In conjunction with its 50th anniversary, ABKCO will release an expanded edition of The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in Spring 2019. But call it what you will, for a brief moment it seemed that rock ‘n’ roll would inherit the earth.” “Depending on your point of view, it was either the high point in the history of the cosmos, or a period of mass hallucination, or both. “ The Rock and Roll Circus captures the delirious optimism of an era,” reflects critic/historian David Dalton on the event in a 1996 article in The Independent. Envisioned as a BBC special, the project was shelved, but in the intervening 28 years it was regarded as “The Holy Grail” of rock films until the film finally saw the light of release in 1996 through ABKCO Films. Performances by The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Jethro Tull and, of course, the original line-up of The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards/Charlie Watts/Brian Jones/Bill Wyman) were filmed before an audience comprised of The Rolling Stones fan club members, and New Musical Express contest winners and a few American Hells Angels. While the original inspiration is in dispute (with several people taking credit for it) the idea was to film a rock and roll show in the context of a traditional circus with The Rolling Stones serving as on-screen hosts, and so the studio was dressed as a circus tent for the occasion.
Expanded edition will be released via ABKCO in spring 2019Ī by-invitation-only screening of the legendary Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is set for London’s Dolby Screening Room on Tuesday, December 11th, marking the 50th anniversary of the filming of the event which took place at the studios of Intertel/VTR Services, just a few miles away in North London.