I've got the DVD! I bought it off ebay from a source in Canada. The package itself is not the best design and the features are limited, but the concerts are there in their entirety, with excellent sound and footage, with a few bonus tracks. I'm currently in the process of transferring it to audio CD so I can listen to the tracks elsewhere. I'm also a graphic designer and plan to design a soundtrack with pictures and commentary for it. Of course I couldn't nor afford to make enough copies to sell since that would be illegal, but if I were to somehow get a copy out to the Stones' themselves maybe they could make something happen. At any rate, the DVD is worth buying. Honestly its better than Gimmie Shelter (performance-wise) and definitely better than any of their contemporary crap. If you want to see the Rolling Stones as their purest and raw power, this is the ONE. The Glimmer Twins are in full swing when it comes to the back-2-back tracks of Dead Flowers and Happy. You get that feeling of good old fashioned Rock'n'roll.
25 Reviews
Excellent concert film, but probably for Stones-freaks only.
mrrockandroll3 November 2000
It's great to have some good footage of the early 1970's Stones (during their "Exile On Main Street" tour), but it's probably best suited to hard core fans and other nostelgic types. Keith Richards is especially cool during this era, and many would agree that the band is pretty much at their peak here. Great rock and roll music, originally released in quadrophonic sound. Recorded live in Texas, with all on-stage footage and no backstage or interview shots whatsoever. The biggest problem is that you CAN'T BUY THE THING!!! Why has this never been released officially on VHS? Where's a new remastered DVD? Most likely Allen Klein is to blame somehow for this great footage not being (legitimately) available, but let's hope that someday we can actually go buy an official release of this classic. Stones fans HAVE to see this thing, but casual fans may want to stick with "Gimme Shelter," which you can at least go buy/rent.
Talking' 'bout the midnight rambler
charlesheld16 September 2010
The Stones at their amphetamine-and-heroin-fueled best, tearing through half of "Exile On Main Street" and selected other favorites on the Texas leg of their infamous 1972 tour. With their sound fleshed out by sax, trumpet and piano, and their musicianship raised by the addition of virtuoso blues man Mick Taylor, "Ladies and Gentlemen" offers definitive versions of "Love In Vain", "Sweet Virginia", "Jumping Jack Flash" and other Stones classics.
Taylor's remarkable slide guitar playing on "Love In Vain" convincingly mimics harmonica and train whistle to great effect. A couple of tunes don't quite work: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in particular is too slow (drummer Charlie Watts could never master its shuffling rhythm and the Stones' producer Jimmy Miller actually plays on the record) while Taylor seems out of his comfort zone on his solo. But on "Midnight Rambler" - for years the centerpiece of Stones shows - the whole band returns to form with a blistering 11+ minute mix of Robert Johnson and Jack The Ripper. The widely-bootlegged Brussels '73 show might be a better performance of "Rambler", but here the visuals of Mick Jagger's showmanship before he became a self-parody carry the day.
The camera most often sets its sights on Jagger (indeed the film could've been accurately titled "Ladies And Gentlemen: Mick Jagger and Seven Other Blokes"), though you get glimpses of Keith Richards playing band leader and Watts having a smashing good time pounding his skins. No playing to the camera, and no silly crowd shots. All in all, LAGTRS shows a band at the top their game - both believing all the hype and committing themselves to going to an even higher level.
Taylor's remarkable slide guitar playing on "Love In Vain" convincingly mimics harmonica and train whistle to great effect. A couple of tunes don't quite work: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in particular is too slow (drummer Charlie Watts could never master its shuffling rhythm and the Stones' producer Jimmy Miller actually plays on the record) while Taylor seems out of his comfort zone on his solo. But on "Midnight Rambler" - for years the centerpiece of Stones shows - the whole band returns to form with a blistering 11+ minute mix of Robert Johnson and Jack The Ripper. The widely-bootlegged Brussels '73 show might be a better performance of "Rambler", but here the visuals of Mick Jagger's showmanship before he became a self-parody carry the day.
The camera most often sets its sights on Jagger (indeed the film could've been accurately titled "Ladies And Gentlemen: Mick Jagger and Seven Other Blokes"), though you get glimpses of Keith Richards playing band leader and Watts having a smashing good time pounding his skins. No playing to the camera, and no silly crowd shots. All in all, LAGTRS shows a band at the top their game - both believing all the hype and committing themselves to going to an even higher level.
The best there is
Anenome30 January 2005
Excellent! This is the concert film with the Stones. It is a mystery why this film is not officially released. I've always been disappointed with the Stones live films. I've never understood what made people rave about why the Stones were so great live. Look to "The Stones in the park" 1969 or the horrendous "Let's spend the night together" 1981 and you'll see my point. However for this tour, the Exile on main street tour, they seem to up the ante. Everything seems to click. The Stones, a tight unit! Live playing, records, coolness, image, this is where they reach their zenith. They have just finished the four best records of their career and are really flying. It's hard to understand why they are so good here and so unbelievably under par before or years to come. Maybe it's the drug use? which in Keith Richards' case, really started to escalate from here on. Maybe it's because Mick Taylor really found his groove with the band? I don't know, but it's a crying shame that this feature hasn't been released with restored sound and pictures ala the excellent "Gimme shelter" DVD. If you really want to know what The Stones could be capable of at the peak of their career, get this film one way or the other!
