Posted by Your AA sponsor on December 09, 1999 at 12:23:37:
In Reply to: Black and Blue..an unheralded masterpiece? posted by Mr. Ventilator on December 09, 1999 at 09:53:40:
: I posted on Black and Blue sometime back, saying I'd revised my previous lukewarm feelings about the album when I bought the CD version.
: Since then my opinion of this album has done nothing but climb. I've become kind of addicted to it. I'd now rank it in the top 5. My reasons:
ALL Stones album are like that. You get sick of the others then play one you have not heard in a while and it becomes the best thing they ever did. Black
and Blue clearly is not close to the best.
: 1. Two fine rockers - Hand of Fate and Crazy Mama - that are as close to pure unadulterated Keith as you can find.
Fine? How's about adequate. They both drag. Mick saves them with
this stellar vocals.
: 2. Two fine ballads. Maybe a bit schmaltzy, but they've not been equalled since.
Memory Motel is great. Fool to Cry is embarrassing and puke inciting.
: 3. Every song is interesting. Even Hot Stuff, the weakest song on the album, has a unique lead guitar sound. The song arrangements are fully worked out, densely layered carefully crafted - you can listen to them again and again and hear new things each time.
Yeah it IS interesting. I'll give you that.
: 4. It's Charlie's best album. Listen to his work on HOF and CM.
Are you friggin' nuts? Not even close. This album has some of the blandest drumming
Charlie ever did. Thank God he redeemed himself on Some Girls. An album that
IS one of his best.
: 5. It has the best sound on any Stones record. Only Sticky Fingers is in the same league. You can hear every note, and the songs have a unity of sound quality that's missing in most of the Stones subsequent work.
It does have clear, clean sound. But is that what we want in a Stones album? No.
: 6. The variety of sidemen used by the Stones, esp. Perkins..Mandel., gave the album some flavors that they haven't had before or since.
It has the flavor of ice cream with the wrapper still on it.
: Dare I say it..I might even give this record the nod over Let It Bleed..heresy, I know..but geez, this album sounds good..
As your AA sponsor, I implore you to stay off the sauce for good this time!
You are clearly inebriated.
This is one of Mick's best performances though.