'Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones' to play in the Valley'

by Bill Wyman on Sep. 13, 2010




For rock fans, this is a fairly big deal.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones is one of the handful of the very greatest rock movies.

Years before critics creamed their jeans over the engrossing but staged and overly mannered Stop Making Sense, this was the real deal. A full show by the Rolling Stones filmed at arguably their peak … the drugged-out, unrelenting dark Exile on Main Street tour.

Fans like me have had crummy bootleg video copies of what must have been a filmed theater presentation; the movie was never officially released in home video in any form, and to my knowledge hasn’t been available even on celluloid for decades.

I saw it originally at the Sombrero Theater in Phoenix; as I recall, there are several minutes of crowd noise and darkness on screen as the audience waited for the show to start at the actual concert.

As I understand it, the rights were controlled by Allen B. Klein, the ‘60s-era manager and criminal who essentially stole all the rights to the band’s 1960s output. (That’s why to this day a lot of the material comes out on ABKCO records, Klein’s label.)

His company put out the long-suppressed Rock and Roll Circus film in the 1990s. With a Blu-ray edition of Ladies and Gentlemen coming, they are offering it in a one-night-only theatrical showing.

The film had the most advanced sound mix of its time and should sound amazing in the theater. Details in the Wikipedia entry here.

PHXated


With a name like that, this guy just hadda be a Stones fan...

Ladies And Gentlemen... The Rolling Stones: DVD review

Terry Staunton, Tue 14 Sep 2010





As guests at last week's preview cinema screening of the forthcoming DVD release of Ladies And Gentlemen... The Rolling Stones surrounded the bar before the lights dimmed, a few were taken aback at being asked to pay for their drinks. "That's Mick Jagger for you," one was overheard to remark. "You can take the boy out of the LSE, but you can't take the LSE out of the boy."

It appeared to be a good-natured dig, not deriding the singer for any perceived meanness, but more a light-hearted acknowledgement of his well-documented fiscal savvy and business acumen. And it's that aspect of Jagger's character, a man who's always kept at least one eye on the bottom line, that arguably informs the return of this remarkable concert movie.

On its release in May, the digitally remastered and expanded edition of Exile On Main St became only the second reissue title this century to top the UK album charts (the first was The Traveling Wilburys). Clearly, it's a period in the Stones' lengthy history that's still capable of creating a stir, so it would make sound financial sense to see what else is languishing in the vaults from the same time.

What's initially baffling about Ladies And Gentlemen... is the fact that it's not been seen for so long. Filmed over four nights in Texas on the Exile tour of 1972, it was given a limited theatrical run in the US two years later, briefly turned up on VHS in Australia in the late 80s, and then disappeared. But this is no misfiring folly needing to be swept under the carpet; it's the Stones on stage at their most electrifying.

The camera work is not the greatest, certainly not when held up to the ambition of Martin Scorsese and Shine A Light, but the limitations of what appear to be just two or three hand-helds either near to or on the stage manages to place us at the heart of the action. It's almost as if the viewer is a roadie crouched in the wings or by the monitors, waiting to rush towards Keith Richards or Mick Taylor with replacements for broken strings.

It becomes clear very quickly that this was a movie made without the planning or eye for continuity that a director like Scorsese would insist upon. The Stones wear entirely different stage gear for each of the four concerts, but the sight of Jagger in, say, a blue jump suit during Gimme Shelter followed by a blousy white number for Dead Flowers doesn't distract from the joy of watching the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world go through their paces. If anything, it adds to the overall sense of a busy touring band rushing from one triumph to another at the height of their powers.

Although the concerts coincided with the release of Exile, only four tracks from the album feature in the 15-song set of the film - pretty much the same four that still get regular airings at modern-day Stones gigs. Elsewhere, it's solid gold classics all the way, from the stripped-down You Can't Always Get What You Want (shorn of the gospel pretensions of the recorded version) to the menacing strut of Midnight Rambler. It all gets a little shabby on the cover of Chuck Berry's Bye Bye Johnny, but it's a charming insight into the band's ramshackle R&B roots, compared to the clinical precision of their 21st century shows.

Ladies And Gentlemen... The Rolling Stones is released on Eagle Rock DVD and Blu-ray on 11 October.

musicradar.com

Q&A with Steve Gebhardt

By: Steve Rosen, 9/14/2010



It was a long way for Steve Gebhardt from his hometown of Cincinnati to filming the Rolling Stones in concert during their 1972 tour in support of their then-new, now-classic Exile on Main Street album. But there Gebhardt was, making the concert film that was Ladies & Gentlemen…The Rolling Stones, which itself toured movie theaters in 1974 – in a special "Quadrosound" mix. And then it pretty much disappeared, not available on video or DVD…until now.

