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Rating: December 1968. The Rolling Stones, after being resurrected from the psychedelic stupor of Their Satanic Majesties Request, turn towards blues and country and record the masterpiece album Beggars Banquet, which once again takes them to artistic heights that they will only abandon in 1972 (Exile On Main St. the last rites). A few days after the album's release, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' band locks themselves inside a circus and organizes, hosting various artists, two days of music and circus games. All of it filmed by cameras (the footage would only be released in 1996).
The first to perform are the debutant Jethro Tull (their first album, This Was, dates back to 1968) with an unleashed Ian Anderson, who with his flute and one leg raised immortalizes a magnificent performance of "A Song For Jeffrey". Also stunning is the harmonica played by guitarist Mick Abrahams.
Following are the demonic Who with the mini rock opera "A Quick One, While He's Away". Roger Daltey, but especially Keith Moon and Pete Townshend, with his classic windmilling arm, set the performance on fire to create, in my opinion, the best moment of the entire record. John Entwistle, as always, is the statue of the group: motionless but supersonic playing the bass.
Passing through the American bluesman Taj Mahal, who gives us an exciting "Ain't That A Lot Of Love", and pausing for a moment on the dreamy "Something Better" by Marianne Faithfull, at that time Mick Jagger's girlfriend, we find ourselves in front of a supergroup: The Dirty Mac. John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards (strangely on bass) and Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience come together to perform a composition by John taken from the Beatles' White Album, "Yer Blues". Needless to say, the piece is entirely supported by Eric Clapton's lead guitar. The Dirty Mac, with the support of violinist Ivry Gitlis, accompany the bizarre vocalizations of the Japanese artist Yoko Ono, soon to be Lennon's wife.
And here we finally arrive at the Stones parade: it starts with the single "Jumpin' Jack Flash", and then moves on to the parade taken from Beggars Banquet ("Parachute Woman", "No Expectations", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Sympathy For The Devil", "Salt Of The Earth".) Needless to emphasize Mick Jagger's unrestrained protagonism, who shows so much sympathy to the Devil that he even gets it tattooed on his chest. Simply rolling.
A wonderful sound testimony (even more recommendable is the DVD) that gathers some of the greatest artists of that era. It's Only Rock And Roll Circus.
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