Love Is Strong

The Rolling Stones

The Stones were back in 1994 with a stunning new album Voodoo Lounge. This was a real return to form and resulted in a massive worldwide tour. I was fortunate enough to have tickets to see them at Ellis Park on 24 Feb 1995. It was one of the best shows I have ever seen and there is nothing to beat a malevolent looking Mick Jagger in his top hat and shades swaying and strutting to Sympathy For The Devil. When he sings ”Please allow me to introduce myself” the fucking place went nuts. Being part of a crowd of 85 000 fans and witnessing that was and still is one of my favourite Rock and Roll memories.

As usual the Stones pulled off something cutting edge in support of their new album, the video for Love is Strong is a classic. Shot in black and white and using two contrasting camera scales it is really cool to watch. The best part is the way they interspersed the Stones with the other supermodels in the clip. A wasted looking Ronny Wood swaying and strutting with his guitar slung low is exactly what the Stones are all about. Keith with a Tele and Ronnie with a Strat, Charlie drumming on factory storage tanks it’s a very, very cool video. The Stones are to this day probably the most influential band when it comes to how rock stars are supposed to look.

JAMES DAUBENEY