Description
The Rolling Stones – From The Vault – L.A. Forum (Live In 1975) – Triple 180 Gram Vinyl Records and DVD
The Rolling Stones’ From the Vault: L.A. Forum (Live in 1975) is a raw, electric time capsule that captures the Stones in one of their most lavishly theatrical and musically ferocious eras. Released as part of the band’s From the Vault archival series in 2014, the album documents their performance at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on July 12, 1975, during the first leg of the band’s groundbreaking Tour of the Americas. It’s a release that not only showcases the Stones at their loosest and loudest, but also marks a significant turning point in their live legacy, introducing new dynamics, new energy, and the now-legendary presence of Ronnie Wood.
The 1975 tour was a moment of reinvention. It was the first tour without founding guitarist Mick Taylor, who had left the band earlier that year, and the first with Ronnie Wood, then on loan from Faces. The result was a show with less of Taylor’s fluid blues virtuosity and more of Wood’s ragged swagger and rhythm-driven interplay with Keith Richards. While not as precise as the early ’70s shows, the 1975 performances are unpredictable, boisterous, and bursting with personality, reflecting the band’s shift toward a looser, more theatrical form of arena rock.
This era also saw the Stones embracing a more visually extravagant stage presence. Mick Jagger, clad in scarves, capes, and sequins, brought an almost cabaret-style flamboyance to his performance, bounding across the stage with uninhibited energy. The band was now a stadium rock phenomenon, with shows designed not just as concerts, but as spectacles of excess.
The L.A. Forum recording captures a two-hour-plus set that’s thrilling in its imperfections and exciting in its unpredictability. The band is sometimes messy, often brilliant, and always compelling. The audio, restored and remixed by longtime Stones engineer Bob Clearmountain, retains the gritty texture of a true live performance, avoiding the temptation to overly polish or sanitize.
Highlights from the show include:
“Honky Tonk Women” and “Brown Sugar” – Delivered with snarling guitar lines and swaggering vocals, these classics are crowd-pleasers, rollicking and rough-edged.
“Fingerprint File” – An underrated It’s Only Rock ’n Roll deep cut, turned into a slinky, extended funk jam that shows off Billy Preston’s keyboard wizardry and Jagger’s rhythmic experimentation.
“Angie” – Stripped of studio sheen, the live rendition becomes a raw, heartfelt ballad, exposing Jagger’s emotional phrasing.
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Midnight Rambler” – These extended versions are jam-heavy and loose, highlighting the band’s ability to stretch and shift dynamics in real time. “Midnight Rambler” in particular veers into psychedelic blues theater, a chaotic dance between menace and release.
“Star Star” and “Rip This Joint” – These punkish, high-speed numbers showcase the Stones’ affinity for rock ‘n’ roll chaos, delivered at a breakneck pace.
Throughout the performance, Ronnie Wood’s slide guitar and weaving interplay with Richards create a twin-guitar attack that’s less precise than the Richards-Taylor axis, but more rooted in raw energy and feel. The chemistry is immediate—even if still forming—and this tour helped lay the groundwork for Wood’s permanent membership in the band.
The supporting cast is also in top form. Charlie Watts is the unsung hero, as always—keeping the show grounded with his steady, unflashy brilliance. Bill Wyman on bass lays down rock-solid grooves, and Billy Preston adds a gospel-soul dimension that elevates tracks like “That’s Life” and “Outta Space,” where he takes lead vocals. His presence brings a jubilant, almost spiritual energy, underscoring the band’s embrace of funk and soul textures during this period.
From the Vault: L.A. Forum (Live in 1975) was released on DVD and vinyl and stands as a high-quality document of a moment in time when the Stones were navigating change, but refusing to slow down. The archival release was praised for its historical value and visceral energy, with fans appreciating the rawness and theatricality that defined the ’75 tour. Unlike more polished live albums like Love You Live (1977) or the earlier Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (1970), this set revels in its looseness and unpredictability.
It also captures the ambitious, decadent side of the Stones—where the rock show had become part circus, part sermon, part sweat-drenched communion. This isn’t just a document of a concert; it’s a snapshot of a band in motion, shedding old skin, trying on new identities, and pulling it all off with swagger to spare.
This concert film features the show from July 12th, 1975
DVD approx run time: 159 mins.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Honky Tonk Women
All Down The Line
If You Can’t Rock Me / Get Off Of My Cloud
Star Star
Gimme Shelter
Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
You Gotta Move
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Happy
Tumbling Dice
It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll
Fingerprint File
Angie
Brown Sugar
Midnight Rambler
Rip This Joint
Street Fighting Man
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Sympathy For The Devil
DVD
Introduction
Honky Tonk Women
All Down The Line
If You Can’t Rock Me / Get Out Off My Cloud
Star Star
Gimme Shelter
Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
Happy
You Gotta Move
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Tumbling Dice
It´s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll
Band Intros
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Fingerprint File
Angie
Wild Horses
That’s Life
Outa-Space
Brown Sugar
Mindnight Rambler
Rip This Joint
Street Fighting Man
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Sympathy For The Devil
