Post Description

BBC Radio 6 Music, 14-17 July, 2012, The Rolling Stones Story
Presented by Bob harris
Bob Harris chronicles a band that defines rock 'n' roll and looks back at their early years when the band grew out of the British blues scene.
4 CD inc. artwork !








CD 1: England's Newest Hit Makers

By the time the Rolling Stones began calling themselves the 'World's Greatest Rock n Roll Band' in the late 1960s, they had already staked out an impressive claim on the title. This opening programme traces the band's roots as a consciously dangerous alternative to The Beatles, the involvement of manager Andrew Loog Oldham, and the creation of the classic Stones' line-up that resulted in them becoming the breakout band of Britain's 60s blues scene.

CD 2: Sticky Fingers

1967 saw a turning point for The Rolling Stones. With the release of Between the Buttons, the band finally abandoned the ways of pure pop in favour of their blend of rock and blues.

A brief infatuation with psychedelia, and an encounter with the British law, resulted in a revitalised band that resulted in an edgy Beggars Banquet album filled with detours into straight blues and campy country which was hailed a masterpiece. While it undoubtedly opened a new chapter in the saga of the Stones, it was also the beginning of the end for their relationship with Brian Jones.

CD 3: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll

As the band moved into the 1970s, Stones' engineer Andy Johns described them as "the worst band on the planet, but when it happened, they were transformed almost instantly from this dreadful band into the Rolling Stones".

Following the release of Sticky Fingers, the Stones were forced to retreat to France as tax exiles, which ultimately resulted in a double album that was initially panned but is now regarded as a defining moment in their career.

This programme considers the classic albums that coincided with the formation of the band's own record label and the addition of the famous lips-and-tongue logo.

CD 4: Your Last Chance to See ?

Although Jagger admitted that The Stones "lost of a little bit of sensitivity and adventure" with their work in the 80s, as the group entered middle-age, they became the most successful live act in history.

Their stadium tours broke records across the globe and the Rolling Stones became a business phenomenon. For some members the time had come to retire gracefully but, as the band announce yet another tour, this final programme considers the business machine the group has become, the solo projects, and asks if the 21st century incarnation of the Stones is more about a visual spectacle than a musical one?