones era's (I do not believe the world stopped turning when Mick Taylor left the band)

C. I think Punk Rock was good for the Stones, it kicked them in the pants and helped to inspire Some Girls

D. I like Ron Wood (I even listen to his solo albums)

E. I do not have anything against Billy Preston in theory

As far as obligatory mid-70's Double-Live albums go, this is not horrible and the band deserves some extra credit by trying to do something different, filling up side three with a club show blues set. Unfortunately there are serious problems. First however, the highlights:

A. The Fanfare / Honky Tonk opening is cool

B. The If You Can't Rock me / Get Off My Cloud medley is a good idea

C. Happy and Starf@&#%*r rock out like nobody's business

D. Gotta give the band credit for doing the deep-funk Fingerprint File live (they ought to consider pulling this weird gem out of mothballs for the upcoming tour)

E. It's Only Rock and Roll, JJF, Sympathy, etc. are all fine

Where most other reviewers seem to disagree with me is the blues set: I have always thought it was wretched. In theory, I think the idea of the Stones ridding themselves of all but a few key sidemen and getting down with some blues standards in a sweaty, smokey bar is a gift from God. My problem with this El Mocambo set is the execution. Why is it crap?

A. Billy Preston's clavinet?

B. Mick Jagger's smarmy I'm a-Studio 54-jetset-superstar-playing-at-being-a-bluesman-while-drinking-champagne vocals?

C. Ronnie not yet integrated into the band well enough?

D. Keith phoning it in?

I cannot put my finger on it but I am pretty sure A and B are strongly contributing factors. Although Billy Preston is a very capable keyboardist, I have never understood the prominence the Stones allowed him in their band during this period. If you listen to the bootlegs from this tour, they were letting him sing not one but two of his own songs, something which they have never let Ronnie (or Bill Wyman for that matter)do. If anything, these songs need Ian Stuart's barrelhouse piano, not the ingratiating crapola Billy Preston is playing here. Finally, I think Mick just sinks this these songs with execrable insincerity.

So there.