The Rolling Stones – Black and Blue Rolling Stones Records COC 59106 (1976)
Black and Blue is something of the black sheep of 1970s Stones albums. There are no classic tunes to be found, and the songwriting in general just doesn’t impress. Yet, there is something to say about these simplistic yet gritty jams. Iggy Pop once gave an interview where he commented about his own most recent record being stupid rock music and sometimes you just need stupid rock music. Well, Black and Blue is precisely that kind of stupid rock music! The jams are often quite danceable, especially those with a disco flavor, and work out all right with the help of a rotating cast of guitarists. This one plays best as mood music, background music. If that’s not what you want, it’s time to look elsewhere. You wouldn’t even have to look far, because two years later Some Girls took the stylistically varied approach of this album and combined it with more focused songwriting to generally more acclaim.