ilash's Full Review: A Bigger Bang [PA] by The Rolling Stones
I think it says something that after the hopelessly inadequate Bridges to Babylon, the Rolling Stones would release an album that is, to my ears at least, their most disappointing album ever. Don’t get me wrong, A Bigger Bang is far from a bad album but when I consider how good it could have been, it’s heartbreaking to see all that potential wasted on what is, in the end, a merely OK effort. It’s not even that the songwriting isn’t up to par, and it’s not, because par for the Stones are songs like Gimme Shelter and Jumpin’ Jack Flash and it’s simply unreasonable to expect the band to be able to still reach those kinds of levels. Sure, it would be nice if one of these songs could even match up to an Out of Control or a Love Is Strong but, on the plus side, at least Bang is much more consistent than the albums that those songs came from. And however disparaging I may well be about the album in this review – and sadly I will be – this is far and away their most consistently good album since Tattoo You (I’d imagine so anyway – I haven’t heard Dirty Work or Undercover but what I’ve sampled from them sounds pretty awful).
So yes, the songwriting could be better but, as I said, it’s not really the album’s problem. No, the album’s failings lie in a few other areas but, to put it succinctly, I cannot stand the way the thing sounds. See, to the best of my understanding, the Stones’ main intention with this album was to go “back to the roots”, thereby going in completely the opposite direction of Bridges, which was oh so desperate to be hip that it fell flat on its face. With that in mind then, I have to ask, what were they thinking when they decided to give this new rootsy album, the exact same overall sound and feel as an album that was presumably trying to be slick, modern and anything but backward-thinking. I may have lambasted Bridges for this production style but at least there it fit in with the kind of album the band was going for. On this album, I could hardly think of a worse way to produce it than the way that Don Was did so. In an odd way, the crystal clear production here sounds far messier than the “murky” production that makes Exile On Main Street so difficult to assimilate yet so rewarding to do so. Why? Well, it’s all about the drums.
Let’s get one thing out of the way, Charlie Watts may well be the greatest traditional drummer (ie. non-Keith-Moon-type) in rock and roll. Aside for, as near as my technically ignorant ears can tell, his ability to keep perfect time, Charlie’s drumming is the base on which all of the Stones’ material is built upon. And that’s the rub. However great Jagger and Richards were at coming up with phenomenal melodies, it was the rhythm section, consisting of Charlie’s interplay with Bill Wyman’s bass and Keith Richards’ rhythm guitar, which gave the Stones their drive – and their ability to affect the listener on a gut level better than anyone else in the business. As such, the decision to mix Charlie’s drumming higher than anything save for Mick’s vocals resulted in an unforgivable breakdown of the very dynamic that the Stones magic is so dependant on. Needless to say, the result is very nearly catastrophic. Instead of being able to concentrate on the guitars and that all important Keith/ Ronnie “ancient art of weaving” and Mick’s singing while the aforementioned rhythm draws you in on an almost subconscious level, it’s nigh impossible to get past these loud BOOMING DRUMS. This is noticeable on the ballads but it’s the rockers that really suffer. It’s fairly obvious right from the get go that these rockers are inferior retreads of previous material but it’s just as obvious that with the right arrangements and production they could have had that precious magic of those Stones rockers of old. I already enjoy tracks like Let Me Down Slow and It Won’t Take Long but I could only imagine how much better they would be if they had Exile’s production. And funk songs like Rain Fall Down and especially Laugh, I Nearly Died? Oddly enough, they suffer even more than the rockers.
As for the ballads, like I said, they aren’t hurt too much by the album’s sound but they do showcase one of the other major pitfalls of the album. Mick Jagger has often been the weakest link musically in the Stones’ live act with his sometimes questionable vocal antics – though yes, he still is the most visually arresting frontman ever – but this has never bled over to their studio work. Until now. His vocals throughout the album, but especially on the ballads, seem phoned in and his new tendency to o-ver e-nnun-ciate everything starts to seriously get on my nerves after a while. This is especially problematic because it’s much easier to forgive his constant lyrical misfires when you can’t hear what he’s saying. Take the abominable Sweet Neocon, as the “finest” example of this. I’m actually quite fond of the song on a musical level as it does get a nice groove going but the topical, political lyrics are so embarrassing that they ruin the whole experience. It’s hard to believe that a guy who has been accredited with some of rock and roll’s finest and most underrated lyrics such as Sympathy for the Devil and Satisfaction could turn out such an obvious, banal attempt at political satire but he did just that. Regardless of one’s feelings toward George W Bush, I doubt anyone would be at all impressed by Jagger’s lame attempt at topicality.
It’s also a pity that Jagger fails so horribly at his trademarks, singing and lyric-writing, because his largely increased instrumental contributions, including his trusty harmonica (check out the nice but ultimately redundant and completely out-of place blues number Back of My Hand) as well as some guitar (including slide!)and bass parts, are rock solid. This is in fact, all part of a wise decision to leave most of the musicianship to the members of the band – a move that indicated that the band truly was trying to get back-to-basics. It’s just a pity (there’s that word again) that they couldn’t have followed through on a production level. Nonetheless, one of the reasons that this album still gets a good grade is that for all intents and purposes the boys can still really play their instruments and play them in a way that no one else in the business can. If you strain your ears past those booming drums (which are as perfectly played as ever, incidentally), you can still hear Keith and Ronnie practice their “ancient art of weaving” and if for nothing else, I’m glad the album exists, even if it’s just to grant us one further look at the most idiosyncratic guitar duo in the history of rock and roll.
With that I think I’ve said all that I really need to say about the album. There’s no need to go through the album on a track-by-track basis either because my take on each and every song, regardless of genre will almost without fail be: “generic but enjoyable slice of soul/ funk/ blues/ pop/ rock/ balladry (delete where applicable) but it really could have been and should have been so much more”. I will say this though, Keith’s two vocal spotlights: the funky rocker Infamy and the gorgeous ballad This Place is Empty are two of the best songs here and Keith’s earthy vocals provide a welcome relief from Mick’s all too often obnoxious singing. Also, Streets of Love may not be the best ballad the boys have ever done but, Jagger’s phony vocals aside, it’s far better than it’s made out to be and is a solid choice for a single - as far as I’m concerned anyway.
All in all then, for a Rolling Stones album A Bigger Bang is a crushing disappointment but it’s solid enough and it’s really no worse than anything most of those “retro” rock and roll bands put out. Considering the album’s very clear potential, I have no choice but to declare this album a wasted opportunity.
Summary:
Best Song:This Place is Empty Worst Song: There isn’t one actually. A very consistent album.
Rating: 6/10. Mildly recommended.
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