MEMBERS WEEKLY RECOMMENDATIONS AUGUST 5 ........

[oldbuckster]

Well Mike listed this for last week, I'll list again for this week, it's that good :

SHINE A LIGHT : THE ROLLING STONES .............. DVD ..................... just released

If you ever wanted to own a Rolling Stones DVD, this is the one to own. These Ol' Dawgs still have teeth, and they bite. Great show, great song selection, Top Notch camera work, and pretty amazing sound. It's all here, "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World" shows what 40+ years in the music business can produce, a no [bs] show, and twin lead guitars that chainsaw their way through the set. Keith and Ronnie never sounded better, of course, I'm a Mick Taylor fan, and Mick Jagger, what can I say about Mick ? The man enjoys being the frontman, he loves the role, and it shows. I could go on and on about these guys, but I won't, not many come here anyway, so it would be a waste to carry on about a little Bar Band that has made it to the top of the mountain ............... Long Live the Stones .......... "May the sweet Lord shine a light on You" .................

[colterphoto1]

Shine a Light- I just love the filmmaking, the camera angles, the edit, the way the sound bumps up a bit when an instrument is highlighted in a c/u shot, the short story lines, the set list, the jingly jangly guitars panned HARD left and right, the 14 musicians and God-knows-how-many camera people onstage. Everything about this film is rock and roll at it's finest.Ok, maybe not the light show, hey, it was lit for film 'we can't burn up Mr. Jagger'.Perhaps the final Rolling Stones film but who knows. Ok, could do without the Clinton introductions, but in a way it's a signpost of the times, that even The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World can't go on without some type of corporate or politico sponsorship, so Martin hit the nail on the head once again. 'I'd just like to know what song they're going to start with'.

When Keef gets up to sing two numbers like a choked-up choirboy, his heart is completely in the song. The man is in his zone on stage. At the end of one he swings back to the mic to say 'pretty C[H][H]L, eh?' - yes you are Keef. I saw it at IMAX and twice at home and every time I'm exhausted and fell like I've been trampled by the band for two hours. Guest appearances by Jack White (boy can he sing), Christina Aquilara, and Buddy Guy are fun, well rehearsed, and do not detract.

If you ever buy any concert DVD in your life, get Pink Floyd Pulse and get Rolling Stones Shine a Light (also available in Blue Ray for you rich folk).

Setup hint- crank your subs, turn down the center about 3 db from where you usually have it to accentuate the guitar work. Mick is too far forward for me.

Michael

[colterphoto1]

The Buckster's great review from April 14 column (hope ya don't mind but it bears repeating) :

Well, here we go
again .................. from the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the
WORLD ..... don't let the Old Dawgs bite you in the A$$, let them show
you how it's still done after all these years ................. Age has
nothing to do with Rock and Roll ..... It's an Attitude, a feeling, for
some, it's a way of life :

SHINE A LIGHT : THE ROLLING STONES ................. CD deluxe edition, 2 disc set ................ 2008

What
can one say about a 40+ year career, never have retired and returned,
like some do, over and over again, just playing their music, puttin' on
their Concerts, and just carrying on. These guys have it down pat, and
don't seem to have any problem with slow ticket sales anywhere in the
World, pretty amazing.

What we have here is, a film shot over a 2
Concert set at the Beacon Theatre at Madison Square Garden, the
greatest stage in the world, this is where they belong. Enter Martin
Scorsese and his film crews to capture this on film, as only a master
like Scorsese can do. This is the soundtrack to that film, and a
classic it is. Some hits, some Classics, and some you might have forgot
about, all the good stuff is here, and it all sounds FRESH. My favorite
is, "Just My Imagination", an old Temptations song, worth the price of
the disc by it's self, what a great song. There are other gems on there
like , "Far Away Eyes","Some Girls","As Tears Go By", and "She Was
Hot", just to name a few, never been recorded in Concert before. The
Band is right on the money, Mick sounds good, Keith and Ronnie swap the
leads, Charlie bangin' away, never skipping a beat, and the rest of the
Band doing what they do best, supporting the Stones as they rip through
their set. God I love this stuff .............

This is the
World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band rediscovering how great they are.
You either like them or you don't, I can't change that, but give this
set a chance, you might find your foot tapping, or even worse, you
might even sing a long, it's cool, I won't tell anyone. I read how Old
and washed up these guys are, horse-hockey ................ Many groups
wish they could just stand in their shadows, but they can't ....... I
wish I could have aged as well as the Stones have, but I am also very
lucky to have lived through their whole career, only one change in the
band, Brian Jones, and that had to happen. I am a Rolling Stones Fan,
and I will die a Rolling Stones Fan ............... "You can't always
get what you want, but You get what you need" ... Shine a Light
!!!!!!!!!

