"Charlie's good tonight, 'inne?"  Yes, indeed!

We, in the Rolling Stones fan-base community are strongly advocating for a release of a potential box set containing all three of the professionally recorded shows from Madison Square Garden utilized for the Get Yer Ya Yas Out live in-concert album. Glyn Johns, legendary engineer and producer who recorded these brilliant performances on 11/27/69 & 11/28/69, was fortunate to capture the Rolling Stones at the peak of their powers. By the time they reached the east coast, the Stones had played over a dozen shows and were musically tight and commanding. By all accounts, from fans and critics alike, the Madison Square Garden shows were arguably the best performed shows of the '69 US tour. 

"Get Yer Ya Yas Out" (1970), considered by many to be one of the greatest live rock records, understandably, was meant to capture the Rolling Stones in their most favorable light, but in retrospect, when comparing the commercially released performances to raw concert tapes that have proliferated on various social media platforms, unfortunately suffers from working too hard to be the perfect live document as it tends to go overboard, adding too much polish and sheen to the mix via inclusion of numerous post production overdubs and editing. It is no wonder that many Stones aficionados actually prefer the widely popular bootleg recording that became "Liver Than You'll Ever Be," simply because it features a raw and un-doctored performance from the 1969 tour-warts and all. In fact, legend has it that Ya Yas was released to counter sales of Liver.

We, in the Stones fan-base community have longed to hear all three of the MSG shows (minus the excessive vocal/instrumental overdubs & extraneous editing), released in excellent quality, exactly as they were played in order to experience a true representation of being at a Rolling Stones concert in 1969! Why release all three MSG shows, given that there was minor variability in the setlists? Based upon available bootleg audience recordings documenting the ’69 tour, the Rolling Stones performances- at the outset ragged & unpolished, had markedly improved by the end of the tour. As Mick Jagger commented to rock journalists chronicling the tour, "By the time we got to Detroit, I'd say, it was like a one hundred per cent improvement." Indeed, the band was in top form at the time they played the Madison Square Garden dates in New York City, delivering three spectacular, high energy rock and roll concerts over two days- each particular show highlighting & capturing unique, distinctive performances that were not readily available on the original Ya Yas release.

Lastly, it has been reported that the Maysles brothers, who directed the infamous Gimme Shelter documentary, had professionally shot footage of these concerts at Madison Square Garden that had not been included in the film. Please consider this: At this point in time, there has never been a commercially released video featuring a COMPLETE concert from one of the Rolling Stones best tours-a groundbreaking tour that not only re-established the Stones as one of the greatest live performing acts, but also set the standard for how future rock and roll concerts were run & presented. What an amazing, historical, and visually entertaining document that would be. The inclusion of a complete MSG concert from 1969 would undoubtedly enhance, and thus make for a stellar, sought-after release!

In conclusion, what a better time to honor 60 years (and counting!) of the Rolling Stones as a working band by releasing the Madison Square Garden shows in their entirety when the band was playing at its zenith. We strongly believe that there is a sizeable market of fans, both established and new, who not only appreciate great quality music from the 1960's era, but are astute enough to recognize how vital and powerful the Rolling Stones as a group were when they returned to the American concert stage in 1969. We, the undersigned, in the Stones community feel that the time is long overdue for these legendary shows to be released in great quality-and in their entirety for all fans to hear!

+++ Permission has been granted by Getty Images (per applicable fees) for the use of the image (courtesy Michael Ochs Archives) depicted above.