The Gem in the Stones Collection
ayearsago20 April 2006
This is my favorite Rock N Roll movie, as it is just a straight concert unlike the documentary without talking or opinions forced on the viewer. The film features the Rolling Stones live in Ft Worth Texas with two performances edited together. All other live recordings or films about the Rolling Stones take second place to this film. The primary difference other than their ages with other film is the great musicianship added by lead guitarist Mick Taylor. For once the Stones are shown with a five star guitarist in full bloom, Mick Taylor adds the musicianship to take the band to stellar levels of playing, i.e. Led Zepplin or Cream shows. Coupled with Jagger's first class stage antics and an excellent horn section, the band is highlighted in a raw format that is long gone from their highly polished and commercialized recent tours. The film is unreleased on video and DVD, but easily found via fan circles, trade shows, and down loadable bit torrents. Should appeal to masses of music fans.
Stones Peaking in Texas, 1972.
rpjmartin197130 March 2006
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.
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.
Great Stones period. The Taylor years are vintage.
relson14 January 2005
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 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.
The Stones in Texas, 1972
terriner31 January 2009
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.
Rocking Stones
Lejink3 October 2009
From what's now more or less accepted as their peak period, certainly as a live act, this composite of two 1972 North American concerts made for a great in-flight movie on a recent trip home, courtesy of my Ipod.
Okay, said composite makes for one or two costume-continuity problems, but the set is obviously as-played and has a natural flow not to say verve as it kicks off with "Brown Sugar" and later hits the home straight courtesy of the 1-2 knockout punch of "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Street Fighting Man" at the close.
It helps of course that the band was showcasing, with hindsight, their last great album "Exile On Main Street", seven songs of which get aired and otherwise they focus on the golden 1968 - 1972 period exclusively (even "Satisfaction" doesn't make it onto the play-list). The song selection probably owes as much to a due deference to the stronger post Decca/Abcko Jimmy Miller produced material, as well as a sop to recent inductee Mick Taylor, who takes most of the leads here.
Musically, not everything comes off - "You Can't Always Get What You Want" gets reduced to a big chorus, the verses lacking the debauched irony of the studio cut while "Gimme Shelter" as wrongly ignores the female counterpoint vocal as the mistaken inclusion of brass, but there are many riches elsewhere. The 100 mph takes on "Happy", "All Down The Line" and "Rip This Joint" amply demonstrate the band's enthusiasm for these newly-minted "Exile" classics, while this year's enthusiastic dues-paying Chuck Berry re-tread is "Bye Bye Johnny" (it was "Let It Rock" the year before). "Midnight Rambler" too finds an inflamed Jagger on his knees, whipping the stage with his belt in the blood-curdling mid-section.
As a movie, there's not much to comment on. There are many camera-settings which helps maintain viewer interest with scant audience reaction shots and the amphitheatre-sized setting (as opposed to latter-day arena-sized stagings) means Mick doesn't have to run about so much and we get a satisfying number of shots of the whole band in the one frame. Oh and Keith looks great before he aged a hundred years (and slowed down accordingly) around the turn of the 80's.
This is a great document of the self-proclaimed world's greatest rock and roll band in their prime, pretty much all killer and no filler. As a concert-movie it's more run-of-the-mill, compared to modern day standards, but here without the wholly unnecessary guest star shots, not to mention star director turn of the most recent Stones concert film (which won't be the last!) the focus here is on the music and Stones fans will surely love it, just like I did!
Okay, said composite makes for one or two costume-continuity problems, but the set is obviously as-played and has a natural flow not to say verve as it kicks off with "Brown Sugar" and later hits the home straight courtesy of the 1-2 knockout punch of "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Street Fighting Man" at the close.
It helps of course that the band was showcasing, with hindsight, their last great album "Exile On Main Street", seven songs of which get aired and otherwise they focus on the golden 1968 - 1972 period exclusively (even "Satisfaction" doesn't make it onto the play-list). The song selection probably owes as much to a due deference to the stronger post Decca/Abcko Jimmy Miller produced material, as well as a sop to recent inductee Mick Taylor, who takes most of the leads here.
Musically, not everything comes off - "You Can't Always Get What You Want" gets reduced to a big chorus, the verses lacking the debauched irony of the studio cut while "Gimme Shelter" as wrongly ignores the female counterpoint vocal as the mistaken inclusion of brass, but there are many riches elsewhere. The 100 mph takes on "Happy", "All Down The Line" and "Rip This Joint" amply demonstrate the band's enthusiasm for these newly-minted "Exile" classics, while this year's enthusiastic dues-paying Chuck Berry re-tread is "Bye Bye Johnny" (it was "Let It Rock" the year before). "Midnight Rambler" too finds an inflamed Jagger on his knees, whipping the stage with his belt in the blood-curdling mid-section.
