While reportedly working on new music, THE ROLLING STONES apparently decided to resume the stream of their archival releases which, somehow, come in spurts, especially when it concerns concert documents, but even the pace of the band’s reissue programme is quite puzzling. With the deluxe edition of “Goat Head Soup” emerging out of nowhere in 2020, the ensemble’s fans were hoping for a similar treatment of “Exile On Main St.” two years later or “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll” in 2024, yet the veterans seemed reluctant to jump on the 50th anniversary bandwagon – until now that they announced, six months before the actual five-decade date of the album’s arrival, the “Black And Blue” box set, scheduled for November 14th.
To be available as a single-disc, double-disc, four-CD and five-LP variants, the latter two accompanied by Blu-ray, 100-page book and a poster, it curiously doesn’t feature the original mix of the album: it’s been replaced by Steven Wilson‘s (who else’s?) freshly cooked mixes, but there are six previously unreleased cuts, and a contemporary live show from Earls Court. On Blu-ray, it’s all presented in Dolby Atmos, with a video of Paris performance added for good measure. Sadly, the Knebworth extravaganza from 1976 didn’t make it onto this edition, either, yet that’s a minor gripe about the otherwise alluring offering.
Black And Blue
Disc 1 – Steven Wilson Remix:
1. Hot Stuff
2. Hand Of Fate
3. Cherry Oh Baby
4. Memory Motel
5. Hey Negrita (Inspiration By Ron Wood)
6. Melody (Inspiration by Billy Preston)
7. Fool To Cry
8. Crazy Mama
Disc 2 – Outtakes And Jams:
1. I Love Ladies
2. Shame, Shame, Shame
3. Chuck Berry Style Jam (with Harvey Mandel)
4. Blues Jam (with Jeff Beck)
5. Rotterdam Jam (with Jeff Beck & Robert A. Johnson)
6. Freeway Jam (with Jeff Beck)
Black And Blue:
Super Deluxe Edition
Disc 3 – Live At Earls Court 1976 – pt. 1:
1. Honky Tonk Women
2. If You Can’t Rock Me / Get Off My Cloud
3. Hand Of Fate
4. Hey Negrita (Inspiration by Ron Wood)
5. Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
6. Fool To Cry
7. Hot Stuff
8. Star Star (Starfucker)
9. You Gotta Move
10. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
11. Band Intro
12. Happy
13. Tumbling Dice
14. Nothing From Nothing
15. Outa-Space
Disc 4 – Live at Earls Court 1976 – pt. 2:
1. Midnight Rambler
2. It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)
3. Brown Sugar
4. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
5. Street Fighting Man
6. Sympathy For The Devil
Blu-ray
* Steven Wilson Stereo and Dolby Atmos Remixes:
1-8 – as on CD 1
* Live at Earls Court Live 1976 – Dolby Atmos:
1-21 – as on discs 3 & 4
* Les Rolling Stones Aux Abattoirs, Paris – Juin 1976 – video:
1. Band Intro
2. Honky Tonk Women
3. Hand Of Fate
4. Fool To Cry
5. Hot Stuff
6. Star Star
7. You Gotta Move
8. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
9. Band Introductions
10. Happy
11. Outa Space
12. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
13. Street Fighting Man
