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April 3rd, 2009

Rolling Stones reissue program omits bonus tracks

Posted by: Dean Goodman

FILM-BERLIN/The Rolling Stones are once again reissuing all their post-1971 studio albums, but fans hoping for bonus tracks won’t get any satisfaction.

Instead Universal Music Group, which took over the band’s catalog last year, said on Thursday that 13 of the albums would simply be remastered. Special, undisclosed plans were underway for a 14th album, the band’s 1972 opus “Exile on Main Street,” which will come out later in the year.

No reissue plans were announced for any of the band’s live albums from the the era, such as “Love You Live” and “Stripped,” or its many compilations.

The reissues will roll out in three batches, grouped by the albums’ original release dates, beginning on May 4 with 1971’s “Sticky Fingers,” 1973’s “Goats Head Soup,” 1974’s “It’s Only Rock’n'Roll” and 1976’s “Black And Blue.”

Four albums — 1978’s “Some Girls,” 1980’s “Emotional Rescue,” 1981’s “Tattoo You” and 1983’s “Undercover” — will roll out on June 8.

The final five — 1986’s “Dirty Work,” 1989’s “Steel Wheels,” 1994’s “Voodoo Lounge,” 1997’s “Bridges To Babylon” and 2005’s “A Bigger Bang” will reach stores on July 8.

The band’s previous label, Virgin Records, launched a reissue program in 1994 with deluxe versions of the catalog, from “Sticky Fingers” to “Tattoo You.” While they did not contain bonus tracks, the packaging was designed to mimic the original vinyl releases. The cover of “Sticky Fingers,” for example, contained a working zipper.

Universal officials were not available for comment to discuss specifics of the reissue plan.

The band’s 1960s catalog is owned by former manager Allen Klein’s ABKCO Records, which reissued most of the original albums in 2002.

November 17th, 2008

Keith Richards vs. Mick Jagger, part 96?

Posted by: Belinda Goldsmith

Even if Keith Richards did not vote for Mick Jagger in Rolling Stone magazine’s recent poll of the 100 greatest singers of all time, all is apparently peace and love with rock’s longest-wed couple.

The Rolling Stones guitarist was one of 179 high-profile voters in the survey. They had to choose their top 20 singers in order, and the magazine has published some of the ballots on its Web site (http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/24160218/the_100_greatest_singers_inside_t/photo/1).

Richards’ top pick was Aretha Franklin, who ended up coming in at No. 1 overall. His ballot included the usual suspects: collaborators (George Jones, Toots Hibbert), people whose songs he has covered (Jimmy Cliff, Buddy Holly), and old buddies (Gram Parsons, Tom Waits). And of course, he voted for himself at No. 20.

One glaring omission: his former schoolmate and current bandmate of almost half a century, Mick Jagger, who came in at No. 16 on the overall list.

The so-called “Glimmer Twins” have had their issues in the past, breaking up the band in the 1980s, and even as recently as 2003 an infuriated Richards tried to push Jagger off the stage during a concert in Osaka for no apparent reason.

But Richards’ manager Jane Rose — each member has his own manager — quickly doused any talk of a new rift.

“They are all getting on well,” she wrote via email. “When Keith got the ballot he just thought his vote was for ‘outside’ the family. If Keith Richards did not think Mick was his favorite, they would not be the Glimmer Twins!”

So why the vote for himself? Richards sings two songs at every Stones show, an interlude that usually sends the uncultured masses to the beer stands. For the die-hards, it’s the best thing about the show.

When Q magazine asked Jagger in 1989 if Richards’ voice was one that only a mother could love, he diplomatically sidestepped the issue: “You said that, I didn’t! Ask his mum! Ask Doris! That’s it! I ain’t saying any more!”

If there’s any consolation for Mick, it’s that Keith did not vote for a certain person with whom he has an even more complex relationship, Chuck Berry (No. 41 overall). But that’s another can of worms…

Reporting by Dean Goodman

Photos by Reuters