Rating: 8/10

Track Amount: 28

Running Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes

Genre: Classic Rock

Personnel: Various artists, as indicated

Producer: Jimmy Miller, Jody Klein, Lenne Allik

Recording Location: Intertel Studios, Wembley, North London, UK

Record Label: ABKCO

Art Direction: Marvin Mattelson

Best Tracks: You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Sympathy For The Devil, Checkin’ Up On My Baby

Quick Verdict: A bizarre yet quintessential album from 1968

This album is a bit of a sidenote of music history that needs to be observed here. After The Rolling Stones got their act together from the unusual album release Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967), which was an interesting album by itself, followed by their back-to-basics styled album release Beggars Banquet (1968), the group looked for a way to promote themselves and their musical material as such. Enter this rather bizarre idea of The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. This album was re-released from its original recording in late 1968, some decades later in 1996, before being remastered and reissued in 2019. It features some of the greatest artists of the late 1960s and The Rolling Stones themselves throughout. Let’s take a listen to this moment of music history, and we shall hope that it is an entertaining one, at least.

1. Mick Jagger’s Introduction of Rock and Roll Circus is just that, and has some crowd clapping and cheering as the show starts. Mick Jagger does his best to introduce this odd show.

2. Entry Of The Gladiators is by Circus Band. It sounds like a stoned mash-up of a circus theme played nearly universally across the world. Clapping and cheering by the audience continue throughout this tune. Rather different.

3. Mick Jagger’s Introduction Of Jethro Tull is just that, and needs little explanation as such.

4. Song For Jeffrey is Jethro Tull’s number, with future Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi playing on this appearance. It enters into some interesting and extraordinary flute playing, and launches into a really cool song at hand. This is Hippie Music for sure, but a strange music style from that sort of hand. This launches into a Folk-Rock styled tune that sounds enjoyably different. This sounds clearly like a reminder of exactly the sort of music that was so typical of the late 1960s Folk Rock scene. Nonetheless, this is a very detailed and interesting cinematic listen. Better than expected, although the singing is not the best on this song, sounding somewhat neutered as such overall for this particular live performance. Having said that, this is history being made on this album, in the most bizarre way possible. Towards the end are some intricate drums and a melodic flute that takes the centre stage. This builds up into a fantastic conclusion, and the crowd approves at the end of it. Nice.

5. Keith Richards’ Introduction of The Who is just that, and needs no explanation as such.

6. A Quick One While He’s Away is the iconic song by The Who about having an affair. It begins with iconic singing and sounds really interesting and great throughout. Electric guitars and drums enter, and this tune gets nicely underway. A seriously cool and different tune that tells a different side of having an affair. The Who sing and perform extremely well on this song, and the music is very energetic and lively overall. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend both sing very nicely on this song, and the music present is of a very interesting and pseudo-symphonic nature about it all. A great song, and it has some iconic vocal intermissionary parts with powerful drumming by Keith Moon throughout. An excellent and very funny listen about getting it on with a different guy whilst waiting for one’s husband to return from being out to war. Wacky, quirky and different overall, The Who deliver a fantastic performance as such. This is for those of you who cannot take relationships at all seriously. A hilarious piece of music with multiple sections and sounds that are very iconic as such. The second half has some interesting lyrics and music to match it. The Who really could deliver great songs in a quirky and relevant way back in the 1960s. Nonetheless, this tune is a fantastic song to value and to listen to. This has some unusual and sexually inspired music chaos as this song approaches its end. Awesome music as such, though. It ends with some chaotic Rock Music and fantastic vocals. Awesome overall.

7. Over The Waves is by the Circus Band. It has some clever and interesting melodies and marching drums galore. A short and wacky instrumental section that is very bizarre. Neat.

8. Ain’t That A Lot Of Love is by Taj Mahal. It begins with a cool and melodic Rock Music groove with raspy vocals that sound really sweet and great as such. This is a short, interesting and groovy Blues Music-inspired rocking tune that is a must listen from this album. Sure, this is likely a one-hit wonder sort of song, but these guys do a great job overall musically in retrospect. A pleasantly interesting, Hippie counterculture sort of song. Obviously, all involved in this project had to pick songs that were the cream of the crop at the time, and this is a fantastic listen that makes perfect sense in retrospect. The guitar soloing in the second half is really awesome and fantastic-sounding, before the rest of the band returns to action. A seriously nice and neat tune that deserves to be heard and listened to more often. It ends well and with extreme dramaticism. The crowd approves as well at the end.

