Leeds is the site of one of the Rolling Stones' classic '70s bootlegs -- later officially released as part of a Super Deluxe reissue of Sticky Fingers -- and if From the Vault: Live in Leeds 1982 isn't as epochal as Get Yer Leeds Lungs Out!, this double-CD/DVD set nevertheless has its own merits. In a sense, this 1982 tour represents the conclusion of the Rolling Stones' third act, the time when they remained at the vanguard of stadium rock, still releasing chart-conquering albums and filling out arenas around the world. ...
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Leeds is the site of one of the Rolling Stones' classic '70s bootlegs -- later officially released as part of a Super Deluxe reissue of Sticky Fingers -- and if From the Vault: Live in Leeds 1982 isn't as epochal as Get Yer Leeds Lungs Out!, this double-CD/DVD set nevertheless has its own merits. In a sense, this 1982 tour represents the conclusion of the Rolling Stones' third act, the time when they remained at the vanguard of stadium rock, still releasing chart-conquering albums and filling out arenas around the world. True, they'd continue to move tickets for another three-plus decades, but with Steel Wheels they'd move to the level of heritage act. Here, they were an overblown version of the band that made Get Yer Leeds Lungs Out!, minus the sly blues licks of Mick Taylor but benefiting from the ancient weaving of Ron Wood and Keith Richards, not to mention a dose of the new wave spirit that even invigorates the back-to-basics rock that peppers this set: covers abound, including Eddie Cochran and the Miracles, not to mention such down-and-dirty recent originals as "Neighbours," "Black Limousine," "Little T & A," and "Hang Fire." "Start Me Up" was recent enough to close the set, not open it, but the real story is the reliance on such sleazy oldies as "Under My Thumb" and "Let's Spend the Night Together," tunes that find their match with "When the Whip Comes Down," and the whole thing adds up to a riotous good time. [From the Vault was released as a four-LP set in 2016.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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