Search - The Rolling Stones :: Stripped

They Still Have It In Them

Dave Sigmon | Connecticut, USA | 03/28/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having been an institution since the better part of the 1970's, who could have predicted that this would stand by and far as the Stones' most valuable live document? They take some worthy risks here (e.g. "Like A Rolling Stone") and they dig out a number of excellent obscurities.



Now they don't improve (or make worse) "Angie". But the stupidly overlooked "Let It Bleed" still sounds fine. They magnificently revamp "Not Fade Away" into a shuffle that's more akin to the Buddy Holly original, but with just enough of that Bo Diddley beat. The greatest revelation of all, however, is the unearthing of one of Mick and Keith's best, "The Spider and The Fly". They manage to redefine this 1965 nugget by combining blues guitars and piano against the backdrop of a jazzy rhythm. Jagger's understated vocal and slight lyrical alteration serve this cut perfectly. A stone-cold classic like a miracle out of nowhere.



The three rehearsal pieces that conclude this CD are essential too. This may be my favorite version of "Love In Vain" ever. I never tire of my beloved "Sweet Virginia" performed with equal gusto as the "Exile" classic. And they show what they're all about on Willie Dixon's "Little Baby".



Celebrate as Mick lets his hair down, reaches for his harmonica and sings looser than ever. Pinch yourself in listening to Keith and Ronnie ground the music in authenticity by playing the roles of the elder bluesmen they always envisioned themselves to be. And marvel at the way that Charlie lays down his jazz groove like never before."

Like a Rolling Stone

MarlowesMom | San Francisco | 09/01/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I heard the cover of Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" on the radio and had to buy this CD. After several listens, I've decided "Stripped," a semi-acoustic, mostly-live effort, does not knock my teeth out and has weak spots but is nonetheless very enjoyable.



I should probably say I'm a huge fan of the Stones' music. For my money, their mature musical skills make up for their failure to release an album of new material that compels my interest since "Tattoo You." Those who think the Stones have been washed up for 30 or 40 years, or who are Beatles fans who think you can't like both, should probably stop reading now.



High points are some of the older, less known songs like "The Spider and the Fly," (which my husband thought was a cover but is actually one of their early compositions) and material from their peak Banquet-Exile period that does not get much airplay, like "Sweet Virginia" and "Love in Vain." FM radio staples like "Angie," "Wild Horses" and "Street Fighting Man," which could easily have been subject to going-through-the motions efforts, are performed with energy, commitment and precision.



On the down side, I usually look forward to Keith's lead vocal, but I find "Slipping Away" to be a dull, airport-Holiday-Inn-lounge kind of ballad. "Dead Flowers," an all-time favorite, is played too fast, a real disappointment.



Fortunately, CD players let us skip the songs we don't care for, and 12/14 strong songs is good enough for me. This has been a worthy addition to my collection of the Stones' music."