Guide to British Music of the 1960s
November 2004
DVD Review
The Rolling Stones Rock 'n' Roll Circus
The Rolling Stones Rock 'n' Roll Circus was acquiring almost legendary status. Recorded in a circus tent in 1968, it was one of those sixties initiatives that sounded like a great idea at the time. However, despite the investment and the presence of major artists, it was only recently that the film was given a video release and an extended DVD version of the show is now available. What reasons were given for the delay? There were several including the fact that the Rolling Stones were unhappy with their own performance or that Brian Jones was out of sorts. It was also suggested that the Who had put in such a good performance that it overshadowed the Stones' efforts.
With hindsight this is certainly one of the major curiosities of the 1960s. The format is unusual and the line-up of artists is certainly very attractive. It was filmed in a circus tent with an invited audience and circus acts in-between the music. The first act is Jethro Tull who perform the excellent Song for Jeffrey. This is an early line-up of the band with Glenn Cornick on bass and mouth organ. It appears that the backing track, if not the whole song, was pre-recorded. Note that appearance of future Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi on guitar here.
The high point of the concert is almost certainly the single track performed by the Who. This was already available in a full version on the Who's The Kids are Alright DVD. If anyone believes that the Who outperformed the Stones, this is highly unlikely to change their views. The performance of A Quick One is amazing and so powerful it is a pity that they only did the one track.
Dirty Mac was one of the 1960s supergroups. They had a very brief life that was limited to just The Rolling Stones Rock 'n' Roll Circus. Consisting of John Lennon (guitar/vocals, Eric Clapton (guitar), Keith Richards (bass) and Mitch Mitchell (drums) the band played the Beatles track Yer Blues which came from the White Album. The high point of Dirty Mac is followed by the low point of the film, Dirty Mac backing Yoko Ono screeching.
Between The Who and Dirty Mac there are performances from Taj Mahal and Marianne Faithfull. The former plays Ain't That A Lot of Love with a mod to the bass line of Gimme Some Loving.
The Rolling Stones close the show with five songs before a audience sing-along of Salt of the Earth. Many have questioned whether Brian Jones was fully "engaged" at the time. However, the superb slide guitar in No Expectations suggests that he most definitely was. The opener Jumping Jack Flash is as powerful as one would expect while Sympathy for the Devil with the addition of ace session player Nicky Hopkins on piano casts its spell on everybody. Mick Jagger is as camp as one would expect while Keith Richards shows he is clearly in control of the sound of this group. This is without doubt a superb Stones performance. However, many would venture that the Stones were eclipsed by The Who on the day.
The DVD contains extra material such as an interview with Pete Townshend and backstage footage.