Reviews 01 Jul 2015

Review / The Rolling Stones: From The Vault Marquee Club 1971

By Paul Sinclair

We have ‘American TV’ to thank for the fact that the unofficial last date of The Rolling Stones‘ 1971 UK tour was filmed (on Friday 26 March), with this set at The Marquee Club performed in front of an ‘elite’ audience of just 150 people, said to include Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page.

This footage would basically act as a promotional film for Sticky Fingers which was due for release a few weeks later – by which point the band would be heading to the South of France as tax exiles (the reason the ’71 UK tour happened before the release of the new album).

Eagle Rock last week released this film as The Marquee Club Live in 1971 – volume three of their Rolling Stones ‘From The Vault’ series – and it has been made available on a multitude of formats including DVD, Blu-ray, CD+DVD combo, and LP+DVD combo> In the US there is even a CD+Blu-ray version and Japan get another version again with an edition that also bundles a 2CD set .

It has to be said that the picture on the blu-ray may be ‘upscaled’ HD on an ‘SD’ blu-ray but it looks incredible. Someone has done a fantastic job restoring or cleaning up the footage. Mick is gleaming; all sweat and glitter looking every bit the rock god.

The band look confident and relaxed with Jagger and stubble-faced Richards sharing a mic on Dead Flowers and Mick Taylor casually producing some virtuoso guitar licks at will (picked up nicely by the director).

vinyl — DVD+LP edition in gatefold packaging

After I Got The Blues (a song the band wouldn’t play live again for 28 years) the horn section of Jim Price and Bobby Keys come in for a lively rendition of Chuck Berry’s Let It Rock with Richards guitar chops in the spotlight this time around. A live version of this track recorded in Leeds was featured on the flipside of Brown Sugar which was issued about three weeks after this gig was filmed.

A nine-minute Midnight Rambler is spine-chillingly good and the inevitable Satisfaction sounds surprisingly laid back and loose. The set closes with two tracks from the as yet unreleased Sticky Fingers – Bitch and Brown Sugar. It’s invigorating to hear the latter when its not an ‘oldie’!

38 minutes and it’s all over, although bonus features include a pink-suited Jagger with the band on Top of the Pops miming to Brown Sugar and a peak behind the scenes of the production process as cameras, band and technicians get set up for alternative versions of Bitch and I Got the Blues.

The brevity only strengthens the conviction that this should really have been included in the Sticky Fingers super deluxe edition box – not to do so just smacks of greed. Disappointing though this decision was, everyone involved is mostly forgiven because this release is so good and great value with it.

The packaging is very attractive, the booklet with great photos and a short essay by Richard Havers informative, and there are more than enough buying options to please everyone. The audio is well recorded (on the same mobile studio they took to France to record Exile On Main Street) so SDE would recommend one of the combo sets – either CD+DVD or LP+DVD – especially at the price. The vinyl and DVD set is less than £12! Speaking of the audio, the 5.1 is very satisfying from the front three speakers although there isn’t a whole lot coming from the rear channels.

From The Vault: The Marquee Club Live in 1971 is out now.

dvd_CD_marq

CD+DVD

dvd_LP_marq

LP+DVD

Standalone SD Blu-ray

Standalone DVD

Track listing

• Live With Me
• Dead Flowers
• I Got The Blues
• Let It Rock
• Midnight Rambler
• (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
• Bitch
• Brown Sugar

BONUS TRACKS:

• I Got The Blues – Take 1
• I Got The Blues – Take 2
• Bitch – Take 1
• Bitch – take 2
• Brown Sugar (Top Of The Pops, 1971)

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