As a movie, there's not much to comment on. There are many camera-settings which helps maintain viewer interest with scant audience reaction shots and the amphitheatre-sized setting (as opposed to latter-day arena-sized stagings) means Mick doesn't have to run about so much and we get a satisfying number of shots of the whole band in the one frame. Oh and Keith looks great before he aged a hundred years (and slowed down accordingly) around the turn of the 80's.
This is a great document of the self-proclaimed world's greatest rock and roll band in their prime, pretty much all killer and no filler. As a concert-movie it's more run-of-the-mill, compared to modern day standards, but here without the wholly unnecessary guest star shots, not to mention star director turn of the most recent Stones concert film (which won't be the last!) the focus here is on the music and Stones fans will surely love it, just like I did!
Why aren't you in church anyway?
maxgreen31 December 2004
This collection of numbers recorded over two nights in Texas, 1972 prove that the Stones, at least for a little while, really were the Greatest Band in the World. Here we have the Stones doing what they do best: Guitar fueled R&B with pop flair and youthful rebelliousness thrown in for good measure. The renditions of Gimme Shelter, Midnight Rambler, and Can't Always Get What You Want surpass anything recorded to date, live or studio. You have to love the acoustic performance of Sweet Virginia. The contributions from Bobby Keyes, Jim Price, and Nicky Hopkins make it clear the Stones were brilliant collaborators. Mick Taylor frankly steals the show, particularly with his slide work on All Down the Line. But there's no getting past the fact that this is Mick and Keith's band: their performances are consistently stellar. Mick's leadership and Keith's suspensions are what made this band great in the first place.
It's really a shame that this footage does not have a widespread release. Clearly, the 1972 tour was the nadir of their career.
It's really a shame that this footage does not have a widespread release. Clearly, the 1972 tour was the nadir of their career.
The Greatest R&R Band in the World
funkyfrankie26 December 2005
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 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.
Film is so fragile.
DarthBengal6 March 2005
I saw this movie about 15 years ago and thought it was great. The screening was presented by someone who had worked on the movie. An assistant director or something, and I can recall him saying that the only surviving copies of this film were damaged in some way. The picture on the print I saw was screwed up for about the first 5 minutes of the movie. After that it was OK. Maybe that is why this has never been released to DVD.
Anyway, this is The Stones at their best. I wish they would release this to DVD, even if the picture is flawed. For that matter, why has Let It Be not been released on DVD?
Anyway, this is The Stones at their best. I wish they would release this to DVD, even if the picture is flawed. For that matter, why has Let It Be not been released on DVD?
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones
bobtulipan20 February 2011
I was one of the people initially involved in the film's theatrical distribution. It's important to know that Dragonaire Ltd, the film's distributor should be recognized for their innovative plan and execution. The film premiered at New York's prestigious Zeigfield Theater and it was accompanied by a large Quadrophonic Concert Sound System mixed live for each viewing and often reaching 100 decibels in the theater. This provided an extraordinary experience for the theater goers who often times had to restrain themselves from jumping up and down in their seats and yelling for encores when the film ended.
The Quad system accompanied the film to Boston, Miami, Pittsburg and a few other cities but soon became economically prohibitive and was replaced by a Stereo mix.
Sensurround and other sound enhancers in theaters owe a lot to this movie.
Bob Tulipan (1974) Former Director of Touring Operations/Distribution Dragonaire Ltd.
The Quad system accompanied the film to Boston, Miami, Pittsburg and a few other cities but soon became economically prohibitive and was replaced by a Stereo mix.
Sensurround and other sound enhancers in theaters owe a lot to this movie.
Bob Tulipan (1974) Former Director of Touring Operations/Distribution Dragonaire Ltd.
The best recorded live concert!!
daniel-11784 September 2006
Yes ladies and gentlemen this is the best live concert footage ever of the rolling stones. You see what the stones are all about. The band at it's peak, the songs are played the way they should be played, Mick and Keith sing Dead Flowers, Happy and You Can't Alway's Get What You Want, together on the same microphone which you never see and they work together brilliantly. Also, with Mick Taylor on board what can I say......He really completes the band. The albums he made with the band are easily the best ever and this concert shows just how good he is and how he made the band complete. Take nothing away from Brian and ronnie, but I think Mick Taylor was the best. I have a copy and this concert is a must for stones fans and I hope soon they will remaster and release it as we all eagerly await.
