The Rolling Stones recorded Stripped in small spaces in Amsterdam, Tokyo and Paris, achieving a spare sound on underplayed classic songs. On this cd they celebrate their own back catalog and vibrant roots music traditions: Chicago Blues ("Little Baby"), Delta moans ("Love in Vain"), Country ("Sweet Virginia"), Gospel ("Shine A Light"), Buddy Holly ("Not Fade Away") and Bob Dylan ("Like a Rolling Stone"). The Stones have remained true to these same influences since 1962 when the band coalesced to cover tunes by Post WW II blues greats such as Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Howlin' Wolf. As Keith Richards put it in 1993, "All the greats were true gents...I hope to grow up to be like them." On 'Stripped' the Stones, now aged past the half century mark, may finally be growing up, presenting a refined and understated live effort more in keeping with their American Blues idols.

'Stripped' gives exposure to some of the finest examples of Jagger/Richard songwriting, focusing on prime album tracks from Exile on Main Street, Let It Bleed, Beggars Banquet, and Sticky Fingers. To get introduced to this material nothing beats these original cd's and the box set which neatly covers the singles and b-sides from 1964-71. If you already have the early albums, Stripped yields about seven indispensable cuts which are reasons to keep the faith.

The Stones' generate the most magic on down tempo tunes such as "Wild Horses" with Mick and Keith interweaving keen and haunting harmonies. On track 12 after a comic interlude following a fluffed first take on "Love in Vain," Jagger's mature emotive vocal adds depth to a song that the band first recorded in 1969. Despite their advances in age, arthritis has yet to overtake the artistry as Richards' graceful introductory arpeggiated chords and Ron Wood's sweeping country blues slide guitar solo reprise this Robert Johnson classic.

Some faster numbers such as "Street Fighting Man" and "Dead Flowers" do not carry the youthful joy of the original versions. However, Charlie Watts firmly directs the band with a tribal beat version of "Not Fade Away" which kicked off 1994-5 shows. All the while, the Stones tenacity, spirit and personality are still hard to match among music acts of any age. When they reclaim "I'm Free" from the jaws of the Soup Dragons, you start to realize the world wouldn't be the same without the Stones. This group makes you feel good in part because they never threw in the towel, and they are still having a lot of fun.

Both the interviews on the cd-rom preview and the songs themselves feature humor from a band that has been sticking its tongue out at the world for decades. For example on the chestnut "The Spider and The Fly," Jagger sings, "She Was iffy, glifty, she looked about fifty/I would have run away but I was on my own." In the original version recorded in 1965, the woman in the hotel bar looked about thirty-- what a drag it is getting old!