9. Charlie Watts’ Introduction of Marianne Faithfull is just that. Needs no explanation.

10. Something Better is a relatively short piece of music by Marianne Faithfull. This has some nice, melodic guitars, and it transitions into a pretty and magical song that is very much unheard of today. This is a glorious and fantastic song, although the Marianna Faithfull’s voice wobbles a lot. A seriously interesting and cool song that has its merits and beauty throughout. A really nice song that has beauty, majesty and melodies throughout that are to be cherished by many listeners out there. A seriously cool song to listen to. A short, sweet and beautiful song with the audience approving of it at the end.

11. Mick Jagger’s and John Lennon’s Introduction Of The Dirty Mac begins with some interesting chatter between the two Rockstars and their collaboration that they are about to launch into, and who is in The Dirty Mac playing on this night. An awesome and interesting introduction to what comes next.

12. Yer Blues launches into it and sounds absolutely wonderful, with John Lennon on vocals, Eric Clapton on guitar, Keith Richards on bass guitar and Mitch Mitchell on drums. This is a piece from The Beatles (1968) album. It sounds triumphant, majestic and pure throughout, and this deconstructed Blues song comes nicely alive. A really fantastic and awesome rendition of a mediocre song from the White Album that The Beatles made into something better overall. John Lennon is fantastic throughout, and the midsection has a fantastic tempo change at hand, signalling the next song section at hand. This is a fantastic effort throughout, with some awesome and searing electric guitar soloing that sounds absolutely awesome to listen to. These guys legitimately could rock. A wonderful and awesome song that must be heard. The song returns to action to conclude, and sounds top-notch. The crowd approves very well at the end. Fantastic.

13. Whole Lotta Yoko is by Yoko Ono, Ivry Gitlis and The Dirty Mac. It begins with some unusual Jimi Hendrix-style guitar and violin that sounds crazy to match it all. This sounds very bizarre, in fact, almost like The Beatles attempting The Velvet Underground. This continues on as an odd jam music piece for some time. It sounds fairly varied. Yoko Ono, as usual, destroys this song with her horrible vocals throughout. There is no purpose in listening to this tune as a result. This is one to skip ahead rather than listen to, as Yoko Ono, quite frankly, embarrasses herself on record. This is just not good enough to listen to, and someone should have told her to be quiet and not bother whatsoever. In any case, this is not a million miles different from the horrible experimental music albums that John Lennon recorded around this time. The screeching by Yoko is horrible, and one wishes to turn off this album due to her presence. A pointless listen from start to finish. Weird.

14. John Lennon’s Introduction Of The Rolling Stones – Jumpin’ Jack Flash begins with some spoken word briefly by John Lennon, launching into a relatively decent live version of the classic song by The Rolling Stones. This isn’t as good as the original, but it makes up for it with some neat live energy as such. All in all, an okay song, but The Rolling Stones have done better, both before and since this recording. Nonetheless, the solo section is really excellent and is proof that this idea for a live album was indeed a good one. Nonetheless, a winner of a tune, but the original is quite a bit better as such. Mick Jagger’s vocals in particular sound like they need a bit of work here. A good listen, but definitely not a great listen as such. The outro is neat, though, and is followed by some cheering and applause.

15. Parachute Woman launches quickly, soon thereafter, and is a low-down dirty Blues Music piece that sounds quirky and awesome simultaneously. A very short tune that sounds rather different, The Rolling Stones play this tune very well. An awesome look back at Blues Music that inspired The Rolling Stones early on. The guitars, piano, drumming and singing all match each other fantastically on this live song. A really cool song, all the same. The harmonica solo throughout is also neat and cool, too. An excellent listen throughout that is gorgeously yet upbeat. Fantastic. Some chatter is present amongst the applause that comes afterwards.

16. No Expectations begins with some nice acoustic guitar strumming and slide guitar to match it. A neat and awesome Country Blues Music piece that has some awesome sounds and emotional singing by Mick Jagger throughout. This is a sweet, soulful and sensationally enjoyable tune. Singing about the destinations and expectations that life brings one throughout. All in all, a seriously interesting and refreshing tune at hand. The Rolling Stones made history with this unique and wacky song that sounds soft, sweet and tender. The mixture of deep Country, Blues and Rock Music that is present is seriously satisfying. This has some interesting sounds and music progressions, complete with piano throughout. A really awesome and amazing sounding song that is upbeat, yet tinged with some emotional slide guitar and acoustic guitar work. The end of the song arrives, and the crowd cheers in approval. Excellent music.

17. You Can’t Always Get What You Want launches right into it with some sweet and pleasant-sounding electric guitar playing at hand. This has Mick Jagger singing about the different experiences that people experience in their lives. This music and playing throughout is simply a joy to listen to. Live, The Rolling Stones certainly had a unique magic, just as much as they did in the studio. This music progresses nicely along, and this is a seriously enjoyable and anthemic song to listen to throughout. Nonetheless, this is a real winner to listen to. There is a sweet and enjoyable bongo drum section with electric guitar soloing in the second half of this song. This is a regretful lyrical-based piece with some interesting music elements, and has some mature-sounding words sung by Mick Jagger in this song. A neat listen. The conclusion is very good as well.

18. Sympathy For The Devil segues in from the last tune, and begins with some awesome bongo drums, piano and yelping by Mick Jagger. This tune gets going very nicely throughout, sounding absolutely like a killer winner. This is almost nine minutes in length, but it carries the spirit and ballsiness of Rock Music throughout. A wonderful, wonderful song that deserves to be heard more often by listeners out there. This is history in the making, with The Rolling Stones performing extremely well with an original song that has power, interesting sounds and finesse. Absolutely uplifting and top to hear. Mick Jagger sings extraordinarily and confidently throughout. A really interesting and powerful song that surprises the listener throughout. The guitar soloing throughout is extremely cool to listen to as well. No doubt that The Rolling Stones were world-class musicians at this stage in time. This is a seriously energetic, enjoyable and listenable song with pondering lyrics, pseudo-Funk Music guitar and pummelling drums and percussion throughout. The second half of this song has an interesting instrumental section, with some yelps from Mick Jagger, once again. This sounds really fantastic, and proves that these guys could cut it live as well. A forward-thinking and great listen from way back in the 1960s. This instrumental jam section continues on very nicely for quite some time, with Mick Jagger speaking, singing and screaming in different ways throughout. This is a masterclass in Rock Music history. A thoroughly sweet listen. Towards the end is a slightly more subdued section of music with Mick Jagger putting his personality onto this record. A very good listen, through and through. It finishes after eight great minutes of music. Simply fantastic.

19. Salt Of The Earth is a shorter piece of music at five minutes in length. It has some brief, conclusive remarks from Mick Jagger for the audience’s attendance as their live set is concluding, before this final song gets started. This is an awesome song that, once again, is a nod to the Country Blues Music that The Rolling Stones were heavily inspired by. This is a gorgeous and unique-sounding song that is seriously underrated in The Rolling Stones’ back catalogue. This song is a winner, and the music and performances are absolutely brilliant on this live album. Indeed, this is a good snapshot of where The Rolling Stones and their friends were during the late 1960s. This song has some female gospel vocals thrown in for good measure as well. This music is a real joy and a fantastic creation at hand. The second half has prominent acoustic guitar, slide guitar, pummelling drums and gospel choir styled vocals. A seriously awesome tune to hear. Simply fantastic music from start to finish. Absolutely fantastic to hear. It concludes suddenly.

20. Checkin’ Up On My Baby is by Taj Mahal, and is the beginning of the extra tunes on this particular expanded album release. It sounds swinging, joyous and fantastic throughout. The singing is really sweet, melodic and fantastic to listen to from the start. With an iconic Blues Music-style growl, Taj Mahal delivers a seriously cool song with attitude and delight throughout. This is a song about jealousy and paranoia with a lady in a particular relationship. This is Classic Rock mixed with the Blues, complete with a loud harmonica solo to match it. This is underrated, that is for sure. The music, sounds and performances are all extraordinarily cool and awesome to listen to. This is a mellow-sounding tune for what it is, but it sounds extraordinarily cool to hear in a Rock backing. This is surprisingly long for a Blues Music piece, being nearly six minutes in length overall. The whole band plays with a precision and ferocity that many bands would detest. A seriously interesting song to listen to. There is some singing about lovemaking as such, and the deep paranoia that a jealous man can have. A great song from start to finish. Mindblowingly good. The crowd approves of this as well at the end.

21. Leaving Trunk is again by Taj Mahal. It is a longer piece at over six minutes in length. It launches into a Blues driven harmonica based piece with some extraordinary electric guitars present throughout. This music is seriously sweet to listen to, and it has a unique and tastefully melodic edge to it all. Taj Mahal delivers a great performance on this album, even if this is an oddity in music history. This progresses gradually throughout and sounds absolutely blissful and pleasant music at hand, which is 12-bar blues music that seriously delivers. Towards the midsection is a loud, melodic and breezy sounding harmonica section that kicks the proverbial. Taj Mahal has some extraordinary and powerful singing on this album. This is an enjoyable and listenable song that is very nicely structured and excellent. A great mixture of Blues, Rock and late 1960s Music approach at hand. This tune continues along very nicely and sounds very professionally played. Taj Mahal made an excellent appearance on this album. This is a killer performance that deserves to be heard by more people out there. A very catchy and animated song that simply works. An awesome song from start to finish. Absolutely mint. It continues to play well right to the end of it all. Clapping and cheering occur at the end, which is well deserved.

