A Bigger Bang

History

The album used a stripped-down style reminiscent of Some Girls (1978), but with a harder, more contemporary edge. Although initial reports stated that the Stones had "returned to their roots" with the record, the minimal instrumentation, rough mix, tough blues and "garage" rock hybrid bear certain similarities to the style of contemporary artists like the White Stripes and the Black Keys.

Many songs were recorded with just the core band of Jagger, Richards and Watts. Ronnie Wood was absent from many sessions, playing on only ten of the sixteen tracks, with only occasional contributions from outside musicians comprising the recording of the album. This is also the first album where Jagger plays bass guitar on some tracks.

The Stones said in a statement that the album's title reflects "their fascination with the scientific theory about the origin of the universe."

Writing and recording

Songs for A Bigger Bang were composed by Jagger and Richards in June 2004 at the château de Fourchette, Jagger's chateau in Pocé-sur-Cisse, France. At the château, they learned of Charlie Watts' throat cancer diagnosis and debated about postponing the writing, but ultimately went ahead after determining that Watts was not required to be present until later. As a result of this, Jagger played the drums during early guide track recordings; all but one of these was later rerecorded by Watts, but Jagger's beat remained. Jagger and Richards shared guitar, bass, and keyboard parts between each other. The album was produced by Don Was and the sound engineering was done by Krish Sharma. Mixing for the album was performed by Jack Joseph Puig and Dave Sardy.

Lyrical content

The song "Sweet Neo Con" is a criticism of the conservative Christian movement in American politics.

"Dangerous Beauty" is widely understood to refer to US Army Reserve Lynndie England, who was convicted of mistreating detainees during the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse that occurred at the Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War.

Release and reception

The first single, "Streets of Love"/"Rough Justice", reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart, while A Bigger Bang peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart.

In August 2005, the Rolling Stones embarked on the 90-show A Bigger Bang Tour in support of the album. It was met with sold-out tickets at every destination, usually within minutes of going on sale. The tour was extended into 2007 because Richards got hurt falling out of a tree in Fiji and required surgery in New Zealand. The tour concluded in August 2007 at the O2 Arena in London.

Critical reaction was mostly positive. The aggregate score of the album by Metacritic was rated 73 out of 100, categorising the reviews as "generally favourable". A Bigger Bang was touted as the best Rolling Stones album in years. Nevertheless, all of the Stones albums since 1989's Steel Wheels had been similarly lauded, and many critics and fans felt that the Stones had yet to record a late-period album truly up to their high standards. It was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005, and ranked the second-best album of the year by Rolling Stone magazine, behind rapper Kanye West's Late Registration. A review by the Associated Press referred to the album as "a winner" that "hammers home the fact that The Rolling Stones still have 'it'".

A Bigger Bang went platinum in the US and Germany, and gold in Japan. According to Nielsen SoundScan it sold 546,000 copies in the US, and as of 31 March 2006, 2.4 million copies worldwide according to EMI.

In 2009, A Bigger Bang was reissued by Universal Music Group. The US re-release was handled by Interscope Records, while Polydor Records handled all other territories.

Usage in other media

Songs from A Bigger Bang have seen commercial use in television, including multiple appearances in Days of Our Lives.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from album liner notes.

The Rolling Stones

• Mick Jagger – vocals (all tracks), guitars (1–5, 8, 10–16), keyboard (4, 12, 13, 16), vibraphone (4), bass guitar (6, 7, 11, 13, 14), harmonica (6, 13, 16), percussion (6, 7, 12, 15, 16), slide guitar (6, 9), production (all tracks)
• Keith Richards – guitars (all tracks), backing vocals (2, 3, 7, 8), lead vocals (9, 16), bass guitar (9, 10, 16), piano (9), keyboard (16), production (all tracks)
• Charlie Watts – drums (all tracks)
• Ronnie Wood – slide guitar (1, 2), guitars (3–5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15)

Additional musicians

• Darryl Jones – bass guitar (1–5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15)
• Chuck Leavell – piano (1, 5, 15), organ (3, 5, 8)
• Matt Clifford – keyboard (4, 5), vibraphone (4, 5), organ (5), piano (5), programming (4, 5), string arrangement (5), production (5)
• Blondie Chaplin – vocals (7, 16)
• Don Was – piano (9)
• Lenny Castro – percussion (14)

Production

• Don Was – production (all tracks)
• Ryan Castle – engineer (1)
• Andy Brohard – assistant engineer (1)
• Dave Sardy – mixing (1)
• Krish Sharma – engineer (all tracks), mixing (4, 6, 12–14, 16)
• Jack Joseph Puig – mixing (2, 3, 5, 7–11, 15)
• Dean Nelson – assistant engineer (2, 3, 5, 7–11, 15)
• J.D. Andrew – additional engineer and editing (4, 6, 12–14, 16)
• German Villacorta – 2nd assistant engineer (4, 6, 12–14, 16)
• Pierre de Beauport – guitar technician, demo engineer
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering
• Stewart Whitmore – digital editor for Marcussen Mastering
• Tony King – artwork coordination
• Nick Knight – photography
• Michael Nash Associates – design and art direction

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

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