Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones (DVD)

The Rolling Stones’ 1972 concert film, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, has just been re-released on DVD by Eagle Rock Entertainment. The film, which was originally released theatrically (“in Spectacular QuadraSound!”) and only ever had a very limited release on video, is a Rolling Stone fanatic’s version of the holy grail. It’s the only complete concert footage from the Stones’ 1972 tour of America in support of Exile on Main Street, the Stones’ musical pinnacle, and is cobbled together from four shows in Fort Worth and Houston, Texas. Unfortunately, the footage may have made a better concert album than movie.

The film looks great with an image is as crisp as the sound. We never see the crowd and the stage, outside of the spotlights, is extremely dark. The film was originally designed to give viewers the feeling of being in the front row seat at a concert, and it’s a slightly strange experience. There are no asides or interviews, no shots from behind the band, no sense of the bigger scene. While it feels like The Stones are giving you a bit of a private show, you lose the sense of the band interacting with the audience. In Gimme Shelter, the 1970 documentary that follows the Stones on their American tour that ultimately led to the tragedy at Altamont, we got a sense of both the crowd’s crazy, dangerous energy and how the Stones fed off of it. That movie made the Stones feel dangerous and gave us real insight into the insanity of their lives. Here, at least visually, they feel like a great band giving a disappointingly workman like performance.

The Stones run through a collection of late 60’s hits and Exile tracks. Like the best rock bands, they sound simultaneously tight and relaxed. Jagger peacocks (although not nearly to the degree as in Gimme Shelter) and Richards, teamed with new lead guitarist Mick Taylor, lay down awesome lick after awesome lick while Watts and Wyman keep steady time. The show starts a little slow, but, after an epic take on ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want,’ really picks up with a five song run (‘Midnight Rambler,’ ‘Bye Bye Johnny,’ ‘Rip This Joint,’ ‘Jumping Jack Flash,’ ‘Street Fighting Man’) that showcases the band at their shambolic best. But whether it’s the band’s rumored strained relationships during the period (especially during the recording of Exile) or just the aftermath of Altamont, the band seems surprisingly restrained. They deliver the musical goods like the super professional touring band they are, but the sense of danger and adventure is gone. For the Stones fan, Ladies and Gentlemen is worth watching once, but the real value may come in putting it on in the background and just enjoying the music.