On this day in 1996, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus film finally saw its commercial release.
Initially intended as a means of promoting the Rolling Stones' 1968 album Beggars Banquet on British television, this unmissable concert movie was put together in December that year and features a host of talent including Jethro Tull, the Who, Taj Mahal and Marianne Faithful.
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is infamous for a number of reasons. Sadly, it was the last time founder Brian Jones would appear with the band due to his untimely death the following July.
Riddled with controversy, the production was withheld from being aired on the BBC by the Stones as they deemed their performance unsatisfactory.
Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg revisited the abandoned project in 1992 but aborted his mission when it was discovered that key footage was missing.
Miraculously, further material was unearthed the following year in the Who’s private archive by producers Michael Gochanour and Robin Klein who finalized the cut that was eventually released on this day in 1996.
A particular highlight of The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is the performance of the Beatles’ “Yer Blues” (from their eponymous 1968 LP known as the White Album) by John Lennon’s supergroup the Dirty Mac.
Comprising Lennon on vocals and rhythm guitar, Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Keith Richards on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, this short-lived dream team delivers a truly unforgettable rendition.
Lennon’s searing vocals and Clapton’s masterful lead work using his 1964 Gibson ES-335 semi-hollow render the performance extraordinary.
Bolstered by a stellar rhythm section, this one-off show by the Dirty Mac is the stuff of rock and roll legend.
Order The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus here.
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