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Trust Weighted
Perfect
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66Trust Points
Wick's Review
Summary - Perfect 5.0
The world’s greatest rock & roll band – at the peak of their powers – glimmers brightly in Hal Ashby’s awkwardly titled movie documenting their massive 1981 stadium tour. Promoting a just released Tattoo You, the 25 song set draws six tracks from that kickass album, along with three from the under-appreciated Some Girls and a pair from the exalted Exile on Main Street, not to mention the usual suspects from the Stones’ deep well of immortal rockers, plus a handful of well chosen covers.
Not a benchmark like Shine a Light, Let’s Spend the Night Together is nonetheless a better party movie than Martin Scorsese’s celebrated 2008 concert film. Ashby’s early 80s movie captures shows that didn’t bear the burden of career retrospective, instead focusing on a handful of albums and the delivery of a good time to stadiums full of partiers.
Oh yeah, Mick, Keith, Ronnie and Charlie were near fortysomethings oh those three decades ago – rock & roll athletes in their prime. Witness Keith huffing fags while slithering into deep knee bends.
Ashby splices in some old-time Stones footage from their then two decade career. But mostly the movie is rock & roll burlesque. Mick, Keef and crew do it well enough for the Devil to get his due. “You kint always git wit you want.” When it comes to rock concerts, with these guys you can.
Random highlights. Full set-list down in Music commentary.
- All Down the Line: tough, tight, titillating
- Speaking of tough, how about the dual lead in Hangfire?
- Even their craven disco single sounds great, speaking of course about Miss You.
- “If you wanna, you can LEAN on me.” When? “When you need a little coke and sympathy.” No band sexes up decadence better than the Stones.
- By the time they get to Start Me Up, they’ve been going for over an hour. Start Me Up – now a stadium standard – made its stadium debut on this tour.
- The Stones ease into a song better than any other band. Witness Tumbling Dice.
- Every Stones fan holds particular affection for Charlie Watts. His double-timing on Satisfaction is a special treat.
Now about that title: Let’s Spend the Night Together has a singular pedigree as the song they bowdlerized on The Ed Sullivan Show and is the second song here. However it’s too long a title, especially for a movie largely shot in the daylight of the blazing Arizona sun. Why not Start Me Up instead? Never stop!
Acting - Perfect 5.0
Ladies and gentlemen, the Bird-Legged Rockstars. Four of ’em.
Mick’s cockette routine gets most of the attention, but Keith holds his own, as his solo strut and head toss on Tumbling Dice proves.
Notice how Keith wears his jeans high and tight. This is worth mention because he was about to marry Patty Hansen, whose legendary Calvin Klein Jeans ad became the archetype of denim clad ass-fection. Everybody thought: What’s she doing with a ravaged rockstar like Keef? Well, he demonstrates here that both members of the couple had perfect denim clad asses.
Whatever deal Keef made with Lucifer must of had a ton of vig on it by then, let alone now.
Male Stars - Perfect 5.0
Female Stars - Perfect 5.0
Female Costars - Perfect 5.0
Male Costars - Perfect 5.0
Film - Really Great 4.5
Track list immediately below in Music.
Direction - Great 4.0
Dialogue - Perfect 5.0
Music - Perfect 5.0
Track list from "Wikipedia":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Spend_the_Night_Together_%28film%29 # _Under My Thumb_ - Tempe, Arizona, 13 December 1981 (outdoor stadium show) [Wick: 1960s chestnut] # _Let's Spend the Night Together_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: A second 60's chestnut to open the show] # _Shattered_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: First _Some Girls_ song, tight and unforgiving] # _Neighbours_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: First _Tattoo You_ song, about Keef getting evicted from his NYC apartment. Who can blame his neighbors?] # _Black Limousine_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: Second _Tattoo You_ song. Ronnie shines.] # _Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: Second _Some Girls_ song, a masterful cover of The Temptations.] # _Twenty Flight Rock_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: Eddie Cochran song. Love hearing the Stones do covers, whether Motown or an important early rock-n-roll song like this.] # _Let Me Go_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 # _Time Is on My Side_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: Early 60s chestnut.] # _Beast of Burden_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: Second _Some Girls_ song, one of the best from that glimmering album.] # _Waiting on a Friend_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: Third _Tattoo You_ song. Sweet.] # _Going to a Go-Go_ - Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 6 November 1981 (indoor arena show) [W: Hard ass cover of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles] # _You Can't Always Get What You Want_ - Meadowlands, 5 November 1981 [W: Rock ballads get no better.] # _Little T&A_ - Meadowlands, 5 November 1981 (indoor arena show) [W: Fourth _Tattoo You_ song, sung by Keith as the unrepentant rockstar.] # _Tumbling Dice_ - Meadowlands, 5 November 1981 [W: _Exile_ makes an appearance with this nonpareil honky-tonk song.] # _She's So Cold_ - Meadowlands, 5 November 1981 [W: One of the few songs worth playing from _Emotional Rescue_.] # _All Down the Line_ - Meadowlands, 5 November 1981 [W: Second _Exile_ song. Rock-n-roll perfection.] # _Hang Fire_ - Meadowlands, 5 November 1981 [W: Fifth _Tattoo You_ song.] # _Miss You_ - Meadowlands, 6 November 1981 [W: Third _Some Girls_ song, this the big single from the album.] # _Let It Bleed_ - Meadowlands, 5 November 1981 [W: Big hits take over from here on out with this demented late 60s classic.] # _Start Me Up_ - Meadowlands, 5 November 1981 [W: Sixth _Tattoo You_ song, this the big single.] # _Honky Tonk Women_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: One of their most memorable songs, performed here with over a hundred women invited on stage as dancing girls.] # _Brown Sugar_ - Meadowlands, 5 November 1981 [W: Another cultural touchstone given its scandalous lyrics.] # _Jumpin' Jack Flash_ - Tempe, 13 December 1981 [W: Iconic Stones] # _Satisfaction_ - Meadowlands, 6 November 1981 [W: The most famous guitar riff in rock combined with clever lyrics makes for a concert classic.] Cue the massive fireworks, played over Jimi's _Star Spangled Banner._ Subversive to the end.Visuals - Perfect 5.0
Edge - Risqué 1.6
Enthusiastically Risqué. They’re the Rolling Stones after all.