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The Rolling Stones in the press: “Jagger Slams Stones Ban”
The Rolling Stones had a pretty good problem in 1972: they had just completed a spectacular American tour and apparently had far too much great live material to leave alone. The obvious solution was a double live album. Naturally, things did not go that smoothly. A proposed record was reportedly lined up for release before Christmas, only for Allen Klein and ABKCO to pull the plug at the last moment. Suddenly, an entire document of the Stones at their rawest disappeared into the vaults. Even more tempting, the proposed set was rumored to includeBrown Sugar, Jumpin’ Jack Flash and a remarkable Jagger-Stevie Wonder collaboration on Satisfaction. Not exactly an ordinary lost album.
“Jagger Slams Rolling Stones Ban”, said the NME in late 1972. Ever since the legendary 1972 US tour, die-hard Stones fans have been buzzing about that “lost” live album—the one that almost became the ultimate snapshot of the band in their prime. Rumor has it that the Rolling Stones were all set to drop a double live album capturing the raw, untamed energy of their American shows. The plan was to release it just before Christmas 1972, but in a last-minute twist of fate, Allen Klein and ABKCO pulled the plug on it.
Word on the street was that this album would have featured blistering live versions of classics like Brown Sugarand Jumpin’ Jack Flash, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. There’s even talk of a unique duet between Mick Jagger and Stevie Wonder on Satisfaction – a collaboration that would have been nothing short of historic.
Over time, bootlegs started to surface that claimed to piece together the magic of that lost record. Titles like Keep Your Motor Runnin’ popped up on unofficial releases, leaving collectors to wonder if these tracks were once meant to be part of the official project. Despite the myriad recordings floating around, the official album never saw the light of day, leaving the whole thing as one of rock’s greatest “what ifs”.
It’s wild to think that a tour as epic as the 1972 US run could have had an official live album documenting every gritty moment and spontaneous burst of energy. Instead, the Stones—and the record execs—decided to keep it under wraps, turning it into a legendary myth that still fuels debates and bootleg hunts to this day. Rock ‘n’ roll, it seems, is as much about the stories we tell as the music we play.
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Stones Data on Substack
