Ladies & Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones

This 1974 Rolling Stones concert movie recorded over four nights in Texas during the 1972 “Exile on Main Street” tour offers nothing flashy—just a straightforward presentation of the Stones live. But Ladies & Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones arguably displays the band at its best (at least captured on film). Rollin Binzer's rudimentary direction works against the energy of the musicians—the camera operators just seem determined to keep out of the way—and doesn't give the viewer that sense of intimacy and raw, behind-the-scenes immediacy that D.A. Pennebaker brought to Don't Look Back and Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. But the lively performances of the 15-song set list (drawn from what were then the Stones' most recent albums) are unsurpassed, from “Gimme Shelter” and “Jumpin' Jack Flash” to “Tumbling Dice” and “All Down the Line.” Sidemen Bobby Keys and Jim Price, along with pianist extraordinaire Nicky Hopkins, joined the crew for the circuit, but the lens remains on Mick, Keith, and the rest of the Stones. While there are better directed Rolling Stones concert films (Albert and David Maysles' Gimme Shelter, Hal Ashby's Let's Spend the Night Together, and Martin Scorsese's Shine a Light), the group is tight, hard-driving, and in peak form here. Bonus features include rehearsals of three songs, and two Jagger interviews (from 1972 and 2010). Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on Blu-ray), Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)