The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus

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EDITORIAL REVIEWS The multimedia show that the Stones hosted in December '68 and later shelved (reportedly unhappy with their own performance), featuring the absolute cream of the crop of British rock witness this list of songs and artists: Yer Blues; Whole Lotta Yoko The Dirty Mac (John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards); A Quick One the Who; Song for Jeffrey Jethro Tull; Something Better Marianne Faithfull, and Jumping Jack Flash; Sympathy for the Devil; Salt of the Earth; Parachute Woman; No Expectations , and You Can't Always Get What You Want Rolling Stones. AMAZON.COM Conceived in late-'60s London, this literal three-ring would-be "television spectacular" featuring the Stones and a select cadre of friends and associates became (along with the Beach Boys' Smile album and Bob Dylan's Albert Hall concert) one of the era's greatest unreleased projects. When it finally surfaced in the late '90s, those overinflated expectations all but guaranteed it a tepid response. Legend has it that the Stones originally nixed it because they felt overshadowed by the Who, but it's likely the shelving had more to do with the band's then-unsettled state of affairs. The Stones' raw, powerful set here both bridges the first Stones era with what was essentially the swan song of band's ill-fated cofounder Brian Jones, who would be fired for ongoing substance-abuse problems. (That really took some doing in a band that also featured Keith Richards!) Also notable is the one-time-only teaming of John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Richards, and Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell (as "The Dirty Mac") for a long, loud, and lugubrious workout of Lennon's "White Album" standout "Yer Blues." --Jerry McCulley