December 21, 2011 (New York, NY) -- There was a long list of disappointing reissues and catalog projects this year. From "Achtung Baby" and "SMiLE" to "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne" fans of classic rock have taken a bit of a bath.
The record industry is struggling to survive (and many of us even want it to) and what they have figured out is that real fans love deluxe packages. The more deluxe or super deluxe, the more we love them. Sometimes they feel special, almost like treasure (the Pink Floyd Immersion sets). More often they feel like a bootleg you bought in 1997 and probably even two or three times since (the Beach Boys' SMiLE Sessions).
The recent reissue of the Rolling Stones' "Some Girls" falls somewhere in the middle.
"Some Girls" was without a doubt the last great Stones album. In fact even in 1978 it was the first Stones album in some time that was solid from start to finish. So after the successful marketing campaign around the reissue of the bands' "Exile On Main Street" album last year (which even turned out a largely successful expanded album and documentary about the making of that masterpiece) I was excited that the band was tackling "Some Girls" even though that meant reissues of "Beggar's Banquet", "Let It Bleed" and "Sticky Fingers" would have to wait.
Unfortunately this is another dog of a reissue. The remaster of the original album is clean and clear and full, and it's head and shoulders above the last Virgin and EMI versions, but it is also mastered so loudly and compressed so much that it removes much of the dynamics that made the original vinyl version so powerful. And the bonus tracks are really nothing more than throwaways.
Sure, it's nice to hear the Stones throw down some roots rock. I've got several bootlegs from the "Some Girls"-era and it was certainly a fertile period for the band, with loads of interesting jams and ideas and rockabilly workouts. But considering Mick and Keith recently tinkered with these tracks to get them up to snuff I was expecting more than just a few songs that I wouldn't listen to more than a couple of times (if that).
However, the Blu-ray/DVD "Some Girls Live In Texas '78" looks and sounds great. Every avid Stones fan will already have a bootleg of this in some format or another. But this version (especially the Blu-ray) is all cleaned up and certainly looks as good as live video from 1978 can look.
And the Stones are in great form. Why this is a separate release (except in the even more pointless super deluxe package), in the same way as the "Making of Exile" documentary that was released around the time of the "Exile" reissue, is beyond me. In fact, just skip the "Some Girls" reissue (assuming of course that you already have this core classic rock album) and pick up the Blu-ray, crank the volume and rock the holiday house.
This article is copyright 2011 by Jeff Slate. No part may be reprinted or referenced without permission and/or attribution. All rights reserved.
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