The Rolling Stones - The Brussels Affair'73 (Digital download)

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Widely bootlegged for years as Brussels Affair (among other titles), this show from 17/10/1973 is only now being released officially, in a pristine mix overseen by the band itself.

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This snapshot of the 1973 Rolling Stones tour of Europe in support of the Goats Head Soup album finds the band at the pinnacle of their live prowess. Brussels Affair is such a revelation because not only is the band firing on all cylinders as a cohesive force but because Mick Taylor strides the stage like a rock colossus in a way he had never before or since. Taylor begins soloing early in Brown Sugar and never stops for the rest of the concert. Brussels was the penultimate stop on a European tour that the Stones embarked upon in the autumn of 1973 to promote the album Goats Head Soup. At the time, the Stones were by far the biggest stars on the planet, and the 21-city tour was met by ecstatic crowds, causing the band to frequently perform two shows a day, as they did at the Forest National arena in Brussels. Despite the frenetic pace, the road trip yielded some of the band's greatest music on stage. The Brussels Affair captures that greatness. From the opening chords of "Brown Sugar" to the closing crescendo of "Street Fighting Man", the Stones were firing on all cylinders: Keith and Charlie churning out a locomotive-like rhythm section (can any song be played faster than this rendition of "Rip This Joint"?), Mick Taylor delivering a barrage of blistering leads, and Jagger growling and grinding in his blue-sequined best.

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Track listing:

01 Brown Sugar
02 Gimme Shelter
03 Happy
04 Tumbling Dice
05 Starfucker
05 Dancing With Mr. D
06 Doo Doo Doo Doo Dooo (Heartbreaker)
07 Angie
08 You Can’t Always Get What You Want
09 Midnight Rambler
10 Honky Tonk Women
11 All Down The Line
12 Rip This Joint
13 Jumping Jack Flash
14 Street Fighting Man

Recorded live from the original multi-track masters by Andy Johns on the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio on 17th October 1973 at the Forest National in Brussels, Belgium.

Tour band

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, harmonica
Keith Richards - guitar, backing vocals
Mick Taylor - guitar
Bill Wyman - bass guitar
Charlie Watts - drums

Additional musicians

Billy Preston - keyboards, vocals
Steve Madaio - trumpet, flugelhorn
Bobby Keys - saxophone (until 30 September 1973)
Trevor Lawrence - saxophone
Manuel Kellough - percussion (some dates)
Marshall Chess - Tambourine on Street Fighting Man (some dates)

Bobby Keys was dismissed during the tour due to excessive drinking.