"Black And Blue" by THE ROLLING STONES – April 1976 UK and US Album on Rolling Stones Records featuring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts with Guests Harvey Mandel and Wayne Perkins on Guitars, Billy Preston and Nicky Hopkins on Keyboards and Backing Vocals with Ian Stewart with Ollie Brown on Percussion (June 1994 UK Virgin CD Remaster by Bob Ludwig vs. May 2009 Polydor CD Remaster by Stephen Marcussen) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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If it weren't for the abomination that is their cover version of Eric Donaldson's Reggae song "Cherry Oh Baby" on Side 1 (a serious pet hate for me in the entirety of their formidable catalogue) - I would actually consider April 1976's "Black And Blue" to be as close to perfect a Rolling Stones 70ts album as you can get. 

For sure it's not the mighty "Let It Bleed", "Sticky Fingers" or "Exile On Main St." - but then what is. But "Black And Blue" is an album that had taken the Funk and Soul influences that had crept into 1973's "Goats Head Soup" and even elements of 1974's "It's Only Rock 'N Roll" and given it full flourish. Stuff like "Hey Negrita" and "Hot Stuff" were a revelation to me when I heard them first - the Stones smartly catching the Funk, Soul and Jazz Funk vibes of the time and stretching their sound out to accommodate them. And "Melody" had a sass and sway about it too. But white boys doing Reggae never did quite work for me outside of say the Ska rhythms of Two Tone that would come at the end of that fantastic decade. 

Plus the non-crammed vinyl record sounded 'brilliant' - produced like a kicking mule - which is not something you could ever have accused "Goat's Head Soup" of. And I thought the ballad "Fool To Cry" to be magical (and still do). But what CD variant of this 8-track genre-melt do you buy? 

1. Hot Stuff [Side 1]
2. Hand Of Fate 
3. Cherry Oh Baby 
4. Memory Hotel
5. Hey Negrita [Side 2]
6. Melody 
7. Fool To Cry
8. Crazy Mama 
Tracks 1 to 8 are their album "Black And Blue" – released 20 April 1976 in the UK and USA on Rolling Stones Records COC 59106 and COC 79104 respectively. Produced by The Glimmer Twins – it peaked at No. 1 in the USA and No. 2 in the UK. 

Rolling Stones - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts - were joined by Guests included guitarists Harvey Mandel and Wayne Perkins with Keyboardist and Vocalist Billy Preston, Keyboardist Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart with Ollie Brown on Percussion.

There are maybe four or even five remasters in total, but two I think worth it and easy to access. The first is the 1999 Virgin issue and the second – he more commonly available 2009 Polydor variant. 

June 1994 saw two reissues using the UK original master tapes – the Standard CD Edition on Virgin CDV 2736 (Barcode 724383952021) and a Collector’s Edition on Virgin CDVX 2736 (Barcode 724383949922) issued in a stickered outer plastic slipcase with Original Album Packaging repro’d in Mini LP form on the inside – the 1976 gatefold and its track-by-track credits inner sleeve (41:25 minutes). Renowned Audio Engineer BOB LUDWIG carried out the Remaster at Gateway Mastering using the UV22 Super CD Encoding Process (created by Apogee Electronics in California). 

The second came with the May 2009 Remaster on Polydor/Rolling Stones Records 0602527015613 (Barcode 602527015613) housed in a Super Jewel Case with a CD booklet. Part of The Rolling Stones Remasters Series (all done by STEPHEN MARCUSSEN), it plays to 41:21 minutes, has a Lips Sticker on the case and there is no Collector’s Edition. 

The Virgin issues are both deleted and not surprisingly the Collector’s Edition garnishes a cost – none too unreasonable though as it regularly sells for somewhere between twelve and sixteen UK pounds. The Polydor issues (part of The Rolling Stones Remasters Series) have sold for as little as a fiver or somewhere below seven quid and are easily available. Japan has weighed in with SACD issues, Flat Transfer SHM-CD and Platinum SHM-CDs in presentation boxes and on it goes (I hated the Platinum variant of Sticky Fingers that used a flat transfer so I avoided the rest). 

The Virgin issue has extraordinary vitality – the rhythms and flicks and vocals shouts leaping out of your speakers. As guest guitarist Harvey Mandel takes the sole Lead Guitar on the Side 1 opener "Hot Stuff" (a young virtuoso, he had played slide with Blues artists like Canned Heat and Charlie Musselwhite before starting a solo career in 1968) – the power is undeniably huge. He flicks sexy rhythms as a back beat then overlaying that with funky Jeff Beck Blow By Blow moments. Jagger sings he can't get enough and neither can I. Back to proper Stones fare with the superb "Hand Of Fate" - Keith back at the guitar reins with help from Manassas whizz-kid Wayne Perkins on the solo (a stunner). I love this kind of Stones swagger (watched him die, watch out boy) - they seem to make something out of nothing and it somehow comes up peaches and cream. 

Long-time sessionman Nicky Hopkins provides the keyboards for "Cherry Oh Baby" but I quickly skip to the oddly touching "Memory Hotel" - it's seven-minutes and ten seconds feeling epic in all the best Stones way. Billy Preston plays String Synthesizer; Wayne Perkins plays Acoustic with Harvey Mandel on Electric - while Billy, Keith, Ronnie Wood and Mick all provide backing vocals. Sang a song to me - Jagger remembers - stuck right in my brain. I also love that 'she got a mind of her own and she uses it well...' off the cuff line from Keith as a counter melody. The audio is superb. Used to mean so much to me – it still does. 

The sloppy Joe signature sound of Ronnie Wood combined with Keef gives the fantastic "Hey Negrita" (apparently a nickname for Jagger's wife) - Billy Preston dropping in those off-the-cuff piano fills that just so work. Stevie Wonder's percussionist Ollie Brown is in their too shuffling with Charlie Watts. But its Wood who slots in like a glove - catching the groove - as Jagger hollers just a momentita - one last dollar - then we go - fantastic stuff. Mick Jagger is credited with 'foot stomp' on the jazzy New Orleans sleaze that is the Saturday Night of "Melody" - Arif Mardin arranging a genius horn section towards the finish while Billy Preston slips in superb second vocals. 

We race to the finish with a double-whammy of greatness that puts the album up there for me - the poor-me tear-fest "Fool To Cry" and the boozy riffage of "Crazy Mama". Even today, I can still recall the chills that went up my arms when I first heard "Fool To Cry" - the Nicky Hopkins and Mick Jagger synth and piano combo - its words nailing me to some lonesome mast or other - the Stones are like that. The ball and chain sawn-off shotgun pound of "Crazy Mama" is still a mule kicker and easily as good as say "Start Me Up" – just not as famous.

The 2009 Polydor Remaster (which I also own) is fantastically clear and fulsome, but somehow there's a softer naturality to the 1994 version that keeps bringing me back to it. But if you are on a budget, either will do in truth. 

"Black And Blue" is a great Seventies Stones album for me. "It makes me wonder why...daddy you're a fool to cry..." Well, I don't care if I do look like a nit after all these decades of Glimmer Twins & Co worship, because this is one I want to cry about...