Off The Tracks

Off The Tracks
  • Blog
    • Interviews
    • Miscellany
    • Special Guests
    • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • The Vinyl Countdown
  • Back Catalogue
  • About
    • About
    • About the banner image
    • On Song
    • Advertise
November 26, 2013 by Simon Sweetman

The Rolling Stones: Let’s Spend The Night Together

Stones concert stillThe Rolling Stones

Let’s Spend The Night Together

Umbrella

It’s at least the second time this concert film has been made available on DVD – and there’s nothing new about it, so I’m not quite sure why it’s out and about again; re-released. Beyond, of course, the obvious money-scrape perhaps. But hey, one thing I’ll say is this is the first time this film actually made any sense to me. In the past I haven’t really enjoyed it – the spectacle of it was something when I first saw it, but it’s such a sloppy performance, I never really cared for The Stones’ ’81 tour in any shape or form (the live album is a bit of a dud too).

But what I see and hear now is The Stones still trying to be modern – they were serving up their hits, sure, the oldies, the songs from the past, from all incarnations of the band – but this is The Stones while still recording new material and still trying to be a new band, very nearly a new wave band you would have to think – given the colour scheme anyway.

With everything louder than everything else – and that was just the wardrobe manager’s instructions – a shoulder padded Mick does one of his finest aerobics workouts, the band kicking off with a rather unhinged, so loose and brilliant version of Under My Thumb. There’s plenty from the current albums – not just Tattoo You but also Emotional Rescue and Some Girls – and then there’s all the riff-tastic concert closers we’ve come to know and tolerate (Brown Sugar, Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Satisfaction).Rolling Stones let's spend hal ashby

All up it makes for one of the more interesting Stones concert-film setlists – and it is really the only time you get to see the Stones approach The 1980s. They were back on the patch-up tour at the very end of the decade and yes, sure, they had a new album to plug too but that was the beginning of what is now a 25 year long victory lap.

This was them rude, raw, sloppy, loose – all the things they were (always) supposed to be. Now, so often, it either seems mechanical or just plain awful.

If you’ve not seen this before it might be worth a gawk now – if you haven’t seen it in a while give it another look.

Posted in Blog, Reviews and tagged with 1981 Tour, Concert Film, DVD Review, Hal Ashby, Let's Spend The Night Together, North American Tour, The Rolling Stones. RSS 2.0 feed.
« Poem: The Party (audio)
Ian Doescher: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars »

Popular

  • Janna Lapidus Leblanc: Four Years In Pictures
  • The Sad Story of Bob Welch: Fleetwood Mac’s Most Undervalued Member
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 8 – Mark Knopfler
  • John Patitucci / Vinnie Colaiuta / Bill Cunliffe: TRIO
  • Sweetman Podcast # 247: Talia Marshall
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 11 – Lindsey Buckingham
  • Poem: “It Was Like Watching Myself Die”
  • Substack: “Sounds Good!”
  • R.I.P. Lawrence Ferlinghetti
  • Revisiting Live at Knebworth (1990)

Archives

Tags

Album Review Auckland Book Book Review Chat Compilation DJ DVD DVD Review EP Film Film Review Gig Gig Review Guest Blog Guitar Interview Jazz Jon Mcleary Live Live Gig LP Movie Music NZ Podcast Poem Record Records Simon Sweetman Soundtrack Spines Spotify Stub Stubs Sweetman Podcast The Ghost of Electricity The Spines The Vinyl Countdown Vinyl Wellington Wgtn Writing You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron [OST]

Categories

  • Back Catalogue
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Miscellany
  • Mixtapes
  • Playlists
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Scene Of The Day
  • Special Guests
  • The Vinyl Countdown

Off The Tracks is the home of Sweetman Podcast, a weekly interview/chat-based pod. It's also home to my reviews across film, TV, music and books and some creative writing as well.

Off The Tracks aims to provide quality reviews and essays, regular blog updates about the shows, albums, books and movies you should be experiencing.

It's a passion project. Your support will help to keep Off The Tracks online.

All content © 2021 by Off The Tracks. WordPress Themes by Graph Paper Press