[colterphoto1]

Me - from April 21 column (following Buckster's recommendation to go see SHINE A LIGHT)

You MUST go see
the new Rolling Stones-Scorsese movie SHINE A LIGHT. I saw it at the
IMAX in downtown Indy last night and it is fabulous. I know this thread
is generally about music you can purchase, but this will be available
soon enough. The IMAX experience was so fantastic that I think you
should go see it NOW on a reallyreallyreally humongo screen. Just do
it, mmmk?

Remember I am a photographer, so when I say that the
camera angles and editing were remarkable you can take that to the
bank. This movie captures 2 nights that the Stones did in NY's small
Beacon Theater during this last tour. The behind the scenes,
interviews, and bit of drama 'what song are they going to open with?'
really add to the concert portions of the film. The set and lighting
are remarkable, there is more tonnage of equipment per square foot on
that small stage than I think I've ever seen. The full Stones entourage
and massive film crew on a modest stage is difficult to pull off. Did I
say foxy chicks in the first two rows? ( I just need a set list, it
doesn't even have to be in order).

There is a real feeling of
excitement in this film. Perhaps its the proximity to the performers or
the wide angle lens, you can see every crag in Keef's face, see Mick
not sweating despite running 7 marathons that night. The fingers, the
fretboards, cymbals, smiles - it's all HUGER than life on the IMAX
screen. I'd read somewhere that reviewers didn't think that Scorsese
use the IMAX cameras to full effect. Horse Hockey. There is a great
immediacy to the action, the cameras are so big, the viewpoint so
large, that you'd swear that Mick was going to run you down sometimes
when he attacks the audience on one of his full-pace struts. Lips a bit
thinner from age, but that toussled hair always bouncing, hips
constanstly swawing, energy never waving. There are some moments of
calm, of reflection- at the bands longevity, their stature, their
grandeur. It's brilliantly paced.

Many of my favorite shots
are of the performers ENJOYING themselves. The way Keef and Woodie grin
at each other like naughty schoolboys, Charlies miscevious look (say
hello Charlie - 'hello'), Mick's look as he turns and heads toward the
back line giving instructions, egging the others on, is something that
is recorded faithfully here. Keith spitting out a cigarette, the older
interviews, 'look in here, I'm the only one gets to see that!'

But
the sound, you ask, how does it SOUND? Magnificent. The mix is full if
a bit thin on the low end and rhythm section. (EDIT- this movie sounds HUGE on my home Klipsch system LaScalas & Cornwalls with THX subs- see earlier thread for tweaking suggestions END EDIT) With 4 piece horn section
and the standard 3-piece backing vocals there is plenty going on to
work with. The mix plants you squarely front row center, no on stage,
no at Charlies drum throne. Ok, let's say that it is a solid sound
stage that doesn't move you around too much, but puts you RIGHT THERE,
where you're supposed to be, who you're supposed to be hearing, at that
moment. Vocals stage right, horns stage left. Drums, Piano, and Bass
all over the place. Richards and Wood's guitars are panned HARD to each
side so you can distinctly hear precisely who's playing what. But when
the boom camera or back line portable cams take you back stage, seeing
it from the performers perspective, guess what, the sound perspective
changes too- but not in a disconcerting way, it's very believable and
it plants you squarely over Keith's shoulder or behind Mick. Amazing.
The director made the gagillion film cuts in pace with the music, then
trumped up any solo performances. There are times when a guitar lead
breaks in that the camera goes ZOOOM and the sound goes WHOOOSH and
it's all chills and funny bits up your spine. It was one of those
performances for me that brought tears at the first song, that music
could be this good, this powerful, this majestic, this fun. This
usually only happens to me at live concerts (thanks Larry) but this was
truly like being there.

Go see this film, it's a sloppy
performance up until the third song. There is not a band alive that
grooves like the Stones on a good night. No they don't hit all the
little black dots, but it's got SOUL baby! Guest performances by Jack
White, Christna Aquilera are surprisingly inviting and add to the fun
factor. That Jack White is really quite good I must get more of his
stuff. Watch as Mick gives Christina a little unsuspected grind which
results in a sweet little yelp. Buddy pops up for 'Champagne and
reefer' and looks surprisingly sedate until he lets go on vocals and he
nearly blows Mick off the stage with his strength. Watch Keith give him
his guitar as he walks off stage. So many touching moments. I've seen a
lot of concert films and this one makes it all so real. The moment in
the movie for me was Keith's solo song, I won't spoil the surprise but
it's touching, dramatic, lovely and ragged all at the same time. Yes
they're old but they rock like no one can, and have for decades. I'm
going to miss them when they're eventually gone but for now we have a
masterpiece of film to immortalize them.

