Album Reviews |
The Rolling Stones
The US version of this album differs from the UK version by Omitting 'Mona' and replacing it with 'Not Fade Away'. One thing in particular strikes me about this record, though - how great it sounds for an album recorded in 1964. Compared to the groups great rivals The Beatles, the clarity of the sound here is impressive, no question. The Rolling Stones take on American black music wasn't terribly original musically perhaps, but they do it well. Mick Jagger can take a lot of credit here, as far as i'm concerned. His vocals are constantly striking and distinctive, if still leaning upon blues vocalists. The music is competent, more than competent actually, but remains rooted in Rhythm And Blues and doesn't stray too far from that. It doesn't matter, this debut is exciting, thrilling and fun. Original? No. The Beatles had a sound nobody had heard before, combining different elements together to create the new 'Beat' sound. To my ears, and this obviously doesn't make a single bit of sense, this album right here sounds more 'genuine' than early Beatles, though. A less manufactured sound, even though The Beatles sound wasn't actually 'manufactured' at all. Of course, all this is listening with 40 years of hindsight - listening to both groups at the time would have been a different experience, of that i've no doubt. The Beatles invented ( or rather more accurately, 'changed' ) pop music, The Stones set about taking Rock music to some other place by simply paying tribute to their heroes, no more than that. Rhythm and Blues transformed into something new via London, England. They couldn't really play this music the same, or sound the same - and it's all the better that they couldn't.
A five song UK EP gets seven assorted singles, b-sides and other material added to it to create the second ( US ) Rolling Stones album. And, it's a good idea. You see, now in the 21st century we can have all of these songs in one easy to digest place rather than spread around all over the shop. Of course at the time, the US Rolling Stones record label just wanted another album out, and had no other thoughts than making money out of their new, hottest act in town charges! So? Well, 'Around And Around' is a great opening track and easily up with the best of the debut. Five Jagger/Richards compositions this time around, by the way. 'Empty Heart' sounds weak compared to the rhythm and blues covers elsewhere here and on 'Englands Newest Hitmakers', 'Good Times Bad Times' sounds great, very convincing and in the style of the other material the group had been recording around this time. 'Congratulations' is a sweet little song that reminds me of 'Tell Me' from the debut set, the same kind of echo has been placed on the vocals and this is an enjoyable sweeter Rolling Stones moment, although not great material within itself. 'Grown Up Wrong' is fairly minor Stones material and the final Jagger/Richards composition here. Of course, the grab and bag nature of this album release was always going to affect the flow and cohesiveness of the overall finished product - there is more weaker material than the debut, absolutely no question. For the most part the band are still playing as well though, and sounding pretty good into the bargain.
The second UK Stones album, 'The Rolling Stones No 2' is the basis for this third US Rolling Stones album release. Add in assorted singles, take a few songs away from 'The Rolling Stones No 2' to make way for them, confuse this poor reviewer many years later who is trying to understand which songs came from where, and there you have it! The addition of the singles 'Heart Of Stone' and 'Little Red Rooster' is a good thing, the use of 'Mona' from the UK Stones debut album is a good thing, too. I just wish they'd released the same albums both sides of the Atlantic, it'd make my life easier, but still. Onwards we go. The lack of progression The Rolling Stones appear to be making is deceptive because of the cut up nature of the US album releases and the short time span these first three albums were released in. It sounds to me, listening to these albums many years later that the group were actually going backwards, although the pressure on Jagger/Richards to write original material would soon pay immense dividends and catapult the groups forwards once more. 'Heart Of Stone' is the pick of the four Jagger/Richards songs this time out, the other songs they wrote being 'What A Shame', 'Off The Hook' and the closing 'Surprise Surprise'. I mentioned the pressure Jagger/Richards were under? 'Heart Of Stone' was released as a single Jan 1965. The fabulous 'The Last Time' ( why wasn't that placed on the album? ) was released as a single Feb 1965 and the album came out March 1965! That's the pace with which things happened in those days, you didn't have time to breathe.
I don't know what happened, but the original Stones material takes a significant leap forwards for this release and the covers are relegated to 'supporting' material. I don't actually particularly care which of the songs here are originals and covers - for the first time the transitions are seamless. An interesting thing i've noticed listening to 'That's How Strong My Love Is' and 'Good Times' is how much like early Van Morrison & Them they sound like. No, really they do! Mick sounds like Van Morrison - or more accurately, early Van sounded like Mick! Of course, Them drew on the same sources as the Stones did, a lot of Rhythm and Blues sources for his early inspirations. And! A Mr Lou Reed was listening to the Stones. Check the initial guitar riff that opens 'Hitch Hike' and tell me it doesn't sound like 'There She Goes Again' from the 1967 Velvet Underground debut? Huh?? AND! 'The Last Time' winds up on a Stones album, finally. And it really is a fantastic, brilliant song. I just so much love this riff right here, sailing through - god! And the two songs that remind me of Van Morrison ( check out Micks vocal inflections and the entire mood of 'That's How Strong My Love Is' ) are both glorious, wonderful songs I could listen to all day. A live track follows, completely out of place - entertaining enough, full of energy but with no real right being here at all. More of this would blight the album that followed this ( in the US, at least ). Still, this live tracks works, if only to announce the arrival of 'Satisfaction' a song which everyone knows, so what can I say about it that you haven't heard before? I'll just say what I like about it. Mick holds the key...... Yeah, Keef turns in a catchy riff spectacular, but when the "And I'm driving in my car......" section comes in, you try telling me Mick isn't doing a fucking fantastic job as a vocalist, riding the riffs and the ultra solid and together rhythm section? Mick and Keith, something was happening now.
This album here has no right existing. The most bastard of all the US
bastardized Stones issues by far. A few songs left off the US issue of 'Out Of Our Heads', a few b-sides, a couple of singles and stray songs, a few live tracks..... what the hell is this thing? They'd already released two albums in 1965, obviously that wasn't enough. Jesus...... Still, the music matters more than all of that stuff, doesn't it? 'She Said Yeah' is so furious and rocking, I can't help but like it. 'Get Off Of My Cloud' is great, a stand-alone Stones single, not my favourite Stones single, but Mick gives it his usual passion and flamboyance. "HEY....YOU....." indeed! Um, the live tracks don't fit here at all. They'd release a live album proper, why this? There's no reason for this - the performances are good, but it gives the entire 'Decembers Children' project such a shambolic and shabby air. It's a shame. Songs like 'You Better Move On' are good enough songs, catchy material well sung and well played - 'You Better Move On' being a soulful thing with great lead vocals, and a highlight of the first side of the album - but it doesn't connect to anything. 'