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FANS ALBUM REVIEWS
A BIGGER BANG
Fourteen Reviews - Overall Average Rating - 8.5 Tongues
A BIGGER BANG
by Sixes, Sevens and Nines
November 22, 2009
Rating:
I don't usually write reviews since I don't think I'm that good at writing them. But I'll make an exception for this album.
Up until a few months ago, I liked A Bigger Bang. But in the last few weeks I found myself playing it more and more and I now love this album! Seems some of the Gassers don't like this one, but to me it sounds exactly what us fans have been begging the Stones to put out for years now.
The two best songs on here are: "Rough Justice" - with its pure hard rocking Stones sound, and "Back Of My Hand", a true blues song, something the Stones have been lacking for years now to release. I also love "Streets of Love", even if most Stones fans seem to dismiss it. Same thing goes for the anti-George Bush song, "Sweet Neo-Con". I love Mick Jagger's harp on this one, the music to this song is spot on! Yes, the lyrics are a bit spotty, but still, they speak the truth about Bush. Also talking about a great harp, Mick also blows his harp real nice on Keith Richard's "Infamy", which is the best song that Keith has done in years and one of the best songs on the entire album.
To listen to some sound clips from
A BIGGER BANG or to buy, click here: A Bigger Bang [Reissue]
More fan reviews:
A BIGGER BANG
by Bland_Boy
June 8, 2008
Rating:
I do believe this to be the Rolling Stones best record ever. No Stones
record has thoroughly had me enjoying every moment of it, sans perhaps Exile.
"Rough Justice" reminds me of the rocking and rolling of "Rocks Off".
"Let Me Down Real Slow", I love the riffing lower and lower to the chorus vocal.
"It Won't Take Long", is almost better than the whole Voodoo Lounge
record. ;-) "Rain Fall Down", love this one. Guitar-strumming reminds me of
"Rain", lol. "Streets Of Love", great. "Back Of My Hand", is
a great blues number. "She Saw Me Coming", rocking, love riffing between
vocal-lines. "Biggest Mistake", great. First chink in the armour only kinda
occurs at "This Place Is Empty" a bit too puncey of a song for Keith to be
singing. "Angie"-like guitars in places though. "Oh No, Not You Again"
is the hardest rocking track since "Rough Justice" at the start. It's almost
distortingly hard at times, but still rocking and rolling thankfully. "Dangerous
Beauty", great. "Laugh, I Nearly Died", also great. "Sweet Neo
Con" reminds of "Harlem Shuffle", which I liked very much. Mick's
accusations though can grate on my ears sometimes, which kills a 10/10. "Look What
The Cat Dragged-In", the riff reminds me of INXS. Love it. "Driving Too
Fast", love it. "Infamy", very good. All songs get 10/10 from me, sans
maybe 1-3
A BIGGER BANG
by Tommy MacLuckie
May 12, 2006
Rating:
It took me a while to get into this album. In fact, it took me a while to even get this
album. My life had been turned upside down by Hurricane Katrina. I was on tour in
Illinois, Katrina fucked up my home and life in Louisiana, and I eventually wound up in
Michigan listening to A Bigger Bang on the Stones website.
When I finally got it I drove around Alabama, where I relocated for a while, and
Mississippi and Louisiana listening to it as the soundtrack for my mental recovery from
what Katrina (and later Rita) did. I'm not going to get into details about every song (the
only clunker on the LP is "Streets Of Love") but for me, the rousing fist in the
air rock'n'roll came through on "Rough Justice" - perhaps their best tune in
fucking EONS, "Oh No Not You Again", "It Won't Take Long" and
"She Saw Me Coming". Outstanding album, great in a vehicle, great for whatever.
Just amazing. If this is their last album, which it most likely....I'm not going to say
it, then I'm happy about it. Fitting title, great attitude, rock'n'fuckin'roll!
