Charlie Watts – Anthology Review 

Aside from Keith Richards, it can be argued that Charlie Watts had the best solo career of all The Rolling Stones members. You need only look at the pitiful pop offerings from Mick Jagger and the less-than-ideal surplus of material from Ronnie Wood to come to this conclusion. Richards has just three albums, and two of those were released during the fallout with Jagger. Idle hands, and all that. Watts would quietly and consistently pursue passion projects and release them with little fanfare. But there’s a lot to love about his solo albums, not least Anthology. A collection of live performances, jazz-like improvisations and passive drumming that feels like listening to a master at work, outlining the future and his past with some piercing, wonderful work. Anthology assembles a bulk of unreleased Watts material in a manner that serves the late drummer well. Don’t expect any covers of The Rolling Stones here. These are jazz standards and Jim Keltner-featuring classics that shine a light on just how powerful a figure Watts was as a percussionist.  

His ear for instrumental stylishness and flair served him well with the rock and roll outfits of the time but he could’ve cut it as an incredible, influential jazz drummer. Forget what you know about Watts as a rockstar and engage with that side of him he often got to show, that ear for a strong, drumming presence. He brings as much to the swinging thrills of Stompin’ at The Savoy and Flying Home, the latter such an upbeat thrill to behold. It’s a wonderful album to relax into and let wash over you. Cool Blues from a Birmingham 1991 show at Ronnie Scott’s is just wonderful. It and Lover Man are delicate classics. Watts has such a delicate touch for this type of jazz. If I Should Lose You has him barely audible but you can feel the command of that percussion on the song. A slight tap of the cymbal, a read of the room and vocalist, Watts has always managed that.  

But he managed it on a louder scale elsewhere, for decades. Hearing him strip that talent back to a softer touch is mesmerising. While Watts is in great form, he does slip into the background of his own album. Anthology is more a collection of his appearances, however minimal they may be, and it’s an enjoyable collection of works all the same. Long Ago (And Far Away) is a nice little piece of work, and it served as the album title of an earlier Watts work, well worth a listen too. It’s a sentimentally infused piece of work but it’s hard not to fall in love with the love Watts had for jazz. After such subtle jazz moments, Anthology takes a magnificent turn with Roy Haynes. It’s an upbeat instrumental so different to what precedes it you’ll check it’s the same album. It is, and it’s brilliant. 

What Anthology reminds us of is that Watts is more than The Rolling Stones. Just as Jagger tried and Richards was, the work heard on Anthology is a welcome occasion to celebrate the drummer, not the band. Jagger once noted Watts was “his drummer,” but nobody could quite put a leash on the veteran performer. He plays out such incredible pieces here that it’s hard not to fall in love with the jazz standards he relaxes into. There is such a wonderful variety towards the end of Anthology that hears Watts’ desire to integrate into world music and explore it just as much as he did with rock music and The Rolling Stones. That’s a beautiful experience, and it highlights just how great a loss Watts was to the music world. This is a tremendous listen, a tribute of sorts to the talent lost, but a reminder of how much he accomplished over his career.