Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones In Concert [40th Anniv

They don't make 'em like this anymore
This is an absolutely wonderful package. Prior to buying this I was a little apprehensive as I had read some less than complimentary reviews on Rolling Stones chat sites. Most people had an issue paying top dollar for what they percieved as re-packaged material. But I found otherwise. The DVD of outtake footage from the 1969 tour is superb. There is a vignette shot at the Ferry Building in SF on a clear winter morning as the Stones and The Grateful Dead are about to head out to Altamont. What absolutely precious footage, as is the outtake of Satisfaction from the Garden. And the CD of BB King and Ike and Tina Turner is wonderful ! This box set is worth every penny, belive me !

Get Your Ya's Ya's Out! The Donkey rocks again!
Yeah! Alright! First, the orginal album, included here, is generally regarded as one of the best classic rock live albums, if not the best. It's been out for 40 years. The five previously unreleased tracks: "Prodigal Son"; "You Gotta Move"; "Under My Thumb"; "I'm Free"; and "Satisfaction" make one wonder why they were left off in the first place. Of course, the slower tempo blues songs, "Prodigal Son" and "You Gotta Move", from "Beggar's Banquet" and "Sticky Fingers" studio albums, wouldn't promote sales of "Let it Bleed". But they're gems. Jagger's blues singing never sounded more Southern. "Under My Thumb" lacks the anger of other versions, plods, but it's shrill guitar tone, thumping Bill Wyman bass line and Charlie's drums drive it home. "I'm Free" is done uptempo, faster than the studio version off the mid-sixties album. The song works in a different way. Instead of a romantic, reflective, philosophical muse, the song becomes a celebration of freedom. Perhaps the brightest jewel on this is the rousing closer, "Satisfaction". Stones fans have heard this one so many times, on so many live albums, that it's kind of a downer. But not here. It's the best version yet! So, in summary, the five unreleased tracks are a must have for any Stones fan. This is the Stones at their best. Charlie, Bill, and Keith never seemed to work together again as well. Perhaps that's due to Mick Taylor's presence. As for the B.B. King and Ike and Tina Turner sets? I saw the '69 Tour, live, so I was looking forward to seeing Tina's dance revue. Instead, it's a on a CD instead of a DVD. It was quite an impressive revue of dancing girls. Jagger has said he learned how to dance and prance onstage from this tour with Tina. I wanted to see the dancing girls! Do I enjoy Tina and Ike's band? Not so much. But B.B. King's guitar work displays his mastery of the instrument. The set reminded me of his masterpiece, "Live at the Regal", and it's a nice souvenir of the concert I saw in San Diego back in '69. Also included in the package: A mini-poster from the original tour poster (I already had full-sized one); a free download of "I'm Free" from Guitar Hero 5. I'm not into that, yet. When they come out with a Stones version of Guitar Hero, I'm on it. There's a mini-coffee table book with photos and reflections by Ethan Russell. The photo of the joint by Jagger's Uncle Sam hat, shot as a possible album cover, is a time capsule from this magic time in rock. Ethan shares some interesting anecdotes and observations. Also included is Lester Bang's review of the album (he's portrayed in the film "Almost Famous") -- a compare/contrast essay of the Stone's bootleg "Live'r Than You'll Ever Be" (I used to own it) and this album. The bootleg didn't stick around in my record collection; the original album did. The DVD shows the Madison Square Garden crowd, including Jimi Hendrix, as the band enters the house. Jagger and Richards look young as they unravel "Prodigal Son" and "You Gotta Move" in an "unplugged" break from the rock. Charlie Watts' photo session with the donkey on the freeway is hilarious. But the album cover came out perfect. The DVD shows Keith at the piano. Mick, tipsy, if not drunk, fumbling with tapes. Mick performing "Under My Thumb" is underwhelming. All in all, the DVD is a second-rate documentary. Keith and Jimi hang out, jam a little. The rousing "Satisfaction" is the DVD's best moment. If you're not a Rolling Stones fanatic, you may not want to pay up. If you are, it's worth every penny.