A BIGGER BANG
by Ian Taylor
March 16, 2006
Rating:
Holy mackerel, I can't believe that the best album of 2005 has been released by 4 wrinkly
geriatrics with a combined age of 245, but it's true. Just in case math isn't your
strongpoint, that makes the average age of each band member just over 61, which means that
the Stones have been able to legally order off the seniors menu for about 6 years now
(although the decrepit Keith Richards could have probably passed for 55 at least 20 years
ago). Seriously though, the incessant "Stones are old" jokes are getting a bit
stale - and they miss the point, to be quite honest. You see, twenty years ago the Stones
were actually "too old." They were graying middle aged men with short hair and
bad clothes, and there was a sense that they were hurting their legacy by continuing to
tour behind mediocre albums. But now The Stones are musical pioneers once again, pushing
the boundaries of what is possible in rock music, bravely limping into the unknown. As
Liam Gallagher recently observed, "they're looking like fucking pirates now....you're
never too old." Charlie Watts has just survived a bout of throat cancer, and Ron Wood
is fighting emphysema, but these guys just keep on going....
Comprised of 16 tracks, A Bigger Bang is a bargain purchase, and in the old days
would have been classified as a double album. I am not exaggerating when I claim that this
is undoubtedly the best Stones album since Tattoo You. However, since the 1981
album is actually comprised of previously unreleased material from the band's heyday in
the 1970's, A Bigger Bang is the best record of new material the band has put out
since Exile On Main Street in 1972. Admittedly, the new album's best songs don't
quite match the greatest on Exile, but the point is that they are within striking
distance. Not only that, but every single song on this album is good. There are no duds.
None. Rumor has it that Mick and Keith actually sat down in the same room and wrote the
songs together, eyeball-to-eyeball, for the first time in a couple decades - and it shows.
And the album rocks. Hard. Even the two ballads have a lot of balls, with 'Streets Of
Love' leading the way in terms of quality. The rest of the tunes are high energy rock
songs, with plenty of hooks and great Jagger lyrics. The ultra-aggressive 'Rough Justice'
is a good choice for the first single, but there are other songs that are just as good, if
not better (the raunchy 'Oh No Not You Again,' and the menacing 'Dangerous Beauty,' etc.).
The boys prove they can still play straight-ahead blues as well as ever on the magnificent
'Back Of My Hand,' which sounds like vintage Exile-era Stones. You need to listen
to the song on headphones to truly appreciate the beauty of it - those interweaving
guitars and harp are a sound to behold. The band can really play, and that's one reason
why this album is so darn great. Jagger even takes aim at Dubya and his cronies on the
poison-tongued 'Sweet Neo-Con,' in which he snarls "you call yourself a Christian/ I
think that you're a hypocrite/ you call yourself a patriot/ I think that you're a crock of
shit." Ouch!
In the end, this is a truly exceptional Stones album. Over the past twenty years we've
seen some OK Stones albums, but nothing truly gripping. Steel Wheels (1989) was
the comeback album that saw the band try to find its own identity again, while Voodoo
Lounge (1994) was much better but still had the overall effect of "The
Stones trying to sound like The Stones." Bridges To Babylon was better yet,
but it had this element of Jagger whoring himself to the latest trends in late-90's
electronic alternative music. Now The Stones are finally The Stones again, just writing
great songs and playing them with conviction, just like they did 30 years ago. They've
been touring almost non-stop since 1997, so maybe that's the secret, but whatever the
case, it's an amazing development. All I can say is keep in up, guys.
A BIGGER BANG
by MysteryTramp
January 2, 2006
Rating:
The day this came out, I rushed to the record store, bought it, and gave it a spin. Now
that it's finally safe to go outside without hearing screams of, "Best Stones Album
Since _________ [Your choice for last good Stones album here]!", the result is a
pretty good album.
