Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones

With all the re-mastering of other concerts why hasn't this one been released. I'm getting sick and tired of the current Stones live productions, very repetitious and boring.

I seen this movie twice within the space of a week almost 30 years ago and it is still firmly etched in my memory.

The Taylor years are simply the best and this concert showcases this brilliant (and under rated) guitarist his at his peak. Trademen Keef and Ronnie just don't cut like Master Craftsman Tayor did.

Great set of songs taken from the Stones' golden era of writing and performing.

The movie is of 2 performances in Fort Worth on 6/24/1972 (afternoon & evening), and 2 in Houston (University of Houston) on 6/25/1972. Of the 15 songs, 9 are from the Houston shows (5 from the afternoon show) & 6 from Fort Worth. The Houston afternoon show was my first concert, thanks to my brother (ticket price $5.50). You can tell the Fort Worth shows by the lights behind the stage that are aimed at a high reflecting fixture above and in front of the stage which would bounce the lights onto the stage. Hofheinz Pavilion's ceiling in Houston was too low for this setup, so you have the basic light setup for the time. Seeing the Stones 15 times, this was the only time I saw Mick Taylor play with them. His guitar work on Love in Vain and Gimme Shelter is great, and the way the guitarists lock in together on Tumbling Dice and Rip This Joint is something to see. Other highlights - the energy of the show opener Brown Sugar, Keith on Bye Bye Johnnie, Mick's confidence on Street Fighting Man, Charlie Watts & Bill Wyman throughout, the horn section (both Texans), and Nicky Hopkins (you can hear him once in a while in the film - live, he was pretty drowned out). I also think Ian Stewart is at the piano for Brown Sugar. Anyone interested in the Stones should see this film. A great band at a critical time.

The Stones at their amphetamine-and-heroin-fueled best, tearing through half of "Exile On Main Street" and selected other favorites on the Texas leg of their infamous 1972 tour. With their sound fleshed out by sax, trumpet and piano, and their musicianship raised by the addition of virtuoso blues man Mick Taylor, "Ladies and Gentlemen" offers definitive versions of "Love In Vain", "Sweet Virginia", "Jumping Jack Flash" and other Stones classics.

Taylor's remarkable slide guitar playing on "Love In Vain" convincingly mimics harmonica and train whistle to great effect. A couple of tunes don't quite work: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in particular is too slow (drummer Charlie Watts could never master its shuffling rhythm and the Stones' producer Jimmy Miller actually plays on the record) while Taylor seems out of his comfort zone on his solo. But on "Midnight Rambler" - for years the centerpiece of Stones shows - the whole band returns to form with a blistering 11+ minute mix of Robert Johnson and Jack The Ripper. The widely-bootlegged Brussels '73 show might be a better performance of "Rambler", but here the visuals of Mick Jagger's showmanship before he became a self-parody carry the day.

The camera most often sets its sights on Jagger (indeed the film could've been accurately titled "Ladies And Gentlemen: Mick Jagger and Seven Other Blokes"), though you get glimpses of Keith Richards playing band leader and Watts having a smashing good time pounding his skins. No playing to the camera, and no silly crowd shots. All in all, LAGTRS shows a band at the top their game - both believing all the hype and committing themselves to going to an even higher level.

This collection of numbers recorded over two nights in Texas, 1972 prove that the Stones, at least for a little while, really were the Greatest Band in the World. Here we have the Stones doing what they do best: Guitar fueled R&B with pop flair and youthful rebelliousness thrown in for good measure. The renditions of Gimme Shelter, Midnight Rambler, and Can't Always Get What You Want surpass anything recorded to date, live or studio. You have to love the acoustic performance of Sweet Virginia. The contributions from Bobby Keyes, Jim Price, and Nicky Hopkins make it clear the Stones were brilliant collaborators. Mick Taylor frankly steals the show, particularly with his slide work on All Down the Line. But there's no getting past the fact that this is Mick and Keith's band: their performances are consistently stellar. Mick's leadership and Keith's suspensions are what made this band great in the first place.

It's really a shame that this footage does not have a widespread release. Clearly, the 1972 tour was the nadir of their career.

1972 shows the Stones in their PRIME. The actual "stage show" is not as good as 4 Flicks but the playing is incredible.

The entire band is awesome. Mick Taylor steals the show (as he did throughout 1972-73). Highlights for Mick are Gimmie Shleter, Love in Vain and YCAGWYW. His solos are beyond belief. At this point Mick Taylor was probably the most fluid, brilliant guitarist in ALL of R&R.

Keith has moments as well. Bye Bye Johnnie is fantastic. Fans that are familiar with the recent Keef will be surprised how well he plays (without the sloppiness of recent years). He also does not cut corners in 1972. Listen to all the detailed chords he hits (for example on Tumblin Dice) vs 4 FLicks.

The only negatives: all the songs are played faster than normal and the set list is short.