Time Is on Our Side: The Rolling Stones

Hey, let's keep one thing in mind: This is a concert film! Forget Maltin. What does he know about the Stones? I'm sorry, but I love this film. As a film? No. As a concert? Yes. Why? Because the Stones play tunes one rarely hears with great punch. Why else? Because if you didn't get to go, this is the next best thing. Any true Stones fan need only explore the set list to know that this CONCERT rocks--from one of the best covers of JUST MY IMAGINATION I have ever heard (Ernie Watts kicking butt on sax), to an excellent TIME IS ON MY SIDE and BEAST OF BURDEN couplet, and finally a tremendous HONKY TONK WOMAN (as even Maltin notes) with Keith jamming that first riff out one-handed for a joyously extended period. Don't listen to the Danish guy below. He doesn't know anything. If you are a true LIVE Stones fan, you will adore this.

By 1981 the Stones were beginning to struggle under the weight of their own legacy, and it shows in "Let's Spend the Night Together". The first three numbers--'Under My Thumb', the title song, and 'Shattered'--are terrific, but the set soon descends into mediocrity. Part of the problem was that the band tried to cram way too many songs into a ninety-minute performance, which resulted in sped-up versions with no melody or musical texture. The other problem was that they had played this material too many times; what you see and hear in the film is a great band simply going through the motions. The rest of the set ranges from decent ('Let It Bleed') to embarrassingly bad ('Miss You') to somewhere in between ('Start Me Up'). You might want to see this if you're a Stones fanatic, but it's not a must. Interestingly, the live album recorded during this tour ("Still Life") is far better than the concert film itself--better versions of the songs were chosen, and the sound is immaculate. "Still Life" is, in fact, my favorite Rolling Stones live album.

This film documents the first of many comebacks by the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band. Are they in their prime here? Definitely NOT! But rock they do...From the curtain rising "Under My Thumb", filmed outdoors during daylight at Tempe's Sun Devil Stadium, vignetting into their indoor arena performances at New Jersey's Meadowlands Arena, you see a band that appears ageless at a time when rockers in their late 30's/early 40's were considered ancient.

Hal Ashby captures the raw essence of one of the last regular Stones Tours (back when they toured in 3-year cycles) backing one of their last strong albums, Tattoo You. "Start Me Up" is a brand new song the band is just breaking into their set. It's also the last tour with long time touring keyboardist Ian Stewart, whose obituary is noted in the film.

At times, LSTNT captures the raw energy and fun of a Rolling Stones concert from a fan's perspective. Falling balloons, confetti, the whole enchilada. After seeing this film, you'll want to either see it from the beginning again....or buy tickets to see them in person!

Let's Spend the Night Together (1983)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The Rolling Stones 1981 "Tattoo You" tour was captured by the infamous Hal Ashby but the end results are certainly mixed at best. Filmed from shows in Tempe, AZ and East Rutherford, NJ the setlist is as followed:

Under My Thumb / Let's Spend the Night Together / Shattered / Neighbours / Black Limousine / Just My Imagination / Twenty Flight Rock / Let Me Go / Time Is On My Side / Beast of Burden / Waiting on a Friend / Going To A Go Go / You Can't Always Get What You Want / Little T&A / Tumbling Dice / She's So Cold / All Down the Line / Hang Fire / Miss You / Let It Bleed / Start Me Up / Honkey Tonk Women / Brown Sugar / Jumpin' Jack Flash / Satisfaction

Having seen countless official concerts by the Stones as well as seeing them in person I must admit that I wasn't totally blown away by the performances here. The biggest problem however is the direction by Ashby, which really seems all over the place. To me it seems like he showed up with a film crew, without any thought, and just pointed the camera at various things. There really doesn't seem to be too much thought about what was getting filmed or the visual look that would appear on screen. As far as The Stones performance it too is a mixed bag. "Twenty Flight Rock" comes off fairly poor does a few other tracks including "All Down the Line" and "Going to A Go Go". Even some of their classics like "You Can't Always Get What You Want" comes off bland as does "Let It Bleed" and "Time Is On My Side". There are a few good moments with the best one being "Start Me Up", which was still a new release at the time yet the crowd ate up the performance. Other new songs from the album include a nice version of "Little T&A" as well as a great, slowed down version of "Waiting On a Friend". The closing tune "Satisfaction" doesn't really pack the punch it should have. In the end I think fans of The Stones will enjoy what's here but at the same time they'll be saying that the film should have been a lot more.

I've seen the Stones four times. Awesome show each time, but they pretty much play the same stuff the same way (Sympathy for the Devil, Satisfaction, etc.). This bare bones concert film captures the bands at its peak, playing a wide range of material and making each song sound as fresh as ever. The opener "Under My Thumb" is a rocker and the film's version of "Miss You" is pure raw funk with great sax line. Tons of songs from "Some Girls" and a mish mash of hits from the 60s and 70s. Also interesting is to see a stadium concert filmed at a time when big screen video screens were a rarity. A must-see for any Stones fan, and definitely worth the time of a casual enthusiast of the band.