OK, you've probably heard 'Rough Justice'. It rocks like the Stones haven't in a while, a
worthy tune. And you've probably heard 'Streets of Love', one of the album's four
clunkers. (Others? 'Let Me Down Slow', 'Rain Fall Down' and 'Biggest Mistake'). Then
there's 'Back of My Hand', a much-appreciated sleazy blues workout. 'And Look What the Cat
Dragged In', set to a ridiculously fast pace, gives me whiplash every time I listen. Then
there's the two political-commentary songs, 'Sweet Neocon' and 'Dangerous Beauty', both
good.
My major complaint about this album is how long it is...sixteen tracks, when four could
have left. Voodoo Lounge had the same problem; Fifteen tracks, five or six
fillers. When we consider how few tracks BB, LIB, and SF had (10, 9, and
10, respectively), you don't have to pack an album with songs to make it good.
A BIGGER BANG
By Mike Perolot
September 24, 2005
Rating:
The Rolling Stones don't deserve a bad review. Without them and the major influence they
have made as the unstoppable troubadors of Rock n Roll this world would be a different
place. Their latest album, A Bigger Bang, shows all the scars from that 40 year
march through time. Gone are the nasty habits. There are no crossfire hurricanes. No
Midnight Ramblers, and no threats to lay your soul to waste. The wounds have healed. In
their place the Stones embark on a emotionally non-confrontational journey of retreat and
withdrawel played to the still scorching rythym section of Keith Richards and Charlie
Watts.
Song after Song recites the letdown of love, friendship, politics, the past, parenthood,
the present and the future. 'Driving Too Fas't and 'Look What the Cat Dragged' in sounds
like advice from Dad to his newly licensed daughter! When the Stones do approach old
stomping grounds on songs like "Dangerous Beauty", the listener too soon
realizes the subject is very likey an female American Solider on guard duty in the
infamous Abu Gharib prison. And the Stones may be able to fool the Press by saying
"My Sweet Necon" can't be about GW Bush because they would not call him
"sweet" but their old fans arent fooled one bit.
I like the album. I really do. It has that great unmistakable sound of Keith, Mick and
Charlie, almost indistigushable from their earliest original works. That great sound
almost makes you NOT want to confirm the lyrics you hear. I played the album for 2 weeks
straight in my car to and from work before peeling the tiny CD cover out, putting on my
reading specs to looked them over for the first time. But seriously, it is an album from
guys who have now broke 60. It is difficult to get worked up about things they way you may
have in your younger years, or confront them as energetically as in the past, but please,
at least give your kids a break! Save the advice for private meetings!
Lately Ive heard fans talking about the Stones trying to take their spot next to the
Artists they loved when they were on the way up. To me the Stones are already much bigger
than that. But then again, if thats what the Stones want, this album would have been
perfect for a soulful blues creation of a song from yet another old adage. "There is
No Fool Like an Old Fool".
A Bigger Bang is certainly Bigger than any Bang I've seen from a +60 Crowd. In
that respect this is a great album from cool old bunch of guys, it just wont ever replace Get
Yer Ya Yas Out.
A BIGGER BANG
By Johnathan Behr
September 22, 2005
Rating:
All the hype surrounding this album prior to it's release had this Stones' fanatic very
excited, yet at the same time circumspect. We've all the heard the "best album since Tattoo
You and Some Girls talk". After listening to Bigger Bang for a
great deal of time over the past few weeks I can say that there is only 4-5 tracks that
live up to their songwriting greatness. "Rough Justice" flat out rocks with the
classic Mick swagger and Charlie has never sounded better on this one. "Rain Fall
Down" is funky rocker that has a great feel. Mick has said this is a song about
London and his lyrics take you there. "Laugh, I Nearly Died" is a song that has
really grown on me. It has a hypnotic feel that finds these legends doing justice to their
legacy of experimental grooves. "Back of My Hand" has that authentic blues feel
we haven't heard since Exile. A great blues recording! Beyond these stellar
tracks the only song that does anything for me is "Biggest Mistake", however, it
is no match to the severely underrated "Keys to Your Love" and "Don't
Stop" from Forty Licks. The rest of the album is full of weak rockers and
Keith throwaways. It is better than Undercover, Dirty Work, Steel Wheels and Bridges
to Babylon (which isn't saying much!), but not as good as Voodoo Lounge. If
you are a Stones fan, of course you gotta have it, but don't expect a home run, maybe just
a double. Hell, at this point I'm just grateful they are still trying to make good music,
even if they are failing 2/3rd's of the time to live up to their amazing pedigree as
"The World's Greatest Rock Band". It's time to fire Don Was and hire Rick Rubin
to produce the next album. Let him work his magic just like he did with Johnny Cash and we
might get another Let It Bleed. He knows how to get the true essence of an
artist's sound better than anyone. Mick and Keith, are you humble enough to listen?