A must for any Stones fan
cbandrews13 August 2008
I happened to be lucky enough in '74 to be in Houston,TX when this was first in theaters! I got to see this with all the special sound equipment that toured with the movie. Speakers stacked as high as the screen on either side and a mixing board set up in the middle of the theater. They even had concert posters and t-shirts in the lobby! This was as close to the real thing as possible. I couldn't hear for an hour after I left the theater, unbelievable sound system that was installed for this concert film. I seen the Stones in '81 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and live in front of the stage didn't seem to be any louder than that theater was that summer afternoon in Houston! If you have a home movie theater, get it and crank it up and if not, get one and this movie!!
Validation of the existence of this movie.
rachelself17 December 2008
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
Best live Stones concert film!
jf_moran4924 May 2007
"Ladies & Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones" (Directed by Rollin Binzer,1973)
Although I would perhaps include The Rolling Stones' performance in "The T.A.M.I. Show" along with this, that was a different era and line-up of the group, still including the musically-versatile band founder, Brian Jones, on guitar, dulcimer, mandolin, maracas, recorder and whatever else warranted his talents.
And although there are many great live or pseudo-live performances of the band, ranging from their half dozen or so appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" (the earliest of which rank with the aforementioned "T.A.M.I" showcase) to "Hullabaloo," to "Ready Steady Go!," to "Shindig!," and even a full-set, 1971 videotaped show at London's Marquee Club, where they got their start as a blues cover combo, one really cannot count these as full-feature, theatrical documents of the group. Nor can one, I suppose, count the initially British-only TV performance (since made commercially available from a color print, after the Stones reacquired it from The Who) of "The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus." And besides, although riveting, lead singer Mick Jagger was apparently higher than a cut-cord, helium balloon for that one!
But for a pure, near-cinema verite (conceding they rehearsed their music sets) concert film, you can't get any better than this, save for a front row seat at one of their gigs from either the 1972 or '75 tours, the latter of which was, sadly, not filmed (at least to general knowledge). That tour contained the infamous ride Jagger took on an inflatable phallus, musically just as tight, theatrically even more the spectacle, though not in support of as great a studio recording. This film, culled from footage at two Texas concerts in the summer of 1972, to promote their then-new Atlantic/Rolling Stones Records LP release, "Exile On Main Street," remains not only the best concert film of the band, but among the best, straight rock concert films ever!
I saw this film in a theater only once, in re-release on a 1980 double bill with the then-newly-released "Rock 'N' Roll High School," starring The Ramones, and it has to rank as one of the greatest double bills I have ever seen in a commercial theater--while away at college in Amherst, Massachusetts. One, the best celluloid document of a world-famous rock & roll band, in their prime and playing one of their best sets; the other, the best re-creation of a rock & roll drive-in movie, starring the world's most famous, two-chord garage band.
Of course, the theater in which I saw it didn't have the benefit of the quadraphonic sound included for the film's initial release, but was nevertheless an awesome experience to see larger-than-life images of Jagger and Keith Richards (with his streaked, rooster's mane shag) double-sucking the mike, the camera close up on Jagger in a blue jumpsuit one second, panning the stage to a shot of Mick Taylor on a lead solo or Bobby Keys blowing sax the next, or downstage, then back up to Jagger, shimmying the stage at the second show in a white jumpsuit!
"Dead Flowers," "Happy," "Sweet Virginia" and "Tumbling Dice" are high points, but it's all excellent, if only a little too short.
I don't know about the validity of information contained in a previously-posted review, that someone associated with the film's production said existing prints of this film were damaged? All I can say is that I saw what appeared to be an intact film in '80; have since acquired a bootleg VHS copy of it in the early '90s, which appears to be mostly there, though something seems weird about the very beginning of it versus how I recall from the theatrical screening. But that could also be just my impaired memory--like those notorious Twins of Glimmer, I too have done some chemical dabbling over these many years!
In any event, if you get a chance ever to see this on a big-screen--do yourself a favor and go see it! Also, you may try cruising the Web and/or eBay for an illegitimate DVD/VHS copy of the film--at least will get a sense of what all the fuss is about here. I think you'll find the superlatives justified.
The Stones are well past their prime these days, almost the equivalent of a very well-compensated, touring oldies act ("The Strolling Bones" as some have said), making records that don't matter but to their legions of fans numbering in the millions & spanning a few generations now. But this film captures them perfectly, when they were very much an in-the-moment, happening entity, still releasing records of reckoning, really worthy of their moniker, "The World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band!"
But even Richards, the group's heart & soul, if not nominal leader, has said that dubbing given the Stones is overused, that on any given night the world's best rock & roll band is a different group; maybe that garage outfit playing their hottest set at some roadside shack in the boondocks is, on that night, the "world's greatest" rock act. For that humble admission alone, seeing this filmed recording of The Rolling Stones at the peak of their powers is an investment of time well worth spent!
Although I would perhaps include The Rolling Stones' performance in "The T.A.M.I. Show" along with this, that was a different era and line-up of the group, still including the musically-versatile band founder, Brian Jones, on guitar, dulcimer, mandolin, maracas, recorder and whatever else warranted his talents.
