:

"Jumping Jack Flash" 

TITLE: "Jumping Jack Flash" YEAR: 1968 ARTIST: The Rolling Stones

 

The Rolling Stones        The Rolling Stones began as a warm-up act for The Ronettes.          The First Album     The Stones at a 1964 press conference: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Brian Jones, and Charlie Watts (left to right).     The Rolling Stones followed The Beatles to America.       A youthful group of Rollling Stones.             Beggar's Banquet          Brian Jones          The Altamont Speedway tragedy is chronicled in the film Gimme Shelter.     Exile on Main Street      Mick Jagger      Mick Taylor     Ron Wood     Some Girls      Tattoo You      Keith Richards        Ian Stewart        Charlie Watts       Steel Wheels       Mick Jagger and Keith Richards guest star on The Simpsons.        Bill Wyman       Darryl Jones           Voodoo Lounge       Bridges to Babylon     It has been over 40 years since The Rolling Stones first appeared on stage, but they are still rockin'.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: The Rolling Stones define rock and roll. They are the longest running act in the history of rock music, having remained wildly popular and prodigiously productive over their five-decade career. The group was formed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who met as schoolmates in Dartford, Kent (England). The legend has them bumping into each other on the platform at the Dartford railway station, where Keith notices a blues album under Mick's arm. A bond is struck immediately and the pair go on to form a band. Brian Jones is added soon thereafter. The best way to chronicle The Rolling Stones' accomplishments is to break them down by year. 1962 The Stones are just three of a growing circle of musicians who were devoted to the music of American artists like Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Elmore James. They perform these artists' songs with an almost missionary zeal to further the R&B cause, as well as earn enough money to stay alive. In July, the Stones take their name from a Muddy Waters song called "Rollin' Stone Blues" and make their live debut at London's Marquee Club. They start playing pubs and clubs around the city and suburbs. Bill Wyman joins late in the year -- the popular story being that he was asked because he had his own amplifier! 1963 In January, Charlie Watts joins the Stones and plays his first gigs. Audiences often consist of fellow budding blues musicians like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Pete Townshend. Their weekly steamy nights at the Crawdaddy at Richmond's Station Hotel result in ecstatic press reviews, and in April a sharp young mover called Andrew Loog Oldham catches the Stones at the Crawdaddy and signs them to his management company the next day. In May, the Stones are signed to Decca Records. A month later "Come On," the first Rolling Stones single, is released. The song climbs to No. 21 on the U.K. charts. The second single, "I Wanna Be Your Man," is given to the group by John Lennon and Paul McCartney after they run into the Stones on the street. They finish writing it on the spot. That reaches No. 12. Live gigs are already attracting hordes of screaming teenage girls who drown out the band. 1964 The group starts the year on a tour performing as the warm-up act for The Ronettes, the girl group produced by Phil Spector. In February, they release a third single, a version of Bo Diddley's "Not Fade Away," which features Phil Spector on maracas. By now , the Stones are becoming a ferocious R&B machine. They ditch the stage uniforms, grow their hair longer and inspire a legion of lookalikes. No group in history has sparked such horror in the older generation. "Not Fade Away" becomes the Stones' first Top 10 entry, hitting No. 3. The first album immediately sparks controversy for being untitled and featuring no writing on the cover. It reaches the top spot. In June, "It's All Over Now" becomes the Stones' first No. 1 gold record. It was recorded at Chicago's legendary Chess studios -- home of Muddy Waters and other Stones heroes -- during the group's first visit to the United States that month. 1965 The momentum continues -- as does the band's superhuman schedule -- with a second chart-topping album, Rolling Stones Number 2. In February, the single "The Last Time" also hits No. 1. In August, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" sweeps the world and becomes one of the biggest Stones anthems ever. Keith says he woke up in the middle of the night in a motel room with that riff in his head and had to write it down there and then. The following month sees the release of the Got Live If You Want It -- a noisy record of the live show recorded over the first three days of the March U.K. tour. The Out Of Our Heads album, recorded between U.S. dates and featuring a bunch of Jagger/Richards gems, is released in July. The chart topping "Get Off My Cloud" puts the cap on another action-packed year. 1966 February sees the single "19th Nervous Breakdown," followed by the ground-breaking, chart-vaulting Aftermath album, on which the Stones start to experiment with different instruments and 11-minute tracks. Every song is written by Mick and Keith. In May, the expansion of the Stones' sound continues on the number one "Paint It Black" single, where Brian's sitar rides the pummelling beat. 1967 The Stones tour Europe to literally riotous responses in many cases, and headline the massively popular Sunday Night At The London Palladium TV show, where they perform the already-controversial "Let's Spend the Night Together" single and "Ruby Tuesday." In December, the highly experimental Their Satanic Majesties Request album baffles many with its extended psychedelic explorations, but still hits the top three. 1968 After the uncertainty of the previous year, the Stones are back to claim their crown as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World." "Jumping Jack Flash," the MP3 featured on this page, is released later that month and pole vaults to the top. The Beggars Banquet album is supposed to follow in August, but Decca objects to the Stones' graffiti-splattered toilet wall sleeve and it finally emerges in a plain white cover in December. The album launch party ends up with the Stones hurling custard pies in the faces of Decca executives. The album itself shows a new maturity and bluesy raunch, as well as the dark and dangerous image epitomized by "Sympathy For The Devil." 1969 After a meeting with other band members, Brian Jones leaves the Stones on June 8, saying he wants to form a new group. A few days later, the Stones hold a photo call in London's Hyde Park to introduce their new guitarist, Mick Taylor, who was formerly in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. He will make his live debut with the Stones at a free concert to be held in the park on July 5, and plays on the upcoming single, "Honky Tonk Women." On July 3, Brian Jones is found dead in his swimming pool in Sussex. The Hyde Park gig becomes a memorial for Brian and the group plays new songs. The classic bar room raunch of "Honky Tonk Women" is unleashed a week later and shoots to the top of the charts. The chart-topping Let It Bleed album is released in December and includes "Gimme Shelter" and "Midnight Rambler." The Stones embark on their first U.S. tour since 1966. The U.S. tour climaxes in December with the tragic Altamont Speedway concert. A fan is killed by the Hell's Angels motorcycle club, hired as security for the concert. 1970 In September, a live album of the previous year's Madison Square Garden show New York, Get Yer Ya-Yas Out, hits No. 1. It's initially designed as an official alternative to the Stones bootlegs starting to appear. The 1969 tour also results in the movie, Gimme Shelter, which documents the Altamont Speedway tragedy. 1971 The Stones, whose contract with Decca has expired, launch their Rolling Stones Records imprint with "Brown Sugar." In April, Sticky Fingers appears with a sleeve designed by Andy Warhol, which depicts a pair of jeans with an adjustable zipper! 1972 In April, the Top Five hit "Tumbling Dice" is the first single to trailer the upcoming double album Exile On Mainstreet, recorded in the basement of Keith's house in the south of France. The Stones tour the States -- described by organizer Pete Rudge as "not like a rock 'n' roll tour, more like the Normandy landing." It sees the group setting a standard of the grand spectacle required for stadium gigs. 1973 In August, the ballad "Angie" trailers the more melodic Goat's Head Soup album. The accompanying tour hits Europe, including a spectacular stretch at Wembley Arena. 1974 July's Top 10 single, "It's Only Rock'n'Roll," started life in Ronnie Wood's South London home studio, with David Bowie on backing vocals and the Faces' Kenny Jones on drums. The Stones/Wood connection becomes closer when Keith appears on most of Ronnie's first solo album, I've Got My Own Album To Do, and both Mick Taylor and Jagger guest. Keith appears with Ronnie at his Kilburn State gig in July. In December, Mick Taylor quits to pursue a solo career. 1975 After much speculation and a string of recording sessions, which eventually give birth to the Black and Blue album, the Stones announce Mick Taylor's replacement -- Ronnie Wood. Ronnie had already taken leave from The Faces to tour with the Stones, and Keith admits he nearly asked him to join back when Brian left. 1976 Black and Blue is released in April and features "Fool to Cry," the single that makes the Top 10. 1977 In February, Keith and Anita Pallenberg are busted in Toronto, where the Stones are playing some low-key club dates to record for an upcoming live album. October's Love You Live double album features songs from the previous tour. 1978 The dance music-influenced "Miss You" hits the top spot in the U.S. The Some Girls LP follows. Reviewers claim the charged energy level is influenced by the recent punk rock explosion. The Stones tour America to wildly enthusiastic audiences and equally ecstatic reviews. All stage props have been stripped back, to allow room for the new energy coursing through the group with a totally integrated Ronnie Wood and fully-cylindered Keith Richards. 1979 Wood releases a third solo album, Gimme Some Neck, which again features Keith and Mick. In April, the Stones join together to support Keith, doing a set for the Benefit Concert for the blind which honors the Toronto court's sentencing commitment. Keith then joins Ronnie for the New Barbarians tour. The Barbs appear at the Knebworth Festival supporting Led Zeppelin. 1980 In June, a new single, the reggae and disco-tinged "Emotional Rescue," trailers the album of the same name and hits the Top 10. 1981 August sees "Start Me Up" motor into the Top 10 as a slashing kickstart trailer for the upcoming album, Tattoo You. The Stones undertake the first of periodic mega-tours which sees them astride a colossal stadium-stage, complete with hydraulic platforms and huge avant garde paintings. 1982 The Stones tour hits Europe, including several nights at London's Wembley Stadium. In June, the Stones release Still Life, a live album drawn from the 1981 American gigs. 1983 In August and in typical Stones fashion, an agreement is reached and signed at 3:00 a.m. in Paris' Ritz Hotel by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and CBS head Walter Yetnikoff. The deal is reportedly worth 28 million dollars and calls for the Stones to deliver four studio albums. In October, the "Undercover Of The Night" single is unveiled. The single reached the Top 10, as did the album. 1985 In February, the Stones are in Paris recording Dirty Work at Pathe-Marconi Studio. Mick Jagger releases his first solo album, She's The Boss. In June, he duets with David Bowie on the specially recorded version of "Dancing In The Street" for Live Aid. Mick also appears at the all-day event in Philadelphia, singing a saucy duet with Tina Turner. It's his first ever live solo set performed in front of 1.5 billion viewers. Later that day, Keith and Ronnie flank Bob Dylan for an acoustic set to close the show at JFK Stadium. Later that year, the Stones begin work on a new album. Near the end of the sessions -- which the group later admit were not their most harmonious -- their road manager, soul brother and "Sixth Stone" Ian Stewart dies of a massive heart attack in London at the age of 47. Ian had been with the group since the start and still played piano on stage. "We all felt the glue had come unstuck," says a grieving Keith. 1986 "Harlem Shuffle" is released in March and hits the Top 20. The Dirty Work album follows and is dedicated to Ian Stewart. It closes with one of Keith's most moving ballads, "Sleep Tonight." Again there is no tour. 1987 Keith records his first solo album for Virgin Records at Montreal's Le Studio. 1988 Mick releases his second solo album, Primitive Cool, and enjoys a hugely successful tour of Japan and Australia. In September, Keith's debut album, Talk Is Cheap, is released. He follows this with a three-week sold-out tour of the U.S. with his back-up band, the X-Pensive Winos. "Take It So Hard" is the first single and video released. 1989 At the start of the year, The Rolling Stones are inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mick, Keith, Ron, and Mick Taylor are present at the ceremony held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. The absence of Wyman and presence of Taylor sparks rumors that the Stones will tour with Taylor replacing Wyman, and Ron Wood will move to the bass. Pete Townshend helps induct the Stones, telling them in his speech, "Guys, whatever you do, don't try to grow old gracefully. It wouldn't suit you." Mick replies in his own speech: "After a lifetime of bad behavior, it's slightly ironic that tonight you see us on our best behavior." In July, The Rolling Stones hold a press conference at New York's Grand Central Station to announce their forthcoming Steel Wheels album and tour. Mick holds up a ghetto blaster and plays the new "Mixed Emotions" single to the assembled world media. It's released in August and puts the group back onto the world's charts. Steel Wheels is a Stones classic. A complete album of new material, as opposed to touched up old demos like much of the late 1970's and 1980's output. While the album is generally acclaimed as the group's best in years, the group adds the awesome scope and spectacle of the Steel Wheels tour. The stage set is the biggest ever, a surreal post-nuclear nightmare factory, all girders, funnels and catwalks bathed in ferocious lighting and walls of fire and smoke. 1990 In February, the Stones tour Japan for the first time with 10 sold-out shows at Tokyo's Korakuen Dome, playing to 50,000 a night. Over the past year, the Stones have played 115 shows to over six million people. 1991 All five members of the band immerse themselves in solo projects. In November, at the London office of the Stones' financial advisor Rupert Loewenstein, Mick, Keith, Charlie, Ronnie are present for the signing of the Stones' deal with Virgin Records. 1992 The Stones take the year off to recharge their batteries. Meanwhile Richards records and releases his second solo album, Main Offender, on Virgin. 1993 The Stones celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of their first single. During a live interview on the BBC's London Tonight news program in January, Bill Wyman finally makes it official: "I really don't want to do it anymore." Regarding his efforts to prevent Bill from quitting, Keith states: "I did everything but hold him at gunpoint." 1994 After pre-production in Barbados, the Stones gather in Dublin, Ireland at Windmill Studios to start work on a new album. This is their first under a new deal with Virgin. The album is titled, Voodoo Lounge. Darryl Jones replaces Bill Wyman on bass guitar. The results are staggering. As virtually all reviews have pointed out, Voodoo Lounge is peak Stones; a group firing on all cylinders. After the success of the Steel Wheels project, the Stones know they have nothing to prove and the new sound seems less self-conscious and more inventive than their recent work. The album and its accompanying tour is announced in New York -- this time after the group arrive via boat at Pier 60. The tour kicks off on August 1 at Washington. DC's RFK Stadium and plays the U.S., Canada, Japan, Mexico, South America, and the Far East. The tour launches with a shower of praise from critics and fans alike. In between playing to sold-out shows in stadiums across the U.S., the Stones find time to pick up an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award, plus a Billboard Award for Artistic Excellence. The band also makes history on November 10th, when they become the first rock and roll band to broadcast a concert live on the Internet. By the end of the year, sales of the Voodoo Lounge album pass the four million mark, and the North American leg of the tour is written into the record books as the most successful tour in history. 1995 The band records a live acoustic album Stripped., based on their latest world tour. While the release of Stripped is seen as a present-day celebration of past glories, the Stones end the year by re-enforcing their commitment to the future by making it enhanced with multimedia content. The band also launches the second official website (Stonesworld) and releases their debut CD-ROM (Voodoo Lounge). 1996 Even when not active, the Stones are everywhere, with music featured in the movie Casino. 1997 The Stones continue to redefine rock music and themselves in the process. The ageless rockers begin recording the follow-up to Voodoo Lounge in a Los Angeles studio with executive producer Don Was and producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. Bridges to Babylon is released in the fall. 1998 In November, the Stones chronicle their 1998 tour with the release of No Security, their third live album of the decade. 2002 Forty Licks, another compilation of greatest hits by The Rolling Stones is released. The double CD set proves to be enormously popular with yet another generation of rock and roll fans. 2003 The Rolling Stones appear live on HBO. The concert from Madison Square Garden in New York reinforces the band's domination of the rock and roll world with their usual on-stage electricity. It is hard to believe that "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" has been on the scene for over 40 years! Biography information courtesy of RollingStone.com.

LYRICS

I was born in a cross-fire hurricane

And I howled at my ma in the driving rain,

But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas!

But it's all right. I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash,

It's a gas! Gas! Gas!

I was raised by a toothless, bearded hag,

I was schooled with a strap right across my back,

But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas!

But it's all right, I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash,

It's a gas! Gas! Gas!

I was drowned, I was washed up and left for dead.

I fell down to my feet and I saw they bled.

I frowned at the crumbs of a crust of bread.

I was crowned with a spike right thru my head.

But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas!

But it's all right, I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash,

It's a gas! Gas! Gas!