Voodoo Lounge

Biography

Voodoo Lounge is the 20th studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in July 1994. As their first new release under their new alliance with Virgin Records, it ended a five-year gap since their last studio album, Steel Wheels in 1989. Voodoo Lounge is also The Rolling Stones' first album without founding bassist Bill Wyman, who departed the line-up in early 1993. In 2009, Voodoo Lounge was remastered and reissued by Universal Music. Following the release of Keith Richards' Main Offender and Mic...

Voodoo Lounge is the 20th studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in July 1994. As their first new release under their new alliance with Virgin Records, it ended a five-year gap since their last studio album, Steel Wheels in 1989. Voodoo Lounge is also The Rolling Stones' first album without founding bassist Bill Wyman, who departed the line-up in early 1993. In 2009, Voodoo Lounge was remastered and reissued by Universal Music. Following the release of Keith Richards' Main Offender and Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit in 1992 and 1993 respectively, both leaders of The Rolling Stones began composing new songs in April 1993, deciding upon Don Was as co-producer for the upcoming sessions. In November, after rehearsing and recording at Ronnie Wood's house in Ireland that September, The Rolling Stones shifted their gear to Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin and began cutting Voodoo Lounge. Although not joining the band officially, Darryl Jones would be taking Bill Wyman's place as the group's regular bassist. After a period of recording in Los Angeles in the first few months of 1994, Voodoo Lounge was complete and The Rolling Stones moved onto the rehearsals for the (yet another massive, worldwide) Voodoo Lounge Tour which would begin in August. "Love Is Strong" - which was inspired by Richards' solo "Wicked As It Seems" - was released as the first single, reaching #14 in the UK. However, although "Love Is Strong" was a hit on US rock radio, it stalled on the overall US singles charts at #91, and (at least in the US) became The Rolling Stones' worst performing lead single from an album to that time. Two follow-up US singles also received strong rock radio airplay, but failed to cross over into top 40 hits: "Out of Tears" peaked at #60, and "You Got Me Rocking" fared even worse, peaking at #113. Consequently, Voodoo Lounge would be the first Rolling Stones album to not produce significant hits in America. In the UK, meanwhile, "Love Is Strong", "You Got Me Rocking", "Out Of Tears", and "I Go Wild" were all top 40 chart hits. Released in July 1994, Voodoo Lounge received strong reviews and debuted at #1 in the UK (their first chart-topper there since 1980's Emotional Rescue) and #2 in the US where it went double platinum. Producer Don Was—noted for his retro rock production sensibilities—was reportedly responsible for pushing the band towards more conventional territory in an attempt to reproduce the archetypal "Rolling Stones" sound, and moving them away from the rockabilly and African grooves they had reportedly been leaning on during the writing and early recording phases of Voodoo Lounge. The result was an essentially classicist recording that drew on the blues, R&B, and country that had informed the Stones classic late 1960s/early 1970s recordings. Although this approach pleased critics and the Stones rock-oriented fanbase, Jagger in particular expressed some dissatisfaction with Was' aesthetic, and would insist on a more diverse, contemporary production cast for the subsequent Bridges to Babylon. Nevertheless, Was (who has produced several Grammy-winning records) remains the Stones producer to this day. In early 1995, while the Voodoo Lounge Tour was still in full force (not finishing until August that year) Voodoo Lounge won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. CD version is the only format with a 15th track, "Mean Disposition". In 2009, Voodoo Lounge was remastered and reissued by Universal Music. PC game A Windows/Macintosh game entitled Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge CD ROM was published by GTE Interactive Media in 1995. Compact Disc track listing All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. "Love Is Strong" – 3:50 "You Got Me Rocking" – 3:35 "Sparks Will Fly" – 3:16 "The Worst" – 2:24 "New Faces" – 2:52 "Moon Is Up" – 3:42 "Out of Tears" – 5:27 "I Go Wild" – 4:23 "Brand New Car" – 4:15 "Sweethearts Together" – 4:45 "Suck on the Jugular" – 4:28 "Blinded by Rainbows" – 4:33 "Baby Break It Down" – 4:09 "Thru and Thru" – 6:15 "Mean Disposition" – 4:08 [edit] Vinyl track listing Side one "Love Is Strong" – 3:50 "You Got Me Rocking" – 3:35 "Sparks Will Fly" – 3:16 Side two "The Worst" – 2:24 "New Faces" – 2:52 "Moon Is Up" – 3:42 "Out of Tears" – 5:27 Side three "I Go Wild" – 4:23 "Brand New Car" – 4:15 "Sweethearts Together" – 4:45 "Suck on the Jugular" – 4:28 Side four "Blinded by Rainbows" – 4:33 "Baby Break It Down" – 4:09 "Thru and Thru" – 6:15 Personnel The Rolling Stones Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, harmonica, maracas, and castanets Keith Richards – electric and acoustic guitar, lead and backing vocals, piano, bass guitar, and tambourine Charlie Watts – drums and tambourine Ronnie Wood – electric, pedal steel, acoustic, slide, and lap steel guitar, and backing vocals Additional personnel Max Baca – bass guitar David Campbell – string arrangement Lenny Castro – percussion Pierre de Beauport – acoustic guitar Bernard Fowler – backing vocals Frankie Gavin – fiddle and pennywhistle Mark Isham – trumpet Luis Jardim – percussion and shaker Flaco Jimenez – accordion Darryl Jones – bass guitar Phil Jones – percussion Chuck Leavell – piano, organ, harmonium, and harpsichord David McMurray – saxophone Ivan Neville – backing vocals and organ Benmont Tench – organ, piano, and accordion Bobby Womack – backing vocals Chart positions Album Year Chart Position 1994 UK Top 75 Albums 1 1994 The Billboard 200 2 1994 Australian ARIA Albums Chart 1 Singles Year Single Chart Position 1994 "Love Is Strong" UK Top 75 Singles 14 1994 "Love Is Strong" The Billboard Hot 100 9 1994 "Love Is Strong" Mainstream Rock Tracks 2 1994 "Love Is Strong" Hot 100 Singles Sales 6 1994 "You Got Me Rocking" Mainstream Rock Tracks 2 1994 "You Got Me Rocking" UK Top 75 Singles 23 1994 "Out of Tears" Adult Contemporary 31 1994 "Out of Tears" The Billboard Hot 100 60 1994 "Out of Tears" Hot 100 Singles Sales 47 1994 "Out of Tears" Mainstream Rock Tracks 14 1994 "Out of Tears" UK Top 75 Singles 36 1995 "You Got Me Rocking" Bubbling Under Hot 100 113 1995 "Sparks Will Fly" Mainstream Rock Tracks 30 1995 "I Go Wild" Mainstream Rock Tracks 20 1995 "I Go Wild" UK Top 75 Singles 29 Read more on Last.fm. 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