Sometimes called the greatest live album ever, Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out is a brilliant album recorded at Madison Square Garden during the Stones' 1969 live peak. While calling it the greatest live album ever is exaggerating its worth slightly, it's the best live album Mick and the boys ever released.

Ya-Ya's showcases how they've evolved as a band since 1966's Got Live If You Want It. Gone are the sloppy playing that was heightened by the screaming teenagers. Here, the band showcases themselves as accomplished and focused musicians. Part of this transformation was the new kid on the block back then, Mick Taylor. While not as versatile as Brian Jones, Mick Taylor played the best lead guitar ever for the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world. Taylor works hard but never overplays; his riffs are brilliant on Jumpin' Jack Flash, Midnight Rambler & Sympathy For The Devil (listen to the second solo, it's by him, not Keith). Stray Cat Blues is much different from Beggars' Banquet's version, with the runaway's age changed from fifteen to thirteen, and slowing down the tempo. Love In Vain is brilliant, and on it Taylor again shines. Carol and Little Queenie are great and do justice to Chuck Berry's originals. Live

Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out isn't the greatest live album ever, but it lands near the top. It's a blistering example of how good live the Stones are when they feel like being this good rather than extremely sloppy. Compared to this, Love You Live and Still Life are big letdowns. I recommend this album today.

No doubt you have been reading all of these reviews stating that "this is the best rock 'n roll ablum ever" etc. and great details about each song. But nobody has mentioned the recording quality and sound quality of this album. I have listened to and been a fan of the Stones since 1965. This album sounds like no other they released in terms of recording quality. The more you listen to it, the more detail you pick up. I have never heard another live rock album that made me feel like I was more in a concert in terms of sound, atmosphere and pure joy. OK, I'll say it, this is the "Hope Diamond" of rock albums.

I can't understand why the Glimmer Twins never made another album like this one. All their other live albums pale in comparison. And none of their studio albums have the energy of this one. Some Girls comes close as does Exile on Main Street, but that's it.

I'm trying to be objective here even though the Stones are my all time favorite band in my forty years of hearing them. If you could have only one Stones album, this one is it on many levels.

One of the greatest live albums that exist today. The Stones were at the top of their game by the time they arrived at Madison Square Garden.

But there are a couple of points to make.

First, the sequencing of the songs. Because original vinyl has it's limits, songs from a live show couldn't be sequenced in the same order they were played in concert. What would happen is the songs were placed in such an order to balance out two sides of an album. With the advent of CDs, this re-sequencing is totally unnecessary. Yet the CDs are still pressed in the same manner as the original vinyl! At one point, Mick says, "Charlie is good tonight", and they launch into Honky Tonk Women. In the actual concert they start Satisfaction (I have a bootleg of some of the songs and that is how I know about which song is played).

Another point. Why isn't the whole concert being issued on CD? Since most CDs can pack about 78-80 minutes of music, there is no excuse not to issue the complete or nearly complete concert on CD. Even f they made it a 2CD set that contains the whole concert, I have no problem in buying it. Since the Stones have been poorly represented live early in their careers, having the complete concert on CD(s) would be fanatistic!

No question about it.

I could listen to The Rolling Stones covers of Chuck Berry's "Carol" and "Little Queenie" on this album

10 times a day every day for a year and never get sick of hearing'em.

"Midnight Rambler" played here is the definitive version of the tune.

The studio release pales in comparison.

The sleazy bluesy feel of "Rambler" captured on "Ya-Ya's" could never be duplicated in a recording studio.

The best part of this album though is in the first moments when a climactic energy seems to've gripped Madison Square Garden when the band is in the process of being introduced and taking the stage.You can practically feel the excitement and anticipation coming right thru your speakers from the crowd and the wild manner of the microphone announcements.It still brings chills to me imagining how that scene must've looked as it was playing out.

Again...my fave Stones record.A must have classic for your collection.

As great as Keith's "Sympathy" solo is on Beggar's Banquet, here it's even better, and followed by a scorching turn by Mick Taylor. The same can be said for the whole of "Jumping Jack Flash," "Midnight Rambler," "Love in Vain," and the reinvented "Stray Cat Blues" (possibly the nastiest song in the Stones' canon, here made even nastier, and not only by the lowering of the young runaway's age from fifteen to thirteen). What more is there to be said?