The Rolling Stones – MICHIGAN MOONSHINE CD

Following a series of classic albums in the early 1970s, the Rolling Stones became a little passé on albums such as Goats Head Soup (1973), Its Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (1974) and Black and Blue (1976).  Curiously, it was the New York City club scene that brought the band out of this slump. 1978’s Some Girls was a timely release, reclaiming some of the glitz and grit missing from their mostly forgettable mid-’70s efforts. Mick’s late nights at Studio 54 translated into a massive chart triumph when combined with the sleazy booze bravado of the prototypical Bowery punks, Keef and Ronnie, and the ensuing tour allowed the band to again marry a creative peak to commercial success. This show, recorded during the ’78 tour at the Masonic Lodge in Detroit, Michigan on July 6th, is a reminder of how it should be. The Stones’ strength is making a 4,000-seat theatre feel like a sweaty, smoky, beer-soaked juke joint, and they achieve it here. At times it’s loose and ugly, but that just makes it so much sweeter when they get it together.