Sunday, October 30, 2011

Rolling Stones concert film 'Some Girls Live in Texas': complete review



Rolling Stones concert film 'Some Girls Live in Texas': complete review

Carla Hay's photo

Whether or not you saw the Rolling Stones perform on their 1978 tour, the concert film “Some Girls Live in Texas '78” is probably the best band-authorized visual document of what a show on that tour was like. It captures the Rolling Stones in an interesting transition phase. Having moved on from the teenybopper hysteria of their concerts in the 1960s, and the androgynous and cheeky glam of their early-to-mid-1970s concerts, the Stones decided to go back to basics on their 1978 tour, before they morphed into the corporate-sponsored, elaborate-spectacle stadium band of the 1980s and 1990s.

Unlike the concert film “Ladies and Gentlemen … The Rolling Stones,” which had murky lighting, barely showed the audience, and had cameras that frequently stayed in one place for too long, “Some Girls Live in Texas ’78” often shows the audience in close-ups and reacting to the band. The lighting on stage is much brighter, and there are multiple cameras that capture a wider range of the stage — all of which give viewers more of a comprehensive feel to what is going on during the show.

As previously reported, “Some Girls Live in Texas '78” is set to be released worldwide on DVD and Blu-ray on November 21, 2011, the same day that the Rolling Stones' "Some Girls" album will be reissued with previously unreleased bonus tracks. The movie was filmed in Forth Worth, Texas, on July 18, 1978, during the band’s tour to promote the Rolling Stones’ 1978 album “Some Girls.” Shot on 16 mm film, the movie has been restored to high definition with 5.1 audio. For a limited time in select countries, “Some Girls Live in Texas '78” was released in cinemas, beginning in October 2011. The DVD/Blu-ray releases include an August 2011 interview with lead singer Mick Jagger giving his thoughts on the concert and his memories of 1978. (Click here to read a complete transcript of the interview.)

As if to make a bold statement that the Rolling Stones weren’t turning into a nostalgia act churning out a predictable “greatest hits” show, about half of the songs in the concert’s set list were from the “Some Girls” album. And almost none of the Rolling Stones’ hits from the ‘60s were performed at this concert. (See the set list at the end of this review.)

It was during the mid-to-late ‘70s that Jagger began to have the image of being a trendy jetsetter who wanted to experiment with sounds not normally associated with the Rolling Stones, while Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards remained a staunch traditionalist who did not want the band to stray too far from its roots. The contrast between Jagger’s and Richards’ personalities can clearly be seen in this concert film, with the most obvious manifestation being in the stage clothes that they wear. At the beginning of the concert, Jagger is clad in what was a trendy outfit at the time: red leather cap, red-and-white striped shirt, yellow jacket, red socks and white shoes. (As Jagger was prone to do in those days, he eventually stripped off his jacket and shirt and performed bare-chested.) Richards is wearing a basic black jacket and jeans.

On stage together, Jagger, Richards and the rest of the band have chemistry that is pure magic. The rhythm section — drummer Charlie Watts and bass player Bill Wyman — are as tight as ever. Richards’ playing is solid, and he really shines when some of the songs have extended jams, such as the band’s cover version of the Temptations’ “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me).”

Ronnie Wood, who replaced guitarist Mick Taylor in the Stones in 1975, is treated like the new member of the gang who still has to go through some hazing, as Jagger often playfully slaps Wood on the face and bottom during songs like “Star Star” and “Happy.” Jagger even jokingly whips Wood with his shirt on “Brown Sugar,” and feels up Wood’s crotch during “Tumbling Dice.” Wood sometimes acts like a younger brother looking for an older brother’s approval, as he offers the cigarette that he’s smoking to Jagger a couple of times during the show.

Jagger, of course, commands the stage, and he shows his musical versatility by playing keyboards on “Far Away Eyes” and guitar on “When the Whip Comes Down” and “Miss You.” And lest anyone forget that this is Jagger the sex symbol performing, there are plenty of camera close-ups of his tight pants as he “shakes what his mama gave him.” After a blistering version of “Shattered,” Jagger told the audience, “I’m afraid if the band is lacking slightly in energy, it’s because we spent all of last night fucking. But we do our best.”

There was no need to apologize. As any who sees a lot of rock concerts can tell you, the Rolling Stones can never be accused of being a lethargic band on stage. The highlights of this concert are when the Stones let loose in extended versions of the original studio songs, such as on “Shattered,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” “Star Star” and “Miss You.”

The concert is not perfect, though. The one noticeable omission in “Some Girls Live in Texas ‘78” is that drummer Charlie Watts does not get any close-ups in this movie. And people know by now that going to a Stones concert is not about hearing Jagger sing on-key. People like to experience Rolling Stones concerts for the band’s showmanship, the great Rolling Stones songs that have the ability to make people feel a certain way, and the indescribable energy that is unique to being at a Rolling Stones show.

On “Happy” (with Richards on lead vocals), Jagger chimes in with some growling in his backup singing, which people will either like or dislike, but the overall performance of the song is still one of the high points of the concert. At other performances of “Happy,” Jagger lets Richards handle pretty much all of the vocals, but that did not happen at this concert, as Jagger stays in the spotlight with Richards for the majority of the song.

By the time the band launches into “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (the last song of the show and one of the best parts of the concert), the crowd is so fully fired up that the audience loves it when Jagger playfully throws a few buckets of water into the crowd. It’s reminder of how the Stones are masters of that old showbiz adage: “Always leave them wanting more.”

Here is the set list of “Some Girls Live in Texas ’78.”

  1. Let It Rock
  2. All Down The Line
  3. Honky Tonk Women
  4. Star Star
  5. When the Whip Comes Down
  6. Beast of Burden
  7. Miss You
  8. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)
  9. Shattered
  10. Respectable
  11. Far Away Eyes
  12. Love in Vain
  13. Tumbling Dice
  14. Happy
  15. Sweet Little Sixteen
  16. Brown Sugar
  17. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
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