With "Blue & Lonesome," The Rolling Stones have released their first album in 10 years. The naked recordings take true fans back to the band's blues-inspired beginnings - and the birth of the rock star.
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Rolling Stones celebrate 60 years as a band
Their first concert was at London's Marquee Club on July 12, 1962. Six decades later, the Stones' concerts are still among the world's greatest rock'n'roll events.
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60 years of Rolling Stones
They keep on rolling: The Stones are still touring across Europe, 60 years after the band played their first-ever gig, at London's Marquee Club on July 12, 1962. A new four-part BBC documentary series, "My Life as a Rolling Stone," focuses on the four core members, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and the late Charlie Watts. Here's a look at how they became so legendary.
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Starting out with rhythm and blues
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met each other at school. In 1962, they founded The Rolling Stones. Also performing at their first concert in London were Tony Chapman (drums), Dick Taylor (bass) and Ian Stewart (piano). Another line-up followed with Brian Jones (second guitar), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums), who performed on the first album, The Rolling Stones, in 1964.
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Bad boy band
With their feel-good pop, The Beatles were already achieving world fame in 1964. That's why Andrew Loog Oldham, then manager of the Stones, wanted to create a group to counter the Fab Four. They were to become famous as the "bad boys" — though during their first TV performance in the show "Ready Steady Go," they came across as harmless good guys.
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A different image
One year later, on September 11, 1965, the Stones gave their first concert in West Germany — in the somewhat conservative city of Münster. The police had a hard time keeping their fans under control. Most residents in Münster, however, eyed the Stones with suspicion. In fact they were lucky. Fans in Berlin demolished a stage during a later concert, which would take seven years to rebuild.
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Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll
During the late 1960s, no other band came to embody the image of the hedonistic rock band more than the Stones. Groupies and heavy drug use were par for the course. Hard drugs eventually took their toll on Stones guitarist Brian Jones. He left the band in June 1969 and a short time later, drowned in his swimming pool under mysterious circumstances.
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An ingenious idea
In May 1965, the Stones went on their third tour across the US, playing cover versions of rock hits once more. They still hadn't produced enough songs of their own. One night, Keith played a new melody on his guitar, and loved it so much that he recorded it and had Mick listen to it. It was the hookline of their first worldwide hit, "Satisfaction."
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Shock in Altamont
The Altamont Free Concert, initiated by the Stones management, was intended as a peaceful counter event to Woodstock. Alongside the Stones on stage were, among others, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Jefferson Airplane. When the Stones appeared, the crowd got out of control and the concert had to be interrupted. Hells Angels were behind the commotion.
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The end of the hippie era
When the Stones started playing "Under my Thumb," a man collapsed in front of the stage after a member of the Hells Angels stabbed him in the back. The band was deeply shocked. "If Woodstock was the dream," said British photographer Eamon McCabe later, "then Altamont was the nightmare." This day, December 6, 1969 is said to mark the end of the hippie era.
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1973, still with Mick Taylor (2nd from left)
The band faced tax troubles in the 70s, which led them to flee to France, where they recorded "Exile On Main St." in 1972, considered by many to be the best Stones album ever. In 1974, guitarist Mick Taylor left and was replaced by Ron Wood.
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Drug-fueled 1970s
Drug busts complicated the band's international tour plans. Charged with "possession of heroin for the purpose of trafficking," Keith Richards was sent to rehab to avoid a long prison sentence, while Mick Jagger continued his jet-set lifestyle. Musically, they experimented with different musical genres, dabbling in funk ("Miss You" in 1978) and disco ("Emotional Rescue" in 1980).
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An amazing live band
Overcoming those problems, by the 1980s the band was back to doing what they do best: performing live concerts. They were in such demand that they easily filled entire football stadiums — including in Germany in 1982, where they played many legendary shows.
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Rocking around the world
Even after founding member Bill Wyman left in 1993, the Rolling Stones simply carried on into the next millennium, playing stages around the world. The idea of a farewell tour popped up a few times, but they kept on rocking. Despite their age, they never failed to put on spectacular shows. This photo was taken in 2003 in Moscow.
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'I'm a rolling stone'
In 2006, Japanese fans enjoyed a Stones concert in the city of Saitama, north of Tokyo (pictured). Some time later, the Stones performed in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. True fans know where the band's name came from: Apparently, Brian Jones was inspired by the blues hit "Mannish Boy" by Muddy Waters, which contained the line, "I'm a rolling stone."