For professionally written review go here.

Just go. Tell em Colter said so.

[oldbuckster]

"Make Every Song You Sing, Your Favorite Tune " .................................. [Y] Mike !!!!!!!!

[colterphoto1]

uh, anybody else this week? Or are you all watching Shine a Light?

[oldbuckster]

Nah, they're watching Dark Knight ............ 59 hits there !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[callmeishmael]

Watching the opening ceremony of the summer olympics. Beautiful.

[wilbucd]

Since getting my Khorns two weeks ago I have been listening to all.......a lot of my music that I have not played in a while. One CD that really stands out just for sounding great is Santana's Supernatural. Granted a few songs are a little too south of the border for me but the majority of the CD is great. Especially the 8th track, "Migra". The drums beat on you throughout the song and the trumpet sounds like it's in the room with you. Play it loud!

[colterphoto1]

If'n you like Santana, get Moonflower and put on Europa.

So, did anyone else turn on to the Rolling Stones 'Shine a Light'? Let's hear from ya!

[merkin]

I just got shine a light from netflis. Watched some of it(had to watch some olympics). Liked it so far. The sound and seperation is great. Still not in total awe yet.

[colterphoto1]

bump for OldBuckster review of the Rolling Stones.

[colterphoto1]

I just got shine a light from netflis. Watched some of it(had to watch some olympics). Liked it so far. The sound and seperation is great. Still not in total awe yet.

ah, but you will, YOU WILL! [spoken with somewhat threatening Yoda accent]

but...the lights...the song list... the closeups..the way the band nearly tramples the IMAX cameras...the jingly-jangly guitars in wide stereo... the dancing girls, eh...Keef sings for you...did I say the set list, who's got the set list?...Charlie talks to the camera...Keith and Ronnie are the greatest guitar player in the world...OB liked em...I like em...Mick's nonstop energy...the old tunes we haven't heard for a while...never mind the wrinkles..

Now go TURN IT UP and give it another listen! No- LOUDER- so OB can hear it - ah, yeah there ya go! TOP NOTCH! [Y]

Michael (going to put on some Stones right now). I've been playing a lot of Stones lately.

[Steve_L]

The Shine a Light DVD is excellent! Of course if you went into high school singing Satisfaction and you were graduating from college while playing Sticky Fingers, how could it not be? So maybe us old guys are a tad biased. But they're a kick-*** band anyway you look at it. Some of Keith's moves on stage are a bit too rehearsed for me, but that's about as critical as I can possibly get.

Want to have some fun?

Read Exile On Main Street, which is the fabulous book written a year or so ago by Robert Greenfield that takes you through the three years or so after Sticky Fingers, when the Stones recorded the album on the French Riviera, and then moved to LA to produce it. Then, immediately read STP: A Journey through America with the Rolling Stones, written by the same author except written 30 years ago, (he was there) and this chronicles the period right after they finished Exile when they had to go out on the road andmake some money and promote the album. It's another year of insanity.

THEN, once you are totally saturated with all of that, put on the DVD, CRANK UP VOLUME CONTROL and enjoy.

[merkin]

"ah, but you will, YOU WILL! [spoken with somewhat threatening Yoda accent]

but...the lights...the song list... the closeups..the way the band nearly tramples the IMAX cameras...the jingly-jangly guitars in wide stereo... the dancing girls, eh...Keef sings for you...did I say the set list, who's got the set list?...Charlie talks to the camera...Keith and Ronnie are the greatest guitar player in the world...OB liked em...I like em...Mick's nonstop energy...the old tunes we haven't heard for a while...never mind the wrinkles..

Now go TURN IT UP and give it another listen! No- LOUDER- so OB can hear it - ah, yeah there ya go! TOP NOTCH!

Michael (going to put on some Stones right now). I've been playing a lot of Stones lately. "

Michael, I finished watching it shortly after that. I did like it. My theater is in the basement and when I'm down there with it cranked up my kids think I'm nuts of deaf. They're right I'm probalbly both. Maybe it's time to watch it again for Oldbuckster. Thanks for rekindling this thread.

[Steve_L]

I've been away for a while and did not realize that we have lost our old and dear friend Rob, (Oldbuckster).

He was a wonderful man. I am so sorry to hear that.

[colterphoto1]

Thanks for the book notes. I'd read STP (Stones Touring Party) a few years after it came out, will have to look it up again.

Also get Stone Alone, Bill Wyman's autobiography. It's a long read, but very detailed and presumably truthful as he was there the whole time. Bill took copious notes as 'the quiet one' and was always aware of the antics going on around him.

M