let’s Spend the Night Together

KEITH RICHARDS FLAYS GUITAR AT STAGE INVADER

NightTogether-DVDYOU INVADE MY SPACE, I SMASH YOUR FACE > if only I wasn’t so busy playing this guitar.

On the Rolling Stones 1981 American tour, Keith Richards spotted a youngish male fan who made it on stage. The Stones guitarist took an almighty swing with his guitar at the invader’s head > missing by centimetres.

This immortal moment is captured on Rolling Stones stage film Let’s Spend The Night Together > directed by Hal Ashby.

SUPPORT ACT PRINCE BELTED WITH BEER CANS

Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman tells of an incident with funk soul brother Prince on the same tour.

Opening for the Stones in Los Angeles and wearing a pair of black bikini bottoms > Prince was soon pelted with beer cans by Stones fans. [A tale from Bill Wyman’s book Rolling With The Stones]

ROLLING STONES STAGE TAKES ON ADDED DIMENSIONS

Prince on the front cover of his 1988 album Lovesexy
Prince on the front cover of his 1988 album Lovesexy

IT’s like the Rolling Stones had to outdo themselves each tour > with bigger and more spectacular stadium shows.

The 80-plus show 1981/82 tour of the US and Europe had a stage over 350 feet across at full stretch > adorned with large cloth replicas of paintings by Japanese artist Kazuhide Yamazaki.

Eight semi-trailers were used to transport the stage.

GUITARIST RON WOOD ARRESTED FOR COCAINE

The Rolling Stones guitarist and partner Jo were arrested in St Maarten, the Caribbean, in February, 1980, on cocaine possession charges.

They spent five days in jail before being deported to the US.

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STONES FORCED TO CHANGE ‘LEWD’ LYRICS ON TV SHOW

edsullivanAMERICAN SHOWBIZ STAR ED SULLIVAN TAKES EXCEPTION TO ‘LET’S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER’ 

American television variety show host Ed Sullivan took exception to the band singing supposedly sex-laden Let’s Spend The Night Together on his show in January 1967.

After a furious argument between Sullivan and band manager Andrew Loog Oldham, it was agreed the words would be changed to “Let’s spend some together”.

Sullivan said: “I’ve hundreds of thousands of kids watching my show. I won’t stand for anything like that with a double meaning. Either the song goes, or the Stones go.”

SWINGS BUT NO ROUNDABOUTS > STONES REFUSE TO PLAY HAPPY FAMILIES 

Win some, lose some. The Rolling Stones may have reluctantly agreed to sing “Let’s spend some time together” > instead of Let’s Spend The Night Together > on the Ed Sullivan Show in the US, but back on their home turf it was a different story.

The Stones appeared on variety show Sunday Night at the London Palladium, also in January 1967, singing three songs, but refused to join in the show’s finale of guests joining together on a roundabout > all waving their happy goodbyes.

A media furore ensued and Mick Jagger told rock magazine New Musical Express: “Anyone who thought we were changing our image to suit a family audience was mistaken”.

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