Across The Airwaves Volume 3: Crossing The Atlantic – The Rolling Stones Live 1964-5

Let The Airwaves Flow 3: Crossing The The Atlantic 1964-65

The Rolling Stones

Side One

1. I Wanna Be Your Man (Lennon, McCartney)
2. The Last Time (Jagger, Richards)
3. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (Russell, Burke, Wexler)
4. Pain In My Heart (Neville)
5. I’m Alright (McDaniel)
6. Oh! Baby (We Got A Good Thing Going) (Ozen)
7. That’s How Strong My Love Is (Jamison)
8. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (Jagger, Richard)

Side Two

1. Little Red Rooster (Dixon)
2. Play With Fire (Jagger, Richards)
3. Down The Road Apiece (Raye)
4. Not Fade Away (Hardin, Petty)
5. I Just Want To Make Love To You (Dixon)
6. Cry To Me (Berns)
7. She Said Yeah (Jackson / Christy)
8. Get Off My Cloud (Jagger, Richards)

Side One

Track 1 “The Arthur Haynes Show” Elstree Studios, Borehamwood 8.2.64

Tracks 2 – 5 “Ready Steady Goes Live!” Studio One, Wembley 9.4.65

Tracks 6 – 8 “Ready Steady Go The Rolling Stones Special Show Live!” Studio One, Wembley 2.9.65

Side Two

Track 1-3 “Shindig” Los Angeles 6.11.65

Tracks 4 – 5 “Hollywood Palace Show” Los Angeles 3.6.64

Tracks 6 -8 “Ready Steady Goes Live!” Studio One, Wembley 2.9.65

Mick Jagger – lead vocals

Brian Jones – guitar

Keith Richard – guitar, vocals

Bill Wyman – bass

Charlie Watts – drums

Sleeve Notes

Fans of the Rolling Stones have long complained about the lack of interest shown by the band in their considerable back-catalogue. Apart from the long out-of-print 25 x 5 there has never been any official attempt to document the many TV appearances the Stones made during their frantic mid-sixties. This record brings together some of the liveliest Stones recordings from 1964 and 1965.

The earliest performance here sees the Stones revving up their hit I Wanna Be Your Man with a spicy Brian Jones solo. Then to Ready Steady Go, which would became the Stones televisual home from home. Fronted by uber-mod Cathy McGowan this is where the Stones learnt to play to the cameras. Initial programmes were mimed, but by April 1965 bands were live in the studio. The programme’s iconic slogan “The Weekend Starts Here!” adds excitement to The Last Time, followed by a highly effective medley of Everybody Needs Somebody To Love and Pain In My Heart and a truncated version of Crawdaddy crowdpleaser, I’m Alright. By September 1965 the Stones’ increased popularity had earned them their very own edition of RSG which showcased a more soul orientated approach through covers of Barbara Lynn’s Oh Baby! and Otis Redding’s That’s How Strong My Love Is, before closing with a pounding Satisfaction. There is a rare appearance from sixth Stone Ian Stewart on Oh! Baby and his distinctive piano can be heard in the second half of the song.

The success of RSG spawned similar shows in America such as Shindig, for whom the Stones recorded three tracks in November 1965. Little Red Rooster benefitted from some additional howling and Brian Jones’s peerless slide, whilst a brief Down The Road Apiece squeezed in a Berryesque solo from Keith Richard. What the natives made of references to Hackney and Knightsbridge in the brooding Play With Fire is not known. The backing tracks for these songs were specially recorded at RCA Studios in Los Angeles two days previously and feature an early collaboration with Billy Preston on keyboards. Ignoring the snide comments of Hollywood Palace host Dean Martin, the Stones recorded fine up-tempo versions of Not Fade Away and I Just Want To Make Love To You. Finally it’s back to RSG for an October 1965 session contrasting the impassioned ballad Cry To Me with the all-out ravers of Get Off My Cloud and She Said Yeah, the latter co-written by Sonny Bono under an alias.

From February 1964 through to November 1965, the Stones were frequently on mainstream television. It was like having them in your living room: they would never offer this easy access again. From 1966 onwards the increasing fragility of Brian Jones would result in the Stones gradually cutting back on their live performances, both in person and on TV. Once 1967’s “Summer Of Love” was safely out of the way the Stones would resurface in the darkly menacing video for Jumping Jack Flash, all tribal make up and bug-eye shades.

The weekend would no longer start here, because the weekend would never stop.

Sleeve notes: Edith Grove

Available from 1960s Records