The Rolling Stones - From The Vault: Live At The Tokyo Dome 1990 (2015)

Recorded at the end of the record-breaking Steel Wheels tour, From the Vault: Live at the Tokyo Dome captures the reunited Rolling Stones at a moment of triumph and, as it happens, bridges two eras. Steel Wheels set the stage for the crowd-pleasing veterans, the group that put the '80s unpleasantness behind them so they could haul the hits around the globe in service of pushing a new record. It also was the last time founding member Bill Wyman would tour with the band. As such, this double-disc set is noteworthy: it's one of the last times Wyman played with the group, so there's a bit more of the recognizable Stones funk to the rhythms than there are in the years that would follow. That said, this set still feels more routine than not, probably because it's loaded with familiar items that remain part of the set in the 2010s. The departures from the norm are the tunes from Steel Wheels – quite a lot, actually; almost half the record – and "20,000 Light Years from Home," which hits a lot harder than the Satanic Majesties version. Apart from that, the only surprises are the vulgarities Mick Jagger slides into "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" – remnants of a dirtier past – but even if this is exceptionally slick, this live album still entertains just like it was meant to do.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG