I'm listening to the new Lakeland '78 source, which is brilliant. Why was there no '79 European tour?

"The wonder of Jimi Hendrix was that he could stand up at all he was so pumped full of drugs." Patsy, Patsy Stone

[www.iorr.org]

They had problems with Keith and pretty much were sick of it all. They recorded lots of songs so they could release an album every year without having to work. It was retirement time as far as they were concerned, remember they'd been going for 16 years which was rare.

I'd like to hear Gazza's opinion on this. Mine is: The 1976 tour was such a let down after their peak in 1973 that a no 1979 tour was expected by many people in Europe at the time. Many people coming out of the concerts saying they were shit in places like Frankfurt...

florinda Wrote:
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> I'd like to hear Gazza's opinion on this.

See Gazza's post in this thread:
[www.iorr.org]

Thanks erikjjf. Gazza has a point there too..

florinda Wrote:
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> I'd like to hear Gazza's opinion on this. Mine is:
> The 1976 tour was such a let down after their peak
> in 1973 that a no 1979 tour was expected by many
> people in Europe at the time. Many people coming
> out of the concerts saying they were shit in
> places like Frankfurt...


Was that the case in 1976? Ive read that too but I love the boots so... Let down form 1973 is easy to understand. Anybody have reviews from 1976?

They seemed to be much older in 1981 and had totally changed from the 1978 tour, imagewise (Keiths hair, clothes etc) and the music is mature rock n roll. Its the 80s but still, a big change from the punkier band of 1978. Keith angry all the time.

I remember watching the Old Grey Whistle Test (BBC music programme) in 1978 when there was an interview with MJ (it might have been the episode when they showed the Don't Look Back video) and he definitely said that they would tour europe "next year".

florinda Wrote:
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Many people coming
> out of the concerts saying they were shit in
> places like Frankfurt...


The people I've spoken about the tours of 73 and 76 were all very positive. Regarding the news articles from these periodes people didn't seem that negative about the Stones. So can't believe that's the reason why they didn't tour in 79. Some Girls sold very well in Europe as did Miss You, so no reason to think people weren't interested in a European Stones tour at that time.

As far as I remember they had plans to play 3 surprise-gigs in European cities in 1978 before the US-tour (Frankfurt was one of them) but they dropped the idea as the Frankfurt-gig was made public by someone unauthorized. I think they never had any plans to play Europe in 1979.

silkcut

No tour on the back of Dirty Work in 86/87 is the biggest shame for me.
The album may not have been everybody's favourite... but I suspect they'd have been shit hot on stage at that point.

Didn't Mick Jagger say, that some of the group members
were in such a bad shape in 86/87 that they were not able
to crosss the champs elysee without help?

Spud Wrote:
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> No tour on the back of Dirty Work in 86/87 is the
> biggest shame for me.
> The album may not have been everybody's
> favourite... but I suspect they'd have been shit
> hot on stage at that point.


Yes 1982-1989 was a very long stretch without a tour.

twanghound said

"Didn't Mick Jagger say, that some of the group members
were in such a bad shape in 86/87 that they were not able
to crosss the champs elysee without help?"

I hadn't specifically heard that [did it coincide with Charlie's brief departure from the straight and narrow ?]
..but working would probably have sorted them out and there would definately have been an edge, and I suspect a very good live sound at that time.

Referring to French magazine Rock & Folk dating from spring 1978 : they were rumours about Stones shows in England, France and germany on june 78, but it seems, as the Stones wanted to play in small club, they didn’t’t want to take the risk of riot …and didn’t want to draw the attention of authority on the group cause of Keith’ trial coming in the next months

twanghound Wrote:
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> Didn't Mick Jagger say, that some of the group
> members
> were in such a bad shape in 86/87 that they were
> not able
> to crosss the champs elysee without help?


He did. This was a time when Charlie had become a heroin addict (although that wasnt publicly known at the time Mick made that quote) The band's relationships were also at an all-time low.

had they toured behind Dirty Work, it would probably have finished them

Gazza Wrote:
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> twanghound Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Didn't Mick Jagger say, that some of the group
> > members
> > were in such a bad shape in 86/87 that they
> were
> > not able
> > to crosss the champs elysee without help?
>
>
> He did. This was a time when Charlie had become a
> heroin addict (although that wasnt publicly known
> at the time Mick made that quote) The band's
> relationships were also at an all-time low.
>
> had they toured behind Dirty Work, it would
> probably have finished them


That is most probably true (but it also looks like that the Stones sound brilliant when the things are going wrong: Altamant, El Mocambo...) . But I also think The Stones lost some of their best touch during those years of silence (1982-89). They sounded so much different when they finally 'came back' - they re-formed, and cleaned their wild and raw sound, start using people like Chuck Leavell to help forming the arrangements, started to listen their old records, and making one-to-one cöpies of them. I think the change to former was at least as radical as back in 1969, when they created their aggressive, loud guitar driving live package - that defined their sound till 1981/82. If there would have been a tour in mid-80's they wouldn't need to learn to play again, and made such a radical change. And Dirty Work is a mean, guitar driving album - that Steel wheels absolutely is not.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-10-11 19:55 by Doxa.

Wasnt really the playing ability of the guitarists that would have been the problem, though.

A drummer with a heroin addiction is hardly a recipe for a successful tour, nor is the idea of the two main driving forces in the band spending a year on the road with someone who at the time they quite obviously detested.

Gazza Wrote:
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> Wasnt really the playing ability of the guitarists
> that would have been the problem, though.
>
> A drummer with a heroin addiction is hardly a
> recipe for a successful tour, nor is the idea of
> the two main driving forces in the band spending a
> year on the road with someone who at the time they
> quite obviously detested.

Plus, Bill was loathe to cut into his chasing-14-year-olds time. Word is it was even more exhausting than Charlie's heroin addiction.

Only someone who has tried both would be in a position to judge which is the more exhausting.

Now, who's going to confess?

Back to Europe 79. The reports on Franckfurt 76 opening night is from news of the day German TV. As for reports of the Shows being far from brilliant you can take mine from both Cologne concerts plus those from a lot of Spanish musicians to whom I had previously been selling the idea of a Group above the rest (the stones). They saw them in Barcelona 76 and the best comment they made was about the great clothes the group was wearing. I couldn't agree more... I was there, you know?

As far as 1979 was concerned, another factor was (allegedly) Bill Wyman's back injury which he sustained towards the end of the '78 tour. He was on painkillers for sometime and I seem to recall Bill German reporting that it was Wyman who nixed the tour. This could have been a smokescreen, though as all the other suggestions seem equally valid.