Mick hates it. But who cares what Mick thinks, really? Does his distaste for this record come from the fact that it's not so typically "Stonesy"? The band has been playing themselves playing themselves for decades now, and seem to have forgotten that what made the Stones great was not just the stupid dirty sexy rock image: it was the songs, and the variety. "Black and Blue" has eight, tremendously varied songs. I think it might be the band's most underrated record ("Satanic Majesty" seems to have finally found the freaky cult it deserves), and maybe their third best from the 70s.
It's loose, it's jammy, it's all about grooves. But, again, different grooves. "Hot Stuff" does the pre-"Miss You" disco thing. "Hand of Fate" is a Keith riffy rock groove. "Cherry Oh Baby" is a reggae cover. "Melody" is smoky barroom jazz groovy fun, with Billy Preston! "Hey Negrita" is filthy! "Crazy Mama" is great! And you want ballads? Well, the near clones "Memory Motel" and "Fool to Cry" kill!
Still, no questions the diversity of the record, and most people hate it, still. So why is it all so great? I think the production helps. The band seems to have temporarily kicked their drugs, at least in the studio... So everything is crystal clear. The songs that were designed to be great, like "Fool to Cry," are so made greater, and the songs that are obvious "throwaways," like "Cherry," are pretty damn fun to sing along to.
This is the Stones REALLY being the Stones, i.e. not being "The Stones, the planet's best rock band, or whatever." This is the Stones experimenting! This is the Stones branching out! That's the Stones, guys! That's the real Stones!
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