STACK December 2016 Issue No. 146

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16 DECEMBER 2016
MUSIC FEATURE
ATOP THE
BLUESTONE
THRONE
BLUESTONE
You hear it from the opening notes: they’re doing this for real.
Sure, it’s a little slicker than what we would have liked… but
it’s sincere and from the blackest heart of their collective
experiences – with love. When a group has been ‘The Coolest
Band On Our Planet™' for the past 50 years, one can forgive
the ultra-perfect production values and instead dive into the
reason for the release; this is exactly how they started, people!
The tracks presented are amazing, dangerous and alluring
songs dealing with all manner of what you need within the
genre; loss, sex, revenge, anger and regret (sorry: the blues are,
indeed, ‘blue’). Handled with effortless panache and a driving
vocal seriousness thanks to Jagger’s God-given gift, this is the
Stones’ best album since Tattoo You. Magic Sam’s All Of Your Love is no better
example of how these cats don’t steal, but rather guide you, gently, into waters
uncharted. What you do from there is up to you.
A covers album that tips its hat to Howlin Wolf (a regular go-to with The
Glimmer Twins), Little Walker and Memphis Slim can’t really let you down, right?
Buy this; listen to it ear-bleedingly loud. You’ll smile and want their entire back
catalogue. If this is an epilogue, it makes complete sense.
Chris Murray
This month rock 'n' roll kingsThe Rolling Stones release
Blue & Lonesome, a covers album paying homage to the
classic blues compositions the band performed when they
first started out some 55 years ago.
ON BLUE &
LONESOME
Mick on the album’s purpose:
“This album is a homage to our favorites, people that
kicked us off in playing music. That was the reason
we started a band.”
Keith on how originals turned to covers:
“Suddenly Mick says: “Let’s do Howlin’ Wolf.” It just
took off. After that, you couldn’t stop Mick. ‘Cool,’ I
said. ‘Let’s keep rolling, boys.’ In a way, it was a total
accident.”
Don on the Stones’ longevity:
“They are really an improvisational band. Nothing
is planned out. Nothing is ever played the same
twice. There’s a tremendous amount of listening and
trading ideas and call-and-response among all the
members. It’s incredible to see how far they can pull
it out and still have it [held] together. That comes with
experience.”
Mick on selecting the tracks:
“I had to go home and look at my collection. I tried
to pick the ones that were not overly familiar to
blues fans. I tried to find slightly obscure ones. I tried
to make the song choices as varied as possible –
different rhythms, different emotions, different feels,
different time signatures.”
Mick on playing the harmonica:
“I’m really lazy. If I’d known I was going to do this, I
would have been practicing for weeks. It’s not a very
difficult instrument. The only thing about it, it’s not
like a guitar or a keyboard where you can see what
you’re doing. You can’t see the holes.”
Don on Mick playing the harmonica:
“I think it will blow people’s minds. I don’t think
people realize that he’s truly one of the great blues
harp players of all time.”
Keith on muscle memory:
“It was quite amazing. ‘I don’t know if I can remember
this.’ You don’t have to. Your fingers are remembering.
It had that beautiful freedom about it.”
Don on feel over technical precision:
“This was totally live. If there was a mistake, we left
it. If it broke down, we did another take. It’s testimony
to what great musicians they are, and how the whole
is way larger than the sum of the parts.”
Mick Jagger (vocals)
Keith RICHARDS (GUITAR)
DON WAS (CO-PRODUCER)
Blue &
Lonesome
by The Rolling
Stones is out now
via Universal.
Feature