Bridges to Babylon

Bridges to Babylon
Studio album by The Rolling Stones
Released 29 September 1997
Recorded March – July 1997, Los Angeles, California
Genre hard rock, blues rock
Length 62:27
Label Virgin
Producer Don Was, The Glimmer Twins, with Rob Fraboni, Danny Saber, Pierre de Beauport, and The Dust Brothers
The Rolling Stones chronology

Voodoo Lounge
(1994)		 Bridges to Babylon
(1997)		 A Bigger Bang
(2005)
Singles from Bridges to Babylon
  1. "Anybody Seen My Baby?"
    Released: 22 September 1997
  2. "Saint of Me"
    Released: 26 January 1998
  3. "Out of Control"
    Released: November 1998

Bridges to Babylon is the 21st British and 23rd American studio album by British rock band The Rolling Stones, released by Virgin Records on 29 September 1997. It would prove to be the band's final studio album of the 1990s and their last full-length release of new songs until 2005's A Bigger Bang. The album was supported by the year-long worldwide Bridges to Babylon Tour that met with much success.

Background and recording

Following the Voodoo Lounge Tour, and Stripped projects of 1994/1995, the Stones afforded themselves a brief respite before Mick Jagger and Keith Richards began composing new songs together in the summer of 1996 with demos to follow at the end of the year. Although the band would use Don Was as a producer again, Jagger wanted to bring The Dust Brothers in to work with them, having been impressed with their work on Beck's Odelay. Richards wasn't keen on the idea and brought in Rob Fraboni for his solo material, such that the only tracks that would bear their influence were "Anybody Seen My Baby", "Saint of Me" and "Might as Well Get Juiced"; it was thus the first, and so far only, Stones album to feature sampling. Additional producers would also contribute, giving the project a more rounded feel.

Bridges to Babylon was recorded during the spring into summer months of 1997 in Los Angeles in a matter of four months, one of their most concise periods of recording in years. As it was being mastered, the projected lead single "Anybody Seen My Baby?" was found to resemble k.d. lang's 1992 hit "Constant Craving" in its chorus,[1] a discovery brought to Richards' attention by his daughter Angela. Seeking to avoid possible future legal entanglements, lang and her co-writer Ben Mink were credited along with Jagger and Richards on the new song. Upon its release, it would reach #22 in the UK and become a US radio rock hit.

A total of eight different musicians played bass on the sessions for the album: Jeff Sarli, Jamie Muhoberac, Blondie Chaplin, Don Was, Danny Saber, Darryl Jones, Me'shell Ndegeocello, and Doug Wimbish.

The Stones had a number of the album's songs remixed in extended versions but have as yet not released any of them e.g. "Out of Control / Papa Was a Rolling Stone": 10 minutes, 10 seconds, "Might as Well Get Juiced" aka "Keith's Revenge Mix": 10:54, "Always Suffering" aka "Sentimental Mix": 9:27, "Already Over Me" aka "Ancient Remix": 9:27

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]

Bridges to Babylon, containing an unprecedented three solo vocals by Richards, was released to mixed reviews. It reached #6 in the UK, #2 in France and #3 in the US, where it was certified platinum by the RIAA in November 1997.[3] As of January 2010, Bridges to Babylon has sold 1.1 million copies in the US.[4] Further singles "Saint of Me" and "Out of Control" were also minor hits.

The Stones had become a touring phenomenon by this point. The Bridges to Babylon Tour in 1997 consisted of 108 shows.

In 2009, Bridges to Babylon was remastered and reissued by Universal Music.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted. 

