The Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus: The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was an original idea by the Rolling Stones for promoting their 1968 studio album "Beggar's Banquet". They wanted to record a live extravaganza of music with a circus theme and for that occasion they invited famous contemporary artists, musicians and bands. The live recordings took place on 11-12 December 1968 in London and the original idea was to make a TV Video to be broadcasted soon on BBC. The bands and artists that took part to this project were Jethro Tull with Tony Iommi (from Earth, then to become Black Sabbath) substituting on guitar for that occasion the departed Mick Abrahams (but on the album we can actually hear his original guitar parts), The Who, John Lennon who for that occasion decided to form a one-time band called The Dirty Mac along with Keith Richards (Rolling Stones on bass), Eric Clapton (Cream on lead guitar), Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix Experience on drums) and himself (The Beatles on vocals and rhythm guitar), Lennon's partner Yoko Ono, Israeli violinist Ivry Gitlis, worl music legend Taj Mahal, and Mick Jagger's partner Marianne Faithfull. Apparently, while the performances of the guests, above all The Who, Jethro Tull, The Dirty Mac, were considered stunning by everybody, the Rolling Stones were not satisfied at all from their own performances and therefore they decided to postpone the release of both the Video and the eventual album. With the death of Brian Jones in July 1969, the project was definitively left aside and only in 1996 former manager Allen Klein of ABKCO Records (who gained control of Rolling Stones' material recorded under Decca/London), decided to release this absolute jewel, as an album and then as a TV home-video, DVD release in 2004. Some say that the material contained in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, although the band's performance might not be a premier one, is definitely a huge contribution for the whole history of rock.

Artist: Rolling Stones
Year: 1996
Type: Live Album
Format: CD
Produced by: Jimmy Miller, Jody Klein, Lenne Allik
Genre: Rock, Rock'n'Roll, Rock Blues
Musicians: Bill Wyman (backing vocals, bass, Percussion), Brian Jones (backing vocals, harmonica, mellotron, sitar, Slide Guitar), Charlie Watts (backing vocals, drums, Percussion), Clive Bunker (drums), Eric Clapton (guitar), Glenn Cornick (bass), Ian Anderson (flute, vocals), Ivry Gitlis (violin), John Entwistle (bass), John Lennon (Rhythm Guitar, vocals), Keith Moon (drums), Keith Richards (acoustic guitar, backing vocals, bass, guitar), Marianne Faithfull (backing vocals, vocals), Mick Abrahams (guitar), Mick Jagger (backing vocals, harmonica, vocals), Mitch Mitchell (drums), Pete Townshend (guitar, vocals), Roger Daltrey (Rhythm Guitar, vocals), Taj Mahal (guitar, vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Yoko Ono (vocals)