Mick Jagger / Keith Richards / 4:32
Musicians
Mick Jagger: vocals, rhythm guitar
Keith Richards: rhythm guitars, slide and lead guitars (?), bass, piano, backing vocals
Charlie Watts: drums
Ron Wood: lead guitar (?), backing vocals
Billy Preston: piano (?), backing vocals
Ollie E. Brown: percussion
Recorded
Musicland Studios, Munich: March 29, December 1975
Mountain Recording Studios, Montreux: October–November 1975
Technical Team
Producers: The Glimmer Twins
Sound engineers: Keith Harwood, Phil McDonald, Lew Hahn
Assistant sound engineers: Jeremy Gee, Dave Richards, Tapani Tapanainen, Steve Dowd, Gene Paul, Lee Hulko
After funk, soul, and ballad, the Rolling Stones wrap up Black and Blue with a first-rate rock ’n’ roll number featuring a made-to-measure riff in order to go out with a bang. Like almost all the songs on the album, this one saw the light of day in the studio, as Jagger confirms: “We wrote that in the studio, too. All of it, my words and everything. It just ‘came’ to me.”48 And speaking of words, the lyrics of this song tell of a crazy mama wearing a ball and chain and wielding a sawed-off shotgun. A sort of Ma Barker revisited by the Stones… “Crazy Mama” is also the B-side of the single “Fool to Cry.”
The band initially worked on this song between January and February 1975 in Rotterdam with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, but without achieving a satisfactory outcome. The base track that would be used for the various overdubs was laid down in Munich on March 29. Mick is apparently playing the rhythm guitar that opens the track. He is then answered by the riff master with another, very good guitar part. It also seems to be Keith who plays the exhilarating and highly successful slide guitar. Charlie attacks the beat with loud, chugging drums, his hi-hat half-open, and according to the “track identification chart” reproduced in the album booklet, Keith is on bass. This chart also has him on piano, which is less credible, especially as Billy Preston is present, helping out with the backing vocals. The excellent Ollie E. Brown looks after percussion, notably the cowbells, of which great use is made on this album. Mick is magnificent, as he always is when he sings rock ’n’ roll, exhibiting an electrifying dynamism. Finally, there are guitar solos at 2:22 and in the coda from 3:30. These are superb in every way, with a hint of Nashville, but neither the sound (high-pitched, with heavy reverb), nor the playing style is Keith’s. In truth, this solo work is closer to Ron Wood’s style, although he is not mentioned in the liner notes. Furthermore, it seems possible that the guitar has been recorded at a slower speed in order to obtain its glitzy quality and rapid delivery when sped up. Either way, “Crazy Mama” is an excellent Stones rock track.