4/5 A Past Life
  by Richard R. Carlton (Ada, MI United States)
The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus was released Oct 15, 1996. It is the long suppressed made-for-TV special recorded 28 years earlier on Dec 11-12, 1968 with The Who, John Lennon, Taj Mahal, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithful, and Eric Clapton. The packaging is beautiful with a great 42 page glossy color booklet that has all the rare behind the scenes photos and a full account of things leading up to the event. The Who were red hot at the time and easily upstaged the Stones who were still struggling through their first major crisis after the removal of Brian (and his subsequent death) and attempting to figure out how to hold on to their status as the premier band. The Stones refused to release the recordings because their performances were not spectacular. Most reviewers agreed when they finally got to see the film themselves. However, what the film lacks in production (which was obviously amateurish) it makes up for in history. The Stones lackluster set of Jumpin' Jack Flash, Parachute Woman, No Expectations, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Sympathy For the Devil, and Salt Of The Earth are easily compensated by The Who's mini opera A Quick One While He's Away and Lennon and Clapton's Yer Blues. There are also dated period piece interviews with Mick and John and very amateurish introductions by the individual Stones, which when combined with the extremely amateurish set, acting, and cinematography amply demonstrate why this is one for Stones and rock history collectors. The Stones were right, it didn't work for them, and it is good that the release was delayed until it appealed to collectors and would not reflect on the reputation of the band.

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:
.....this CD and the companion DVD and VHS releases were the last time Brian Jones performed with the Stones
.....Brigitte Bardot was Mick's original choice for the ringmaster, when she declined, he did it himself
.....Keith wanted Johnny Cash, but he declined too
.....Mick refused to consider Jimmy Page's new band "The New Yardbirds" without hearing their tapes (which were released on their first album "Led Zeppelin")
.....Ivry Gitlis was a great classical violin virtuoso.....he accepted an invitation to perform because he respected Brian Jones
.....John Lennon's temporary supergroup (Clapton, Mitch Mitchel, and Keith) was named Dirty Mac in response to the hottest band of the day....Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
.....the taping started around noon on Dec 11 and ran for 18 hours...when the specially chosen fan audience left at 6AM, Mick and Keith shook hands with most of them and thanked them for coming

Other songs from the same show that were recorded for the Circus but which have not yet been released are:
.....Route 66
.....Confessin' The Blues
.....Yonder Wall
.....Walkin' Blues

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.

5/5 Worth it just for "A Quick One"
  by Zach Everson (Louisville, KY)
Today marks the 35th anniversary of one of the greatest rock n' roll shows of all time. The Who, The Stones, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and The Dirty Mac - a super group comprised of Keith Richards, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and Mitch Mitchell - rocked out while wearing clown suits and other circus garb. Jagger and a midget introduced Tull. The Stones kept this recording in the vault until 1996 because they thought The Who out performed them. They did - which says a lot, as The Stones set was great. Regardless, this CD contains the best performance of "A Quick One" I've ever heard.

After the opening ceremonies, the show kicks off with Jethro Tull playing one of their earliest hits - "A Song for Jeffrey." This version sounds a lot like their studio version of the song, however, leading me to believe it was lip-synched. Regardless, it's a great song.

The Who follow with a phenomenal version of Townshend's mini-opera, "A Quick One" (you my be familiar with this song from the movie "Rushmore"). It's one of The Who's best and this is easily the best version of it.

After ok songs by Taj Mahal and Marianne Faithfull, The Dirty Mac takes over for two songs. They do a great cover of The Beatles' "Yer Blues." Then they did "Whole Lotta Yoko," which is way too much Yoko for me. Her wailing obscures what is an otherwise incredible jam session featuring some of rock's all-time greats.

The Stones then take over and end the show with a five-song set featuring some classics. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" is pretty good - I prefer it with the choir opening, however. "Sympathy for the Devil" is another highlight from their set. It sounds incredible.

The CD also comes with a thorough booklet with lots of pictures and a good write-up of the evening.

4/5 No Polished Diamond, but Surely a Jem!
  by Gregory Canellis (Tuckerton, NJ USA)
Rock acts in the sixties never took themselves too seriously, and this production of the Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus is no exception. Sex, drugs, and rock & roll were the order of the day, not high-tech professionalism, and members of "the Establishment," such as television producers, had no choice but to conform. Obviously, this project was an attempt to assemble a handful of British rock acts for a loosely thrown together BBC variety show, modeled on America's zany and popular "Rowen & Martin's Laugh-in." Set under a circus big top, the result is revealing window into what was then coined "The British Invasion" of the classic rock era.

One has to look below the surface of this light-hearted production to appreciate its magic. Tony Iommi, the left-handed guitarist, later to become the driving force behind Black Sabbath seemingly goes unnoticed as Jethro Tull's side man in "Song For Jeffrey." The falsetto harmonies of the Who's quiet bassist John Entwistle, and Keith Moon, barely able to contain himself, highlight Pete Townsend's "A Quick One While He's Away. "Ain't That A Lot of Love" and some extra performances resurrect the nearly forgotten blues group Taj Mahal.

Girlfriends and wives also got in on the act, and contributed performances. Marianne Faithful, then Mick Jagger's main squeeze, delivers a cutesie virbrato rendition of "Something Better." Yoko Ono (with classic violinist Ivry Gitlis) reminds all within memory just how horribly wretched her dying animal, no talent voice passed off as art, can be on "Whole Lotta Yoko."

