Despite obvious flaws, ‘Got Live if You Want It’ still a must-have for serious fans
Throughout their heyday – and even now – the Rolling Stones have been known as the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world. And they’ve also been known for producing great live shows.
That ability has translated to the release of numerous live albums including “Love You Live,” “Still Life,” “Flashpoint” and “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out.” The very first live recording, though, released in 1966, is “Got Live if You Want It.”
Perhaps no album is more deserving of the Lost Classic moniker than the Stones’ first live LP, and that’s both good and bad.
The album is a rare find these days, and it’s going to cost you a pretty penny for a copy on either vinyl or compact disc. And it was so bad in the band’s eyes that Mick, Keith, Charlie Watts and company disowned it.
For starters, like many live albums of the time, it has overdubbed screams of fans over studio tracks. This alone would be considered sacrilege by modern music standards. But taken in its proper context, “Got Live if You Want It” can be appreciated for what it is.
Truth be told, it’s on the low side of mediocre at best, but most of the Stones’ live recordings are. Of all their live works, only “Ya-Ya’s” garnered positive reviews when it was released.
But like all of the group’s live works, “Got Live” has its bright moments. For starters, it’s the only live record that features founding lead guitarist Brian Jones, who left the band circa 1969. He became a member of the infamous 27 Club of musicians who departed this realm well before their expiration dates when he drowned not long after exiting the group.
The other thing that sticks out on the LP is that it features live versions of early hits such as “Lady Jane,” “19th Nervous Breakdown and “Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” Those are tracks that rarely appear on setlists in 2019, so it’s nice to hear them documented here.
Overall, despite featuring some really obvious drawbacks, the LP is a must-have for diehard fans of the Rolling Stones or anybody who wants a documented “live performance” featuring Jones on lead guitar. (Quotes included because at least a couple of songs weren’t actually recorded live and others were not performed where the track listing suggests they were.)
