Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by LWR (A) on September 08, 2004 at 08:44:28

The Good Word From Bob Merlis.....

ROCK HISTORY UNDER THE BIG TOP: ORIGINAL ROLLING STONES LINEUP, THE WHO,
JOHN LENNON, ERIC CLAPTON. JETHRO TULL, TAJ MAHAL, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, YOKO
ONO, BONUS FEATURES, EXTRAS

STONES¹ OCIRCUS¹ FINALLY SET TO ROLL ON DVD

ABKCO Records will release the legendary Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
for the first time on DVD October 12th. Filmed before a live audience at
Intertel VTR Services Limited, a North London TV studio in 1968, Rock and
Roll Circus was originally conceived as a BBC TV special but it never aired.
Rock and Roll Circus was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and centers on the
original line up of the Rolling Stones ­ Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian
Jones, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts (with Nicky Hopkins and Rocky Dijon)
who serve as both the show¹s hosts and featured attraction. The ³World¹s
Greatest Rock and Roll Band² is seen and heard performing six Stones
classics-to-be: ³Jumping Jack Flash,² ³Parachute Woman,² ³No Expectations,²
³You Can¹t Always Get What You Want,² ³Sympathy For The Devil² and ³Salt of
The Earth.²

The program also includes full length musical performances by The Who,
Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithful, Yoko Ono as well as The Dirty
Mac, a group that was the first musical context in which John Lennon
performed before an audience outside The Beatles. The Dirty Mac was Eric
Clapton (lead guitar), The Rolling Stones¹ own Keith Richards (bass) and
Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience (drums) with Lennon on guitar
and vocals. A mirthful conversation between Jagger and Lennon to introduce
The Dirty Mac finds them referring to each other as ³Winston² and ³Michael²
with Jagger affecting a convincingly flat American accent and Lennon
referring to himself as ³Winston Leg-Thigh.²

The main program, first issued on video in 1995, runs 65 minutes. ABKCO¹s
new DVD version includes numerous additional bonus elements with the main
program now remixed in 5.1 surround sound. The source for the DVD is a new
digital transfer from the original 16mm negatives.

Newly recorded audio commentaries by Jagger, Richards and Wyman as well as
Ono, Jethro Tull¹s Ian Anderson, Faithfull, Mahal, Lindsay-Hogg and Anthony
B. Richmond who was director of photography on Rock and Roll Circus are
included. Additional commentary from journalist David Dalton who covered
the original December 11-12, 1968 filming for Rolling Stone plus original
audience member David Stark who was 13 years old at the time of the Rock and
Roll Circus sessions. Heretofore unseen footage from the two marathon days
and nights of shooting include a backstage encounter between Jagger, Lennon
and Ono and a previously unseen alternate take four screen version (³quad
split²) of Dirty Mac¹s performance of the Beatles ³Yer Blues² are among the
many extra features. Three additional Taj Mahal songs from the original
session plus a 2004 on-screen interview with The Who¹s Pete Townshend are
included. Footage of various circus performances, a still photo gallery
and two classical performances by Julius Katchen are DVD extras as is the
Fat Boy Slim remix of ³Sympathy For The Devil.²

Michael Lindsay-Hogg is the pioneering music video director behind The
Beatles¹ Let It Be feature film and many of the Rolling Stones¹ seminal
video clips. During the course of his more than 40 year career, he has
directed specials for Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, Paul Simon and The
Who and was director of the ³Brideshead Revisited² TV series. Tony Richmond
is the veteran cinematographer whose feature film credits include ³The Kids
Are Alright,² featuring The Who; ³The Man Who Fell To Earth,² starring David
Bowie and Jean Luc Goddard¹s ³Sympathy For The Devil² that ABKCO released on
DVD last year.

Rock and Roll Circus was produced for DVD by the same ABKCO team that
produced the Grammy ® winning Sam Cooke: Legend. Suggested retail list
price for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus DVD is $19.98.

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (main program, performances)

1. Song For Jeffrey ­ Jethro Tull
2. A Quick One While He¹s Away ­ The Who
3. Something Better ­ Marianne Faithfull
4. Ain¹t That A Lot of Love ­ Taj Mahal
5. Yer Blues ­ The Dirty Mac
6. Whole Lotta Yoko ­ Yoko Ono & Ivry Gitlis with The Dirty Mac Band
7. Jumping Jack Flash ­ Rolling Stones
8. Parachute Woman ­ Rolling Stones
9. No Expectations ­ Rolling Stones
10. Sympathy For The Devil ­ Rolling Stones
11. Salt Of The Earth ­ Rolling Stones

DVD extras include

Checkin¹ Up On My Baby ­ Taj Mahal
Corina ­ Taj Mahal
Leavin¹ Trunk ­ Taj Mahal
Ritual Fire Dance ­ Julius Katchen
Sonata In C, First Movement ­ Julius Katchen
Yer Blues (alternate version) ­ The Dirty Mac
Backstage footage ­ Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Yoko Ono
Sympathy For The Devil ­ Fat Boy Slim Remix
Interview - Pete Townshend
Still photo gallery

Audio commentaries:
Mick Jagger
Ian Anderson
Taj Mahal
Yoko Ono
Bill Wyman
Keith Richards
Michael Lindsey-Hogg
Anthony B. Richmond
Marianne Faithful
David Stark
David Dalton