The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 Blu-ray Movie Review

I always thought that the Rolling Stones were a much better band live than they were in the studio. This isn’t to say that their studio work was disappointing, rather that their live shows, and especially their early live shows, had a type of energy that elevated their music to an entirely different level. The band simply knew how to connect with their fans. A lot of other big rock bands did not.

Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 was filmed at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 18, 1978. In front of a sold-out crowd, the Rolling Stones delivered a raw and wild show that is widely regarded by many to be one of their very best.

The majority of the songs in the set are from Some Girls, with the highlights being “When The Whip Comes Down”, “Beast of Burden”, “Respectable”, and the disco inspired “I Miss You”. The old favorites “Honky Tonk Women”, “Brown Sugar”, and “Jumpin' Jack Flash” are also part of the great set. The performances are inspired and often even provocative. There is plenty of interaction between the band members as well, clearly showing that they were having a good time.

Speaking of having a good time, Mick is definitely on an entirely different level than the rest of the band. I don’t want to speculate whether there was a good reason for it, but once he takes off his red hat he consistently looks dazed. Though enthusiastic, his singing is also quite inconsistent (and this is putting it mildly because there are quite a few songs where he actually can’t seem to get the words right). There must have been some extra ‘inspiration’ somewhere in the back of the stage, possibly in the form of a joint.

It is difficult to critique the music, however, because what the Rolling Stones were all about at the time was delivering a great show. And this is precisely what Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 is – a loud, raw and wild show, for good measure even mildly offensive. By the time Mick puts on the now famous white t-shirt with the swastika, it does not really matter whether he gets the words right and the rest of the guys get all of the solos right. At this point it is all about the atmosphere, not the music.

Ultimately, Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 is for the older fans – and possibly for those who were always curious to find out why the Rolling Stones have the reputation they do. All of the answers are here - the band simply peaked at the right time with the right attitude.

Note: Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 was originally shot on 16mm film. For the Blu-ray release, the footage has been restored and the audio remixed and remastered Bob Clearmountain at Mix This! from the original multitrack tapes.

All Down The Line

The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i transfer, The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Recently remastered at Pinewood Studios, this legendary concert film looks good in high-definition. The screencaptures we have posted with our review, however, are quite misleading, as they do not convey how pleasing image depth and clarity are. Despite the not so impressive stage lighting, which actually often creates the illusion that the high-definition transfer is rife with artifacts, color reproduction is also convincing (some of the reds, however, are quite overwhelming). Additionally, some light noise corrections have been performed, but detail has not been compromised. On the contrary, many of the close-ups look surprisingly crisp and vibrant (see screencapture #4). This makes me wonder how the film was scanned and remastered, as I really could not see any traces of the motion-judder which most 1080i transfers convey. In other words, I must speculate that the film could have looked even better with a progressive transfer. Still, the quality of the presentation is very good, and I cannot imagine fans of the Rolling Stones not being enormously pleased with it. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Scanning and digital restoration team: John Mann, Philip Franchi, Nick Melville
Data encoding and transfers: Thom Berryman, James Corless
Audio mix: Bob Clearmountain at Mix This!
Audio mastering: Mazen Murad at Metropolis Studios.

The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0, and English Dolby Digital 5.1. For the record, Eagle Rock Entertainment have provided optional English, German, Spanish, and French subtitles for the interviews offered in supplemental features section of the disc.

I think that quite a few people will be surprised with the wide range of nuanced dynamics the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track boasts. This is not to imply that there is strong surround activity that dramatically alters the depth and even fluidity of the sound, but its richness and overall strength as well as the excellent separation between the music and the vocals are indeed somewhat unusual. The crowd noise is prominent, particularly during some of the band's edgier tracks, but never distracting. Lastly, the high-frequencies on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track seem slightly better than those of the LPCM 2.0 track; they are not 'thin' or 'weak' as they occasionally feel on the LPCM 2.0 track. For the record, there are no sync issues or audio dropouts to report in this review.

The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview - in this interview, Mick Jagger discusses the show in Texas, the controversial shirt he wore at the end of the show, the music scene in America at the time, rap and disco music, etc. The interview was conducted in 2011. In English, with optional English, Spanish, French, and German subtitles. (15 min, 1080i).

• Saturday Night Live - four archival clips from four a Saturday Night Live show the Rolling Stones were a part of in 1978. In English, with optional English, Spanish, French, and German subtitles. (21 min, 480/60i).
  
  -- Tomorrow with Dan Aykroyd & Mick Jagger
  -- Best of Burden
  -- Respectable
  -- Shattered

• Interviews - ABC News 20/20 interviews with the Stones. Aired on June 20, 1978. In English, with optional English, Spanish, French, and German subtitles. (5 min, 1080i).

The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live in Texas 1978 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans of the Rolling Stones should not miss Some Girls Live in Texas 1978. With the concert footage recently restored and the audio remixed, this legendary show looks the best it ever has. The Blu-ray disc also contains some very interesting supplemental features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.