Flashpoint (album)

Flashpoint is a live album by British rock band The Rolling Stones. It was recorded in 1989 and 1990 on the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour and released in 1991. It was the first live album by the group since 1982's Still Life. It was recorded using binaural recording. This gives the effect that the concert audience is behind the home listener. The audience cheer track was taken from the Rolling Stones' 1970 live album Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!, complete with an audience member shouting out a request: "'Paint It Black', 'Paint It Black', you devil". The two studio tracks on the album were the last for bassist and long-time member Bill Wyman as a Rolling Stone.

Flashpoint
Live album by The Rolling Stones
Released	2 April 1991
Recorded	(25-26 November 1989) (19 December 1989) (26-27 February 1990) (13 June 1990) (6,28 July 1990) (except "Highwire" and "Sex Drive": 7–11 January 1991)
Genre	Rock
Length	76:12
Language	English
Label	Rolling Stones/CBS
Producer	Chris Kimsey, The Glimmer Twins
The Rolling Stones chronology
Steel Wheels (1989) Flashpoint (1991) Voodoo Lounge (1994)
The Rolling Stones live albums chronology
Still Life (1982) Flashpoint (1991) Stripped (1995)
Singles from Flashpoint
"Highwire" Released: 1 March 1991 "Ruby Tuesday" Released: 24 May 1991

History

Recorded across North America, Europe and Japan, Flashpoint is also the first Rolling Stones release of the 1990s and, unlike previous live sets, includes two new studio tracks: "Highwire" and "Sex Drive"; the former was released as a single earlier in 1991 and was a comment on the Gulf War.

Although the live selections are mostly familiar hits mixed in with new tracks from Steel Wheels, Flashpoint also includes lesser-known songs like "Factory Girl" from 1968's Beggars Banquet and "Little Red Rooster", originally a No. 1 UK hit single in 1964, featured here with special guest Eric Clapton on guitar.

Bill Wyman's departure

As Flashpoint was The Rolling Stones' final release under their contract with Sony Music, the band signed a new lucrative long-term worldwide deal with Virgin Records in 1991, with the exception of Bill Wyman. After thirty years with the band, the fifty-five-year-old Wyman decided that he had other interests he wanted to pursue and felt that, considering the size of the recently completed Steel Wheels project and tour, it was fitting to bow out at that time. Although he would not officially announce his departure until January 1993 – during the interim the rest of the band had repeatedly asked him to reconsider – he had talked about leaving the band for at least ten years. After his departure, Ronnie Wood was finally taken off salary and made a full member of the Rolling Stones partnership, eighteen years after he joined the band.

Release

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	F[2]
Los Angeles Times	[3]
MusicHound Rock	1/5[4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
Tom Hull	B+[7]

Flashpoint was released in April 1991 and was generally well-received, with "Highwire" becoming a rock radio hit, and managed to reach No. 6 in the UK and No. 16 in the US, where it went gold.

In 1998, Flashpoint was remastered and reissued by Virgin Records, and again in 2010 by Universal Music.

Track listing

All tracks written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted.

CD

1. "(Intro) Continental Drift" – 0:26
2. "Start Me Up" – 3:54 (26 November 1989; Death Valley Stadium; Clemson, South Carolina)
3. "Sad Sad Sad" – 3:33 (19 December 1989; Atlantic City Convention Center; Atlantic City, New Jersey)
4. "Miss You" – 5:55 (25 November 1989; Gator Bowl; Jacksonville, Florida)
5. "Rock and a Hard Place" – 4:52 (25 November 1989; Gator Bowl; Jacksonville, Florida)
6. "Ruby Tuesday" – 3:33 (27 February 1990; Korakuen Dome; Tokyo, Japan)
7. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" – 7:26 (25 November 1989; Gator Bowl; Jacksonville, Florida)
8. "Factory Girl" – 2:47 (6 July 1990; Wembley Stadium; London, England)
9. "Can't Be Seen" – 4:17 (26 November 1989; Death Valley Stadium; Clemson, South Carolina)
10. "Little Red Rooster" (Willie Dixon) – 5:15 (19 December 1989; Atlantic City Convention Center; Atlantic City, New Jersey)
11. "Paint It Black" – 4:02 (13 June 1990; Olympic Stadium; Barcelona, Spain)
12. "Sympathy for the Devil" – 5:35 (26 February 1990; Korakuen Dome; Tokyo, Japan)
13. "Brown Sugar" – 4:06 (28 July 1990; Stadio Delle Alpi; Turin, Italy)
14. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" – 5:00 (27 February 1990; Korakuen Dome; Tokyo, Japan)
15. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" – 6:09 (26 November 1989; Death Valley Stadium; Clemson, South Carolina)
16. "Highwire" – 4:44
17. "Sex Drive" – 5:07

Vinyl LP

Side one

1. (Intro) "Continental Drift" – 0:29
2. "Start Me Up" – 3:54
3. "Sad Sad Sad" – 3:33
4. "Miss You" – 5:55
5. "Ruby Tuesday" – 3:34
6. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" – 7:26
7. "Factory Girl" – 2:48
8. "Little Red Rooster" (Dixon) – 5:15

Side two

1. "Paint It Black" – 4:02
2. "Sympathy for the Devil" – 5:35
3. "Brown Sugar" – 4:10
4. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" – 5:00
5. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" – 6:08
6. "Highwire" – 4:46
7. "Sex Drive" – 4:28

• "Rock and a Hard Place" and "Can't Be Seen", were not included on the vinyl version.

