The Rolling Stones Album: “Black And Blues”

I was skeptical about buying this album. I had been into the Stones for years, but I read mixed reviews about it, and how it was a minor disappointment when it was released in 1976. But I finally purchased a copy of the album on a whim, and it turned out to be surprisingly brilliant and crafted with the talent that most Stones records are noted for.

BLACK AND BLUE is up there with the best of the Stone's body of work. It's not as daring or encompassing as Exile on Main St., not as bluesy as Sticky Fingers, but it's also just as inspired as Beggar's Banquet or Let It Bleed, and after listening to those four impeccable masterpiece albums, I'd encourage you to add BLACK AND BLUE to the collection. It is a much better than IT'S ONLY ROCK N' ROLL, and is a good introduction to the brilliance that would continue to surface with SOME GIRLS

The craft of songwriting and recording is as palpable as the rest of their amazing work from the late 60s and early 70s. The biggest highlight of the album, by far, is MEMORY MOTEL. It's definitely one of the most beautiful rock songs ever written. It's epic, but not in the grand stratosphere of arena rock as say- STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN. It's subtle, charming and brilliant. In the same vain is FOOL TO CRY, which turned out to be the album's most popular song. It sounds very similar to MEMORY MOTEL in some aspects, but each song can stand on its own. There are other gems such as HAND OF FATE and CRAZY MAMA which can stand as the epitome of all hard rock Stones songs. It served as a precedent for many of the songs that would be heard on SOME GIRLS and TATTOO YOU, with less blues and more of what would be known as 70s Classic Rock. In addition, cuts like HOT STUFF, HEY NEGRITA and CHERRY OH BABY are all pseudo-reggae jams that are decent jams, but slightly redundant. However, they're above the rank of throw-away songs. Lastly, MELODY is my least favorite but it's not terrible, it's an ideal song that would be right at home in smokey bars everywhere.

So do yourself a FAVOR and buy a rock n' roll classic from the Rolling Stones - get BLACK AND BLUE.

I had recalled that the Rolling Stones were in decline from "Exile on Main Street" until "Some Girls." My memory was that "Black and Blue" was one of those okay but not very interesting albums in the interregnum. A few days back, I started trying to remember the songs on this work. And then I started wondering if this CD was as mediocre as I had thought.

Well, I just listened, and it's a bunch better than I remembered. Great Stones? No. Good Stones' music? Yes.

This was the "try out" album for who might succeed Mick Taylor on guitar. Harvey Mandell, Wayne Perkins, and Ronnie Wood each took a crack on one song or another. Let's take a look at a few cuts.

"Hot Stuff." Some rate this as mediocre disco. But I think that this is a rather catchy tune, featuring some good guitar byplay between Mandell and Keith Richards. Billy Preston is good on piano. I also think that the "change of pace" vocals from Mick Jagger work pretty well. This song has references to New York; one might compare this with references to New York in "Shattered" from "Some Girls"!

"Hand of Fate" is a strong tune. It is the Stones' answer to "I Shot the Sheriff" and "I Fought the Law." A good rocker. Lines: "He shot me once, but I shot him twice," and then "I watched him die." Nice guitar work here, this time with Wayne Perkins.

"Cherry, Oh Baby." I think that this was a decent reggae piece (It's not Peter Tosh or Toots and the Maytalls or Bob Marley and the Wailers). Ronnie Wood played guitar, with Nicky Hopkins on organ (and an effective accompaniment to the song). The different sounds on this work, from the reggae to the disco to funk ("Hey Negrita") to hard rock to a ballad ("Memory Motel") make this one of the more variegated of Rolling Stones' albums.

Then, "Memory Motel." On a drive out to Montauk many years ago, I drove past this motel. Not very imposing, but I did get a buzz out of seeing the place. On this cut, both Mandell and Perkins play. The singer "spent a lonely night" there, with his lover's "hair all drenched in spray." A nice little country/ballady song.

"Crazy Mama" is a flat out hard rocking song. Who's on guitar (Not "Who's on first?")? Mick and Keith. Charlie Watts' drumming anchors this song.

There aren't many weak cuts on this CD. Again, this is not a great Rolling Stones' work by any means. But it is better, I think, than reputed by many. And it is better than what I had remembered.

It's not on the top of anyone's Stones list, but this vastly underrated 70's release is the Stones at their loosest (and hence best). It was the end of a run of great releases, from Sticky Fingers through Exile on Main Street. And you can hear them stretching out into the reggae rhythms that enticed rich white Englishmen with their leisurely stomps and social politics. Out of 8 tracks, 5 are Stones classic, the remaining three better than anything else they did for most of the decade that followed. So if you don't have it, the only question is Why?

I'm a seventies through early eighties stones fan and think this album is not necessarily underrated but just overlooked, simply because so many deserved blockbusters, like "some girls" and "exile on main st.", surround its release. For one thing, this album didn't have a song or two repeated continually on the radio, like "beast of burden", but this is almost a good thing, because you don't have songs on here that have been worn out by radio play. "Black and Blue" certainly has a radio worthy tune in "hand of fate", which is a quintessential stones rocker.

This album is a fantastic transition from the completely blues and rock of "sticky fingers", for example, to the disco, punk and new wave of "some girls" or "emotional rescue". Successful experimentation is starting to take place on this album, i.e. the funk of "hot stuff", the reggae of "cherry oh baby" and Jaggers falsetto in "fool to cry". If you could only choose one stones album between 1971 and '83 this would be a good choice because it represents every other album during this period fairly well. The only drawback of this album is that "fool to cry" and "memory motel" drag on just a little too long for me, but, hey...a balled has to be flawless in order to really hook me or i have to have a couple drinks.

Every song on 'Black & Blue' has its moments of brilliance. 'Hot Stuff' offers a fresh rhythm, 'Memory Motel' outlines a compelling story and 'Melody' is a prime example of the Stones' use of humor. The drawback of this album is that many of the songs are extended far too long - and often risk losing listener interest.

The glimmering exception to this observation is 'Hey Negrita' - a guitar-driven jam that does not overstay its welcome. Mixing elements of reggae, surf rock and funk, this track demonstrates the Stones' ability to embrace new musical styles without losing their distinct sound.

Overall, I would encourage every Rolling Stones fan to listen to this album. It would not be long before Mick & the boys would refine the elements presented here into a wildly successful follow-up album.