With a new album, Beggars Banquet, completed Mick Jagger discussed the idea of a
TV special to promote the record with former Ready Steady Go director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
Despite the demise of the show in late 1966 Lindsay-Hogg had continued to work with
The Stones, directing promo clips for and A and B sides, Jumping Jack Flash and Child
of The Moon in 1968. Mick had seen the ill-fated Magical Mystery Tour, and decided
that maybe Lindsay-Hogg could have some ideas about what to do, but hopefully better.
Contemplating past shows like Around The Beatles he came up with the idea of a circus
after doodling circles on paper. Putting the idea to Mick he got the go ahead. On
the show's DVD Pete Townshend talked of an idea for The Rolling Stones, The Who and
The Faces to tour America on a train with a circus at the suggestion by Ronnie Lane.
Filmed 11th (into the 12th) December 1968 at Intertel's studios, Stonebridge Park,
Wembley, featuring hosts The Rolling Stones, plus guests Taj Mahal, The Who, John
and Yoko with Eric Clapton and Jethro Tull, although it was at one time also due
to include Traffic and Dr John. Stones' publicist David Sandison said in regards
to the intended inclusion of Brigitte Bardot (possibly as the ringmaster), Jane Fonda
and Candice Bergen "There will be a lot of sexual interest in the spectacular. Hence
the choice of leading ladies. I shouldn't be surprised if the whole thing didn't
come as a great shock to most viewers." Discussing the idea in Paris with the director
Bardot had suggested that she enter the ring on an elephant. Veteran circus performers,
clowns, aerialists, fire eaters etc were also hired for the special. Boxing kangaroos
were also planned, but Yoko objected due to it on the grounds of cruelty, while a
classical pianist, Julius Katchen was also suggested, then dropped from the final
line-up, but was recorded.
After Stevie Winwood dropped out Lindsay-Hogg and Jagger went after a Beatle. Paul
was the first choice, but it was John that got the call. He agreed to the idea of
some kind of supergroup, with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell and Keith on bass, with
John providing the name, The Dirty Mac. Lindsay-Hogg had worked on a few Beatles
promo clips, as well as The Who, so they were also invited. It was thought that giving
some time to a new band would be a good idea and having turned down Led Zeppelin
Jethro Tull were brought in, albeit with guest guitarist Tony Iommi. Marianne Faithfull
was going out with Mick at the time, so she was easy to bring in. Inviting Taj Mahal
was Keith's idea, but he had to be recorded before everyone else due to potential
deportation issues regarding his paperwork. Rehearsals had been done an a hotel ballroom
a few days' before with most of the acts, except for John Lennon.
Filming began at 11.30 am on the 11th December with all the required artists actually
turning up on time. Members of the Stones' fan club gained access as did some Hell's
Angels and author Ken Kesey. The audience was issued with bright coloured plastic
ponchos to wear throughout the recording. Lindsay-Hogg wanted to shoot it like a
live TV show, so he recruited the same camera crew that he had used on Ready Steady
Go two years' previously.
The Rolling Stones live set was the last to be recorded, somewhere between 2 to 6
in the morning, despite Brian Jones threatening not to be there, claiming that the
band were marginalising him. No one knew it at the time, but this would also be his
last public appearance with the band. Pete Townshend later said that Jones was in
tears much of the day, but he seemed enthusiastic on the resulting film.
Mick was shown a rough cut in January 1969, but it was Keith who suggested that The
Who were a better band on the night and that maybe it should be abandoned. There
was the opportunity to re-shoot The Rolling Stones in Rome, but permissions by the
Italian authorities made it impossible. The introduction to The Rolling Stones' set
was done by John a few weeks' after the show during the Twickenham sessions for the
Let It Be movie, also directed by Lindsay-Hogg.
In February 1969 Rave! magazine offered pictures from the "Stones Soul Circus in
pictures and words" saying it "previews the Jagger-Lennon TV spectacular."
Disc report in August 1969 "The long-awaited Stones' "Rock And Roll TV Circus" which
also starred John and Yoko Lennon, Eric Clapton and the Who, has still to be seen
by TV companies in Britain. But it was revealed this week that scenes including the
late Brian Jones will NOT be cut from the final production. "It was Brian's last
TV show and we feel it would be nice to see him," said Jo Bergman of the Stones office".
It was suggested at one point that London Weekend TV would play the show, but it
never went ahead. The Stones' Ian Stewart took all the cans of film from the band's
office in Maddox Street to his home in the country where they were stored in his
barn. They were discovered by his widow in the early nineties.
Although some of The Who footage surfaced in The Kids Are Alright documentary in
the late seventies, the show, in a sixty-three minute edit, was finally released
on home video in the mid-nineties, while extras in the shape of out-takes were added
to the DVD release in 2004.
