The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
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The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a film released in 1996 of a December 11, 1968 event put together by The Rolling Stones. The event comprised two concerts on a circus stage, and included acts such as Eric Clapton, The Who, John Lennon, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards. It was originally meant to be aired on television, but the Rolling Stones withheld its airing and release.
The Stones contended that they withheld its release due to their substandard performance because they had taken the stage early in the morning and were exhausted. Many others contend that the real reason for not releasing the video was that The Who, who were fresh off a concert tour, upstaged the Stones on their own production. The Stones had not toured in a while and were not in top playing condition, as the Who were.[citation needed]
The project was originally conceived by Mick Jagger as a way of branching out from conventional records and concert performances. Jagger approached Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who had directed two promos for Stones songs, to make a full-length TV show for them. According to Lindsay-Hogg, the idea of combining music and circus came to him when he was trying to come up with ideas; he drew a circle on a piece of paper and free-associated.
The Stones and their guests performed in a replica of a seedy big top that was actually on a British sound stage, in front of an invited audience. The performances began at around 2 p.m. on December 11, 1968, but setting up between acts took longer than planned and the cameras kept breaking down, which meant that the final performances took place at almost 5 a.m. the next morning.
By that time the audience and most of the Stones were visibly exhausted, and only Jagger's sheer stamina managed to keep them going until the end. It was the last public performance of Brian Jones with The Rolling Stones. It was finally released on CD and video in 1996. Included on the recordings are the introductions for each act, including some entertaining banter between Mick and John Lennon, expressing mutual friendship and admiration.
This concert is the only footage of Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi performing as a member of Jethro Tull; he was a member for only several weeks. It is interesting to note that they did not actually play live, but rather mimed to the album version of "A Song for Jeffrey". *NOTE: Ian Anderson flute and vocal were performed and recorded live.
In 2004, a remastered DVD was released, with audio remixed into Dolby Surround. The DVD includes footage of the show, along with extra features which include previously "lost" performances, an interview with Pete Townshend, and three audio commentaries. Of particular interest in the Townshend interview is his description of the genesis of the Circus project, which he claims was initially meant to involve the performers travelling across the United States via train. The remastered DVD also includes a special four-camera view of Dirty Mac's performance of the Beatles' "Yer Blues" (showing Yoko Ono kneeling on the floor in front of the musicians, completely covered by a black sheet). There is also footage included showing Lennon feigning homoeroticism, unbuttoning Jagger's shirt and inserting his hand, with Yoko and a very young Julian Lennon looking on.
[edit] Track list
- Mick Jagger's Introduction of Rock and Roll Circus (0:25)
- Entry Of The Gladiators (Julius Fucik) - Orchester (0:54)
- Mick Jagger's Introduction of Jethro Tull (0:11)
- Song For Jeffrey (Ian Anderson) - Jethro Tull (3:25)
- Keith Richard's Introduction of The Who (0:07)
- A Quick One While He's Away (Pete Townshend) - The Who (7:32)
- Over The Waves (Juventino Rosas) - Orchester (0:45)
- Ain't That A Lot Of Love (Willia Dean Parker/Homer Banks) - Taj Mahal (3:48)
- Charlie Watt's Introduction of Marianne Faithfull (0:05)
- Something Better (Barry Mann/Gerry Goffin) - Marianne Faithfull (2:31)
- Mick Jagger's and John Lennon's Introduction of The Dirty Mac (1:05)
- Yer Blues (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) - The Dirty Mac (4:26)
- Whole Lotta Yoko (Yoko Ono) - Yoko Ono, Ivry Gitlis, The Dirty Mac (4:48)
- John Lennon's Introduction of The Rolling Stones/Jumpin' Jack Flash (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - The Rolling Stones (3:35)
- Parachute Woman (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - The Rolling Stones (2:58)
- No Expectations (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - The Rolling Stones (4:13)
- You Can't Always Get What You Want (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - The Rolling Stones( 4:24)
- Sympathy For The Devil (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - The Rolling Stones (8:48)
- Salt Of The Earth (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - The Rolling Stones (4:57)