A BIGGER BANG
By Jack Flash
September 8, 2005
Rating:
I could go into the whole thing about how A Bigger Bang is the best Stones album
since Tattoo You, maybe since the 70's, and how Mick and Keith worked together
and came up with the songs together and how there are practically zero guest musicians,
how Mick produces his finest vocals in years, how the guitars are once again the main and
only point of the songs. But let me just say in a way far to more to the point that
describes my feelings much better: the Rolling Stones new product ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Bigger Bang is the first Stones album released in my lifetime that I'll have
been aware of, and therefore, not having known what it felt like to first place the needle
down on England's Newest Hitmakers, Aftermath, Let It Bleed, Exile
On Main St and the rest, I did the next best thing - I sprinted to the store about 19
1/2 hours ago, brought it home, popped in in my stereo, and experienced the phenomenon of
brand new Rolling Stones music. "Rough Justice" rips and rocks in classic Stones
fashion with some filthy Mick Taylor-esque slide guitar from Ronnie. Even my dad,
skeptical of anything released by the boys outside of 1972, excitedly exclaimed upon first
hearing the tune: "that's the Stones all right!" "Let Me Down Slow"
follows it up with an almost rockabilly feel, and sounds pretty banal and hookless at
first, but Keith responds with a great descending chorus, and then Ronnie's slide kicks in
to form another great track. "It Won't Take Long" is based around a fantastic
riff (Keef just never stops coming up with them!). Mick's phrasing could have been better,
but still another really good song! "Rain Fall Down" takes a cool jangling riff
and joins it with touches of "Miss You," "Undercover Of The Night" and
"Emotional Rescue" while maintaining a groovy modern feel that rocks. Otherwise
by the numbers balladry in "Street Of Love" is transformed into something
special with great, fuzzy guitars and more great vocals. "Back Of My Hand" is
slowly becoming my favorite song on the album- a swampy, feverish blues sweep that always
manages make your skin crawl. "She Saw Me Coming" is fantastic, insanely catchy
fun with featuring the best riff on the album. Mick has never been known to put his true,
deep feelings into songs, but on "Biggest Mistake" he does just that, apparently
singing about a real relationship he'd had and about resentments in his past: "But
after a while, I stopped to rebel/I'm back in the past and I'm raising up hell/But I think
I just made the biggest mistake of my life." The song itself could have been more
developed, but I love it when Keith joins in on very audible backing vocals! Mr. Riffhard
keeps the same idea going on "This Place Is Empty," another one of his touching
after-hours piano ballads. But this one is much better than "Losing My Touch,"
"How Can I Stop," etc. But not to worry- we next have A Bigger Bang's
best song, the ridiculously hard rocking "Oh No, Not You Again." Mick spits out
vile lyrics like a true rocker!
There you have it. I've said all there is to say. No matter how much my love for A
Bigger Bang grows or recedes over the coming weeks, months and years, the
circumstances make it my special Stones album, and it always will be.
A BIGGER BANG
By fatmoogas
September 8, 2005
Rating:
Forty years ago, when the Stones were at their peak, I was unconscious about most of my
surroundings, sucking on my mother's breasts: George W. Bush was probably occupied with
his first experience on cannabis (or getting into trouble for drunken driving?). Surely,
he was a long way from becoming the man who the Stones were eventually to write the song
"Sweet Neo Con" about ("Call yourself a Christian...you're just a crock of
shit"). It's quite amazing that the personal and song writing partnership of Mick
Jagger and Keith Richards has lasted so long! And now, here they are, once again, with a
new album and world tour.