And although there are many great live or pseudo-live performances of the band, ranging from their half dozen or so appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" (the earliest of which rank with the aforementioned "T.A.M.I" showcase) to "Hullabaloo," to "Ready Steady Go!," to "Shindig!," and even a full-set, 1971 videotaped show at London's Marquee Club, where they got their start as a blues cover combo, one really cannot count these as full-feature, theatrical documents of the group. Nor can one, I suppose, count the initially British-only TV performance (since made commercially available from a color print, after the Stones reacquired it from The Who) of "The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus." And besides, although riveting, lead singer Mick Jagger was apparently higher than a cut-cord, helium balloon for that one!
But for a pure, near-cinema verite (conceding they rehearsed their music sets) concert film, you can't get any better than this, save for a front row seat at one of their gigs from either the 1972 or '75 tours, the latter of which was, sadly, not filmed (at least to general knowledge). That tour contained the infamous ride Jagger took on an inflatable phallus, musically just as tight, theatrically even more the spectacle, though not in support of as great a studio recording. This film, culled from footage at two Texas concerts in the summer of 1972, to promote their then-new Atlantic/Rolling Stones Records LP release, "Exile On Main Street," remains not only the best concert film of the band, but among the best, straight rock concert films ever!
I saw this film in a theater only once, in re-release on a 1980 double bill with the then-newly-released "Rock 'N' Roll High School," starring The Ramones, and it has to rank as one of the greatest double bills I have ever seen in a commercial theater--while away at college in Amherst, Massachusetts. One, the best celluloid document of a world-famous rock & roll band, in their prime and playing one of their best sets; the other, the best re-creation of a rock & roll drive-in movie, starring the world's most famous, two-chord garage band.
Of course, the theater in which I saw it didn't have the benefit of the quadraphonic sound included for the film's initial release, but was nevertheless an awesome experience to see larger-than-life images of Jagger and Keith Richards (with his streaked, rooster's mane shag) double-sucking the mike, the camera close up on Jagger in a blue jumpsuit one second, panning the stage to a shot of Mick Taylor on a lead solo or Bobby Keys blowing sax the next, or downstage, then back up to Jagger, shimmying the stage at the second show in a white jumpsuit!
"Dead Flowers," "Happy," "Sweet Virginia" and "Tumbling Dice" are high points, but it's all excellent, if only a little too short.
I don't know about the validity of information contained in a previously-posted review, that someone associated with the film's production said existing prints of this film were damaged? All I can say is that I saw what appeared to be an intact film in '80; have since acquired a bootleg VHS copy of it in the early '90s, which appears to be mostly there, though something seems weird about the very beginning of it versus how I recall from the theatrical screening. But that could also be just my impaired memory--like those notorious Twins of Glimmer, I too have done some chemical dabbling over these many years!
In any event, if you get a chance ever to see this on a big-screen--do yourself a favor and go see it! Also, you may try cruising the Web and/or eBay for an illegitimate DVD/VHS copy of the film--at least will get a sense of what all the fuss is about here. I think you'll find the superlatives justified.
The Stones are well past their prime these days, almost the equivalent of a very well-compensated, touring oldies act ("The Strolling Bones" as some have said), making records that don't matter but to their legions of fans numbering in the millions & spanning a few generations now. But this film captures them perfectly, when they were very much an in-the-moment, happening entity, still releasing records of reckoning, really worthy of their moniker, "The World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band!"
But even Richards, the group's heart & soul, if not nominal leader, has said that dubbing given the Stones is overused, that on any given night the world's best rock & roll band is a different group; maybe that garage outfit playing their hottest set at some roadside shack in the boondocks is, on that night, the "world's greatest" rock act. For that humble admission alone, seeing this filmed recording of The Rolling Stones at the peak of their powers is an investment of time well worth spent!
Excellent movie, cast, plot and soundtrack
purple-lagoon4 August 2006
What a great movie. What really steals the show (so to speak) is the soundtrack. Good golly, does it get any better than this? OK, Frank Zappa's "Baby Snakes" is almost as good. This movie is as good as it gets. The star-studded cast is everything it needs. It's an ambitious movie and it lives up to its potential, right to the very last Mick Taylor guitar guitar solo which closes it out. Breathtaking!!!
The high point of this brilliant movie occurs not too far into the picture when they do "Tumbling Dice". And the apex there is (of course) the guitar solo played so deftly by Mick Taylor. And as if the song were the microcosm of the movie, the close of the song with Keith pumping out the chorded rhythms and Mick Taylor playing the single-note lines of the same, it gently lands and breaks, just like a Lear Jet coming home.
Before this great song, a couple of songs back, the plot thickens with "Gimme Shelter". Again, it's the soundtrack riding high, adding to the movie's aural texture. The staging of the song is cool. At almost the right time the big spotlight turns on Mick Taylor as his soling (but not him) takes center stage as the main focus of the song. Wow! This alone is worth the price of admission.
See this movie. Put on your dancing shoes, chuck the popcorn and list3en closely, following every single note.
The high point of this brilliant movie occurs not too far into the picture when they do "Tumbling Dice". And the apex there is (of course) the guitar solo played so deftly by Mick Taylor. And as if the song were the microcosm of the movie, the close of the song with Keith pumping out the chorded rhythms and Mick Taylor playing the single-note lines of the same, it gently lands and breaks, just like a Lear Jet coming home.
Before this great song, a couple of songs back, the plot thickens with "Gimme Shelter". Again, it's the soundtrack riding high, adding to the movie's aural texture. The staging of the song is cool. At almost the right time the big spotlight turns on Mick Taylor as his soling (but not him) takes center stage as the main focus of the song. Wow! This alone is worth the price of admission.
See this movie. Put on your dancing shoes, chuck the popcorn and list3en closely, following every single note.
Not available, because of the feud
the_purple_freak9 February 2007
I saw this movie in its original release. The band was very good, but Mick Taylor played all the good licks, while Keith posed and did little else of value. Between Keith Richard and Ron Wood, the Stones do not have a really good guitarist, certainly no one to equal Mr. Taylor. But due to a feud over song credits, Taylor left the band. And though I don't know which side has prevented this film being seen again, it most likely stems from this dispute over royalties.
Sad. But if you saw the Stones on the Superbowl last year, that they have become sad is pretty evident. Too bad this record of when they could really rock has been buried by ego and childishness.
Sad. But if you saw the Stones on the Superbowl last year, that they have become sad is pretty evident. Too bad this record of when they could really rock has been buried by ego and childishness.
The Best Stones Concert Film
bigfrankie-434647 April 2023
If you want to see The Stones at their peak, this is it.
There is really no question that 69-73 were The Stones peak years "live" and 72-73 was the peak of the mountain. Some of the fall 73 shows are slightly better than Ladies and Gentlemen, but all we have is the audio from those.
The band is in fine form and as many have noted, the exceptional Mick Taylor takes it to another level. At this point, we have near perfection from The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in The World.
The only negative is the camera work is less-than-optimal. There is way too much time on Mick J, very little on Charlie and Bill. And on Keith's magnificent Bye Bye Johnny solo, most of the time the camera is on Mick Taylor! Hence a Rating of "9" instead of "10".
There is really no question that 69-73 were The Stones peak years "live" and 72-73 was the peak of the mountain. Some of the fall 73 shows are slightly better than Ladies and Gentlemen, but all we have is the audio from those.
The band is in fine form and as many have noted, the exceptional Mick Taylor takes it to another level. At this point, we have near perfection from The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in The World.
The only negative is the camera work is less-than-optimal. There is way too much time on Mick J, very little on Charlie and Bill. And on Keith's magnificent Bye Bye Johnny solo, most of the time the camera is on Mick Taylor! Hence a Rating of "9" instead of "10".
Band captured at the height of their mystique
mrdeddy91129 May 2006
Like so many other Stones projects which involved onetime financial mastermind Allen Klien, 'Ladies & Gentlemen...' remains commercially unavailable due to the heaps of legal red tape tying it up, which is too bad because the film documents the immortal Rolling Stones at or near the very height of their powers.
With the violent Altamont debacle still fresh in everyone's memory, the band had fled England for the Cote' d'Azur in southern France as rock & roll's first tax exiles. It was there, in Keith Richard's £2,400-a-week seaside rental property, that the band created 'Exile on Main Street', their first and only double album, recorded in a sweaty, humid basement amid a hazy, narcotic swirl of Bacchanalian excess.
Dubbed the 'STP Tour', the band barnstormed across North America during June and July of 1972 selling out arenas everywhere, partly on the strength of their then-newest release and partly due to rising speculation that this would be the band's last road trip ever. The STP Tour was one of the first to usher in now-commonplace practices such as using dozens of semi-trailers to haul around a custom-made stage, a massive construct of rented lights, speakers and cables, not to mention a small army of technicians, security goons and bean counters getting it from place to place. The band themselves were attended to by a crew of hairdressers, luggage handlers, and other personal assistants, including Richards' own cadre of substance procurers, as he was in the throes of heroin addiction.
None of this seems to affect the band, however, who consistently deliver a powerful evening of spectacle; feeding off the fanaticism of the fans in the crowd and sending the energy back again, the concert builds to a fever pitch and ends so abruptly no one in the audience is aware than their wild cheers for an encore will never be answered, the band already en route to their hotel.
The hit singles are all here, as well as a slew of classics-to-be from the new album. The band, at all times following the eye contact and body gestures of Keith Richard, are on top form, masters of their craft, while Jagger, as the visual focal point, draws upon his decade-plus of experience in manipulating large crowds, teasing, jiving, grinning and gyrating, his skinny, hairless body contorting into one gigantic pout.
