Black & Blue

Of course, it’s the Stones Album from 1976, the first without Mick Taylor and introducing Ron Wood. Keith & Mick tried Rory Gallagher, Jeff Beck, Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins and Ron Wood who was a free agent after the split of The Faces in 1975. And Ronnie got it! Not his guitar but the influence of black music gives the album it’s name and it’s the talent of the late great Billie Preston that adds an enormous extra to the familiar Stones recipe. Black and Blue might be an underrated album but nobody can overlook Melody because of Billie’s piano. And because of an anecdote that you can find in a lot of Violence Against Women studies. In June 1976, Atlantic Records put up a billboard on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles to promote the new record. It showed a bruised and bound woman saying, "I'm 'Black and Blue' from the Rolling Stones —and I love it!" A new organization, called Women Against Violence Against Women (WAVAW), protested to Atlantic. And… the company took down the billboard.

Now this entry is not entirely about the Stones. It’s about yesterday’s election in Belgium. The government got beaten. They are liberals (blue) and socialists (red) and they are known as Paars (purple). Since 1999 this is the coalition that governs the country. Today, I’m sure, they are analyzing in depth but in a few quotes I’ll try to synthesize what they told yesterday in a first reply to defeat.
- There is no progression by left side parties anywhere in Europe.
- We lacked enthusiasm.
- There is a lot we did the wrong way.
- We were too modest about everything this government did in the past.
- There’s nothing wrong with the way we tried to explain things.
- There’s nothing wrong with our program…
Most votes in the Flemish part of Belgium went to the centre party (CD&V) and to everyone else right of centre. ‘Good management’ and ‘Credibility’ were CD&V’s slogans to take more than 30%. They made a profit out of the failures of Verhofstadt’s government. Like Purple did 8 years ago when CD&V and it’s partners made the same mistakes. The majority of the voters went for it and so now it’s time for something else. But it will not be something completely different.
And what about Black and Blue? It was the old left wing crocodile, Louis Tobback, who predicted years ago that Purple was going to be Black and Blue in the end. That's what I call vision.

Smart crocodile!
Mind you: this is not about what happened in Wallonia. We are two countries. I knew it and yesterday’s result proved it to be right. The majority in Flanders wants to change the foundation of the country, that’s what CD&V’s 30% is telling us. But on the other side of the language border nobody is interested.
Good luck, Mister Prime Minister, Belgium is yours.
What do I think? I’m shocked. People cannot stop nagging. They keep on going. Even when there is almost nothing left to nag about. There is no new government yet but, come on, let’s start complaining right here, right now.

World's End 'by the river,' London_2007