USA: The Rolling Stones celebrate the release of a new documentary and a new album

Record ID: 335163

  • Title: USA: The Rolling Stones celebrate the release of a new documentary and a new album
  • Date: 12th May 2010
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MAY 11, 2010) (REUTERS) ( ** BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) ROLLING STONES' CHARLIE WATTS, MICK JAGGER AND KEITH RICHARDS (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) AT THE SCREENING OF THE NEW DOCUMENTARY "STONES IN EXILE" CAMERAPERSON VARIOUS OF JAGGER GIVING IN AN INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICK JAGGER, ROLLING STONES' LEAD VOCALIST, SAYING: "B
  • Embargoed: 27th May 2010 13:00
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  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA3RFXE0DYPD6A00A18OOOZ1MI9
  • Story Text: The Rolling Stones are on a roll. The British band is celebrating not just the release of a new documentary on a crucial period of the group's history, but also the re-release of their most iconic album, the 1972 "Exile on Main Street".
    Frontman Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards and drummer Charlie Watts stepped on to the red carpet in New York City on Tuesday (May 11) for the screening of the documentary "Stones in Exile", which relates the story of how "Exile on Main Street" was made.
    In 1971, the Rolling Stones left England because they then claimed they owed more taxes than they could afford to pay. They headed to the south of France where Richards had rented a large villa called Nellcote. It was in the basement of Nellcote where the band produced most of the material for "Exile on Main Street". But their time at Nellcote has developed into a rock'n' roll legend over the years -- with decadent tales of sex, partner-swapping, drugs and mad indulgences even as they produced some of their most memorable music.
    On the red carpet though Jagger played down the tales of decadence as he looked back to that time in France.
    "Being in the house where we recorded was always great, it was very beautiful, and view down to the sea and it was a really nice place. I know talk is about the decadence and everything but actually it was rather pleasant, open air and fresh and kind of beautiful, " said Jagger, chuckling in as he added that indeed there was a "decadent basement".
    As to the re-release of "Exile on Main Street", at the outset Jagger was not entirely convinced of the idea because he says the record company wanted to find new tracks and he wasn't sure there were any. But later, he says he looked and did find some new, never released songs. Eventually, a total of ten new tracks were included on the re-released album.
    When asked about the new tracks, Richards said some of them were re-mastered but that their essence is true to their original recordings.
    "Yes, a little bit of back up vocals here and there. Otherwise, they're kind of as they were. They are like archaeology almost. I wanted to keep them the same sound I mean, we couldn't really play around with them too much," said Richards.
    Richards' most vivid memory of the infamous Nellcote basement is that of "heat and the dust". At the same time, he adds that it was a period of "very concentrated work". The band is believed to have played loud music through the night for many months in that basement, even as friends came and went from the villa.
    In "Stones in Exile" those basement days in the French villa are re-created using rare archival film, photos, interviews as well as new conversations with the band and others who knew them from that time.
    Reflecting on that period in the Rolling Stones history, director of the film Stephen Kijak, said, "At that time, they were still in the back foot, they were rebels. They were dangerous, like England wanted them out, there were like a threat and they had to like band together and like find the strength to make this record. And I think that's what's fascinating -- is reminding people that they were actually in that place once upon a time, that they were the greatest band in the world."
    Kijak believes the band was at the peak of their creative powers while working on "Exile on main Street" and through this film, he said he wanted to focus on their creative process, rather than all the stories of sex and drugs.
    "Stones in Exile" will premiere on American network NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on Friday, May 14th. Fallon has devoted the entire week of the 10th on his show to an on-air musical salute to "Exile on Main Street", including performances by bands like Green Day. The "Exile on Main Street" album releases May 18th.
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