Much has been written and said about The Rolling Stones’ golden period between 1969 and 1973, but very little beats hearing the band in full flight. Their 1969 shows at Madison Square Garden were used as partial source material for the legendary ‘Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!’ live LP, but over half a century later, the full shows have still not been given an official release.
As always with The Stones, there’s always a chance such things will appear, but not without some last minute overdubs and vanity tinkering. Here’s a chance to experience the whole of the early show, as performed. With a lot of the then brand new ‘Beggars Banquet’ making up a core of the set list, it’s a genuine joy, and with the band still raw after the death of Brian Jones, it’s a marvellous opportunity to hear them with plenty to still prove, whilst also reflecting on how much of an underrated drummer Charlie was in his prime.
Charlie Watts (1941-2011)