Black and Blue

The Rolling Stones' fifth studio album of the 1970s (and sixth overall for their Rolling Stones Records label which was distributed by Atlantic Records) entitled Black and Blue was released in April of 1976.This particular Rolling Stones album was the first studio album for the band since the abrupt departure of guitarist Mick Taylor who left after the It's Only Rock and Roll album's releaseand promo videos shot for the album. Some have called Black and Blue "the guitar audition album" because Wayne Perkins, Harvey Mandel (of Canned Heat) and Ron Wood (of Rod Stewart's Faces) all took turns auditioning for the guitarist spot abandoned by Taylor (and Wood would eventually acquire the spot as of 1975). Lead singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards wrote all but one track ("Cherry Oh Baby") on this album and the album is a classic (as I found out when I grabbed the album for Christmas in 1989 on cassette when it was on Rolling Stones/Columbia/CBS Records).The Black and Blue album was recorded between December of 1974 and December of 1975 in Germany at Musicland Studios and at Mountain Studios in Montreux with Mick and Keith producing and the late Keith Harwood recording and the legendary Glyn Johns mixing in February of 1976 at Atlantic Studios. Bass player Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts played well on this album as well.The Black and Blue album opens with the funky opener "Hot Stuff" which featured lead guitarist Harvey Mandel which stiffed as a single. Next is the rocker "Hand of Fate" with Wayne Perkins doing some great fretwork. We follow with the reggae version of "Cherry Oh Baby" featuring Nicky Hopkins on organ. Side one closed with the superb ballad "Memory Motel" featuring Mick on piano as well as vocal with Keithalso singing the refrain at the end of the choruses.Ron Wood's slide induced guitar kicks Side 2 off with the rocker "Hey Negrita". Next is the jazzy duet with Billy Preston called "Melody" which sounds like something from a jazz club complete with horn sections. Next is the hit ballad from the album entitled "Fool to Cry" featuring Jagger on vocals and Fender Rhodes piano and Nicky Hopkins on grand piano (the song was a Top 10 hit in the US). We close with the rocker "Crazy Mama" with a great guitar riff from Mick Jagger whom played rhythm guitars on the track and also sings like no tomorrow..The Black and Blue album did very well hitting #1 making it the fifth Stones studio effort in a row to top Billboard and was the first Platinum album for the band. Some fans hate this album, but others like me, love it. The remaster has all of the original LP credits and artwork restored.This album is highly recommended.

Love the music, the case came cracked

The sound has been beefed up. No info. concerning remix/remaster but was released in '09. The LP I had disappeared, but it was good to see that gatefold photo again. Keith looks the coolest. You have to remember the Stones were still outlaws during this period. Keef's big bust in Canada slowed things down, soon enough. It was great to hear the funky/gritty guitars of 'Hey Negrita' again. Memory Motel is my fav. I love Keiths parts. Cherry Oh Baby is a cool slice of reggae. I've always thought of 'Crazy Mama' as being a bit of filler, but the bottom end really rocks here. Sounds good. Stones fan? You'll dig it...

The Stones are such a fantastic band that even when they present substandard material, it can be entertaining and likable. On "Black And Blue" from 1976, the songs are generally pretty undistinguished. Most offer few chord changes, and the melody lines and riffs are repetitive. The prevailing sound is low-rent bluesy rock, sort of like a lounge act, with some tracks colored by reggae or funk. Most of the vocals are done with affected lower class attitudes and accents. This fits the universe that we discover in the lyrics. "Hot Stuff" opens it up and tells us, regarding the music, "Can't get enough...Play it rough." Then we meet this poor soul: "The hand of fate is on me now/It pick me up and knock me down/I'm on the run, I'm prison bound." In the 7-minute "Memory Motel", the girl laments, "I got to fly today on down to Baton Rouge/My nerves are shot already and the road ain't all that smooth." The title girl in "Hey Negrita" is told repeatedly to "Shake Negrita, shake your body". In "Fool To Cry" a man is told by his daughter, his woman and his friends, "You're a fool to cry/And it makes me wonder why." We don't find out just why he is so mournful except that he has been "working all night long" and has "troubles". "Crazy Mama" misbehaves ("You can scandalize me...You can steal my money") and her man gives her the lowdown: "If you don't think I'm gonna do it/Just wait for the thud of the bullet.""Melody" stands out as a superior track. It is done as a slow 50's R&B number, with excellent piano by Billy Preston, and very appropriate bluesy horns. It also has plenty of rather over-the-top vocalizing to complete the portrait of a man chasing a woman who, while on a date with him, "crashed out in the bathroom/In the arms of my best friend", and who later left him: "She took my trailer home/She took my Sunday boots." "Hot Stuff" is very much in the groove. Mick does 4 amusing and encouraging shout-outs, one to each of 4 groups: the people on the dance floor, his friends in London, the people in NYC and everybody in Jamaica (which partially explains his Jamaican accent in this song). Basically he tells everyone to forget their troubles, shape up and "Shake it up, you're hot stuff!" I don't think this album was nominated for any Grammys, but the low-rent portrayals seem so authentic, it could be Oscar-worthy.

Everything was good. Thank you.

I couldn't stand this album when it was released all those years ago. After "Beggars", "Let It Bleed", "Sticky Fingers", "Exile", and even "It's Only RnR" to a greater extent "Black & Blue" just didn't have the Rock n Roll punch that we'd come to expect from the boys. It has a Reggae feel on some songs and Reggae had not caught on yet with us R n R fans in the states. In fact I saw Toots & The Maytalls open for The Who on their "Who By Numbers" tour and they were treated rather rudely by the Springfield, Mass crowd. Well all these years later I decided to pull out my copy of Black & Blue only to find that I hadn't purchased a CD version. So I ordered a copy from Amazon and played it to death. It was so ahead of its time. If you are a Stones fan you'll love it and should own it. But then again, unlike me...you probably do.

The Rolling Stones Black and Blue album came perfectly packaged! It was exactly what I expected.