Bridges to Babylon

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Bridges to Babylon
A painting of a stone lion standing on two legs in the sand
Studio album by The Rolling Stones
Released 24 September 1997 (1997-09-24)
Recorded March–July 1997, Los Angeles, California
Genre Hard rock, blues rock
Length 62:27
Label Virgin
Producer Don Was, The Glimmer Twins, with Rob Fraboni, Danny Saber, Pierre de Beauport, and The Dust Brothers
The Rolling Stones chronology
Voodoo Lounge
(1994)Voodoo Lounge1994		 Bridges to Babylon
(1997)		 A Bigger Bang
(2005)A Bigger Bang2005
Singles from Bridges to Babylon
  1. "Anybody Seen My Baby?"
    Released: 22 September 1997
  2. "Saint of Me"
    Released: 26 January 1998
  3. "Out of Control"
    Released: August 1998

Bridges to Babylon is the 21st British and 23rd American studio album by British rock band The Rolling Stones, released by Virgin Records on 29 September 1997. It would prove to be the band's final studio album of the 1990s and their last full-length release of new songs until 2005's A Bigger Bang. The album was supported by the year-long worldwide Bridges to Babylon Tour that met with much success.

Background and recording

Following the Voodoo Lounge Tour, and Stripped projects of 1994/1995, the Stones afforded themselves a brief respite before Mick Jagger and Keith Richards began composing new songs together in the summer of 1996 with demos to follow at the end of the year. Although the band would use Don Was as a producer again, Jagger wanted to bring The Dust Brothers in to work with them, having been impressed with their work on Beck's Odelay.[citation needed] Richards wasn't keen on the idea and brought in Rob Fraboni for his solo material, such that the only tracks that would bear their influence were "Anybody Seen My Baby", "Saint of Me" and "Might as Well Get Juiced"; it was thus the first, and so far only, Stones album to feature sampling. Additional producers would also contribute, giving the project a more rounded feel.

Bridges to Babylon was recorded during the spring into summer months of 1997 in Los Angeles in a matter of four months, one of their most concise periods of recording in years. As it was being mastered, the projected lead single "Anybody Seen My Baby?" was found to resemble k.d. lang's 1992 hit "Constant Craving" in its chorus,[1] a discovery brought to Richards' attention by his daughter Angela. Seeking to avoid possible future legal entanglements, lang and her co-writer Ben Mink were credited along with Jagger and Richards on the new song. Upon its release, it would reach #22 in the UK and become a U.S. radio rock hit.

A total of eight different musicians played bass on the sessions for the album: Jeff Sarli, Jamie Muhoberac, Blondie Chaplin, Don Was, Danny Saber, Darryl Jones, Me'shell Ndegeocello, and Doug Wimbish.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[2]

Bridges to Babylon, containing an unprecedented three solo vocals by Richards, was released to mixed reviews. It reached #6 in the UK, #2 in France and #3 in the US, where it was certified platinum by the RIAA in November 1997.[3] As of January 2010, Bridges to Babylon has sold 1.1 million copies in the U.S.[4] Further singles "Saint of Me" and "Out of Control" were also minor hits.

The Stones had become a touring phenomenon by this point. The Bridges to Babylon Tour in 1997 consisted of 108 shows.

In 2009, Bridges to Babylon was remastered and reissued by Universal Music.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted. 

No. Title Length
1. "Flip the Switch"   3:28
2. "Anybody Seen My Baby?" (Jagger/Richards/k.d. lang/Ben Mink) 4:31
3. "Low Down"   4:26
4. "Already Over Me"   5:24
5. "Gunface"   5:02
6. "You Don't Have to Mean It"   3:44
7. "Out of Control"   4:43
8. "Saint of Me"   5:15
9. "Might as Well Get Juiced"   5:23
10. "Always Suffering"   4:43
11. "Too Tight"   3:33
12. "Thief in the Night" (Jagger/Richards/Pierre de Beauport) 5:15
13. "How Can I Stop"   6:53

Personnel

The Rolling Stones
Additional personnel
  • The cover art was designed by Jay Bryan.

Charts and certifications

References

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  4. ↑ Christman, Ed, et al. "Future Shock". Billboard. 23 January 2010
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  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter The Rolling Stones in the field Interpret. Enter Bridges to Babylon in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Bridges to Babylon in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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