Seeking an original way to promote the newly released Beggars Banquet, The Rolling Stones concocted the idea of recording a live extravaganza of music with a circus theme. They also invited guests to perform, among whom John Lennon, The Who, Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal, Jethro Tull, and Mick Jagger's then-current girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull, all took part. Specially for the occasion, Lennon, Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell would form a one-time alliance entitled The Dirty Mac. Recorded on 11 December into the wee hours of the following day, the final results of most acts was positive, except for The Rolling Stones' performance, which they themselves felt was somewhat flat in places and lacked spark, especially when compared with both The Who's standout performance of "A Quick One While He's Away" and The Dirty Mac's rendition of The Beatles' "Yer Blues". Consequently, The Rolling Stones shelved the project with the intention of working on it further. However, with Brian Jones' death the following July, the project was left to gather dust. The film was thought lost or destroyed, but parts were found in Ian Stewart's belongings following his death in 1985. A substantial portion of the film was still missing until it was rediscovered in 1993 in a Who vault in London. The film was completed in 1996 and premiered on 12 October 1996 at the Walter Reade Theater as part of the New York Film Festival. The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus album and a tie-in home video of the event was released in October 1996. The album reached #92 in the US at the Billboard 200. The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus DVD edition was released in October 2004. Fifteen years later, a limited U.S. remastered theatrical release of the film run during the first week of April 2019 in conjunction with what was—still then—the ongoing North American leg of the Rolling Stones' No Filter Tour.
On 30 April 2019, it was announced that the Rolling Stones would release on 7 June 2019 via ABKCO a new remastered Rock and Roll Circus box set. The 2019 reissue would feature remastered audio and video from the original concert and some bonus material such as previously unreleased and never-before-heard recordings of the Beatles's "Revolution" and a "Warmup Jam" from impromptu John Lennon, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell, Eric Clapton supergroup, the Dirty Mac, as well as three additional Taj Mahal songs. A version of the Stones performing "Parachute Woman" would also be available to stream. The film would also feature new commentary tracks from Richards, Mick Jagger, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Yoko Ono, Marianne Faithfull and cinematographer Tony Richmond, plus an on-camera interview with Pete Townshend.