Dirty Mac, an all-star garage band featuring the late John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richard on bass, and Jimi Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell, resurrect a lost art: the Jam. Lennon's powerful vocals leads the ensemble through a rendition of "Yer Blues," while a youthful Clapton gently caresses a beautiful red Gibson ES-335. Richard, surprisingly competent on bass, provides a solid foundation along with the ever meticulous Mitchell. A lose ending nearly spoils a perfect performance, but hap-hazard endings have always been a Rolling Stones trademark anyway.

Predictably, the Stones highlight the show with six exceedingly rare performances. The late Brian Jones, an original founding member, who would be fired by Jagger & Co., then mysteriously drown shortly thereafter is seen here in this unique footage. The Stones remain true to the studio version of the now classic "Jumping Jack Flash," as the crowd needs no cue to come alive. Richards launches the band into the slow blues "Parachute Woman." Mick's harmonica and the honky-tonk piano of the late Nicky Hopkins fill the gaps nicely. Jone's hauntingly beautiful slide guitar, Richards' acoustic rhythm, Hopkins' pounding fills, and Jagger's intoxicating vocals nail "No Expectations." The Stones increase the tempo with yet another classic, "You Can't Always Get What You Want," then launch into the sinister "Sympathy For The Devil." Charlie Watts' rim work coupled with guest conga man, Rocky Dijon lend a raw authenticity, later lost in stadium venues. Ever the front-man, Jagger's voodoo screams are climaxed by him kneeling submissively, peeling off his shirt, like a slave about to be whipped, only to reveal some devilish, if temporary body tattoos. An audience participation finale of "Salt of the Earth" highlight Jagger and Richards vocal harmonies quite nicely.

Despite the few legitimate circus acts interlaced with humorous, if sometimes ridiculous witticisms by Jagger, Lennon, and others, this nicely arranged package is a must for any die-hard Stones fan, or afictionado of classic rock history.

4/5 "You've heard of Picadilly Circus..."
  by A Hermit (Southwest Pa.)
I don't feel the Stones are a consistently good live act, although the set they played here, isn't without merit. I have to give them credit, because Mick Jagger is still today what you see in this film. He's got a few lines on his face, and a few traces of grey in his hair now, but time hasn't been his enemy. Keith Richard, on the other hand, doesn't even look like the same person anymore; that's what hard living will do to you.

Their set wasn't bad, though it had that "garage band" feel to it, but that's always been one of their selling points. "Jumpin' Jack Flash," " Parachute Woman," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and the others all sound up to snuff, although some back-up singers would've helped; they had a piano player, and a percussionist, why not back-up singers?

Taj Mahal's number was OK, but seemed to be a little lifeless, and Marianne Faithful has been correctly described as "lovely," her segment was a good off-set to everything else.

The Who's performance was definitely show-stopping, hard to believe Keith Moon and John Entwistle are gone. They were so "alive." They were just coming into their own when this event was held.

Depending on my mood, often my favorite segment was Jethro Tull's number. Isn't annoying when people call Ian Anderson "Jethro Tull?" Even though Anderson was the only musician with the band at every phase of its existence, "Jethro Tull" was, and is, the band's name. Apart from Anderson, none of the musicians here were with Anderson for that long. Drummer Clive Bunker was replaced by Barriemore Barlow, Bassist Glenn Cornik was replaced with Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond, John Evan was added on piano, and Martin Barre replaced the man playing slide guitar here, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi.

I thought The Dirty Mac was cool, Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience on drums, Keith Richard playing bass, when Bill Wyman could've sufficed. But Richard is, in his own way, as charismatic as Jagger, so I say good choice; it was a "super group" anyway; Eric Clapton on lead guitar ( God he was young back then), and John Lennon as band leader. I thought their rendition of "Yer Blues" was as good as the version Lennon did with The Beatles. That other thing they did was thrown together at the last minute, obviously. Irvey Gitlis played a great solo on violin here, I don't even know who he is, but I can tell he's got a lot of talent. I've never understood Yoko Ono's contributions to these things; giving credit where it's due, she's a very creative woman, and she was the catalyst in Lennon's life for finding and redefining himself. She was good for him. But she has screamed into microphones in front of some of the most talented musicians in the world, and I'm tempted to ask, "why?" Call it a guilty pleasure, but listen to her songs on "Double Fantasy." These are great songs, and she is actually carrying a tune there. I really like it, and that's what's frustrating; she's got an unusual voice, and it is abused and squandered on things like "Whole Lotta Yoko," the number she sang at the R'n'R Circus. Did she have the first idea how much audiences hated her? The only real applause she ever got, as far as I could tell, was when she and John sat in with Zappa and the Mothers at the Fillmore. And that's because Zappa's fans, especially then, were open to almost anything.

In all, this is a good investment, if nothing else, to see what the big names were doing in December of 1968. The music was so much better long ago...



4/5 Psychedelic blues boogie
  by Peter Letheby (Adelaide, South Australia Australia)
This is actually better visually than on CD. Seeing some of the legends of Rock together is nirvana. The Dirty Mac is a knockout - "Yer Blues" extends into a riff jam, while Who's operetta "A Quick One" is a killer. Best is, surprisingly, "Whole Lotta Yoko", with classical violinist Ivry Gitlis accompanying Yoko on a an excursion into primordial musical terrain replete with Yoko's 'in-labour' sound effects. The effect, following "Yer Blues", is electrifying.

Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithful and Tull also perform above standard, but I felt the Stones themselves were a little loose, perhaps due to the pressures of the moment. "Salt of the Earth" was an appropriate sing-a-long conclusion.

John Lennon is deeply missed.