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JEM Records Celebrates
Jagger & Richards
(Various Artists)
2024 JEM Records (CD/VINYL)
Limited Edition Purple Vinyl!
US ORDERS
LP: $24.99 free US s/h
US ORDERS
Autographed LP:
$29.99 free US s/h
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS
LP: $24.99 plus int'l s/h
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS
Autographed LP:
$29.99 plus int'l s/h
Also available on CD
Also in the series:
JEM Records Celebrates John Lennon on CD and Vinyl
JEM Records Celebrates Brian Wilson CD
JEM Records Celebrates Pete Townsend on CD and Vinyl
JEM Records Celebrates Ray Davies on CD and Vinyl
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Mention the names and a slew of thoughts immediately spring to mind. The driving forces behind—and the faces of—the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band. Jagger the preening, stage prowling frontman shouting/drawling the blues. Richards his “elegantly wasted” foil on the six-string, doling out those patented, perfectly updated Chuck Berry licks. The onetime bad boys of the British Invasion. Mick and Keith are all these things and a hell of a lot more.
But let’s not gloss over what may be Jagger and Richards’ not-so-secret ace in the hole: they were one hell of a songwriting team. Writing tunes together and separately but always crediting the results to “Jagger/Richards” (shades of their Fab contemporaries, John and Paul), their catalog is deep, varied, and immensely entertaining.
Which is why we’re here, of course. The good folks from the JEM stable of artists have given a baker’s dozen worth of Stones classics and deep cuts a fresh coat of sonic paint, paying homage to the songwriting genius of Mick and Keith while simultaneously giving their songs a swift little boot in the ass.
Several of the song pairings here are particularly inspired: hearing the Cynz apply a bit of spirited punky raunch to the already lyrically smutty “Star Star” is perfect, for example, while the two contributions from everyone’s fave psych-pop heroes the Grip Weeds are just what the doctor ordered. (They play “Dandelion” relatively sweet and straight while transforming “We Love You” into a veritable aural feast, with all-over-the-map vocal harmonies, sharp-edged guitar, and some typically fantastic Kurt Reil drum breaks.)
One of the Jagger/Richards songwriting tandem’s fortes around 1966/1967 was crafting some delectable pure pop ditties that rivaled anything else being produced at the time. Some of these were released as singles (such as the US number one “Ruby Tuesday”), while others languished in relative obscurity as album cuts (“Connection”). Nick Piunti offers a faithful rendition of the former here, while the Anderson Council’s reading of the latter is one of the disc’s highlights. And speaking of pure pop, the King of Power Pop, Paul Collins, is onboard for the ride with a wonderful version of “Tell Me,” and the Weeklings combine Stonesy swagger, guitar crunch and their signature sweet vocals on a sublime “Rocks Off.”
The landscape is dotted with high points throughout, so the listener can choose their poison, whether it’s a Rolling Stones classic such as “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”—beautifully arranged and performed by the High Frequencies, fronted by pop songstress Lisa Mychols—or rarely heard nuggets like “Don’t Stop” (originally included on 2002’s Forty Licks compilation), which Johnathan Pushkar transforms into a readymade pop classic.
As this is being written Jagger, Richards and the rest of the Stones are preparing to hit the road yet again, with the tour being sponsored by—wait for it—AARP. So as they continue on their 60-plus-year journey as a band and head into the twilight of their career (with Jagger and Richards both now past age 80), it’s refreshing to hear these artists they inspired breathing new life into the Rolling Stones’ material—material that will rightfully live forever. And I like it, like it, yes, I do.
–John M. Borack, Contributing Editor, Goldmine Magazine
The Grip Weeds recorded both sides of the Stones' 1967 single "We Love You" b/w "Dandelion" especially for this release.
Mastered by Kurt Reil at The House Of Vibes; Many of the tracks were also recorded and mixed there by Kurt Reil.
Track Listing
1. Jumpin’ Jack Flash / The Midnight Callers
2. Citadel / The Anderson Council
3. Dandelion / The Grip Weeds
4. Tell Me / Paul Collins
5. Too Tight / The Airport 77s
6. Ruby Tuesday /Nick Piunti
7. Star Star / The Cynz
8. We Love You / The Grip Weeds
9. Rocks Off / The Weeklings
10. Connection / The Anderson Council
11. Don’t Stop / Johnathan Pushkar
12. Let’s Spend The Night Together / The Gold Needles
13. You Can’t Always Get What You Want / The High Frequencies