No. Title Length
1. "Flip the Switch"   3:28
2. "Anybody Seen My Baby?" (Jagger/Richards/k.d. lang/Ben Mink) 4:31
3. "Low Down"   4:26
4. "Already Over Me"   5:24
5. "Gunface"   5:02
6. "You Don't Have to Mean It"   3:44
7. "Out of Control"   4:43
8. "Saint of Me"   5:15
9. "Might as Well Get Juiced"   5:23
10. "Always Suffering"   4:43
11. "Too Tight"   3:33
12. "Thief in the Night" (Jagger/Richards/Pierre de Beauport) 5:15
13. "How Can I Stop"   6:53

Other songs

Title Length Notes
"Anyway you Look at It" Saint of Me B side

Personnel

The Rolling Stones
Additional personnel

Charts and certifications

Charts

Album chart (1997) Peak position
Australian Top 50 Albums[5] 19
Austrian Top 75 Albums[6] 1
Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums[7] 2
Belgium (Wallonia) 100 Albums[8] 5
Canadian Albums Chart[9] 2
Finnish Top 40 Albums[10] 3
French Top 200 Albums[11] 2
German Albums Chart[12] 1
Hungarian Top 40 Albums[13] 12
Japanese Albums Chart[14] 10
Netherlands Top 100 Albums[15] 2
New Zealand Top 50 Albums[16] 10
Norwegian Top 40 Albums[17] 1
Swedish Top 60 Albums[18] 1
Swiss Top 100 Albums[19] 3
UK Albums Chart[20] 6
US Billboard 200[21] 3
Year Single Chart Position
1997 "Anybody Seen My Baby?" Mainstream Rock Tracks[22] 3
1997 "Anybody Seen My Baby?" UK Singles Chart[23] 22
1997 "Flip The Switch" Mainstream Rock Tracks[22] 14
1998 "Saint of Me" UK Singles Chart[23] 26
1998 "Saint of Me" Billboard Hot 100[22] 94
1998 "Saint of Me" Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[22] 23
1998 "Saint of Me" Mainstream Rock Tracks[22] 13
1998 "Out of Control" UK Singles Chart[23] 51

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Argentina (CAPIF)[24] Platinum 60,000x
Austria (IFPI Austria)[25] Platinum 50,000x
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[27] 2× Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[28] Platinum 500,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[29] Gold 25,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[30] Gold 50,000*
Sweden (GLF)[31] Gold 40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[32] Platinum 50,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[34] Platinum 1,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[35] Platinum 1,000,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Richards, Keith; Fox James (2010). Life. Great Britain: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 457. ISBN 978-0-297-85439-5.
  2. ↑ "Allmusic review".
  3. ↑ "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  4. ↑ Christman, Ed, et al. "Future Shock". Billboard. 23 January 2010
  5. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Australian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Austrian Charts (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  8. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "The Rolling Stones Album & Song Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  10. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Finnish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  11. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Les Charts (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  12. ↑ "Chartverfolgung / ROLLING STONES, THE / Longplay". Music Line (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  13. ↑ "Archivum: Top 40 Album". MAHASZ (in Hungarian). Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  14. ↑ "Artist Ranking CD Album". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  16. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  17. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  18. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Swedish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  19. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon (Album)" (ASP). Swiss Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  20. ↑ "Chart Archive: Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive – 11th October 1997". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  21. ↑ "The Rolling Stones Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 "The Rolling Stones: Charts & Awards – Billboard Singles". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 "Featured Artists: Rolling Stones". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  24. ↑ "Argentinian album certifications – Rolling Stonse – Bridges to Babylon". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers.
  25. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter The Rolling Stones in the field Interpret. Enter Bridges to Babylon in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  26. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon". Music Canada.
  27. ↑ "French album certifications – The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  28. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Rolling Stones; 'Bridges to Babylon')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  29. ↑ "Norwegian album certifications – Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  30. ↑ "Polish album certifications – The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon" (in Polish). Polish Producers of Audio and Video (ZPAV).
  31. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  32. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (The Rolling Stones; 'Bridges to Babylon')". Hung Medien.
  33. ↑ "British album certifications – Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Bridges to Babylon in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  34. ↑ "American album certifications – Rolling Stones, The – Bridges to Babylon". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  35. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1998". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.