Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a film released in 1996 of an 11 December 1968 event put together by The Rolling Stones. The event comprised two concerts on a circus stage and included such acts as The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and his fiancee Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards. It was originally meant to be aired on the BBC, but the Rolling Stones withheld it. The Stones contended they did so due to their substandard performance, because they had taken the stage early in the morning and were clearly exhausted.[citation needed] Many others believe that the true reason for not releasing the video was that The Who, who were fresh off a concert tour, upstaged the Stones on their own production.[2][3][4][5][6] Concept and performance The project was originally conceived by Mick Jagger as a way of branching out from conventional records and concert performances. Jagger approached Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who had directed two promos for Stones songs, to make a full-length TV show for them. According to Lindsay-Hogg, the idea of combining rock music and a circus setting came to him when he was trying to come up with ideas; he drew a circle on a piece of paper and free-associated. The Stones and their guests performed in a replica of a seedy big top on a British sound stage - the Intertel (V.T.R. Services) Studio, Wycombe Road, Wembley [7] - in front of an invited audience. The performances began at around 2 pm on 11 December 1968, but setting up between acts took longer than planned and the cameras kept breaking down, which meant that the final performances took place at almost 5 oclock the next morning.[citation needed] By that time the audience and most of the Stones were exhausted; Jaggers sheer stamina managed to keep them going until the end. Jagger was reportedly so disappointed with his and the bands performance that he cancelled the airing of the film, and kept it from public view. This was the last public performance of Brian Jones with The Rolling Stones, and for much of the Stones performance he is inaudible, although his slide guitar on No Expectations remains clear.[citation needed] According to Bill Wymans book, Rolling with the Stones, the Stones also performed Confessing the Blues, Route 66 and an alternative take of Sympathy for the Devil with Brian Jones on guitar.[8] Footage Some of the footage of the concert was thought to be lost until 1989 when it was found in a bin in a cellar. A significant segment of footage of The Who from the production was actually shown theatrically in the documentary The Kids Are Alright (1979), the only public viewing of the film until its eventual release. The Stones film was restored and finally released on CD and video in 1996. Included on the recordings are the introductions for each act, including some entertaining banter between Jagger and Lennon. This concert is the only footage of Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi performing as a member of Jethro Tull; he was a member for this show only as a favour to Ian Anderson while they looked for a replacement for Mick Abrahams. The band mimed to the album version of A Song for Jeffrey and Fat Man as the Stones told them to cut their time down and it would save time on rehearsing, Fat Man never made the final release. This footage also included some of Ian Andersons first attempts of his now famous flute-playing position, with one leg in the air. Reception In a 1996 review, Janet Maslin called the film an uneven but ripely nostalgic show; although rumor had it that the Stones... thought they looked tired and felt upstaged by the high-energy Who, it hardly looks that way as Mick Jaggers fabulous performance nearly turns this into a one-man show.[1] She called Jethro Tulls performance a shaky start by arguably the most unbearable band of their day, said The Who turn up early and stop traffic, delivering a fiery [performance], and notes Yoko Onos glass-shattering shrieks are dutifully backed by The Dirty Mac. She calls the concert-ending sing-along of Salt of the Earth smug and condescending, a song about little people living in the real world.[1] Home video/DVD In October 1996, following two days of screenings at the Walter Reade Theater as part of the New York Film Festival, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was released on VHS and laserdisc.[1] A DVD version was released in October 2004,[9] with audio remixed into Dolby Surround. The DVD includes footage of the show, along with extra features which include previously lost performances, an interview with Pete Townshend, and three audio commentaries. Of particular interest in the Townshend interview is his description of the genesis of the Circus project, which he claims was initially meant to involve the performers travelling across the United States via train (a concept used for a short concert series in Canada that was later documented in the feature film Festival Express). The remastered DVD also includes a special four-camera view of The Dirty Macs performance of The Beatles Yer Blues (showing Yoko Ono kneeling on the floor in front of the musicians, completely covered in a black sheet). DVD track listing David Daltons written historic introduction (0:33) Entry of the Gladiators (Julius Fučík) - Orchester / The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus Parade / Mick Jaggers introduction of Rock and Roll Circus (2:10) Mick Jaggers introduction of Jethro Tull / Song for Jeffrey (Ian Anderson) - Jethro Tull (3:43) Keith Richardss introduction of The Who / A Quick One While Hes Away (Pete Townshend) - The Who (7:40) Over the Waves (Juventino Rosas) - Orchester (1:20) Aint That a Lot of Love (Willia Dean Parker, Homer Banks) - Taj Mahal (3:52) Charlie Watts introduction of Marianne Faithfull / Something Better (Barry Mann, Gerry Goffin) - Marianne Faithfull (2:37) Keith Richardss introduction of Danny Camara / Fire Eater and Luna (Donyale Luna)(1:28) Mick Jagger and John Lennons introduction of The Dirty Mac (1:05) Yer Blues (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - The Dirty Mac (4:26) Whole Lotta Yoko (Yoko Ono) - Yoko Ono, Ivry Gitlis, The Dirty Mac (5:03) John Lennons introduction of The Rolling Stones/ Jumping Jack Flash (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - The Rolling Stones (3:38) Parachute Woman (Jagger, Richards) - The Rolling Stones (2:57) No Expectations (Jagger, Richards) - The Rolling Stones (4:07) You Cant Always Get What You Want (Jagger, Richards) - The Rolling Stones (4:27) Sympathy for the Devil (Jagger, Richards) - The Rolling Stones (8:52) Salt of the Earth (Jagger, Richards) - The Rolling Stones (4:56) Credits, to the sound of Salt of the Earth (2:45) Sideshows (DVD extras) [10] Interview - Pete Townshend (18:26) Checkin Up on My Baby (Sonny Boy Williamson) - Taj Mahal (5:39) Leavin Trunk (Sleepy John Estes) - Taj Mahal (6:28) Corinna (Taj Mahal, Jesse Ed Davis) - Taj Mahal (3:51) Brian Jones introduction of Julius Katchen / Ritual Fire Dance - Julius Katchen (4:21) Sonata in C 1st Movement - Julius Katchen (2:11) Yer Blues TK2 Quad Split - The Dirty Mac (4:35) Bill Wymans introduction of The Clowns / The Clowns (2:01) Close, But No Cigar - John Lennon and Mick Jagger (0:43) Sympathy for the Devil (Fatboy Slim Remix Video) - The Rolling Stones (4:29) References Read more: answers/topic/the-rolling-stones-rock-and-roll-circus#ixzz3Lh79JoZy
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 14:37:13 +0000
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