Black & Blue - THE ROLLING STONES***

Hot Stuff/Hand Of Fate/Cherry Oh Baby/Memory Motel/Hey Negrita/Melody/Fool To Cry/Crazy Mama

Black & Blue featured a change of personnel for The Rolling Stones with former Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood replacing Mick Taylor. Unfortunately it is another lacklustre album, that features Fool To Cry, a top ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic. (US:1 UK:2)

“Black & Blue would be the beginning of The Rolling Stones adapting to the musical styles of the day. This album would find them drifting toward 70s classic rock. Is it a great album? The answer is no. It contains no real weak or strong cuts and in many ways deserves to be somewhat overlooked and forgotten in their catalogue.”

“This is a whole new direction for the Stones with Taylor gone. It is more pop and less bluesy and hard rock, They never were the same after he left, nevertheless this was a good effort.”

“Black & Blue was the first album in which Ronnie Wood replaced Mick Taylor. Musically the Stones were no longer the same band, the vocal posturing had become a parody of itself, the ceaseless riffing had become rudimentary and flat. They had run out of gas with material that lacked energy, and were simply slapping yet another one down to keep the concern afloat, and satisfy their legion of eager fans whom they were discovering would just about support anything.”

“There are too many styles of music being played here and a lot of the songs feel underdeveloped. However, this album definitely has its moments.” “What a sad record. No inspiration or imagination, they just plop out eight songs that sound like they think they should sound, and the results are borderline embarrassing. Hand Of Fate is the best by a mile, the rest vary from mediocre to instantly forgettable.”

“Black & Blue might be one of the more forgettable Stones albums, but it is definitely an entertaining one. The band is experimenting with different genres, whether it is disco, reggae or soul, which always grabs the interest of the listener.”

“When did The Rolling Stones turn into a parody of themselves? Mick sounds like he's trying to do his funniest Jagger imitation. There are a few decent tracks here, but not many.”