Capitalizing on this year's expanded, remastered version of the classic album, NCM Fathom – the company that uses new technology to broadcast special events to movie theaters – and Eagle Rock Entertainment are offering Ladies & Gentlemen at more than 530 theaters on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. NCM Fathom says the sound will be "5.1 surround mix working from the quadraphonic." It will have a special filmed introduction by Mick Jagger. Here, it will screen at Regal Deerfield Town Center in Mason and Springdale Showcase Cinemas.

So Gebhardt, who is 73 and lives in Prospect Hill, will get a chance to see his "lost" rock film revived and redeemed.  Last week, he sat for a Q&A about the film as well as another impressive gig he had - making movies for John & Yoko's New York-based Butterfly Films.

Q: How did Ladies & Gentlemen come about?

A: I got a call from Marshall Chess (the Stones' manager) asking if I would do this thing. He found out about me through Danny Seymour who was shooting (a Stones non-concert documentary) with Robert Frank. I met Danny while shooting Yoko Ono's Fly and he was shooting a film on Ono. I helped him do work on his film and he thought of me. So I got hired to put a crew together and shoot the thing.

Q: How big was the crew that shot this film?

A: It was (partner) Bob Freeze and myself plus a crew of associates who worked for us in  Cincinnati and Ann Arbor. It went off according to schedule; we shot what we were asked to do. We were paid for four cameras and had five, threw the extra in when we had to.

Q: What shows did you film?

A: Four shows in Texas. I started early and scouted the show in Kansas City, then flew with the Stones to meet my crew in Dallas/Fort Worth. There were two there and two in  Houston. We mixed and matched from the four shows - kept it in the order in which it was performed.



Q: How was Ladies & Gentlemen presented in the first go-round?

A: It was a full-frame 16-millimeter film that I blew up to 35-millimeter. I had it reformatted so that the footage would become what is essentially today letterboxed. At the same time, the sound was replicated, not in a standard stereo, but in four-track, four-corners - different from the traditional multi-track playback which is three (speakers) upfront and one in the back. That's called surround sound. This was put onto magnetic-striped film, because the optical soundtrack isn't good enough, it got rid of the highs and lows. We were trying to make a special cinematic presentation -and we did. The first run of the film was done with this quadrophonic-striped soundtrack. They were expensive prints to have done. The concept was to make it unique. It became a technical oddball thing - the only film ever done that way. That was its unique beauty and also its downfall at the time. It's the same problem you have with 3-D. If you don't have the gear, it doesn't work."



soapboxmedia.com

And what will the cost of this "Deluxe Limited Edition" be?  

I have that poster somewhere.....I must locate it. 
That special edition set is mine, major Wicked Pissah!

Menacing strut of Midnight Rambler?  I may have a menacing strut of my own as I leave the theater tomorrow night.  Can't wait!

Seeing tomorrow night on the big screen. Can't wait!!!!

From WIKI:

A digital re-mastered version of the film is being shown in the UK at selected Showcase Cinemas locations on Friday 17th September 2010, with an exclusive introduction by Mick Jagger. On September 16, 2010, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones  will be shown in select theaters in the United States, presented by Omniverse Vision, Eagle Rock Entertainment and NCM Fathom. This exclusive Rolling Stones concert event will feature the re-mastered HD digital version of the film. The event will also feature an introduction by Mick Jagger, interviewed just this past summer at the famous London Dorchester Hotel. Jagger will reflect on memories of the tour during this legendary time, and will update audiences on the status of the members of the Rolling Stones.

Setlist

The tracks in the film followed the running order of a typical setlist of the 1972 tour (with the exception of "Dead Flowers," which was played at one of the filmed shows in Ft. Worth and only occasionally elsewhere on the tour). The song "Rocks Off," which was played at all the 1972 tour shows, was notably absent from the film.

    * "Brown Sugar"
    * "Bitch"
    * "Gimme Shelter"
    * "Dead Flowers"
    * "Happy"
    * "Tumbling Dice"
    * "Love in Vain"
    * "Sweet Virginia"
    * "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
    * "All Down the Line"
    * "Midnight Rambler"
    * "Bye Bye Johnny"
    * "Rip This Joint"
    * "Jumping Jack Flash"
    * "Street Fighting Man"

Paranoid Android wrote on Sep 15^th, 2010 at 6:17pm:


Surely not including that one plus Sweet Black Angel and Don't Lie to Me (as bonus tracks) - both played and presumably filmed at the Texas shows - is a missed opportunity?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7N8dt3iXo&feature=related

From someone who caught one of the 'L&G' shows.
Dig the name of the blog...

The Rolling Stones At Hofheinz Pavilion In 1972, Firsthand

By William Michael Smith, Thu., Sep. 16 2010

Ed. Note: Rocks Off's own Lonesome Onry and Mean himself, William Michael Smith, attended the Rolling Stones concert at Hofheinz Pavilion in June 1972 that was filmed for the movie Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones. Since the movie screens at 7:30 p.m. tonight at several Houston-area theaters, we asked him to send us what he remembers from the show.



