Voodoo Lounge by The Rolling Stones
Voodoo Lounge is the 20th British and 22nd American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in July 1994. As their first new release under their new alliance with Virgin Records, it ended a five-year gap since their last studio album, Steel Wheels in 1989. Voodoo Lounge is also the Stones' first album without long-time bassist Bill Wyman, who left the band in early 1991. In 2009, the album was remastered and reissued by Universal Music.
By 1994, the Rolling Stones were expected to record a studio album as the launch pad for a new world tour. The CD era demanded the group not skimp on material and the Stones were quick to oblige. Fifteen tracks, an hour’s worth of music, a double album in the vinyl age. <i>Voodoo Lounge</i> is the sound of the Stones finding the balance between the pop marketplace’s commercial concerns and their trademark sound without the help of their lifelong bassist Bill Wyman. “Love is Strong” kicks things off with a twist of blues harp, Keith Richards’ guitar snarl and Mick Jagger’s seductive pose. “Out of Tears” represents the melodramatic ballads popular with the MTV crowd. But tunes such as “You Got Me Rocking,” “Sparks Will Fly,” “Blinded by Rainbows” and “Thru and Thru” proves the Stones weren’t yet done adding to the catalog. No one will confuse this effort with their untouchable work from 1965-1981. But it’s still clearly the Stones in command.