22. Corinna sounds interesting from the start, with some animated guitar parts and gritty, Bluesy singing. This is another Taj Mahal number, which sounds super cool to listen to. A very good tune at hand, which sounds loving and sweet. Obviously, a love song of sorts, which is really deep and passionate to listen to. A seriously good and interesting tune that is deep and emotionally sounding love music. Near the middle is a cool harmonica solo, which keeps things interesting. This is an extraordinarily different and listenable song that simply works extraordinarily well. This is a solidly passionate love song that is, quite frankly, underrated to listen to. A splendid listening experience that is based on more traditional styles of music, namely the Blues in particular. A very enjoyable and listenable tune overall. A living, loving and passionate piece of music that will move you.

23. Revolution (Rehearsal) is by The Dirty Mac. It is a take on the song from The Beatles White Album (1968), but sounds like a neat 12 Bar Blues tune at hand. It sounds fantastic throughout, all the same. John Lennon sings a little here, and his voice sounds really neat and spot on throughout. The music and playing are superb throughout, just sounding really fresh and phenomenal to this very day. This is a short snippet of The Beatles live at the time, which sounds mouthwatering for one’s ears. It halts after some time, with the group making some random noise before concluding.

24. Warmup Jam is just that, a simply enjoyable Rock Music jam that is freeform and fantastic to listen to. This is yet another slice of historical listening that one can and should lend their ears to. This is more history at work to listen to. Nonetheless, this does sound quite solidly fantastic for what it is. The music and jamming very much complement the whole concept of The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. Another solidly interesting and fantastic tune at hand. This music is seriously sweet and powerful to listen to. The Dirty Mac showcases their unique ability to jam along nicely here. This is an energetic and listenable piece of music that many should look back to from the late 1960s. A seriously punchy and powerful tune that demands to be heard. No lyrics, just a good jam to listen to. It ends with some neat playing and the crowd approving of it.

25. Yer Blues (Take 2) is another take of the classic song at hand by The Dirty Mac. John Lennon sings and sounds great on this song, once again. A very listenable tune, although not as tuneful or listenable as the original tune by The Beatles. Nonetheless, this is a really interesting and strong tune at hand that sounds absolutely killer. John Lennon is a champion on this song, with his distinctive vocals and guitar sounding absolutely brilliant throughout. The tempo change in the midsection is drop-dead brilliant and interesting to listen to. A really interesting guitar solo section follows, which sounds absolutely upbeat and wonderful to listen to. A fine performance by John Lennon and his friends, this is a winner in many ways. A magical and interesting tune that has some extraordinary power to it. It ends with some jamming and finishes up very well. The crowd approves at the end as well.

26. Brian Jones’ Introduction of Julius Katchen is just that. It is a nice introduction to what comes ahead.

27. De Falla: Ritual Fire Dance by Julius Katchen begins with some odd-sounding piano playing, which is different. It gradually launches into the tune at hand, which is very different. This music is certainly odd for what it is. It gradually continues on with some interesting and fluttering melodies, before launching into the main section of music at hand. This is still very good, all the same. This is the sort of music that would be found on a Classical Music collection, rather than an album by The Rolling Stones, however. This has some interesting and multiple sections of piano that are very delightful. A really pretty and thoroughly awesome tune, with many surprises for the listener along the way. This is a unique listen towards the end of the album that still matters. It speeds up in tempo towards the end, before concluding with a repeated single chord on the piano. Very nice.

28. Mozart: Sonata in C Major – 1st Movement is the final track on this expanded release. It is a simple take on a classic Mozart piece. Nonetheless, it does really sound energetic, interesting and fantastic by Julius Katchen. This is an awesome ode to the eternal elegance of Classical Music throughout. Fortunately, this is not overly long, and it is a great finish to an odd side note of an album that many should check out, if not done so already. It finishes after around two and a half minutes with a ton of cheering and applause. Great. The album ends there.

This album is a good one to have in one’s collection, even for simple novelty value. Having said that, this is a genuinely great set of performances in a live music context that simply works, with the exception notably of Yoko Ono’s presence. Warts and all, this is a legendary listen that is worth checking out. The fact that it was not released immediately, though, has not tarnished its historical relevance. Should you listen to this album? If you have an hour and a half spare and wish to dive into Rock Music history, go for it. Those of you who hate Hippies will wish to look elsewhere, however.

If you like this article, please like, share, comment and follow me on The Ultimate Music Library. Thank you, Chris Airey.