When The Rolling Stones split because of in-fighting between frontman Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, it left the rest of the band at a loss for what to do. For some, it meant returning to the recording studio as well, tinkering with the spare time which had been afforded by the bust-up of one of Britain’s biggest bands. It is what happened with Charlie Watts and his ill-forgotten quartet career is as charming as the man seemed. Long Ago & Far Away feels like an album fallen from a generation long past. Of Frank Sinatra classics and lounge music listens on a Sunday afternoon. Watts plays this up with this solo endeavour, a collection of jazz-oriented spectacles which, while not overshining the work he made with The Stones, are certainly a unique and welcome release of creative energies.
While The Stones may have released Voodoo Lounge and Bridges to Babylon around this time, the commitment to being in the band felt more relaxed. Pursuing solo works while working with Jagger and Richards once more meant a new slice of freedom. Some, like Bill Wyman, would take it to permanent ends and others like Watts would quietly release what would in this instance be his final solo effort. Appearances elsewhere were inevitable but nothing more of a solo variety after Long Ago & Far Away, a rare gem of an album which highlights the talent Watts when leading a band. Piano lounge heartbreakers with an emphasis on the swell feeling of being the light of another life. What a welcome sound it is, though plain at times like opener I’ve Got a Crush on You. Let your guard down and enjoy those keystrokes and soulful vocals.
Even in its plainer moments, there is an instrumental beauty which carries the choppier covers to new highs. Warmth in strings and joy in brass, Watts finds a new angle for almost all of these loved-up tunes. For those who love the optimism and spirit of jazz music, the blues-like structure of it and how these tones can be moulded by the unexpected, understated singers of the time, Long Ago & Far Away will linger as one of the best albums around. Utterly charming the whole way through, Watts somehow manages to revive the scope of those early Sinatra records, the instrumental excess overtaking the quality the quartet can bring to the lyrics in most spots – but listen in to the likes of More Than You Know and hear an undying love for a nondescript person. This is a staggering solo release and the best from any member of The Rolling Stones to this day. It is better than some of The Stones’ albums when it comes to emotive range and long-lasting quality.
Where its soppier sentimentality may be too much for some, the sweeter side of Watts’ work becomes a delightful listen. A warmth which links itself to those cold months, the softly performed standards here are nothing but delicate love letters to a former flame. They swing with an all-too-familiar instrumental range, one which will be of real comfort to those wanting a time capsule-like piece of joyful standards. Long Ago & Far Away depends almost entirely on how much you enjoy Watts’ finer detail for instrumental standards. There is a calmness, a collected cool appeal to his performance and it is nice to hear him step away from the drums and into the role of suave frontman. It suits him well, and it is a shame we never got more.
