Mick Jagger - Very Best Of Mick Jagger

When it comes to the stuff of legends, Mick Jagger is up there at the very top of the tree. Spanning four decades of music and counting, Jagger and The Rolling Stones have a staunchly loyal and ever present audience that increases as new generations look to older stars for guidance on how music has developed and acknowledging musical roots of current favourite bands. However, is Jagger a talented musician in his own right and is he worthy of such legendary status?

There is absolutely no doubt that Jagger is entertaining and a quintessential frontman. There is also no doubt that The Rolling Stones would have been nothing without Jagger and the world’s most archetypal rock guitarist, Keith Richards. However, does Jagger need the dynamic created with Richards to be considered a great or can he live the legendary title solo? There is no doubting that Jagger had created a number of well known and loved solo efforts in the 35 years since his first solo release in 1972 but it is also clear that the sparkle and magnificence of the Stones is lost somewhat in his solo work. It is certainly an interesting retrospective of the man’s work, but it is by no means overly inspiring.

The Rolling Stones work hard to retain their status in rock and roll. They came out of the shadow of The Beatles and stuck with a formula to hold onto their audience. Certainly the sexploits and well documented drug use of the band made them bad boys of rock and roll, and we all know that women love a bad boy, so Jagger and his band were in a prime position to capture the love of dirty rock and create and maintain a large and loyal following. The band have never moved away from their bad boy antics and it works for them.

However, this is not about Jagger, the Stones front man, but it is about Jagger, the solo artist. Certainly this album is full of tracks the listener knows and maybe even loves. From the cheesy Dancing In The Street with David Bowie to Just Another Night and from Charmed Life to Joy. If you know Jagger’s solo work at all, you will know the tracks on this album.

Yet put them altogether and are you left with an interesting pick of 30 years of music or are you left with a feeling that without the Stones, Jagger fails somewhat to produce songs that are worthy of his long standing fame and status? Jagger sings of living a charmed life and he is right. As a solo artist he would not have found the success that came with the Stones. As a singer in a dirty rock and roll band he fell into a niche and helped market his band in such a clever way that they were able to retain their audience and continue to be a band that sells out stadiums the world over.

Jagger has an instantly recognisable voice that is essentially born from blues. He has followed, rather than begun, trends which has helped him to carry on making music that sounds “of the moment” but is rarely, if ever, innovative. As a piece of nostalgia, this is an album worth listening to. It is released in time for the Christmas market and, as with most things Jagger/Stones, the decision to release this collection now is unlikely to be anything but a marketing effort to get this album to the top of the charts. Your mums may well have this on their Christmas list this year as the season for reminiscing and retrospection is about to be upon us once more. This album gives generations a chance to think back on the times where they had less responsibility and could at least pretend that they were rebels, just as Jagger is.

Mick Jagger is a star. He is a legend for good reason. He may not have been as innovative as John Lennon, but he knew how to sell his product and he has been doing so successfully for more than 40 years. Even when making such terrible records as Dancing In The Street (come on – this is a bad record, and so bad it has become a guilty pleasure for many of us) his star quality comes through with such enthusiasm that is somehow works.

Mick Jagger is the devil of music. His ability to maintain his status both as a personality and an amazing front man makes him a legend – and he is one of very few artists that is truly deserving of such standing. As a collection of tracks from 3 decades, this is worthy of a listen, if only to see who the master of the bad boy image really is.

The album is widely available now through Atlantic/Rhino Records

[Posh]

His 80's stuff is awful but his 90's and 00's records have some great moments alongside the dreck.

But I always feel the need to defend him because of the serious credibility problem he has. A shitload of the best Rolling Stones songs were written without any involvement from Keef.

[Rhythm Junkie]

I can't stand 'dancing in the street'

[Posh]

I hate the music but I fucking love the video. The two of them are acting exactly like that night you went to that party with that lassie you fucked but no one was allowed to know about it but ye's pure got wrecked and flirted outrageously with each other all night anyway in the mistaken assumption that people would be watching and talking about you.

EXCEPT THEY'RE DAVID AND MICK SO THEY'RE BETTER.

[Rhythm Junkie]

it was made after they shagged, aye?

[Charlie Parker]

YouTube - David Bowie & Mick Jagger - Dancing...