The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (1996)

Director:

Michael Lindsay-Hogg

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Tagline:

For a brief moment, it seemed Rock & Roll would INHERIT THE EARTH.

Plot:

Originally filmed in December 1968, "The Rock and Roll Circus" was originally intended to be released as a television special...

Plot Keywords:

John Lennon | Circus | Rock 'n' Roll | Musician | 1960s

Cast

Ian Anderson	...	Himself - Jethro Tull
Glenn Cornick	...	Himself - Jethro Tull
Clive Bunker	...	Himself - Jethro Tull
Tony Iommi	...	Himself - Jethro Tull
Pete Townshend	...	Himself - The Who
Roger Daltrey	...	Himself - The Who
Keith Moon	...	Himself - The Who
John Entwistle	...	Himself - The Who
Taj Mahal	...	Himself
Jesse Ed Davis	...	Himself - Taj Mahal's Guitarist
Gary Gilmore	...	Himself - Taj Mahal's Bassist
Chuck Blackwell	...	Himself - Taj Mahal's Drummer
Marianne Faithfull	...	Herself
John Lennon	...	Himself - The Dirty Mac
Eric Clapton	...	Himself - The Dirty Mac

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Intertel Studios, Stonebridge House, Wembley, London, England, UK

Trivia:

The film was unreleased until 1996 because The Rolling Stones were dissatisfied with their performance.

Quotes:

Mick Jagger: You've heard of Oxford Circus, you've heard of Piccadilly Circus, and this is the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, and we've got sights and sounds and marvels to delight your eyes and ears, and you'll be able to see the very first one of those in a few moments.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Mighty Boosh: The Chokes (#3.6)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Song For Jeffrey

underrated and flawed, hard-rocking & blues-filled highlights, and sideshow acts

I can't totally understand why the Rolling Stones were embarrassed by their performance here in their TV special Rock & Roll Circus. Sure, everything else you've heard about the Who outshining them is not far from the truth (it's definitely one of the Who's finest hours with Keith Moon). But they're no slackers here either (sans Brian Jones, who was on the decline and except for No Exceptions does nothing significant here with the band), and hearing them perform Jumpin Jack Flash and Parachutte Woman- the latter a fantastic blues tune from Beggars Banquet- is a fine delight from late 60s rock & roll. They also make sure to end the special on two high notes: Sympathy for the Devil makes for a powerful punch of music that rocks the socks off everyone in attendance and without Jagger's preening to the camera (only to the camera is it annoying, everything else is a given with him), it's one of the very best performances of that song, and there's a fine little ending with Salt of the Earth. It's nothing to be ashamed of on their end.

Then again, the acts that surround them both outshine and lack the punch of their performances, so maybe at the time of their heights (and the sentimental factor of Brian Jones's departure and death from the band soon after) contributed to the decision to keep it from the public. As mentioned, the Who are in the great 'maximum R&B' tradition with A Quick One (While He's Away), which has as thunderous momentum matched with a wicked sense of humor. Other notable acts are Jethro Tull (featuring a slightly dazed Tony Iommi on guitar), Taj Mahal (a musician I never heard before but was blown away by), and a one-night-only type of grouping with Lennon, Clapton, Richards and Mitch Mitchell doing Yer Blues, which actually comes very close to topping the Who's performance- it's that awesome a rendition of the song. The low-points, however, are like thorns on the side of the show, which are Marianne Faithful, who though very pretty sings like a pretty little goat, and the 2nd song by the Lennon group features one plus (violin) and one heavy minus (Yoko Ono's singing, which is like nails on a chalkboard). There's also the creepy sense that the audience looks like it's awaiting the 2nd coming, so to speak.

But it's always a lot of fun, the circus acts look cool in a kitsch kind of way, and there's a truly lively spirit going through all the performances. It's far from perfect, but it's a lot better than I expected, and will have a good place in my collection.