Unlike Stones tours of late, here it's just the band, along with two horns and a piano, much more authentic than the generic sweeteners heard in the last few years. The songs feel authentic, rather than watered down imitations of themselves, something the band has had trouble avoiding since bringing on their team of professional studio mercenaries. Even as mega-stars, once the music starts, it's not hard to tell they aren't necessarily there "for the money."
The other great thing is that the film's sound was, thoughtfully, recorded in true stereo, and attention was paid to quality of signal resulting in a really decent hi-fi live sound. Turn it up!
The STP Tour was marked by a new level of offstage debauchery, chronicled by Robert Frank in "C*cksucker Blues", the controversial cinema-verite film which was shot largely with hand-held cameras in various dressing rooms and hotel suites along the way. This film is yet another unreleased document of the summer of 1972, extremely hard to locate, but not impossible. Add to this the planned-but-never-released Decca live album from the same tour and there's enough bootleg material from the STP Tour to satisfy a Stones fan until, say, 1978 when 'Some Girls',their next great album and tour, came to be.
The only weak link is new boy Mick Taylor, thought by others to be a kind of guitar hero, but careful examination of what he actually plays reveals that it hardly matters what song the rest of the band are playing, at any given time Taylor invariably noodles over top of it, soloing whenever he can, which is almost every time Jagger isn't singing.
For my money, Ronnie Wood might not be half the pure musician that Taylor is, but he's got much more personality, and though the Stones are as strong musically as any other group might care to put up against them, at the end of the day it's the Stones themselves that attract the attention they've received all these years (To this day, many of their live versions of songs grind to an end in musical train wrecks). If it were different, guys like Yngwie Malmsteen would be cultural icons, too, and the satin jumpsuit would finally get more respect.
T.C. Shaw, May '06
With the violent Altamont debacle still fresh in everyone's memory, the band had fled England for the Cote' d'Azur in southern France as rock & roll's first tax exiles. It was there, in Keith Richard's £2,400-a-week seaside rental property, that the band created 'Exile on Main Street', their first and only double album, recorded in a sweaty, humid basement amid a hazy, narcotic swirl of Bacchanalian excess.
Dubbed the 'STP Tour', the band barnstormed across North America during June and July of 1972 selling out arenas everywhere, partly on the strength of their then-newest release and partly due to rising speculation that this would be the band's last road trip ever. The STP Tour was one of the first to usher in now-commonplace practices such as using dozens of semi-trailers to haul around a custom-made stage, a massive construct of rented lights, speakers and cables, not to mention a small army of technicians, security goons and bean counters getting it from place to place. The band themselves were attended to by a crew of hairdressers, luggage handlers, and other personal assistants, including Richards' own cadre of substance procurers, as he was in the throes of heroin addiction.
None of this seems to affect the band, however, who consistently deliver a powerful evening of spectacle; feeding off the fanaticism of the fans in the crowd and sending the energy back again, the concert builds to a fever pitch and ends so abruptly no one in the audience is aware than their wild cheers for an encore will never be answered, the band already en route to their hotel.
The hit singles are all here, as well as a slew of classics-to-be from the new album. The band, at all times following the eye contact and body gestures of Keith Richard, are on top form, masters of their craft, while Jagger, as the visual focal point, draws upon his decade-plus of experience in manipulating large crowds, teasing, jiving, grinning and gyrating, his skinny, hairless body contorting into one gigantic pout.
Unlike Stones tours of late, here it's just the band, along with two horns and a piano, much more authentic than the generic sweeteners heard in the last few years. The songs feel authentic, rather than watered down imitations of themselves, something the band has had trouble avoiding since bringing on their team of professional studio mercenaries. Even as mega-stars, once the music starts, it's not hard to tell they aren't necessarily there "for the money."
The other great thing is that the film's sound was, thoughtfully, recorded in true stereo, and attention was paid to quality of signal resulting in a really decent hi-fi live sound. Turn it up!
The STP Tour was marked by a new level of offstage debauchery, chronicled by Robert Frank in "C*cksucker Blues", the controversial cinema-verite film which was shot largely with hand-held cameras in various dressing rooms and hotel suites along the way. This film is yet another unreleased document of the summer of 1972, extremely hard to locate, but not impossible. Add to this the planned-but-never-released Decca live album from the same tour and there's enough bootleg material from the STP Tour to satisfy a Stones fan until, say, 1978 when 'Some Girls',their next great album and tour, came to be.
The only weak link is new boy Mick Taylor, thought by others to be a kind of guitar hero, but careful examination of what he actually plays reveals that it hardly matters what song the rest of the band are playing, at any given time Taylor invariably noodles over top of it, soloing whenever he can, which is almost every time Jagger isn't singing.
For my money, Ronnie Wood might not be half the pure musician that Taylor is, but he's got much more personality, and though the Stones are as strong musically as any other group might care to put up against them, at the end of the day it's the Stones themselves that attract the attention they've received all these years (To this day, many of their live versions of songs grind to an end in musical train wrecks). If it were different, guys like Yngwie Malmsteen would be cultural icons, too, and the satin jumpsuit would finally get more respect.
