Why the Rolling Stones Sat on the Rock and Roll Circus for 30 Years

The Rock and Roll Circus was filmed in December 1968 as a planned TV special starring the Rolling Stones, with guests including The Who, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, and a supergroup called The Dirty Mac (John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell). The Stones were so embarrassed by their own performance after watching the footage — especially compared to the raw, explosive energy of The Who — that they shelved the entire project. By the time it was finally released in 1996, Brian Jones had been dead for 27 years.

The highlight of the film is widely considered to be The Who’s performance of “A Quick One While He’s Away.” It’s one of the few surviving full-band filmed performances of that nine-minute song from their early catalog, and Pete Townshend’s windmill strumming, Keith Moon’s hurricane drumming