Posted by Mr Ventilator on December 09, 1999 at 14:31:31:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Black and Blue..an unheralded masterpiece? posted by Shawn on December 09, 1999 at 12:19:23:
Yes..I could have gone on and added a few more strong points of this underrated gem, but..where to stop?
Weak points? Sure, a few..too few tracks..lyrics not the best..no real out-and-out classics. Actually, though, I don't think the lyrics are any weaker than those on Exile, just a little more intellegible. They're not song lyrics so much as vocal snippets intended to establish a mood..again much like Exile. Think of Black and Blue as Exile with better sound quality and 10 fewer tracks..
: It also has the best inner liner of all time . With all of the track by track listings of who played what which I believe should be mandatory on all albums, plus Hey Negrita is worth the price of admission alone. : You forgot that it's possibly Mick's best vocal performance as well. His singing on that album is unbelievable.
: :
: : : I posted on Black and Blue sometime back, saying I'd revised my previous lukewarm feelings about the album when I bought the CD version.
: : : Since then my opinion of this album has done nothing but climb. I've become kind of addicted to it. I'd now rank it in the top 5. My reasons:
: : : 1. Two fine rockers - Hand of Fate and Crazy Mama - that are as close to pure unadulterated Keith as you can find.
: : : 2. Two fine ballads. Maybe a bit schmaltzy, but they've not been equalled since.
: : : 3. Every song is interesting. Even Hot Stuff, the weakest song on the album, has a unique lead guitar sound. The song arrangements are fully worked out, densely layered carefully crafted - you can listen to them again and again and hear new things each time.
: : : 4. It's Charlie's best album. Listen to his work on HOF and CM.
: : : 5. It has the best sound on any Stones record. Only Sticky Fingers is in the same league. You can hear every note, and the songs have a unity of sound quality that's missing in most of the Stones subsequent work.
: : : 6. The variety of sidemen used by the Stones, esp. Perkins..Mandel., gave the album some flavors that they haven't had before or since.
: : : Dare I say it..I might even give this record the nod over Let It Bleed..heresy, I know..but geez, this album sounds good..