Rolling Stones
(Universal Music Group)
The amazing crop of reissues that have come out this year says two things. First, that 1971 and 1991 were damn good times for music, hence all the classic albums turning 20 and 40. Second, that without the unifying force of MTV or FM rock radio, there may never be another Eric Clapton, U2 or Nirvana, so the labels might as well so back to the well with the originals one more time while at least a few people are still buying CDs. Into that environment comes a deluxe reissue of Some Girls, the last great Rolling Stones album. (Yes, Tattoo You has incredible high points, but it's not great from start to finish).
This package doesn't come with a built-in hook (its 33rd anniversary, anyone?), but that doesn't make it any less worthwhile than some of the aforementioned releases. Really, the only hook fans need is 12 unreleased tracks that show the Stones at the top of their game. What you couldn't know in 1978 is that this was the last time the band would be this good. Because of that, Some Girls has taken on a bittersweet air.
The original album has some of the band's best songs. Its closing triumvirate of "Before They Make Me Run," "Beast of Burden" and "Shattered" is as good as anything they've ever done. And the disc of unreleased material has a few tracks that belong in that group - Keith Richards' tender take on country singer Donnie Fritts' "We Had It All," and the hook-filled ballad "No Spare Parts," which could easily have been all over the radio if it were released in the ‘70s.
But listening to the collection as a whole, what stands out is how the Stones of 1978 were even able to turn what should be throwaways into magic. There's really nothing special about "Lies" or "Respectable" when you think about it. They just work - they get by on energy and attitude, which the Stones had in spades. The same holds true for a tossed-off take on the garage-rock classic "Tallahassee Lassie," or the Chicago blues of "When You're Gone," both of which appear on the disc of unreleased tracks.
Yet with the benefit of hindsight, you can also hear the start of the band's decline in certain tracks. Songs like "Don't Be a Stranger" or "I Love You Too Much" are standard-issue Stones and aren't far from the more formulaic music the band would routinely settle for on Steel Wheels and beyond.
But none of that takes away from the greatness of Some Girls.
The remastered discs sound great; unlike Exile on Main Street, Some Girls was recorded cleanly, so there's no downside to making it more pristine. It also comes with an interesting essay by Anthony DeCurtis that anchors the album in the context of late-seventies New York, from which it draws much of its inspiration. There are great photos included throughout. And for super-fans (or the super-rich), there's a Super Deluxe package that includes clips from a 1978 concert and some promo videos, as well as a larger hardcover book with even more photos and essays about the making of Some Girls. (Editor's note: Our rating is for the two-CD set; the Super Deluxe edition was not made available for review.)
DOWNLOAD: All of the original album; plus "We Had It All," "You Win Again," "No Spare Parts" HAL BIENSTOCK
