Wednesday, April 27, 2016

40 Year Itch : Black and Blue



   To promote their new album, Black and Blue, released in April of 1976, The Rolling Stones displayed model Anita Russell all tied up ( by  Mick Jagger it turns out!) and sporting bruises with the tagline "I'm Black and Blue from the Rolling Stones - and I love it!"
  Not everybody else loved it...including the intrepid spray can artist who climbed up to the Hollywood billboard below to write "This is a crime against women!". More protests convinced the record company to take the billboard down.
  Anita's comment: "People should have more of a sense of humor."


   The album itself is a mixed bag, recorded with various guitarists who were auditioning in Munich for the Rolling Stones spot that Ronnie Wood would eventually win. The best thing on the entire album might be Canned Heat's Harvey "The Snake" Mandel's distinctive wah wah guitar on the lead off track "Hot Stuff". ( Doesn't Bill Wyman look thrilled to be entering the disco age?)


The second best thing is "Hand of Fate" which sounds like a classic Keef Richards tune, only the lead guitar is played by American session man Wayne Perkins. The third best: anything Billy Preston did.








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