Almost half a century ago, the Rolling Stones entered a new era with the release of Black and Blue. Now, ahead of the album’s 50-year anniversary, the Stones have announced a Super Deluxe reissue featuring a wealth of archival and unreleased material.
Out Nov. 14 via Universal Music, the Black and Blue box set will be available in 5LP and 4CD editions. Both formats come with a Blu-ray disc, a 100-page hardback book, and a replica tour poster. A limited edition 5LP version on black and blue marbled vinyl will also be available via select online retailers, as will two-disc and one-disc vinyl and CD reissues. A one-disc zoetrope vinyl version is also up for sale. All formats are now available for pre-order.
The Stones used the sessions for Black and Blue to audition potential new guitarists, which led to contributions from Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins, Jeff Beck, and Robert A. Johnson. Ultimately, the process led to the permanent addition of Faces alum Ronnie Wood, who remains in the lineup to this day. In addition to initiating Wood’s tenure with the band, Black and Blue found the band adding new dimensions to their sound via experiments with reggae, funk, and soul. The album yielded the Billboard top 10 hit “Fool To Cry” among other enduring Stones classics like “Hot Stuff” and “Memory Motel.”
The forthcoming reissue features a brand new mix of the original album by Steven Wilson and a six-track disc of previously unreleased recordings including the Jagger/Richards composition “I Love A Lady” and a cover of Shirley & Company’s “Shame, Shame, Shame.” The “Shame, Shame, Shame” cover is available to stream now, with a music video by Camille Boumans set for release on Sept. 25. Also among the unreleased material: four instrumental jams from the 1975 sessions featuring the guest guitarists.
The box set also features a full live concert recording from the Stones’ six-night residency at London’s Earls Court Exhibition Centre, featuring guest appearances from Black and Blue contributors Ian Stewart, Billy Preston, and Ollie Brown. On the Blu-ray disc, fans will find a previously unreleased TV broadcast of the band’s 1976 performance at Les Abattoirs in Paris, plus Dolby Atmos surround sound mixes of both the studio album and the live Earls Court concert, all of it available in high-resolution stereo. The package is completed by a 100-page hardback book featuring a new essay by Stones expert Paul Sexton, exclusive photographs from the album sessions and tour, and a replica poster from the 1976 Paris concert.