It's hard to imagine in this day of mega-concert events with million-dollar stages at Reliant Stadium, but in 1972 the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street tour played the 10,000-seat Hofheinz Pavillion on the University of Houston campus. And even a poor student could actually afford the ticket!

The band is releasing a film based on the two Houston concerts that day and one in Fort Worth for a one-day-only showing in theaters today. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones is truly a must-see for fans of rock and roll like it was once made and will never be made again. (L&GTRS will be released on DVD later this fall.)

There were two shows that day, and being the hippies and huge Stones fans that we were, we opted for the late show. Who wants to see the Stones at 4:00 in the afternoon? We had already seen our favorite British rockers - hell, our favorite rockers, period - at Moody Coliseum in Dallas two years earlier (Nov. 14, 1969), with Terry Reid and Chuck Berry on the Gimme Shelter tour that ended in the Altamont catastrophe that forever took the bloom off Flower Power.

So we thought we knew what we were getting into.



But, never ones for standing still with their stage productions or their music, Mick and the boys had some surprises for us. If memory serves - come on, it was 38 years and 3,000 shows ago - the stage was covered in dazzling white with an ominous green Chinese dragon figure on it.

As we waited for the show to start, we couldn't decide if this was meant to be another of the Stones' image-management attempts at being the Devil's spawn, rock's bad boys or if it was just a visually magnetizing adornment. Whatever it was, it was impossible not to look at it. One reason I want to see the film is to see that stage again, verify my own fragile memory.

After an opening set by Billy Preston and his killer who-are-these-guys gospel band that left the crowd screaming for more, the time finally arrived for our heroes to make their entrance. We were surprised to see not five but eight members in the ensemble. Mick Taylor had replaced Brian Jones on guitar, and the Stones had augmented their basic band with session great Nicky Hopkins on keys and the awesome Texas horn section of Bobby Keys from Lubbock and Jim Price from Abilene.

Opening with horn-laden, hard-driving versions of "Brown Sugar," "Bitch" and "Rocks Off," we were almost out of breath, locked in a rock and roll mental frenzy, by the time the band decided to slow down even a bit - and completely blow us away with "Dead Flowers." I may never have been to a concert that grabbed me at the opening as firmly as the Exile boys grabbed me that night.

True set list masters, they worked their way through Exile, sprinkling in gems from Gimme Shelter [sic] ("You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Gimme Shelter," Robert Johnson's "Love In Vain"), building and slowing, building and slowing until it came time to kick some serious ass down the home stretch with that nastier-than-a-peep-show Stones rock we had come for.

And it was a truly amazing series of rockers that made the Beatles seem wan and tame by any comparison: the epic "Midnight Rambler," a smoking burn-down of Chuck Berry's "Bye Bye Johnny," "Rip This Joint," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and "Street Fighting Man," which seemed to pack special meaning given the legion of HPD officers deemed necessary at what city fathers must have felt was an event that had serious potential to get out of hand.

I'll be eternally glad I was there, but I never went to see my heroes again. I did see Let's Spend The Night Together at a matinee in Tokyo in 1982, but by then it was almost as if they had become a caricature of themselves, with Mick prancing out on the extended catwalks and all the pre-planned showbiz jazz that someone thought the greatest rock and roll band in the world needed at that point.

I left the theater a bit disappointed that day, over the Stones for good. I could never convince myself to go to the Astrodome to see their aging productions in the Eighties and Nineties after having seen them at their peak. And June 25, 1972, those guys were peaking as few rock bands ever had.

But I can't wait to grab some popcorn and relive one of the highlight days of my misspent youth tonight.

The setlist for the second show:

Brown Sugar
Bitch
Rocks Off
Gimme Shelter
Dead Flowers
Happy
Tumbling Dice
Love In Vain
Sweet Virginia
You Can't Always Get What You Want
All Down The Line
Midnight Rambler
Bye Bye Johnny
Rip This Joint
Jumpin' Jack Flash
Street Fighting Man

Houston Press

Enjoy the show folks!!

I own a grainy DVD...so...I really enjoyed the film!!!

I was blown away by the film and sound during Midnite Rambler...ADTL...Happy...and Dice

Charlie's drumming...MT's Uber guitar playing...and quite curious of the lack of Bill footage...
Mystery keyboards...and whatever chit chat Keef and Jagger had on stage...

FYI...there were about 30-40 in the theater w/ me...I had really convinced myself I would be alone w/ 3 or 4 other guys alone in the audience...
I was so tempted to make an announcement to ask if anyone was an "ROer"...or a Shidoobee...but i would have needed a couple of more Ketle One shots in me to do that.

On the record, after relocating here from DC......Raleigh rawks w/ the Stones!!!

Awesome, a lot of fun. There must've been about 8 people in the theater all dudes, all old.

Love In Vein was the highlight for me. Only got to hear it one time live, in Philly. The band was fucking tight. Charlie was on fire.