You wanna see helicopters? I’ll show you helicopters!

I haven’t seen Martin Scorsese’s recent concert film of the Rolling Stone’s “Shine A Light” show, recorded over two nights at the Beacon Theatre in New York in the summer of 2006. In fact I have no desire to whatsoever, despite the fact that posters for the show seem to have taken over the streets, and publications a-plenty are fawning over it’s artistic and musical merits. Hype over substance I fear. And this is a resolute reluctance, despite the fact that the tracklist for the concert recording boasts some of the greatest songs ever recorded, and is directed by the great Scorsese (whose concert movie The Last Waltz , and The Blues series are, by contrast, essential viewing).

I’m not even someone who bemoans the Stones for their status as the elder statesmen of rock’n’roll and the tribute act to end all tribute acts (in that they are almost a pastiche of themselves these days). Good luck to them I say, and there is a certain wonderment in their continued energy, but also their decision a long time ago to turn their creative output into a bankable and desirable brand name, sustaining their careers and incomes well into old age, and setting out a business model that many acts aspire to today.

However, the ubiquity of publicity for this movie release, did get me thinking, about a number of things. The first is as I stated above. The Stones have written and recorded some of the greatest songs of all time. Point blank. I’m not necessarily a proponent of “Greatest Hits” packages, but if ever there was a collection that lives up to it’s name as a “best of” then the 1971 release “Hot Rocks” is surely it. A collection of songs from the Stones’ bursting back catalogue between 1964 and 1971, it is quite simply stunning in its consistent brilliance, and remains their biggest selling album. The irony being that it is not an official release, but came from former manager Allen Klein after he split from the group in 1970 and gained the rights to their music from this period (recorded under Decca and London records). Various albums released by the band in this same time period are worthy of attention themselves, including 1966’s brilliant “Aftermath” to “Beggar’s Blanket” in 68 and “Let It Bleed” in 69.

Even the psychedelic diversion that is “Their Satanic Majesties Request” is an interesting offering, deserving of more attention in hindsight that was afforded it on release. Of course the early 1970s, following the split form Klein, also immediately spawned “Stick Fingers” and the legendary “Exile On Main Street”, while the long journey into their legacy years has also produced more than a few genuine highlights and renaissance moments. It also made me think about how cool Charlie Watts is. No real time to go into that now, but he has always struck me as a great drummer, inclined by jazz leanings for sure, who is a quiet and yet central figure in the band’s long history. Someone I have always been slightly intrigued by, despite the attention that the duality of Jagger and Richards often demands.

My final thought though, was prompted by the Scorsese link and remembering that he has used one Rolling Stones song in three of his biggest gangster movies, recent offering “The Departed”, classic “Casino” and the daddy of all of them “Goodfellas”. The song in question of course is the incredible “Gimme Shelter”, itself taken from the afore-mentioned “Let It Bleed” album. Now, not only does this song’s inherent drama lend itself brilliantly to the cinematic medium, but it is of course itself the title of another notable documentary, the capturing of the fateful 1969 US tour, which ended in the tragic stabbing of student Meredith Hunter at Altamont. This film is worthy of attention itself, again for a myriad of reasons. However for now the focus is the song itself, which is quite fantastic.

The subject matter, a despairing critique of the social unrest of the age, including the Vietnam War, imbues the song with an apocalyptic vision strangely suited to the Stone’s style of rock, and particularly Keith Richard’s haunting guitar riff. But the masterstroke is the use of Gospel-trained Merry Clayton on lead vocals alongside Jagger. Her input raises the song from being good, to being great, largely because of the passion held in her performance. Indeed her voice audibly cracks at one point as she repeats the key stanza that “rape*murder*it’s just a shot away..it’s just a shot away”. Interestingly for a dual performance of this kind (though Jagger dominates proceedings) is that there is little sexual tension evident in the interplay. Instead Clayton just, in my mind, takes the song over and destroys it.

Totally brilliant, and one reason amongst hundreds to give the Rolling Stones absolute props. In reality, they don’t need Scorsese, or anyone, to shine a light on their careers. The music does it for them.