It’s 1977. The peace and love generation has long been extinct (ever since the brutal stabbing at the Stones' Altamont concert in 1969). In the underground scene, teenagers have traded in their flowers, beads and face paint for purple Mohawks, Doc Martens and safety pins. Meanwhile, the mainstream is experiencing a transformation of its own. Disco is monopolizing radio stations.
Donna Summer has just recorded "I Feel Love." Saturday Night Fever is the number one film at the box office all over the world. The hedonistic cocaine culture of Studio 54 has attracted a diverse clientele: Liza Minelli, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Salvador Dali, Martha Graham and the bad boy of rock and roll, Mick Jagger.
Even though the Rolling Stones' appeal has been waning for several years - Keith's drug busts have become legendary and legitimately threatens the band's existence; Ron Wood has replaced guitarist Mick Taylor; and Mick Jagger has become a slave to fashion - the band enters the studio to record new material.
In 1978, the Stones released Some Girls, which went a long way toward restoring their reputation and appeal, particularly among the younger generation. Behind the successful singles "Miss You" and "Beast of Burden," it reached #1 on the U.S. charts and #2 in the U.K. At the time of its recording, Jagger claims to have been influenced by punk, disco and New York City:
"The inspiration for the record was really based in New York and the ways of the town. I think that gave it an extra spur and hardness. And then, of course, there was the punk thing that had started in 1976. Punk and disco were going on at the same time, so it was quite an interesting period."
The reissue of Some Girls is due out November 21st and will feature twelve bonus tracks, including the song "No Spare Parts." The tune was discovered by producer Don Was and tells the story of a trip from Los Angeles to San Antonio. Mick Jagger plays electric piano, while Keith Richards is on acoustic piano, Ron Wood on pedal steel guitar, Charlie Watts on drums and Bill Wyman on bass.
Comments