Black and Blue was recorded in large measure between December 1974 and April 1975. Primary recording was finished apparently on 4 April 1975.

But overdub work was done between October 1975 and February 1976.

Yet, if the album was pretty much done in April 1975, why didn't the band either release it in conjunction with the 1975 Tour, or finish it up and release it sometime during 1975?

BluesMan1990 wrote on Jul 7^th, 2014 at 7:13pm:

Black and Blue was recorded in large measure between December 1974 and April 1975. Primary recording was finished apparently on 4 April 1975. But overdub work was done between October 1975 and February 1976. Yet, if the album was pretty much done in April 1975, why didn't the band either release it in conjunction with the 1975 Tour, or finish it up and release it sometime during 1975?

EXCELLENT question and an AWESOME first post...welcome!!

I would guess at the TOP of the list was looking for a replacement for Mick Taylor was largely still at hand...

Auditioning countless session players and such can be rather daunting...If you look at the credits for B&B, you will see anomalies such as Ian Stewart on percussion on Hot Stuff and such...clearly the band was not entirely available during all the studio sessions...

I am sure others will chime in and either correct me (I am typing this w/o research)...but that would be my first gut instinct!

>> Why did Black and Blue take such a long time to come out? <<


http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/103414/drugs-are-bad

Edith Grove wrote on Jul 7^th, 2014 at 9:15pm:

>> Why did Black and Blue take such a long time to come out? << http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/103414/drugs-are-bad

I think they forgot and then remembered but then forgot that they were recording a new LP...somewhere between 7 and 9 songs they said fuck it...and BnB was born premature

Good first post - welcome

Probably a combination of factors. They'd started recording it six months before the tour started - which you'd think should have been enough - but Taylor leaving almost immediately and the Rotterdam sessions then doubling as a guitarist audition would have derailed things somewhat.

When you listen to the Munich tapes from March/April it would suggest that by that stage they'd long given up on any hopes for getting an album out in time for the start of the tour (June 1st) because the songs are still quite a bit away from being finished. There didnt appear to be much urgency to get things polished up in time. 

It was probably a lot to ask in hindsight that they'd put another album out within 8-9 months of IORR coming out. A lot of people do seem to think of this as a tour behind 'Made in the shade' which ended up being released a week into it, but Ive always considered it to be if anything the tour they did in support of IORR. albeit a bit belatedly.

Back then, it was normal to release an album every calendar year and then tour in one market to promote it, so whilst Black and Blue was certainly much-delayed (although not as delayed as Emotional Rescue was some years later) its possible that the Tour of the Americas was always going to be more targetted towards IORR with a new album and European tour to follow soon after.

Found this interview on Ian McPherson's excellent 'Time is on our side' site (timeisonourside.com)

This is from November 1974 - just after IORR came out and before Taylor decided to leave in December when the band were about to go to Munich

Keith Richards (November 1974): A two-year plan
Well - what we're thinking of is something like this: We'll go and do some sessions in December to start recording a new album which we hope to have out by May. Because, hopefully in June we'll be starting out a tour which will last a year altogether. It would start in America and go through there until about August, with maybe South America and Canada thrown in somewhere during. After which there will be a break when we hope to be able to get a live album out - of the American tour. Following that - starting around November, or October or something, will be the second half of the tour, which will probably be Australia, Asia, and ending up in Africa. There we hope to be able to make some kind of a movie, not just a documentary... Anyway - that will take us until about Christmas, when we'll have another break, and we'll have to start recording another albunm because by then it will have already beeen a year since we will have done the one we're planning to do now, if you follow me. Yes (laughs), and then it goes on for the third part of the tour which would be Europe, hopefully the Iron Curtain, England, etc.... which would take us a year from the start of the tour. That would then be one June later, and it would end in June 1976. That's basically what we talked about.

BluesMan1990 wrote on Jul 7^th, 2014 at 7:13pm:

Black and Blue was recorded in large measure between December 1974 and April 1975. Primary recording was finished apparently on 4 April 1975. But overdub work was done between October 1975 and February 1976. Yet, if the album was pretty much done in April 1975, why didn't the band either release it in conjunction with the 1975 Tour, or finish it up and release it sometime during 1975?

Lyrics and vocals always seem to be amongst the last things done on Stones albums. Thats why there's so few finished original songs circulating on bootlegs.

There was very little that needed done to Black and Blue in early 1976. Horn overdubs on 'Melody' and mixing, basically.

By late '75 they probably figured they wouldnt be touring Europe until the spring, so there was no great rush. It makes more commercial sense to release a new album around the same time as a tour starts instead of several months earlier.

They didn't know whose face to put on the cover?

Gazza wrote on Jul 8^th, 2014 at 6:21am:

Good first post - welcome Probably a combination of factors. They'd started recording it six months before the tour started - which you'd think should have been enough - but Taylor leaving almost immediately and the Rotterdam sessions then doubling as a guitarist audition would have derailed things somewhat. When you listen to the Munich tapes from March/April it would suggest that by that stage they'd long given up on any hopes for getting an album out in time for the start of the tour (June 1st) because the songs are still quite a bit away from being finished. There didnt appear to be much urgency to get things polished up in time.  It was probably a lot to ask in hindsight that they'd put another album out within 8-9 months of IORR coming out. A lot of people do seem to think of this as a tour behind 'Made in the shade' which ended up being released a week into it, but Ive always considered it to be if anything the tour they did in support of IORR. albeit a bit belatedly. Back then, it was normal to release an album every calendar year and then tour in one market to promote it, so whilst Black and Blue was certainly much-delayed (although not as delayed as Emotional Rescue was some years later) its possible that the Tour of the Americas was always going to be more targetted towards IORR with a new album and European tour to follow soon after.

MADE IN THE SHADE

Drugs?

No, seriously. I need some.

011780 wrote on Jul 8^th, 2014 at 8:15am:

Gazza wrote on Jul 8th, 2014 at 6:21am: Good first post - welcome Probably a combination of factors. They'd started recording it six months before the tour started - which you'd think should have been enough - but Taylor leaving almost immediately and the Rotterdam sessions then doubling as a guitarist audition would have derailed things somewhat. When you listen to the Munich tapes from March/April it would suggest that by that stage they'd long given up on any hopes for getting an album out in time for the start of the tour (June 1st) because the songs are still quite a bit away from being finished. There didnt appear to be much urgency to get things polished up in time.  It was probably a lot to ask in hindsight that they'd put another album out within 8-9 months of IORR coming out. A lot of people do seem to think of this as a tour behind 'Made in the shade' which ended up being released a week into it, but Ive always considered it to be if anything the tour they did in support of IORR. albeit a bit belatedly. Back then, it was normal to release an album every calendar year and then tour in one market to promote it, so whilst Black and Blue was certainly much-delayed (although not as delayed as Emotional Rescue was some years later) its possible that the Tour of the Americas was always going to be more targetted towards IORR with a new album and European tour to follow soon after. MADE IN THE SHADE

Made in the Shade was merely a thrown together compilation at short notice so they could have a product to cash in on when they toured. Even ABKCO got in on the act, putting out 'Metamorphosis' on the same day.

well duh. areb the rolling stones still touring for bigger bang?

no. "40 Licks".

am i supposed to say duh again?

Duh-rugs?