Collectors Music Reviews

Make The World Go ‘Round (no label)

Wembley Stadium, London, England – June 25th, 1982

Disc 1 (65:55):  Take The A Train / Under My Thumb, When The Whip Comes Down, Let’s Spend The Night Together, Shattered, Neighbours, Black Limousine, Just My Imagination, Twenty Flight Rock, Going To A Go-Go, Chantilly Lace, Let Me Go, Time Is On My Side, Beast Of Burden, Let It Bleed 

Disc 2 (60:13):  You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Little T & A, Tumbling Dice, She’s So Cold, Hang Fire, Miss You, Honky Tonk Women, Brown Sugar, Start Me Up, Jumping Jack Flash, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

After warm up dates in Scotland and a string of massive, sold out concerts on the continent, The Rolling Stones’ Still Life tour returned to England at the end of June with dates in Newcastle, Bristol and London.  Since they hadn’t toured Europe in six years, the demand for tickets was intense.  To meet supply, the Stones booked two days in the giant Wembley football arena, their first shows in the massive venue.   

When Keith Richards was asked how he would approach this formidable gig he shrugged and muttered “from Heathrow.”  More than 145,000 witnessed the spectacle with those at the back visually aided by huge video screens.

Make The World Go ‘Round is a very good but thin audience recording.  It was first released on vinyl on Make The World Go ‘Round (WE62585-A~F).  The only subsequent pressing is on the CDR title Wembley Stadium 1982 (Sounds Of Satisfaction SOS-820625). 

The new no label Make The World Go ‘Roundis a the first silver release of the show, copying the vinyl release with minimal surface noise.  It is loud, clear, and very enjoyable although some detail is lost in the volume.  Like other tapes in outdoor venues, there is a “breathing” effect in the mix.  

Bill Graham introduces the band after the “Take The A Train” and before “Under My Thumb.”  After “When The Whip Comes Down” Mick Jagger seems surprised by the weather saying “I can’t believe it’s warm.  ’Ello London!  It’s good to be back…”

Everything is infused with a sense of the cabaret, especially the newer songs in the first half of the set.  “Black Limousine” in particular sounds very long, drawn out, intense, and one of the best Stones songs for saxophone solos ever written.  Before the song Jagger asks for the telly to be turn on, and then announces that England scored a goal versus Kuwait in the World Cup  match being played that day in Spain.

A three song oldies set is played in the middle of the show starting with Eddie Cochrane’s “Twenty Flight Rock.”  A cover of The Miracle’s 1965 hit “Going To A Go Go” technically was their latest single from their latest album Still Life, having been released only three weeks before.  The Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace” is the only new song to the tour and is played at a much slower arrangement than the original.

“Let It Bleed” is another huge hit with the audience.  It is extended to accommodate the saxophone solo and Ronnie Wood’s slide guitar.  The audience goes bezerk at the end.  Both this and “Chantilly Lace” would soon be dropped, however, and replaced by “Angie.”  

“Miss You” is another song which is stretched out, but it fails to spark the interest of the audience and falls a bit flat.  But the rest of the numbers are delivered at a furious pace with minimal interruption by Jagger. 

“Brown Sugar” is sped up and goes by like a blur before the big hit of the summer “Start Me Up.”  Like many shows on this tour, it seems the audience are waiting for this song to arrive on stage and they reve it very loudly. 

“Jumping Jack Flash” has a nice display in the middle, and the Stones reward Wembley with the encore “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” 

Make The World Go ‘Round is packaged with graphics drawn from the old vinyl release and come in both yellow and blue for the cover.  No label have drawn many praises from collectors both for their production of very hard to find shows and for their very light mastering techniques.  This is another release which is much better sounding and more enjoyable than anticipated and is worth having.   

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