Single review: THE ROLLING STONES – In the Stars/Rough and Twisted

I went to a gig in a record shop and as I was waiting for the artist to come on, I spied the new Stones single In The Stars, so it was my duty to buy it wasn’t it. I’ve been digging these cats since I was seven years old and have to buy whatever they release, good or bad.

I bunged the B side on first, Rough And Twisted and man I was living in a technicolour world again. The boys were back in town. Slide guitar, harmonica, honky tonk piano, raw Keith riffs, old school Jagger vocal melody, loosy goosy drumming. I’ve been saying to my long suffering wife for years, why don’t they just go back their roots and do blues and country, instead of all the cliched corporate rock they have been churning out. Of course they have done a bit of that over the years, but this is what I have been talking about. It is classic Stones, and for me the best thing I’ve heard since Start Me Up. Its even got a Jimmy Miller type production on it. New producer Andrew Watt is a clever boy, bringing out the best in the band and taking the production sound back to their best era.

I started with the B side because I had heard In The Stars a few times, and watched the video last night too. A clever A I creation with the Stones looking at their best mid 70’s torn and frayed selves. Some young people might even think this is what they look like now, believe me darling – it isn’t. But the song, well it reminds me of Saint Of Me, probably my favourite song off Bridges To Babylon, got a good vocal melody, some good hard riffing and builds steadily with some backing vocals taking it to that extra level, like the ooh oohs on Sympathy For The Devil. I’ll take it against Angry With Me any day.

But it’s Rough And Twisted for me, and I know there are at least a couple more songs like this on the upcoming album Foreign Tongues out on June 10th. *****

Review by Andy Sharrocks

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