The Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (2009 Edition)
This little time-capsule bursts forth out of the speakers just as you would expect – with gritty sound quality and druggy edginess. It is a proper mess, in other words. The late, great Lester Bangs had a few things to say about it (see the liner notes for that.) He recognized the timeless value of this, the “greatest” rock-n-roll band of their era. He had heard their previous live release, plus at least one bootleg. And he dug this one best. Do we still care at this point? Sure, we do. It’s a quaint slice of history at the very least. It’s also the birth of arena rock. It’s Altamont and death from misadventure at what is essentially an indulgence. It’s all fun and games ‘till someone gets stabbed during “Sympathy for the Devil.”
This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2010.