Rolling Stones fans...LEGENDARY Mick Taylor-era bootleg "Brussels Affair" gets official release

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Rolling Stones Officially Release ‘The Brussels Affair’ Bootleg

by: Billy Dukes



The Rolling Stones have officially opened an online archive of photos, video and unreleased music, and their first offering is amongst the most coveted pieces of Stones memorabilia not really available. ‘The Brussels Affair’ is now officially for sale at StonesArchive.com.

Rolling Stones diehards may have some version of this album, which has also gone by names like ‘Europe 73′ on the bootleg market. The newly opened archive reports those versions often included tracks from other dates on the 1973 tour, not just songs from the legendary show in Brussels. This version is taken “from the original multi-track masters recorded by Andy Johns on the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.”

Fans of the band who weren’t alive or able to see or hear Keith Richards and Mick Taylor bounce guitar licks off of each other get to do so plenty on this album. There are 15 songs, including an 11 minute long version of ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ and an almost 13 minute long version of ‘Midnight Rambler.’ One can hear samples of each of the songs at the Stones Archive store.

At a time when other bands are gouging fans on re-releases of classic music, the $4.99 price tag is a pleasant surprise. The Rolling Stones Archive shows plenty of promise; more rare merchandise, never-before-seen films and unheard music are expected in coming months.

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rolling-stones-brussels-affair-official-bootleg/

The first item the band are releasing is the long-awaited download of a legendary 1973 concert, recorded at the Forest National in Belgium. Long hailed by die-hard Stones fans as one of the band's greatest live performances, The Brussels Affair has been a mainstay in the underground music world for years. The original bootlegs, sold under such titles as Europe 73, Bedspring Symphony and Brussels Affair, were cobbled together from assorted radio broadcasts, including the syndicated radio programme King Biscuit Flower Hour, and usually contained songs performed at other venues. The new edition, pulled exclusively from the two Brussels gigs, was taken from the original multi-track masters recorded by Andy Johns on the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Longtime Stones collaborator Bob Clearmountain applied the final mix.

Brussels was the penultimate stop on a European tour that the Stones embarked upon in the autumn of 1973 to promote the album Goats Head Soup. At the time, the Stones were by far the biggest stars on the planet, and the 21-city tour was met by ecstatic crowds, causing the band to frequently perform two shows a day, as they did at the Forest National arena in Brussels. Despite the frenetic pace, the road trip yielded some of the band's greatest music on stage.

The Brussels Affair captures that greatness. From the opening chords of "Brown Sugar" to the closing crescendo of "Street Fighting Man", the Stones were firing on all cylinders: Keith and Charlie churning out a locomotive-like rhythm section (can any song be played faster than this rendition of "Rip This Joint"?), Mick Taylor delivering a barrage of blistering leads, and Jagger growling and grinding in his blue-sequined best.

Although the Stones began readying a live album of the show for commercial release, the idea was ultimately shelved - a tragedy given the ferocity of the set and the definitive live versions of Stones classics that it presents. Fortunately, that has all changed today. If there was one Rolling Stones bootleg that needed to find its way into the mainstream, Brussels '73 was it.

http://stonesarchive.com/

[hifiguy]

1. The Mick Taylor era was the acme of the Stones.

Hands down the best lead guitarist the band ever had. I loves me some Mick Taylor.

[Gold Metal Flake]

2. Agreed. I will D/L this this evening.

[OriginalGeek]

3. yessirree

tagging so I can find this again when I get home.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

4. You'll be glad you did...this does not sound like a bootleg at all.

It is basically "Get Yer Ya Yas Out" with Taylor no longer the "new kid," but a seasoned member of the band.

Jagger is RABID, at the top of his powers, snarling and howling, and so is Keith. The version of "Happy" will bludgeon you into a state of bliss.

I have heard other versions of this concert. But as the links I posted state, this one was approved by the Stones, minted from the original master tapes, and it just ROARS.

And the price is right.

:toast:

[Beer Snob-50]

5. I saw Mick Taylor earlier this year on a solo tour of America

It was an hour and half of awesome blues! The band had a case of jet lag (I think they just flew in that day) but it was still awesome.