When faced with the prospect of releasing your umpteenth tour documentary, it certainly helps if, rather than just a band, you’re a cultural phenomenon. Watching Olé Olé Olé it’s hard to imagine any artist other than the Rolling Stones being able to make such a film.
As the well-oiled if cumbersome Stones machine progresses through South America it is revealed just how much impact the band (absent in some territories for decades ) have had on the youth of nations long oppressed by isolationist regimes. With ‘decadent’ rock music banned, the Stones came to represent freedom in the eyes of successive generations. Consequently the Rolingas cult took root and grew in Argentina, and elsewhere the band’s stature as deified scream fodder remained frozen in time.
The Stones as individuals are engaging characters, the backdrop and back story fascinating, so there’s a great deal to enjoy here evenfor those who’ll snooze through the excellent gig footage.
