In the early days of The Rolling Stones, there was no organized effort to record songs for albums. Instead, the band was furiously tearing out songs during day-long studio sessions and releasing them in whatever format seemed right at the time.
From late 1964 through early 1965, the band put out a UK EP titled 5 X 5, an expanded U.S. version titled 12 X 5, a UK album titled The Rolling Stones No. 2, and a U.S. album titled The Rolling Stones, Now! They also released ten singles.
My friends, the time has come for another deep dive, wherein I work chronologically through an artist’s career by featuring songs from each of their studio albums. To date, I have covered the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Madonna and Bob Marley.
That list got me thinking it was time I covered a band, and the band I’ve chosen to explore is The Rolling Stones. In terms of success, influence, longevity, and iconic output, I can’t think of an act more deserving of the honor.
And my timing couldn’t be better, as The Stones just last week announced the upcoming release of their first album of original material in 18 years, Hackney Diamonds.
A deep cut on The Rolling Stones’ classic 1972 album Exile on Main Street, ‘Casino Boogie’ is little more than a throat clearer before the excellent ‘Tumbling Dice.’
If the song seems to make no sense lyrically, that’s by design. Mick Jagger says the band utilized the “cut-up” technique popularized by William S. Burroughs to assemble the verses.
In 2007, Wes Anderson released the most divisive film in his catalog, The Darjeeling Limited. You’ll find this movie at the bottom of most fans’ rankings, yet it won a prize at the Venice Film Festival and earned twice its budget at the box office. It has the second lowest Rotten Tomatoes score among Anderson’s films but it hasn’t enjoyed the reassessment of The Life Aquatic, the only one below it.
As I wrote yesterday, almost all of Anderson’s movies deal with grief to some extent, but The Darjeeling Limited puts that theme front and center. The film follows a trio of brothers traveling on a train through India after a yearlong estrangement following the death of their father. They are weighed down with emotional (and physical) baggage and seeking a spiritual awakening.
Another legendary act to release an album in 1974, The Rolling Stones dropped their 12th studio album, It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll. While this album has a relatively low profile in their discography, apart from its title song, it did mark a turning point for the band.
For starters, it was the first Stones album produced by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. After working with producer Jimmy Miller on a stretch of albums widely considered their best, the duo felt they were ready to take the reins. They would produce or co-produce every subsequent Stones release.
Meet Me In Montauk 