Cassette Tape

Side one

1. (Intro) "Continental Drift" – 0:29
2. "Start Me Up" – 3:54
3. "Sad Sad Sad" – 3:33
4. "Miss You" – 5:55
5. "Rock and a Hard Place" – 4:52
6. "Ruby Tuesday" – 3:34
7. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" – 7:26
8. "Factory Girl" – 2:48
9. "Sex Drive" – 4:28

Side two

1. "Can't Be Seen" – 4:17
2. "Little Red Rooster" (Dixon) – 5:15
3. "Paint It Black" – 4:02
4. "Sympathy for the Devil" – 5:35
5. "Brown Sugar" – 4:10
6. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" – 5:00
7. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" – 6:08
8. "Highwire" – 4:46

Other songs/B-sides and charity single

The following songs were recorded during the same set of concerts and later released as B-sides:

• "2000 Light Years from Home" – 3:24 (13 June 1990; Olympic Stadium; Barcelona Spain) – Only released on "Highwire" singles
• "Gimme Shelter" – 4:47 (26 November 1989; Death Valley Stadium; Clemson, South Carolina) – Charity single released in 1993
• "Harlem Shuffle" (Bob Relf, Ernest Nelson) – 4:35 (27 February 1990; Korakuen Dome; Tokyo, Japan) – Only released on one of the variations of the UK "Ruby Tuesday" single
• "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (Dixon) – 3:58 (6 July 1990; Wembley Stadium; London, England) – Only released on "Highwire" singles
• "Play with Fire" (Nanker Phelge) – 3:31 (26 November 1989; Death Valley Stadium; Clemson, South Carolina) – Released on "Ruby Tuesday" single
• "Street Fighting Man" – 3:43 (25 August 1990; Wembley Stadium; London, England) – Only released on "Jumpin' Jack Flash" Maxi-CD singles
• "Tumbling Dice" – 4:12 (24 August 1990; Wembley Stadium; London, England) – Only released on "Jumpin' Jack Flash" singles
• "Undercover of the Night" – 3:59 (19 December 1989; Atlantic City Convention Center; Atlantic City, New Jersey) – Released on the "Ruby Tuesday" single

All tracks besides "Gimme Shelter" released in 1990.

Personnel

The Rolling Stones

• Mick Jagger – lead vocals, guitars, harmonica
• Keith Richards – vocals, guitars
• Ronnie Wood – guitars
• Bill Wyman – bass guitar
• Charlie Watts – drums

Additional personnel

• Matt Clifford – keyboards, French horn
• Chuck Leavell – keyboards, backing vocals [8]
• Bobby Keys – saxophone
• Horns by The Uptown Horns – Arno Hecht, Paul Litteral, Bob Funk, Crispen Cloe
• The Kick Horns - Horns on "Rock and a Hard Place"
• Bernard Fowler – backing vocals
• Lisa Fischer – backing vocals
• Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals
• Lorelei McBroom- backing vocals
• Eric Clapton – guitar on "Little Red Rooster"
• Live recordings by Bob Clearmountain, David Hewitt
• Mixed by Christopher Marc Potter
• Bernard Fowler – backing vocals on "Highwire"
• Katie Kissoon – backing vocals on "Sex Drive"
• Tessa Niles – backing vocals on "Sex Drive"
• Studio tracks mixed by Chris Kimsey and Mark Stent
• Engineered by Mark Stent
• Assistant Engineer Nick Hartley on "Sex Drive" and "Highwire"
• Art direction and design by Garry Mouat and David Crow

Charts and certifications

Charts Chart (1991) Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[9] 6 Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 12 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] 9 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 5 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 5 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14] 6 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[15] 11 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 15 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 7 UK Albums (OCC)[18] 6 US Billboard 200[19] 16 Chart (1998) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 42 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 33 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 29 Chart (2001) Peak position French Albums (SNEP)[21] 129  Colombia Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales Canada (Music Canada)[22] Gold 50,000^^ Germany (BVMI)[23] Gold 250,000^^ Netherlands (NVPI)[24] Platinum 100,000^^ New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] Gold 7,500^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Gold 100,000^^ United States (RIAA)[27] Gold 500,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone References Eder, Bruce. "Flashpoint - The Rolling Stones". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2018. Arnold, Gina (19 April 1991). "Flashpoint". Entertainment Weekly. Hochman, Steve (31 March 1991). "ALBUM REVIEW: *** THE ROLLING STONES: "Flashpoint": Columbia". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 8 July 2018. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. 952. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link) Evans, Paul (8 April 1991). "Flashpoint". Rolling Stone. "Album Guide: The Rolling Stones". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2017. Hull, Tom (30 June 2018). "Streamnotes (June 2018)". tomhull.com. Retrieved 11 February 2020. Saulnier, Jason (8 April 2010). "Chuck Leavell Interview". Music Legends. Retrieved 6 May 2013. "Austriancharts.at – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Australiancharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1503". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Charts.nz – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Swedishcharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Swisscharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Rolling Stones | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Ultratop.be – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Lescharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2016. "Canadian album certifications – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 June 2016. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Rolling Stones; 'Flashpoint')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 11 June 2016. "Dutch album certifications – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 19 June 2019. Enter Flashpoint in the "Artiest of titel" box. "New Zealand album certifications – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 31 January 2020. "British album certifications – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 June 2016. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Flashpoint in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter. "American album certifications – The Rolling Stones – Flashpoint". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 June 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.