Mick Jagger - vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica; Keith Richards - guitars, vocals; Charlie Watts - drums; Ron Wood - guitars, vocals; Bill Wyman - bass; Chuck Leavell - keyboards, vocals; Ian McLagen - keyboards, vocals; Ian Stewart - keyboards; Ernie Watts - sax
This is a compilation of different shows recorded on the Stones' 1981 Still Life tour for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, which first aired in June of 1982. The bad boys of rock were still very much in their better years, even though these recordings don't come close to the early-1970s Stones shows. Still, the Stones, led firmly by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, deliver convincing performances in this mini-set of some their best-loved songs, among them: "Beast Of Burden," "Let It Bleed," "Hang Fire," and the always alluring "Miss You," from 1978's Some Girls album.
Credit must also go to the Stones' exceptional back-up musicians (if you can call them that). Ex-Allman Brothers Band member Chuck Leavell and ex-Faces bandmember Ian McLagen both deliver great performances on keyboards; and sax player Ernie Watts, a jazz musician in his own right, rounds out what some call the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band.
The groundbreaking group from the Richmond area of South London has been together since 1962. Originally formed with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, and Brian Jones as a blues pub band (with the blessing and guidance of UK blues legend, Alexis Korner), The Rolling Stones quickly moved into the spot of the being the "street-wise and gritty" alternative to the four-headed pop music monster The Beatles had become. They followed the Fab Four into the US during the British Invasion, and quickly established their own musical credibility with a string of brilliant pop singles that included "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Time Is On My Side," "The Last Time," "19th Nervous Breakdown," "Ruby Tuesday," and "Paint It Black." By the late '60s and early '70s, the Stones took over as the premier British rock 'n' roll band, and continued their streak of hits with songs like "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Brown Sugar," and "Start Me Up."
Although Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have often gotten the most attention, people should never mistake the fact that the Stones are a band in every sense of the word. bassist Bill Wyman (prior to his departure in the early 1990s) and drummer Charlie Watts were just as important to the music as the Glimmer Twins; and Ron Wood, who had been in the band several years at this point, provided a strong counterpoint to the sloppy but soulful guitar licks of Keith Richards.
Despite ups and downs, drug busts, countless sold-out tours, great and poor LP releases, personnel changes, illness, and even deaths, the Stones have endured, decades after their formation. Jagger, Richards, and Watts remain from the original line-up and they continue to record and tour to this day.