THIS is “CONFUZZLING”.

The concert film Shine A Light from which this soundtrack came > by famed Hollywood director Martin Scorsese > is great, specially at the Imax, and sounded great – but this album mostly does not.

Yet > apart from the guitar work brought to the fore in the film > the music from the film and this album sound much the same, so what went wrong?

But there is an absolute highlight > on both film and album > not to be missed >  rockin’ blues standard Champagne & Reefer (as in marijuana). It features an almost steal the show guest appearance by blues veteran Buddy Guy > sharing vocals with Mick Jagger and trading guitar licks with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood.

Richards was so impressed that after the song at New York’s Beacon Theatre he presented Buddy Guy with one of his guitars. Jagger shows his appreciation by telling the crowd they’ve just been listening to – “Buddy Motherfucker Guy”. I’m sure he meant it in the nicest possible way!!

THE SONGS

Shine A Light kicks off with a disconnected Jumping Jack Flash > just after we hear a panicked film director Martin Scorsese being handed the set list at the very last second.

The next two tunes > Shattered and She was Hot > run pretty damn cold > a fart more than a rumble, before All Down the Line provides a highlight.

From great 1972 album Exile on Main St, All Down the Line gets the Rolling Stones full stage band treatment here > horn section, backing vocalists and keyboards man Chuck Leavell adding punch to a raucous rocker.

Crowd favourite Brown Sugar gets similar treatment, drummer Charlie Watts leading the charge. There’s also a strong Sympathy for the Devil > one of the band’s ever best songs.

But not much else to get excited about on Shine A Light. Some Girls > from the 1978 album of the same name > starts with promise but fades. Songs from the New York-influenced Some Girls album feature here > it being a New York concert and all > including Shattered, a terrible rendition of The Temptations soul hit Just My Imagination, and an over-spoofed version of Jagger-Richards country and western satire Faraway Eyes.

Even appearances by Jack White of the White Stripes on Loving Cup and orgasmic Christina Aguilera on Live with Me don’t amount to much > despite her being dry humped and all by Mick Jagger in the film.

Get the Shine A Light film instead > everything about it is better than this soundtrack album.

RONNIE WOOD HAS RUSSIAN LOVE AFFAIR > WITH COCKTAIL WAITRESS AND VODKA

Guitarist Ronnie Wood, then aged in his early 6os, took up with a barely out of her teens Russian cocktail waitress in 2008 > leaving his wife of 23 years, Jo, and their four children. He was reported to have met Ekaterina Ivanova at an escort bar in London’s Soho district.

And that’s not his only liking for things Russian > Wood battling an alcohol problem at the time, drinking two bottles of vodka a day.

Wood’s publicist told London’s Daily Mail: “She is a drinking partner. When you’re an alcoholic and your family are all telling you to stop drinking you simply find someone else to drink with. You can see how it happens, you end up pushing away the ones you love because you don’t think straight. He’s fallen off the wagon big time. He’s spiralling out of control and every time he returns to his drinking it’s worse than before. He’s not even clear-headed enough to check himself into rehab.”

Surprise, surprise > the new relationship didn’t last long > and ended ugly.

Ronnie Wood accepted a police caution in December 2009 for allegedly attacking Ekaterina Ivanova after a fierce row. He allegedly dragged her down a London street, slapped and throttled her.

Wood eventually admitted himself into rehab to battle his alcohol addiction in 2008 > and again in 2010 > for the eight time.
* Some source material from London’s Daily Mail.

> WRITTEN by MALCOLM LIVERMORE