T.C. Shaw, May '06
I was there!
judehs5 May 2011
This is an excellent piece of work and I should know; I was happily at the first of these shows in Ft. Worth. Stevie Wonder and The Staples Singers were just so damn good. I was sitting in an area overlooking the floor where the equipment is driven in and Keith and Mick Taylor were down there, dancing and rocking out to those opening acts too. It was so much fun and a great little memory. When we first walked in to the auditorium, Mick J. was sitting at a piano taking photos of the audience as they looked for their seats. And yes, The Stones were tight, wonderful, full of energy, and truly at that time they were The Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World! This documentary reminded me again why I loved them so much!
Captured Glory
vnstooge10 March 2016
A point has been argued now for decades about which stones tour was the best amongst said fans. this '72 tour is usually overwhelmingly the most popular (I prefer the '78 USA tour but hey?) They had 2 of the greatest albums of the 20th century to pull songs from ( Exile and Sticky Fingers ) not to mention other songs Gimme Shelter, Honky Tonk..., Jumpin... which were at the time relatively fresh from studio and therefore more enthusiastically delivered to the audiences on this 72 tour. The umpteen bootlegs of this tour attest to this with amazing performances, the recording(s) of Stevie Wonder in Philadelphia is/are a clear example. The guys themselves were fired up and couldn't wait to back in the USA after the Altamont misery and they burned through the states and wrote the book on rock n roll excess which the likes of led zep followed to a tee and all this was caught and very well I might add on camera in Texas on a couple of what must have been roasting hot nights. The stones glory captured in its prime, the best tour, the best albums, pre-heroin and Mick Taylor on lead guitar. Treasure it! A superb "No Thrills" document of Rock n' Roll at its most glorious.
Good concert film
grantss22 November 2018
Good concert film, showing the Stones on the North American leg of their Exile on Main Street tour in 1972. Captures well the energy and tightness of the band, and some of the best rock music ever made.
Sound quality is brilliant, especially for a 1972 live recording.
On the negative side, the camera work and editing leave a lot to be desired. Mick Jagger features in about 80% of the close-ups, and Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman get almost no coverage. Mick Taylor will be ripping into a great guitar solo, and the camera will be on Jagger!
Overall, a great movie and an excellent reminder of the zenith of rock n' roll.
Sound quality is brilliant, especially for a 1972 live recording.
On the negative side, the camera work and editing leave a lot to be desired. Mick Jagger features in about 80% of the close-ups, and Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman get almost no coverage. Mick Taylor will be ripping into a great guitar solo, and the camera will be on Jagger!
Overall, a great movie and an excellent reminder of the zenith of rock n' roll.
Terrific Stones
Michael_Elliott26 February 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen...The Rolling Stones (1973)
**** (out of 4)
OK, I understand the Stone not wanting C*cksucker Blues to have an official release but why in the hell hasn't this thing been released yet? Two concerts from Fort Worth, TX were edited together for this film, which was recorded on The Stones Exile on Main Street tour. Just check out this setlist: Brown Sugar, Gimme Shelter, Dead Flowers, Happy, Tumblin Dice, Love in Vein, Sweet Virginia, You Can't Always Get What You Want, All Down the Line, Midnight Rambler, Bye Bye Johnny, Rip This Joint, Jumpin Jack Flash and Street Fightin Man. The actual film itself isn't as good as Gimme Shelter but the performance of the band here is downright terrific. There's no behind the scenes stuff or interviews edited in. This is just a pure rock and roll show with the boys delivering terrific performances and perhaps the greatest live version of Gimme Shelter that I've heard. I also really enjoyed all the songs from 'Sticky Fingers', which we all know is the band's greatest album. When I saw The Stones last year their song Dead Flowers was played and pretty much became my title song with the ex who went with me.
**** (out of 4)
OK, I understand the Stone not wanting C*cksucker Blues to have an official release but why in the hell hasn't this thing been released yet? Two concerts from Fort Worth, TX were edited together for this film, which was recorded on The Stones Exile on Main Street tour. Just check out this setlist: Brown Sugar, Gimme Shelter, Dead Flowers, Happy, Tumblin Dice, Love in Vein, Sweet Virginia, You Can't Always Get What You Want, All Down the Line, Midnight Rambler, Bye Bye Johnny, Rip This Joint, Jumpin Jack Flash and Street Fightin Man. The actual film itself isn't as good as Gimme Shelter but the performance of the band here is downright terrific. There's no behind the scenes stuff or interviews edited in. This is just a pure rock and roll show with the boys delivering terrific performances and perhaps the greatest live version of Gimme Shelter that I've heard. I also really enjoyed all the songs from 'Sticky Fingers', which we all know is the band's greatest album. When I saw The Stones last year their song Dead Flowers was played and pretty much became my title song with the ex who went with me.
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