Jeez, people, lighten up!
J. Hittinger | West Bloomfield, MI United States | 12/24/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Maybe this is my punk sensibilities coming through on this but compared to many things out there THE SOUND QUALITY IS NOT THAT BAD! Come on people, this was the 1966, you can't expect them to have mastered all the arts and technologies behind recording albums. Either way, it's irrelevant, because this album is one of the most rockin' live albums I've heard in quite some time. Yeah, so they did some overdubs. Yeah, two songs are actually studio tracks. I don't think that diminishes the quality of the album. It's so raw and ready to kick your butt. It showcases the fact that before they became, along with U2, one of the ugly behemouths of concert gluttony, they were real and raw and had Brian Jones rather than Ron (who?) Wood. Sorry, Stones fans, but everything they did after Jones SUCKS save Let It Bleed and Exile on Mainstreet, and this album only reaffirms it."
Great music, but severely flawed
mixer | Spring City, USA | 04/19/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I agree that this album is a true relic of the works of the Roling Stones. The songs "Under My Thumb" and "Get Under My Cloud" were played beautifully-as if they were played in one setting and time.
Of course, "Lady Jane" is a true classic that is etched in my mind for years to come. Here,g uitarist Keith Richards played a gentle lead-accompanied by one of the greatest instrumentalists of rock history-Brian Jones (may he rest in peace), using a dulcimer that was audiable even while playing live.Let us not forget the R&B classic "Not Fade Away";of course Mick Jaggar played his heart out(as usual).Throughout the rest of the CD, bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts(banging the cymbals as always)did their parts quite well throughout the entire Cd-as well as Richards,Jagger, and Jones.And who can forget "Satisfaction" and "Time is on My Side"-considering being performed circa 1966. This is all of the good points that I can find while listening to this relic. With the exception of the first two tracks, ALL of the other songs were fragmented together. This "fragmentation" job of editing was pathetic.If one could piece together several tracks of different authenticity, he could had done a better job-even to the 1960s standards. Also, the "opening drum sequence(7 seconds)" before "The Last Time" is what I am talking about. That drumming sequence,before the first three chords of "The Last Time" sounded like the opening sequence of "I Ca't Get No Satisfaction" instead of the latter.
I also share my fellow reviewers'comments on tracks four and five. I thought that this was suposed to be a TOTALLY LIVE album.What a dissapointment.
Personally, despite the numerous flaws in the production, this CD is still a fine relic that you can capture the Roling Stones while they were still getting started in their fine career.I hope that other Rolling Stones fans will concur."
Awful, just awful
Chet Fakir | DC | 08/01/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)
"There is no reason to own this album because the music is drowned out by screaming girls and some of this was recorded in the studio with screaming overdubbed (WTF?) - AVOID. The worst live album by the Stones and maybe the worst live album ever."