We are used to the Stones breaking all known records for touring, but their recent albums
have left a lot to be desired. The last three studio albums, to my ear, have seemed like
blues influenced heavy metal, and I certainly don't mean that in any complimentary way.
The blues rock with which they made their name seemed to have disappeared for good.
Goodbye to Aftermath, Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky
Fingers and Exile forever! But it ain't true! A Bigger Bang is a
great Stones album, in their classic blues rock mode. Not every one of the 16 tracks is a
masterpiece, but there are no clear duds (unlike other recent Stones' albums) and they
keep close to their classic, blues based, intermeshing guitar rock sound, throughout. The
rhythm section of Keith and Charlie Watts is particularly strong on this recording and MJ
sounds more or less the same as he did forty years ago, as a twenty two year old
stripling. As USA Today put it in their recent review, "if this album is not exactly
another Exile On Main Street, at least it's recognizably in the same zip
code!"
Stand out tracks are the dirty blues sounding "Rough Justice", "Back Of My
Hand", and "Infamy" ("you got it in fer me"--Keith on lead
vocals). "Streets of Love" is a better than usual Mick inspired ballad and
"She Saw Me Coming", is the best track of the lot with it's pounding country
honk rhythms and Mick's ironic vocals: "She saw me coming...she had me on the
ropes...She saw me coming...she took me for a dope". All in all, it's great value
with a running time of well over an hour and I'd happily give it a score of 9 out of 10.
A BIGGER BANG
By James Page
September 7, 2005
Rating:
I am thirty two years old, far too young to know how it must have felt putting Beggars
Banquet or Exile on the stereo the day it came out and being blown away.
With A Bigger Bang, The Glimmer Twins have given me that thrill. Anyone who had
their doubts that our boys had another truly great album up their sleeves will be
pleasantly surprised by what A Bigger Bang has to offer.
A BIGGER BANG
By RollingZeppelin87
September 5, 2005
Rating:
Right from the first listen of this album it does not have to grow on you at all like the
Stones previous albums, it just blows you away how these old guys can still rock and I
mean ROCK! From the start with the opening hard rocking distorted guitar riff of
"Rough Justice" and it's true rock n roll lyrics, with Mick talking about his
girl being a fox and him being just a cock, to the finish with "Infamy's" weird
but cool lead guitar lick and Mick blowin on the harmonica there is alot to find on this
great album for everyone to like and remains there most consistent album since Some
Girls. There is not a track that needs to be skipped, if there is a song on the album
that had to be considered filler it would have to be Keef's "This Place is
Empty", but even then it remains his best effort for a ballad since "Coming Down
Again" and I would give it a somewhere in the 6 range. With many Stones albums there
filled with rockers and A Bigger Bang doesn't disappoint, there the best ones in
years, with songs like "Dangerous Beauty", "Look What the Cat Dragged
in" and "O No, Not You Again" are back to the basics rock n roll. "She
Saw me Coming" is a cool reggae/rocker that's one of my favorites, along with
"Back of My Hand", a great blues track that sounds like it should be placed on Sticky
Fingers, I wouldn't mind if they filled an album up with these songs like they did on
there first albums, they prove they can still play the blues whenever they want to. The
real treat on this album though that really stands out is "Laugh I Nearly Died",
a modern day emotional rescue (but alot better) with the guitars turned up with a mix of
blues, soul and funk. "Streets of Love" isn't liked by many Stones fans, I'll
admit I didn't like at first, but when listened with the album it rates a little higher
because it fits in. So stop reading this review and go out and by your copy of A Bigger
Bang, a great album where the Stones prove they can still pump out fantastic rock n roll
without the fancy production techniques they have been using
A BIGGER BANG
By bertold
September 5, 2005
Rating:
Bigger Bang is a great album. Whether it is a landmark album I do not yet know.
