Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones

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.

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.

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.

i am from Houston Texas and in 1972 my husband then boyfriend spent the night at the pavilion on the university of Houston campus to get tickets to the stones...there were rumors they were going to break up and this might be their final tour...anyway we got 6 front row tickets and went to the concert with friends...the movie was filmed partically at the Houston venue because don branch rented a tux with tails and a top hat for this concert and during the set he thru his hat on stage and Mick put it on and after a while thru it back to don...at the end of the concert a massive amount of rose petals fell from the ceiling on the first few rows...i still have some of those petals and my ticket stub...but ya know what i saw this movie in san Diego in 1974...saw it about 7 times just to see Keith Richards...back then he was a very handsome fella...i have not been able to find the film from rentals or anywhere and no one i have come in contact with even knew it exist...thank you

Forget Hyde Park, forget Altamont: if you only buy one RS live performance, it must be Ladies and Gentlemen. Here is a band at the peak of their prodigous powers, consistently rocking on every number across a veritable feast of classic tunes. This 1972 film captures the band in fine fettle in Texas on their Exile on Main Street tour. It is a straight show, no backstage footage, no interviews, no filler, no lame alternate versions, just straight forward rock n roll.

Why this film has never been given an official release is beyond me. It is long overdue for release. Instead the public are treated to turkeys such as the Hyde Park show.

If you're a classic rock fan and haven't watched Ladies n Gentlemen, get a copy, you won't regret it.