The Rolling Stones: Rock and Roll Circus - December 11, 1968

"Although The Rolling Stones: Rock and Roll Circus was filmed over December 11 and 12, 1968, the final film did not see the light of day until the mid-'90s. The rumor had always been that the band sat on it, as they had been outplayed by one of their guest stars, the Who. This DVD will allow viewers to decide if Mick Jagger and company were correct in that assessment. The show is presented in a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original aspect ratio. English soundtracks are rendered in both an excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and a Dolby Digital Stereo mix. Supplemental materials include three different commentary tracks featuring such notables as the show's director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and performers Keith Richards, Taj Mahal, and Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson. However, the highlight is a commentary by Marianne Faithful. The singer obviously lived a quintessential Swinging '60s London lifestyle, but she feels no need to romanticize that time. Her comments offer a great deal of historical context as well as poignancy; they are augmented by the remarks of journalist David Dalton, who was a stringer for Rolling Stone and was present during the filming of the special. He provides a great deal of insight into the history of the band as well as of the times. He also offers analysis of the songs performed by the Rolling Stones that is pointed without being overly academic. Those two provide one of the best commentaries about rock & roll yet released. A smattering of behind-the-scenes footage and an interesting new interview with Pete Townshend round out this first-class DVD that is recommended to all rock fans."