Along the lines of Magical Mystery Tour, The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus was an obscure December 1968 sideshow that featured
clowns, tigers, fire-eaters, the Rolling Stones and a menagerie of
musicians like The Who, Eric Clapton and John Lennon. Unhappy with their performance, The Stones shelved
the project and cancelled its premiere on the BBC. A clip of The Who performing "A Quick One While He's Away" made it into The
Kids Are Alright, but the rest stayed on the shelf until 1996.
The
Stones put together the circus after releasing Beggar's Banquet and finding themselves on top
with a smash single in "Jumpin’ Jack Flash," and a top 10 album on three continents. Ringmaster/producer Mick Jagger recruited his sideshow
friends along with Marianne Faithfull, Taj Mahal and the then-unknown
Jethro Tull (having only released their first album, This Was, six weeks prior). Twenty
hours of filming resulted in a production that alternated between vaudevillian
spectacle and offbeat rock and roll. Especially noteworthy is a
blistering version of the Beatles' "Yer Blues" by the Dirty Mac, a supergroup
featuring John Lennon on rhythm guitar and vocals, Eric Clapton on lead, Keith
Richards on bass and Mitch Mitchell (of The Jimi Hendrix Experience) on drums. The Stones went on at 1am, performing a set that
included several songs from Beggar's Banquet and the as-yet unreleased "You
Can’t Always Get What You Want." It is, despite the self-deprecation, a stellar
performance building to a hypnotic "Sympathy For The Devil" and a rousing
sing-along of "Salt Of The Earth," featuring all the side show
freaks.
The Rock 'n Roll Circus was the first major performance of Jethro Tull, featuring
their first and last gig with guitarist Tony Iommi, who left just weeks later to
form Black Sabbath; it was one of the first times The Who performed a rock
opera live (and nailed it); it featured one of the first rock supergroups, The Dirty Mac (a play on Fleetwood Mac) and Lennon's first concert performance without
the Beatles. As well, it was the last time the original Rolling Stones performed live, and sadly, the last gig for Brian Jones, who was found face down in a swimming pool but a month later. The special had its origins when Jagger, seeking an innovative way to
promote Beggars Banquet, teamed with director Michael Lindsay-Hogg (Brideshead Revisited, Let It Be) to
create a television concert with a circus theme filmed in front of an audience
of invited guests. The broadcast begins with all the performers entering at
once, followed by Jagger dressed as a ringmaster and offering an invocation to the viewers. At times a bit tortured and contrite, The Rolling Stones' Rock 'n' Roll Circus is a must watch (once) and a great listen weeded down to a
playlist.
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