Title: Rock and Roll Circus
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Source: DVD
Record Label: ABKCO
Release Date: October 2004
Guests: Jethro Tull, The Who, Marianne Faithfull, Taj Mahal, The Dirty Mac (John Lennon with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell)
Filmed and recorded on December 10-11, 1968, at a North London studio.
Tracks:
1. Mick Jagger's Introduction of Rock & Roll Circus - Mick Jagger
2. Entry of the Gladiators - The Rolling Stones
3. Mick Jagger's Introduction to Jethro Tull - Mick Jagger
4. Song for Jeffrey - Jethro Tull
5. Keith Richard's Introduction of the Who - Keith Richards
6. Quick One, While He's Away - The Who
7. Over the Waves - The Rolling Stones
8. Ain't That a Lot of Love - Taj Mahal
9. Charlie Watts' Introduction of Marianne Faithfull - Charlie Watts
10. Something Better - Marianne Faithfull
11. Mick Jagger's and John Lennon's Introduction of the Dirty Mac - Mick Jagger
12. Yer Blues - Dirty Mac
13. Whole Lotta Yoko - Dirty Mac
14. John Lennon's Introduction of the Rolling Stones/Jumpin' Jack Flash - John Lennon
15. Parachute Woman - The Rolling Stones
16. No Expectations - The Rolling Stones
17. You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones
18. Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones
19. Salt of the Earth - The Rolling Stones
The original Stones line-up came together in public for the last time on 10 and 11 December 1968 to film the Rock and Roll Circus.
Accompanied by fellow rock luminaries such as The Who, John Lennon, Eric Clapton and Jethro Tull, they recorded five key tracks from one of the most creative periods of their career.
The show, filmed at a north London TV studio mocked up to look like a big top, was originally conceived as a BBC TV special. But it never aired.
The Stones were reputedly dissatisfied with their performance, and the footage remained in the vaults until it finally appeared on video in the mid-1990s.
Now cleaned up for DVD, it makes for a fascinating document of the rock aristocracy in late 1960s London, as the wider world was coming to terms with student riots and the Vietnam war.
The group called on friends like Lennon and Clapton to perform alongside them as Mick Jagger, dressed in ringmaster's costume, introduced some of the acts.
An excitable audience was asked to don brightly-coloured capes to create a carnival atmosphere, as the musicians played through the night until dawn.
The Stones showcased tracks from their new LP Beggars Banquet, while Lennon fronted a mini-supergroup to play Yer Blues from The Beatles' recently-released White Album.
The impression given is that of an informal, relaxed gathering of musical pals, who also just happened to be some of the world's biggest rock stars.
The almost nonchalant coming together of such major artists in the heady atmosphere of Swinging London gives the film a uniquely evocative quality.
