Black and Blue

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Black and Blue
Studio album by The Rolling Stones
Released	23 April 1976
Recorded	7 - 15 December 1974, 22 January - 9 February 1975, 25 March - 4 April 1975, 19 - 31 October 1975, 3 - 16 December 1975, 18 January - February 1976
Genre	Rock Funk rock Reggae
Length	41:24
Label	Rolling Stones/Atlantic (original US issue) Virgin (re-issue)
Producer	The Glimmer Twins
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (A-) link Rolling Stone link
The Rolling Stones chronology
Made in the Shade (1975) Black and Blue (1976) Love You Live (1977)

Black and Blue is an album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1976. It would be the band's first studio album to feature guitarist Ronnie Wood who would eventually become a full member of the band during production of the album. Wood appears on half of the album's tracks (mostly backing vocals) with Wayne Perkins and Harvey Mandel playing guitar on the remaining titles.

[edit] History

The Rolling Stones returned to Munich, Germany - the recording site of their previously released It's Only Rock'n Roll - in December 1974 and began the recording of their new album at Musicland Studios, with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards - as The Glimmer Twins - producing again. With a view to have it released in time for the summer 1975 Tour of the Americas, the band broke for the holidays and returned in January in Rotterdam, Netherlands to continue working - all the while auditioning new guitarists as they recorded. Among the hopefuls were Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher, Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins, Peter Frampton and Ronnie Wood (although only Mandel's, Perkins' and Wood's guitar work would appear on the finished album) With much work to follow, it was decided to delay the album for the following year and release the Made in the Shade compilation instead. "Cherry Oh Baby" (which was a cover version of an early reggae song) would be the only song from the upcoming album even sporadically played on the Americas Tour.

Following the conclusion of the tour, The Rolling Stones went to Montreux, Switzerland in October for some overdub work, while returning to Musicland Studios in Munich in December to perform similar duties. Upon their arrival at Musicland Studios, the Rolling Stones were reportedly amazed that Led Zeppelin had recorded and mixed their entire album Presence there in a mere seventeen days, with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page having stayed awake for two days straight to perform all of the guitar overdubs just before the arrival of the Rolling Stones.

After some final touch-ups, Black and Blue was completed in New York City in February 1976.

Stylistically, Black and Blue - so named for its black music influences - embraces funk with "Hot Stuff", reggae with their cover of "Cherry Oh Baby" and jazz with "Melody", featuring the talents of Billy Preston - a heavy contributor to the album. Musical and thematic styles were merged on the seven-minute epic "Memory Motel", with both Jagger and Richards contributing lead vocals to a love song embedded within a life-on-the-road tale.

Released in April 1976 - with "Fool to Cry", a worldwide Top 10 hit, as its lead single - Black and Blue reached #2 in the UK and spent an interrupted four week spell at #1 in the US, going platinum there. Critical view was polarized, with some finding its emphasis on jamming a reflection of the perceived weak songwriting, while others consider it an undervalued gem.^{[citation needed]}

Bill Wyman released a version of "Melody" with his Rhythm Kings, and claimed the song was written by Preston.

The album was promoted with a controversial billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood that depicted a bruised, bound woman under the phrase "I'm Black and Blue from the Rolling Stones — and I love it!" The billboard was removed after protests by the feminist group Women Against Violence Against Women, although it earned the band widespread press coverage.^[1]

Two extra tracks recorded in the Rotterdam sessions were later released on 1981's Tattoo You.

In 1994, Black and Blue was remastered and reissued by Virgin Records.

[edit] Track listing

All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted.

1. "Hot Stuff" – 5:20
   • Features Harvey Mandel on guitar, Billy Preston on piano, and Ronnie Wood on backing vocals
2. "Hand of Fate" – 4:28
   • Features Wayne Perkins on guitar, Billy Preston on piano, and Ronnie Wood on backing vocals
3. "Cherry Oh Baby" (Eric Donaldson) – 3:53
   • Features Ronnie Wood on guitar and Nicky Hopkins on organ
4. "Memory Motel" – 7:07
   • Features Wayne Perkins and Harvey Mandel on guitar, Mick Jagger on concert piano, Keith Richards on Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Billy Preston on string synthesizer, and Ronnie Wood on backing vocals
5. "Hey Negrita" (Inspiration by Ronnie Wood) – 4:58
   • Features lead guitar and backing vocals by Ronnie Wood, and organ and piano by Billy Preston
6. "Melody" (Inspiration by Billy Preston) – 5:47
   • Features Billy Preston on piano, organ, and harmony vocal, horn arrangement by Arif Mardin
7. "Fool to Cry" – 5:04
   • Features Wayne Perkins on guitar, Mick Jagger on Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Nicky Hopkins on piano and ARP String Ensemble
8. "Crazy Mama" – 4:34
   • Features Mick Jagger on rhythm electric guitar, Ronnie Wood on guitar and backing vocals, Keith Richards on guitar and bass, and Billy Preston on piano

[edit] Personnel

• Mick Jagger - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion, Guitar, Piano, Electric Piano
• Keith Richards - Guitar, Backing Vocals, Vocals, Electric Piano, Bass
• Charlie Watts - Drums, Percussion
• Bill Wyman - Bass, Percussion
• Ronnie Wood - Guitar, Backing Vocals

[edit] Additional personnel

• Nicky Hopkins - Piano, Organ, String Synthesizer
• Harvey Mandel - Electric Guitar
• Wayne Perkins - Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
• Billy Preston - Backing Vocals, Piano, Vocals, Organ, Keyboards, String Synthesizer
• Ollie Brown - Percussion
• Ian Stewart - Percussion

[edit] Charts

Album

Single

[edit] References