For immediate release
THE ROLLING STONES – ON AIR, OUT NOW
“Compelling evidence of a young band making a dramatic entrance onto the early 60s rock scene” – Uncut Magazine
“Pure delight” – Mojo Magazine
01 DECEMBER 2017 (Toronto, ON) – Following the announcement that The Rolling Stones have been nominated for a prestigious Grammy Award for their Blue & Lonesome album earlier this week, the band keeps the momentum going with the release of a new album, The Rolling Stones – On Air. Comprised of rarely heard radio recordings with most of them live from the BBC studios between 1963-65 in addition to eight songs the band have never recorded or released commercially, On Air serves as an important historical artifact, and an essential of the group’s impressively evergreen canon and is available now via Polydor Records/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company.
Released on CD, double CD deluxe edition, heavy-weight vinyl and special limited-edition coloured vinyl, these much sought after tracks offer an insight into the band as a vital and constantly surprising live unit. Such was the frequency with which they visited BBC studios in the ‘60s, the group constantly set out to offer listeners something different. Alongside the songs that never appeared on singles or albums, there are seven tracks that were debuted over the airwaves before featuring on albums or EPs.
The Rolling Stones – On Air offer a unique insight into the formative days of The Rolling Stones a few years before ‘The Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World’ became a reality. This was a band playing the music they loved so much – Blues, R&B, Soul and even the odd country song. Performing these songs night after night in clubs and dancehalls meant they are all honed to perfection and performed with the genuine love and affection that The Stones have for their musical heritage.
Among the 32 tracks, first heard ringing out of transistor radios over a period of just under two years, is “Come On”, the group’s debut single and first track from the album. The memorable song was also the first number laid down for the iconic Saturday Club, hosted by the late, legendary Brian Matthew. Other highlights include the strutting “Fannie Mae” (originally recorded by bluesman Buster Brown in 1959), Tommy Tucker’s “Hi Heel Sneakers”, and Bo Diddley’s “Cops And Robbers”.
Nestling among the illustrious and well-chosen cover versions, are raw and vibrant renditions of Stones Jagger/Richards originals, such as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, “The Last Time” and “The Spider And The Fly” in a form closer to the thrilling immediacy of the band’s live shows than on vinyl. These recordings bring the listener as near as possible to the excitement of the era without actually being there in person.
If last year’s collection of new recordings of past masters Blue & Lonesome presented the Stones returning to their roots after more than 50 years, On Air is the perfect ‘sister’ compendium, a lovingly curated and restored treasure trove that puts the listener front and centre in the eye of the original storm.
To help recapture the spirit of the songs when they were first performed, the tapes have gone through an ‘audio source separation’ process, which involved de-mixing the transcripts and allowing engineers at Abbey Road access to the original instrumentation and voices within each track. This enabled the recordings to be rebuilt, rebalanced and remixed to achieve a fuller, more substantial sound. This album follows the recent release of The Rolling Stones – On Air coffee table book, by Richard Havers and published by Virgin Books.
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The Rolling Stones – ON AIR Tracklisting (Standard):
Bonus Tracks (Deluxe)
The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman
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