Black and Blue [Super Deluxe 180g 5 LP/Blu-ray] The Rolling Stones Artist

{|The Rolling Stones|} recorded {|Black and Blue|} while auditioning {|Mick Taylor|}'s replacement, so it's unfair to criticize it, really, for being longer on grooves and jams than songs, especially since that's what's good about it. Yes, the two songs that are undeniable highlights are {|Memory Motel|} and {|Fool to Cry,|} the album's two {|ballads|} and, therefore, the two that had to be written and arranged, not knocked out in the studio; they're also the ones that don't quite make as much sense, though they still work in the context of the record. No, this is all about groove and sound, as {|the Stones|} work {|Ron Wood|} into their fabric. And the remarkable thing is, apart from {|Hand of Fate|} and {|Crazy Mama,|} there's little straight-ahead {|rock & roll|} here. They play with {|reggae|} extensively, {|funk|} and {|disco|} less so, making both sound like integral parts of {|the Stones|}' lifeblood. Apart from the {|ballads|}, there might not be many memorable tunes, but there are times that you listen to {|the Stones|} just to hear them play, and this is one of them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine