By the spring of 1976, almost two years would pass before
the Rolling Stones would reemerge with another album. They would do just that with their fifteenth studio album (thirteenth in the U.K.),
Black and Blue. It was their second album to be produced by the Glimmer Twins (Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), and the first to feature guitarist Ronnie Wood, who replaced Mick Taylor two years earlier.
For
Black and Blue, the Stones incorporated their rock sound with influences of reggae and funk
music. Recording started in December 1974, but was not completed until February 1976, as the Stones spent much of 1975 on tour. Key tracks on the album include “Fool to Cry” (which hit the top ten on the singles charts), “Hot Stuff,” “Hand of Fate” and “Crazy Mama.”
As promotion was under way of the album, controversy was attracted over a Hollywood billboard, depicting model Anita Russell, bound up by Jagger with the phrase, “I’m
Black and Blue from the Rolling Stones-and I Love It!” It was later removed by the feminist group Women Against Violence Against Women.
Still despite mixed reviews,
Black and Blue was a success, going on to be certified platinum. It was also the band’s sixth number one album, as it knocked out albums from Led Zeppelin and Wings from the top of the album charts, for a stay there of four non-consecutive weeks.
