ROLLING STONES
- CD
ODE TO A FLOWN BIRD (PRAYING AND PLAYING)
LABEL: |
OBR CD 93 040 |
SOURCE: |
Gillette Stadium, Foxboro September 20th 2021 |
FORMAT: |
2 picture cds |
RUNNING TIME: |
49.16/47.53 |
SOUND/SOURCE: |
Audience mono |
PACKAGING: |
Trifold Cardboard Sleeve, Lim Ed. of 300 numbered copies |
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SOUND 7.5 / PACKAGING 9
/ PERFORMANCE 7.5
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TRACK LIST: |
Disc One:
1. Let’s Spend The Night Together, 2. Tumbling Dice, 3. Statement For Charlie
Watts, 4. Under My Thumb, 5. Trouble’s A Coming, 6. Living In A Ghost Town, 7. You
Can’t Always Get What You Want, 8. Midnight Rambler.
Disc Two: 1.
Band Introduction, 2. Miss You, 3. 19th Nervous Breakdown, 4. Start Me
Up, 5. Gimme Shelter, 6. Sympathy For The Devil, 7. Jumping Jack Flash, 8. Satisfaction.
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REVIEW: |
Charlie
Watts loved jazz so much that in June 1964 (right after his 23rd birthday)
on the first US Tour of the Stones when all the other band members went to the
Apollo Theatre in Harlem he visited by himself New York West 52nd Street,
also known as Swing Street, it was jazz main place with Birdland, The Three
Deuces, Embers, Onyx live music venues; later on December 21st of the
same year he released Ode To a High Flying Bird a book consisting of his sketches
that tells Charlie Parker’s story (re-released when the cd From One Charlie came
out in April 1991) and it is just to such title this release is referring to. It
is not clear when this was released because on the artwork and discs it is
written 11-2021, but in fact it came out at the beginning of the new year.
OBR, the
renowned European label that since the 90s has delivered quality Stones
products, mostly studio outtakes, this time has instead released a recording of
the private concert that happened before the start of the Stones 2021 US Tour
at the Gillette Stadium, or more accurately on a tent on its field as specified
inside the cardboard sleeve, a show that was arranged for the friends of Robert
Kraft, the Kraft Group CEO that manages the New England Patriots as well as the
Gillette Stadium. He was highly featured in the news already in 1994 when he
bought the Patriots franchise for a stunning 175 million dollars avoiding the
team transfer to St. Louis and starting their successful 6 wins of the
Superbowl. A funny thing happened in 2005 when Kraft accused President Putin to
have stolen his Superbowl ring; anyway his 8.3 billion dollars net worth have
allowed him to hire the Stones, but has also distributed for free 900.000 masks
in Massachusetts in May 2021. It is rumoured the Stones got 5 million dollars
for the night. Anyway, the Stones concert happened a week before the start of
the band’s 2021 No Filter US Tour, but it was conceived ad agreed well before
Charlie Watts passing less than a month before this show for Kraft’s birthday
(who was born on June 5th 1941, by the way). This in fact turned out
to be a very historical concert which has so far remained unheard (the audience
consisted mostly of Kraft’s friends) so it is remarkable not only because it is
the first live act of the band with Steve Jordan on drums, but also for the
live debut of Living In a Ghost Town and of Trouble’s A Coming, the latter an obscure
cover of a Chi Lites 1970 track, unreleased at the time. Just snippets of some
songs were heard on the Stones official App and a small amateur cell phone
video appeared on YouTube later, other than that no complete song from this
show ever surfaced, so this is a must for Stones fans and collector (expect a
vinyl release too along the line as per OBR habits). The frst song Let’s Spend
The Night Together is the opening one for the first time; this release is subtitled
Praying And Playing which are Ron Wood’s words pronounced during the tribute to
Charlie that happened right after Tumbling Dice when the 3 surviving members
hugged each other watching a video of their 59 years companion. After this they
unexpectedly played Under My Thumb followed by Trouble’s A Coming, “a song we
recorded long time ago that will be part of Tattoo You re-release” in Jagger
words. Living In A Ghost Town premiered soon after, welcomed by the audience
that did participate to it. Interesting is also the Band Introduction where
Steve Jordan is called “a great friend of Charlie”, but there is also a Happy Birthday
for Robert Kraft (was that part of the deal?) where Jagger says: “It is great
to say happy birthday to someone even older than us”; it would be interesting to
know if the setlist had been changed on request of Mr.Kraft, but I guess we
will never know that. Regardless, Miss You is remarkable also for the saxophone
solos duel between Karl Denson and Tim Ries. Street Fighting Man should have been
played, it seems, but was skipped for unknow reasons. This is a nice audience recording,
unfortunately in mono, that is significant for its uniqueness and shall be
regarded as another substantial chapter in the Stones alternative story written
by this underground label. At this time it is not known if the original
recording was in stereo (as it should have been) and has only been allowed to
be released in mono, or if that decision was forced by an imbalance between the
channels; whatever the case the recording is clear enough and enjoyable. The
band plays reasonably well, of course all eyes and ears are for Steve Jordan,
who tries not to overwork too much in order to somehow replicate Charlie Watts
touch, however his way of hitting the drums is different and noticeable
especially on Sympathy; Jagger is out of breath a lot after some songs, showing
not to have yet been in shape.
Packaging
is essential in compliance to the label’s history but at the same time very tasty
with a back cover artwork that shows Charlie’s drums kit without anyone sitting
there and a sign that commemorates him, using From One Charlie fonts.
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