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2021: Charlie Watts dies
He was the Stones' backbone. But in 2004 drummer Charlie Watts was diagnosed with cancer. Radiation therapy led to recovery, and he continued touring with the Stones for many years. His last concert was in August 2019, as part of the "No Filter" tour. Two years later, he died at the age of 80.
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The new man on the drums
At 65, he is way younger than all other members: Steve Jordan was first hired to fill in for a few gigs and finish the Stones' "No Filter" tour in the US after Charlie Watts' death. Now he has joined the world's longest-serving rock band on their European tour.
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The track "Hate to See You Go" from The Rolling Stones' new album "Blue & Lonesome" also seems to be their motto. The Stones are back - or, rather, they're still around - without a bunch of modern hype.
The new songs could just as well have originated in the band's early years in the 1960s - pure Chicago blues with limited drums, virtuosic blues harp and and raspy guitars, neatly separated on the right and left stereo channels.
In his well-known style, Mick Jagger screams his texts into the microphone and would sound exactly like he did back then - if you didn't know that the guy is already a ripe 73.
First studio album since 2005
Are we listening to a band that is longing for its roots? The Stones themselves have said the passion for blues has always been the heart and soul of the band. Still, it seems they forgot that a few times over the past five decades - which is perfectly understandable. A band with such a long shelf-life is bound to switch from chocolate to vanilla at some point.
And yet, the Stones never completely abandoned blues and rock 'n' roll. Now they're back with songs by old blues superstars like Howling Wolf, Jimmy Reed and Willie Dixon along with Eric Clapton.
Producer Don Was, who has accompanied the Stones for more than 20 years, is responsible for the rudimentary sound of the album. It took no more than three days to produce the recordings for "Blue & Lonesome." All the tracks were recorded live and weren't remastered after the fact, Was told the French daily "Figaro": "You can hear Charlie Watt's drums through Mick Jagger's microphone. The recording sounds quite dry and authentic; it has captured the essence of what the Stones stand for."
More precisely, a blues band. Eric Clapton joined them rather coincidentally. He was producing in a studio close by, so he came by spontaneously, joining the Stones on two of the tracks.
"Blue & Lonesome" consists of 12 song pieces chosen spontaneously and arbitrarily. In an interview, Mick Jagger said that the band had already produced enough new songs, which was why he opted for blues. And that's what they did. They loved it so much that they could hardly stop playing.
Jagger suggested one song after the other - and that's how the new amazing collection came together.
Old age can't stop a true rock 'n' roller
Quite a few older rock musicians attempt a fresh start, perhaps simply because they don't want to do anything else. They get to tour around the world and perform at the biggest festivals. A famous band draws large crowds, even if the musicians have deep wrinkles, dark circles around their eyes and gray hair - or almost no hair at all.
While some music cult figures like Lemmy Kilmister, David Bowie and Leonard Cohen have left the stage, other seniors go for a comeback, as though they were trying to defy old age, disease and death. AC/DC, the Scorpions, Udo Lindenberg, it seems, are permanently on a tour. Metallica, Sting and the Stones have released fresh albums. Even the old electro musician Jean-Michel Jarre has made a comeback. And Aerosmith, which many had written off, have revitalized themselves for their "Aero-Vederci Baby!" tour in 2017.
The Stones are free to do whatever they want
According to Stones' history, the blues were the reason Mick Jagger and Keith Richards decided to found a band in the first place. Blues and rock 'n' roll formed the backbone of the upcoming career of the young band from the London district of Richmond.
The Stones managed to convey what was the music of the black community to a white audience in a wild, defiant and authentic way. Keith Richards and Brian Jones further developed Blues with their uncompromising guitar performances, while Charlie Watts tick-tocked away on the drums.
Right from the start, Mick Jagger posed as a nonchalant macho. He became the epitome of the rock star - which may not even exist today without Jagger's contribution to coolness.
More than half a century later, the Stones have built a musical monument devoted to the heroes of their youth by covering their songs - even though it may not be a pillar of virtuosity. On the other hand, what they came up with doesn't hurt either. After more than 50 years, 24 studio albums, 23 live records, a total of 93 singles and countless best-ofs, you can truly say that the Stones have produced so much that by now, they're free to do whatever they want.