It is not a new Exile, but it is not intended to be anyway. 16 very good tunes,
maybe “basic” and “back to the roots”, but all fun to listen, no
fillers, no overly repetitive fadeouts. It is handmade music, based on guitar and drum
groove. Amazing all the different moods that can be expressed by a simple electric guitar
with no fancy sound machine. It just flows, I wish the album had 20 songs. No hard rock.
Even the upbeat songs swing. Great vocals, never excessively distorted. Many naughty, some
awesome lyrics. The work result of a couple of guys who just let it flow …. It is
“music” friends, jam along! So much variety in these 16 handmade songs! Most
other artists are single-mooded. Not the Stones, all shades of a fulfilled human life pop
up: anger, energy, melancholy, sadness … “Laugh I nearly died” – the
first Stones song on the experience of death, awesome lyrics, great music. “Rain
falling down” – wonderful groove with discoish guitar fillins (no other
guitarist can express more feelings in such simple notes). “Biggest mistake”
– well-composed country ballad. Both Keith songs – just great! “She laid me
down real slow” – has a nice flow and development. “Oh no” really
rocks – the incarnation of the perfect rock’n roll song. “Sweet
Neo-Con” is not the cheap after the fact anti-Bush song I expected it to be – it
contains a lot of wisdom, and the bass is great. “Cat” reminds me of
"Undercover” but swings nicely. Finally, I believe this is the first album where
Darryl Jones plays WITH the band, not above or below it (if you know what I mean). Overall
a less cynical album, full of life experience – which other band has gone through the
same life-span?
A BIGGER BANG
By pavlov's dog
September 5, 2005
Rating:
Overall with a few exceptions this album has the most blues rock sound of any Stones album
since Sticky Fingers, although a few songs have a Some Girls feel.
Although the sounds are definitely more evolved than the 1970’s Stones, there is
nothing here that would identify it as a pure product of the times (except maybe the
lyrics to “Neo-Con”). The song lengths are a little shorter than average Stones
songs and I think that is a plus here (sometimes they stretch out a little too much). I am
relieved and pleasantly surprised by this album as all of the Exile comparisons
were making me nervous. My first impression would put this album slightly ahead of Voodoo
Lounge and I think it will probably be considered their best album in a quarter
century. The boys definitely can still make Rock n’ Roll. Here's a song by song
review:
1. Rough Justice: Having seen this live, I like this song more now. It has a little Some
Girls ancestry... 2. Let Me Down Slow: Mid-tempo, straightforward rocker, no
hooks or catches and nothing grabs me here either musically or lyrically. I
don’t like it when Mick delivers a straight on vocal with out his theatrical over
articulation, sarcasm or sniveling. I believe this is one of only two weak tracks on the
whole album....3. It Won't Take Long: A smoking, ballsy blues rocker with a fresh sounding
guitar sound that reminds me a little of Lynard Skynard....4. Rain Fall Down: Nice reggae
funk, staccato guitar riff that echoes throughout the song, nice bridge with more funk
guitar and chorus. This song sounds like one part came from Emotional Rescue and
one part from Voodoo Lounge with tinges of Black n’ Blue. I like
this song...5. Streets Of Love: Better than "Keys To Your Love" or
"Stealing My Heart" from 40 Licks. This will never be a favorite but it
is growing on me. I know Mick can do modern ballads but it has to be really good for me to
love it, I think I eventually will be fine with this song.... 6. Back Of My Hand: Everyone
knows this awesome slide guitar piece by now. The most delta blues sounding piece since
“You Gotta Move”...7. She Saw Me Coming: Nice dirty guitar into, call and
response chorus. “she busted in and burglarized my soul”, nice line. This song
is not too long, 3:12, not bad...8. Biggest Mistake: an improvement over "Let Me
Down" but I am not loving this song, these two songs sound a little too much Mick
solo songs...9. This Place Is Empty: A slow Keith ballad. This has become a distinct
genre. This has a sweet, haunting feel with nice guitar and piano. He definitely could
have a side job as a torch singer....10. Oh No, Not You Again: More Some Girls
style nastiness, a relative of “Respectable”, I think it’s even better than
"Rough Justice". Has a crashing ending just like “Respectable”...11.
