Keith Richards: Under Review

Hes the baddest of them all, the man with at least nine lives and the most Rock N Roll performer since the dawn of time and we love him for all of it. This DVD features a 2 hour documentary film which details the life and career of the one man who made i

A DVD where somebody "discusses" Keef? Gimme a break!

Although the Stones are, indeed, my favorite Rock and Roll...well, "act" of all time (the other 2 being Procol Harum & Fanny), they thankfully don't entertain a "website" where geriatric old ex-hippies waste internet space "discussing" themselves, like PH does. Like Keef himself once said, "Rock and Roll is not meant to be analyzed from the neck up." I mean, I can't believe that Keef would have no more control over his filmed output than to let some"one" lash together some"thing" like this..."discussion." This is embarrassing, some old dweeb making an entire DVD, where he "discusses" Keef. Well, call the neighbors to the TV or something! Truth is, I'm just surprised that "the great rock critic" Cameron Crowe didn't have his childish hands in this. Again: just view the Criterion "Gimme Shelter," view Keef at Muscle Shoals and at Altamont, and that is all that you would need to "know." "Under Review," huh? Who the @#$% is this guy to "review" Keef? August 30, 2008

Soulful Thru & Thru

There is a wealth of biographical information & enlightening critical commentary (from Robert Christagau, Rolling Stone magazine music critic Anthony DeCurtis, Stones biographer Robert Greenfield, and other respectable critics & music journalists) that the music lover will greatly appreciate. However, the video footage is extremely grainy and dull. I own Stones bootlegs that show this same footage (of the '71 English tour, the '72 Texas shows, as well as the early & mid-seventies L.A. Forum & Paris shows) and it looks exactly the same on the bootlegs as it does here (I guess this makes me feel better about the quality of my bootleg collection). So, just so long as you keep in mind that Under Review is a budget series with low production values (no time or money was spent trying to clean up old master tapes), I think you just might find that this disc has just what you need. This disc will prove invaluable to those who want to know more about Keith's unique rhythm/lead style. Much time is spent discussing the magic riff formula discovered on Satisfaction and used to great effect on hits from Jumpin' Jack Flash & Brown Sugar to Start Me Up & Take it So Hard. Along with most of you Keith fans out there, these critics think that post-Exile Stones albums are not particularly good & that from Emotional Rescue ("All About You") onward the Keith songs are the only ones that matter.

A handful of random facts I picked up from this disc:

1)Most people know that the band was initially formed & led by blues purist Brian Jones. But what I didn't know was that Keith & Brian never really got along very well.
2) Beginning with Satisfaction (which critics describe as raw & dirty; a far cry from what other white kids were doing with rhythm & blues), Keith began asserting himself as the real musical director of the band.
3)From Beggars Banquet through Exile, Keith was very close to Gram Parsons. This relationship fascinates me and needs to be explored further but its clear that each had a profound impact on the other.
4)At least one critic called Exile Keith's first solo album. Keith made it in a studio set up in the basement of his French chateau (where he was living in tax exile) while Mick was busy with his newlywed Bianca & his high society life. Keith apparently never trusted Bianca. Many critics say the personal & creative rift between Keith & Mick really began during this period.
5) During the Exile recording sessions the band rarely all played together, instead they recorded their parts separately or in pairs, and Keith later mixed the tracks. Apparently over 200 versions of Tumbling Dice were recorded and Keith was still unhappy with the one that they went with.
6) Happy was written on-the-spot, right after Keith found out Anita was pregnant (again).
7)After Exile, with Keith out of commision from escalating drug use, Mick took over creative control.
8)Ronnie & Keith were friends & played together before Ronnie joined the band.
9)Apparently Chuck Berry was ... well let him rest in peace. But Keith respected him as a musician and made Hail Hail Rock n Roll not because he liked the guy but because he liked the music.
10) Because he never wanted to be put in the position of having to choose whether to save his best work for Stones albums or his own solo albums, Keith swore he would never make a solo album. But after Mick released She's the Boss, Keith, reluctantly, retaliated with a solo career of his own. When Mick contemplated putting together a band to support his solo work, Keith issued violent threats.

I could go on and on.

So, despite poor picture quality, I still am going to give this five stars because even though I have been a Stones fans for many many years, I learned that there was plenty that I didn't know.

Additional note: This Under Review mentions Keiths acting debut in the Pirates of the Caribbean film, but was made before the release of the incredible SHINE A LIGHT. So no mention of that Stones/Scorcese masterpiece. April 25, 2008

A GREAT find!

I have hundreds of DVDs and books on the Stones, and this is right up there as one of the very best on Keef. Very informative and interesting. The only confusing thing about it is that the jacket says there are interviews with Anita Pallenberg and Pattie Hanson, and there are not. I'm not sure if there were legal issues involved or what, but it would have been interesting to hear their take on the Human Riff. If you're a fan, this one's for you. December 7, 2007

Not the best kind of documentary...just okay

I only got it cause I'm a Keith fanatic. The interviews were sub-par. Nothing very insightful from other's perspective of Mr. Richards. Could have been better with interviews from people who Keith still gets along with, not old enemies or bitter celebrities. November 18, 2007

Nice introduction to Keith Richards' career

This is a nice perspective on Keith Richards' career--from his youth to the latest Stones' tour. For those who wish to learn more about him, this is a fine starting point.

The DVD begins with his early years (including being a neighbor of Mick Jagger), including the development of the Rolling Stones. The DVD emphasizes the importance of both rhythm and blues and early rock and roll (Chuck Berry, for instance) on Richards' art. The DVD faithfully depicts the rise of the Rolling Stones over time, with Mick Jagger and Bryan Jones early on as the key players, with Keith's role increasing over time.

One key point is the unusual combination of lead and rhythm guitar by one person; Richards early on played something that commentators refer to as "lead rhythm" or "rhythm lead" guitar. Once Keith and Mick started writing songs, Jones began to recede as a major force in the Stones and Keith began to become more prominent.

The DVD shows the evolution of Richards' musicianship, from Chuck Berry riffs to "Satisfaction" to "musical director" of the Rolling Stones. He was always open to other musical influences (e.g., country music, Graham Parsons, and the end result--"Let It Bleed"). The DVD notes the decline in musical quality after "Exile on Main Street," with the rift between Keith and Mick, with the mediocre albums of the latter half of the 1970s, and the mid-1980s through the 1990s.

The DVD also emphasizes the resurgence of the Stones as a performing live band in the 1990s and 2000s.

All in all, a nice introduction to the importance and value of Keith Richards in the pantheon of rock and roll performers. Even hard core Stones' fans will find this DVD enjoyable; those who are less familiar with the Stones will develop a deeper understanding of the so-called "greatest rock and roll band in the world"--and Keith's place in this designation.
October 21, 2007

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