Sticky Fingers: 0 out of 5 Stars… Wait, what?

Sat, 01/12/2008 - 1:33pm by John J. Madonna

In Rolling Stone’s review of The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers, critic and future Bruce Springsteen manager Jon Landau gave the number one album containing “Brown Sugar,” “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’,” and “Wild Horses” zero out of five stars. But in fact, reading the text of the review, he writes, “The low points aren't that low, but the high points, with one exception, aren't that high,” which sounds more like a two- or three-star record. Nonetheless, he gives—in his mind—an okay record a scathing rating, because The Rolling Stones here are not The Rolling Stones he knows and loves.

The Stones waxed this record in 1971. Back in ‘69, they ousted their lead guitarist Brian Jones due to his debilitating drug addiction (soon afterward, he drowned in his pool,) their concert at Altamont Speedway culminated with the murder of a spectator by their hired security force/motorcycle gang the Hells Angels, and The Beatles disbanded (though no one would know it until 1970.) As a result, twenty-year-old guitar prodigy Mick Taylor, who’d been playing with John Mayall since seventeen, signed on. Altamont is the oft-cited end of the love fest (or illusion thereof) that was the sixties. And The Stones were introduced in concert as “The World’s Greatest Rock And Roll Band,” an undisputed title they earned, of course, through forfeiture.

The Beatles dominated The Stones (and everyone) in popularity, but each record one band released would outdo the other’s last record. The Stones had serious blues roots, but they, along with The Fab Four, experimented and toyed with new music, culminating with ‘67’s Their Satanic Majesties Request. Their ’68 and ’69 records moved back to blues, but kept elements of psychedelia, folk, country, and plenty of uniqueness. But without their creative rivals, The 70s Stones stopped growing musically. They dabbled in reggae, funk, and disco, but these moves felt less like pushing the envelope and more like attempts to stay relevant in a world that viewed them more and more as musical dinosaurs.

I agree with the spirit of Landau’s review, which was less about Sticky Fingers itself and more about The Stones as a band. But though a dissenting review is refreshing, especially from Rolling Stone, I really like Sticky Fingers (and Exile on Main St.) After that, though, they didn’t have another great record until A Bigger Bang.