The 2002/2003 Live Licks World Tour was vast in scope and set a new standard in staging concerts. Spanning 23 countries, The Rolling Stones had gigs in clubs, arenas and stadiums, with ever-changing playlists which made each date truly special.

And this 2-CD set does a good job in showcasing the power and energy witnessed by nearly 3.5 million fans. The diamonds are on the second disc, which features a variety of rarities, including Monkey Man, Rocks Off and Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (with Solomon Burke).

But cutting through the clean mix is drummer Charlie Watts. His jazz-inspired patterns has defined the band's legendary sound, while being a great influence on rock-n-roll drummers for five decades. Each number is a textbook in propelling the rhythm, with the highlights being Street Fighting Man, Paint It, Black and Gimme Shelter.

This is as solid of an authorized live release in the band's discography, which dates back to 1964.

Although this set contains too many of the same old songs, the Stones play them quite well. However, botched editing marred what could have been a memorable live album. "Rocks Off" is a prime example: Jagger badly muffs the lyrics, and the problem is compounded by the amateurish editing. It seems that it would have been better to have eliminated this cut, if a better version could not be found. Also, do we really need Sheryl Crow on "Honky Tonk Women"? I don't buy Stones albums to hear Sheryl Crow. Further, why is Keith Richards singing "The Nearness of You"? This song just doesn't fit in a Stones set. Aside from the less-than-careful song selection and dreadful editing, there are a few worthy moments here; unfortunately, there just aren't enough of them to justify buying this album. There are bootlegs which are far superior to this.

This is a pretty good live album. I've seen some people complain about the sound, but it's not that bad, it's just not truly great, and that goes for the album itself as well I suppose.

If you don't own any live Stones, you won't mind the fact that songs like "Start Me Up", "Street Fighting Man", "Honky Tonk Women" and "Satisfaction" have been available live for a long time and on several different albums. And if you do, well, then you're probably considering to buy this album because of disc two, which features a dozen rarely heard songs which have never appeared live before.

Now, I don't know why these rarities have to be compiled on a disc of their own...I would have preferred them to be mixed in with the old warhorses on disc one. But that's the way things are, and it's nice to have them.
Disc one is highlighted by powerful renditions of "Paint It Black" and "Street Fighting Man", and disc two features a really good, bluesy "Monkey Man" and a wonderful take on the classic blues "Rock Me Baby". "Brown Sugar" is alright, too, and I'm sure it was very provocative and exciting thirty years ago when Jagger first changed the line "like a young girl should" into "like a young man should". I'm kinda tired of it by now, though.

Sir Michael Jagger is actually the main reason why I've given this album only three stars. His vocals are frequently sloppy and unfocused, and while I expect that from Keith Richards, Jagger used to be a better singer than this. Perhaps he still is, but "Live Licks" is not his finest hour. He is not terrible, but he is also very rarely great, and I hate that annoying faux-country slur of his.

Still, it's good to hear the 60s soul cover "That's How Strong My Love Is" and the driving (if slightly ragged) "Rocks Off". And of course one of my personal "cult" favorites, Keith Richards' swinging reggae-number "You Don't Have To Mean It".
The band is really good, too, as tight as a 13-man combo can be. "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out" and "Love You Live" remain the best live Stones albums in my book, but dedicated fans should find something to like here as well. One hour and fifty minutes of music on a double live album from a 43-year-old band is a bit stingy, though...they could've found room for another ten songs.

"Live Licks" is a decent album, but if you really want the taste of the Stones' "Licks" tour, go for the DVD set "Four Flicks". Yeah, it's kinda expensive, but it is so much better...and it has Keith Richards' wonderful performance of "Slipping Away" from London's Twickenham Stadium, one of the highlights of the entire tour.

One listen to "Live Licks" will instantly wipe away any memory of "Get Yer Ya - Ya's Out", "Love You Live", "Flashpoint" and "Stripped - and not in a good way. "Live Licks" is a blah document of easily the Stones' best tour in history.

This two disc set contains of 23 tracks. Given the wealth of material performed on this tour (and the amount of room left on both discs), this album could have included 45 tracks. But we're stuck with these forgettable moments of sound.

Disc one has the band basically sleepwalking their way through big hits like "Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up". Honestly, there are times on this record where their performances recall the drugged out 1980 and 1981 tours, arguably their worst. Keith is still the guitar wizard he is known to be, but he wastes his talents here. The rest of the band isn't much better, either. Mick stumbles through half the songs. The only salvagable performances on the record are "Street Fighting Man" and "Happy".

Disc two is little better. However, I will admit that the producers made excellent choices by including "When The Whip Comes Down" and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking". However, the rest of this disc averages about the same as the first disc.

This is really a sad representation. It doesn't feel like a real concert. The worst thing is that neither "Sympathy For The Devil" or "Jumpin' Jack Flash" - easily the two most exciting songs in any Stones concert - are included. Also, "Tumblin' Dice", "Miss You" and "You Got Me Rocking", three big hits and concert highlights, are absent, as well as the many little known gems revived during the tour - "Star Star", "Let It Bleed", "Bitch", "Live With Me" and especially "Midnight Rambler" should have all been included. In my opinion, what they should have done was release a concert of the January 18th, 2003 concert at Madison Square Garden that was on HBO - I was there - on cd. That would have made for a great live album. That show was one of their best ever.

This is a dirty shame. Hopefully, their next live album will be better.

Just ignore all the negative reviews of "Live Licks". A little history is required to fully appreciate what this album represents. When "Get Yer Ya Ya's Out" came out in 1970, it showcased a band that could turn in spectacular performances that were both rocking and professional. In a sense, the Stones jinxed themselves with that release because we now know it was heavily doctored with studio overdubs. Just compare the songs on the album to the way they sound on the film, "Gimme Shelter" or bootlegs from that period. The band really didn't sound that good. Therefore, when they followed up with more honest, undoctored live albums like "Love You Live", and "Still Life", people compared them to "Ya Ya's" as if they'd slipped when that was really how they sounded all along.

Now, after 40 years on the road, The Rollings Stones have documented proof that they've truly evolved into the band people believed they were in 1969. The sound is hard and bright; the performances are passionate, human, yet totaly professional. True, there are some repeats on disc one, but you won't find better renditions of "Street Fighting Man", "Paint it Black", "It's Only Rock and Roll", and many others. Disc two is a treasure with obscure tunes that most Stones fans have been drooling to have official live versions of for years. For those who just don't "get it", it's like Keith says, "Ya gotta be there." Having attended actual Stones concerts since the mid seventies, I can tell you that the sloppines of "Love You Live" or "Still Life" truly represents the band's sound at that time. Having been blown away by the greatness I witnessed on their 2002 Licks Tour, I can tell you that "Live "Licks" is a brilliant tribute to a band that has achieved true greatness after all these years. If this album doesn't move you, you're just not into what The Rolling Stones live are all about.