Dangerous Beauty: More raunchy, modern blues rock guitar. This song has a
smoldering, menace to it which sounds like you’d want to be eating ribs and drinking
beer...
12. Laugh, I Nearly Died: Slow and funky, lots of overtones on the guitar, really awesome.
If you took "Miss You" and stripped it down, slowed it up and threw it in a
blender with “Down InThe Hole” and added a little “Gunface” and a
tinge of “Anybody Seen My Baby” and Fingerprint File”and sprinkled a little
of “Out Of Control” you might get close. This song gives me the chills.
GENIUS!!!!13. Sweet Neo Con: Nice harmonica and guitar intro, spare instrumentation
vintage snide Mick dripping cynicism. I get images of an old boxcar with starving hobos
rolling past a railroad crossing looking at rich, self satisfied assholes in their
convertible BMW’s....14. Look What The Cat Dragged In: Galloping, bluesy rocker,
maybe a little bit of filler but very good filler indeed....15. Driving Too Fast:
Similar in feel to the previous track, “Cat Dragged In” but with a slightly
faster tempo and a few killer guitar licks....16. Infamy: A mid tempo bluesy tune with a
ping pong wa-wa guitar sound, pleasant but not revelatory.
A BIGGER BANG
By t-roy
September 3, 2005
Rating:
I'm paraphrasing here - so bear with me. Several years ago, Brian Johnson
of AC/DC said that if a guy was in bar and was afraid to talk to the girl sitting
alone, if the Stones came on the jukebox the guy would get off the stool and talk to her
because the Stones' music "gave him the confidence". My friend from England
likes the opening chords to "Jumping Jack Flash" because they sound like "a
crime about to be committed". Ya know, I think both of these examples encapsulate the
essence of this band - or at least what most of us want from this band: yeah, a few
stylistic twists and turns here and there, but for the most part 1) some open chords, 2)
some attitude, and 3) turn it up to ten....... Well, A Bigger Bang delivers this.
Big Time.
While Voodoo Lounge came tantalizingly close, A Bigger Bang is the first
album since Some Girls to sound like a solid body of work, in other words, you
don't have to hit skip on the CD player every other song. In fact, this is almost a
companion piece to Some Girls- a punkish feel with no the horns, no session
men lurking around every corner, and no bullshit. I've got "Drivin Too
Fast" cranked in the background while I'm typing this, and the urge to leave the
typewriter and to get up and dance- and dance like you dance when no one is watching, is
overwhelming.
Hell, I could dance to almost the whole record. "Biggest Mistake"? Time to sweep
my next door neighbor off her feet. "Rough Justice"? "It Won't Take
Long"? Ironically, the only song you can't dance to, Keith's "This Place Is
Empty", works surprisingly well given the deliberate pacing of this album. While
every track may not be a winner, there certainly are no clunkers here, no fillers here.
Just good rock and roll that blows away most of the crap being played by bands a third of
the Stones' collective ages.
Much has been made of the fact that Mick and Keith got together and closely collaborated
on this album- as if this relationship is the reason the album is so strong. Given the
fact that Bridges to Babylon was comprised of tracks originally intended for
Mick's solo album and Keith recorded all of his songs in a different studio, I can see why
the press is all over this, they haven't collaborated like this since the '60's! The
reality is that they sat down together and collaborated in 1988, and what we got was the
dreadful Steel Wheels. No, I think they were just due for a home run.... and they
knocked it out of the park.
Keno's review, song list, lyrics and more info on A Bigger Bang
To buy
A
BIGGER BANG, click here:
A Bigger Bang [Reissue]
