The strange, ever changing landscape of 2011 continues, new things arriving and old things vanishing. Opportunities knocking and the cosmos sending messages. And UPS bringing my Super Deluxe version of 'Some Girls'! First, we'll tackle the "Live in Texas '78" DVD from the Rolling Stones.
In the great touring history of the Stones, critics, fans, historians, hippies, etc tend to look at the '78 tour as one of the lesser Stones tours. With '69 and '72 tours setting such a high and groundbreaking benchmark ('73 was pretty sharp too), a letdown sooner or later had to be expected. After their masterpiece 'Exile on Main St.", the Stones' next few albums got a little bit laid back (coinciding with Keith Richards' heroin addiction) and critics and the public started taking their shots at a now seemingly bloated Rolling Stones. Now, the Stones (especially Mick Jagger) are always on top of what's happening currently in music and that, combined with the criticism they were taking, they proceeded to record an album that showed they were still on top of things and could not only hang but rule the music world. 'Some Girls' put the Stones right back on top of the game and they headed off on the road to show it off.
The "Live in Texas '78" DVD was recorded at a smallish venue in Fort Worth, Texas, in July of 1978. The DVD comes in at over 2 hours total, so we have the good fortune of seeing the entire show. They open with a quick nod to their roots with Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock" and a brisk 'All Down the Line". They were certainly sharp on this night. Relaxed but confident. After a rousing "Star Star", they kicked into the first of seven straight from 'Some Girls', plowing into 'When the Whip Comes Down' (complete with extra lyrics). For a band with a large body of work (even then), that's almost unheard of. 'Some Girls' was a bad ass record and they knew it. During Mick's rap in "Miss You", the band doesn't even bother to drop the volume like on the record; instead just storming right on through. After working up to a high energy "Respectable", the band finally gives mercy to the crowd, strolling through "Faraway Eyes", bringing the 'Some Girls' section to a close. After a great version of "Love in Vain", things pick up again with a steady "Tumbling Dice" and a rousing "Happy". I really love watching them do this back in the days when Keith and Mick would share the mic during the choruses of this song; before Mick was contractually obligated to take a hike during Keith's songs. I love Mick's surprise as Keith bails out on the first chorus, just wanting to play guitar. His enthusiasm rolls right into the 2nd Berry number of the night, "Sweet Little Sixteen". They go for the kill, finishing off with "Brown Sugar" and "Jumping Jack Flash". It appeared the band was bringing "Jack" to a finish but Keith simply refused to stop playing so everyone was treated to another minute or so. Despite the powerful finish, it was apparent the Stones saved their best punch for the 'Some Girls' tunes. Their enthusiasm for the record was very apparent. 'Some Girls' had a serious New York flavor to it; in the lyrics and in it's attitude. A healthy dose of "Here it is. Take it or leave it". Again, this show was in a small venue. But you couldn't help but still feel that New York attitude towards the show. Flat out lean and mean. No confetti, no explosions, no giant inflatable dicks, not even a horn section. No harp or horns seemed pretty apt for this show. There was certainly no blowing or sucking here...
