The Stones at the Marquee

It's a great shame... 

...that the Mick Taylor years, during which the Stones acquired their reputation as the "greatest rock & roll band in the World", and variants thereof, are so poorly documented in terms of official live material.

Of course, there was the indispensable "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!", released in 1970, but it would be another 41 years before more Taylor-era live recordings would get a legit release. In this case it was 1973's "Brussels Affair" and it appeared in various formats - first as a digital download in 2011, then vinyl and CD sets, and finally as a bonus disc with the "Goats Head Soup" deluxe re-release.

Many fans already had most of this material, as it had been circulating as a variety of good quality bootlegs for years, after being officially broadcast on the "King Biscuit Flour Hour". However, its eventual release ensured that a complete show - actually culled from the day's two Brussels shows - could now be heard in the best available quality. As for the performance itself, it's very fine indeed and is many people's favourite Stones live show of this or, for some, any other era.

Fortunately, it didn't stop there.

A couple of Taylor-era shows were eventually released - Leeds University and the Marquee Club, both from 1971. The Leeds show was released as part of the "Sticky Fingers" Super Deluxe edition bonus material, whilst the Marquee show got a release all of its own as part of the Stones' Vault Collection. 

Although the Leeds show is very good, the Marquee gig is even better and documents the band performing in a small club. It took place a month before "Sticky Fingers" was released and a few of the "new" songs are featured, as they were in the short UK tour they'd just finished, and during which the Leeds show was one of the ports of call. 

It's interesting to consider that these songs were the first new compositions played live by the second Stones line up. They'd previously been reliant on old material and the vast majority of songs played had never featured Taylor originally. It's almost as if there's a missing studio album in the Stones' timeline - one which features all new material recorded very soon after Taylor joined, and which could have then been toured earlier in his tenure.

The Marquee gig, which was professionally filmed, was obviously a promo show for the "Sticky Fingers" album, with "Brown Sugar", "Bitch", "Dead Flowers" and "I Got the Blues" taken from it and given a live airing. The release also features different takes of a couple of these songs, as the film seems to have been destined for wider consumption. Although it premiered on German TV in 1971, I can't find any reference to it being broadcast in either the US or UK at that time. The whole thing was then shelved for 44 years. It seems a lot of trouble to go to just to get a one-off TV screening in Germany.

The Marquee gig is pretty unique as it shows a band already committed to stadium tours but quite at home in the sort of club they'd play when first starting out. In this intimate setting, everyone seems relaxed and happy, whilst also being totally immersed in their own and each other's performance. Jagger's playing to the audience makes more sense as he'd have been able to actually see them and he sings very well. Keef seems very together, and he and Mick Taylor play off each other beautifully: a legacy of recent touring, perhaps? Bill is just Bill and plays simply what's needed. Charlie's good tonight, in'ee? Also in tow are Ian Stuart on piano, Nicky Hopkins on keys, Bobby Keys on sax and Jim Price on horns.

The size of the venue means that there aren't any long shots showing the whole stage, so it's all up close and personal, with Mick and Keef to the fore, Taylor occasionally shown, and Bill and Charlie not figuring that much at all. It's still a great video, though!

All in all, it's an excellent package with great sound - there seem to be no post-production overdubs - and sharp video.  The original release came with DVD video and CD audio recordings, along with a few bonuses in the form of alternate takes and a BBC video of "Brown Sugar".

With their own mobile studio on call, there are bound to have been more Taylor-era shows recorded. Five tracks from a 1971 gig at London's Roundhouse were released, along with the Leeds Uni gig, in the bonus material on the Super Deluxe reissue of "Sticky Fingers".

On offer here is the video and audio content of the Vault Collection release along with artwork scans. Just answer a simple question in the comment section below and linkage will appear as if by magic.

This really is live Stones at its finest!