Forty Licks: New Edition

Although notoriously difficult to license, the Rolling Stones release what may be considered their definitive "best of" collection, 40 Licks. Disc one focuses (with the exception of Sticky Fingers' "Wild Horses") on the golden period, from their formation in 1962 to 1970. Although not in chronological order, it includes every phase of the decade--the early covers like "Not Fade Away"; the all-conquering classics like "Satisfaction" and "Get off My Cloud"; the often overlooked psychedelic Satanic Majesties period represented here by "She's a Rainbow"; and when they really found their own sound, the Let it Bleed era with the likes of "Gimme Shelter" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash". If disc one covers the first eight years, then disc two covers the next 32--the stadium years. With an audience on a ludicrously grand scale, the Stones fell into a pattern of anthemic blues-rock, such as "Tumbling Dice", "Brown Sugar" and "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll". Next there were the odd experiments to keep up with the youngsters, such as the disco-influenced "Miss You", which, like Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy", was inspired, but thankfully a one off. And so onto the bleak period, after the stadium filler "Start Me Up", they fell on a rough patch that would last pretty much until Voodoo Lounge in the 1990s, a fantastic return to form, with several more songs that could have been worthy for this "best of" but were sadly not chosen in favour of "Love is Strong" and "You Got Me Rocking". Including four new songs produced by the same guy who did their last two albums, this really is the full story-so-far covering 40 years of the world's most famous rock & roll band. --David Trueman

Quarante lipouilles des Rolling Stones, cela ne se refuse pas. Depuis les premiers émois de l'album 12X 5 en 1964 jusqu'à leurs emportements quinquagénaires, de Bridges To Babylon ou même de Stripped, leurs coups de langue restent une médication sans égale. Contre les passages à vide et les interrogations métaphysiques, les Rolling Stones ont théorisé de manière irréfutable près de 40 ans de musique amplifiée. Et ce en une formule définitive : It's only rock'n'roll (but I [we] like it). Après ça, on discute. À la veille de leur 60e anniversaire, les Glimmer Twins parviennent à mettre d'accord leurs maisons de disque successives pour permettre la publication de ce qui constitue le seul authentique "Best Of" de leur carrière, jusque-là éparpillée sur 3 labels. C'est la principale raison de posséder ce double CD. Parmi les autres, les 4 inédits sera un atout apprécié des fans. Mais par-delà les justifications conjoncturelles, qui d'autre peut aligner autant de vrais tubes sur un "Best of" ? Pour qui aurait fait connaissance avec le plus grand groupe de rock and roll du monde (vous connaissez des prétendants au titre, sans rire ?) à partir de la période 1970-1980, avec les "Angie", "Undercover Of The Night" ou "Emotional Rescue", voici l'occasion rêvée. On mesurera ici l'apport historique de leurs perles mélodiques des 60's, de "She's A Rainbow" à "Ruby Tuesday". Voici le digest parfait de la musique la plus excitante de la fin du deuxième millénaire. --José Ruiz