My Ya Ya's Are Way Out....
THIS is what the record industry can do when it does things right. I don't even know where to start gushing... Yes, this is not the first version of this album I've owned, but it most certainly is the best. THE MATERIAL: No need to rehash the finer points of the classic album. For my money, they could have swapped out a few of the cuts on the classic album and instead could have used some of the outtakes on the 2nd disc here. In fact, Satisfaction and Under My Thumb in particular might have livened the original album up, since it (sacrilege I know) can drag a bit in the middle. The version of Under My Thumb here is much looser and "groovier" -- Nothing like the coke-fueled full-throttle version of the song that would appear about a dozen years later as the opening track of the Still Life live LP. THE SOUND: The sound here is different than the 2002 SACD hybrid. On the '02 disc, the sound is more direct, impactful, up close -- like they plugged right into the mixing board. This release has just as much fidelity, but is more like they hung a microphone about 15 rows back in the audience. I have no idea if this new set uses the same masters, but the crowd noise here isn't just a wall of fans. You can make out individual voices. I.E. The woman who says "Paint It, Black, you devil" right before Sympathy for the Devil is now a lot more prominent than on earlier versions of this album. Were the producers of this release were trying to get more of a "live" feel? EXTRAS: The hardcover book really is a treat...especially the photos. The shot of the boys rehearsing in a grubby basement is priceless. A nice touch is the fan vignettes as well -- check out the short story by the guy who caught Charlie's drum stick. One quibble, which has been repeated by others here -- the outtakes from the original album and the sets by BB King and Ike & Tina Turner could have easily fit on one disc, or they could have put the outtakes on the main disc. This is not to say the bonus tracks should be considered afterthoughts -- this is SMOKING HOT material that stands on its own, especially the BB King set. PACKAGING: An optimal size. Not a huge unwieldy 12" LP size like early 90's box set packaging, but not a little CD-sized ashtray either. The card stock is nice and meaty and will withstand the inevitable lots of handling. The graphics are also cleaned up as well - you can actually make out Charlie's face and see the differences between Keith's and Mick Taylor's guitars on the cover. Another nice touch - the bit of ribbon they put under the CD so you don't have to resort to the pulling and pushing so often required to excavate discs out of their roost in all too many box sets. Overall, a multimedia tour de force. Buy. Buy now!

Awesome!
The five additional tracks are incredible and worth the $40 alone. Great sound and performance - good 'ol ragged Stones! Let's hope the vaults continue to get opened. I would have liked to see the bonus tracks added to original disc - that's my only small complaint. The DVD is a fun bonus, but just so you know, the songs are not all complete on it.

I LOVE the Stones; BUT........................................................
Lets get right to the point; If you own the SACD version of GYYYO, you will NOT be impressed, with this new edition. That said, it's worth the [...], to own a piece of nostalgic history. Yes, they could've combined Cd's, 1&2, on one disc I thought the DVD video was good, not great; no better than the Criterion version, of "Gimme Shelter". In actuality, not as good, because on GS, you have the option of DTS audio. I personally think the video quality of the Criterion disc is superior. It was nice to finally see Prodigal Sun & You Gotta Move, with decent audio & video. BUT; the 2nd CD has the EXACT SAME MUSIC! Great to see Janis Joplin, shakin' her booty, & Hendrix jamming backstage with Mick Taylor; nice touches. After you compress the CD on ITunes/version 9.0.2, it still sounds good, with fabulous dynamic range, BUT, the SACD, is almost as good/compressed, & as good, if not better, with an SACD decoder. BB King, & the Turners' are a fine completion to the package. If you LOVE the Stones, [...], seems trivial, when it's a Mick Taylor era compilation. Now if only Mick would release "Ladies & Gentlemen", in 5.1/DTS/surround sound................................................................................. FYI: I still feel, with today's technology, it could've been better. The Beatles, & The Who remasters, are prime examples, of modern technology.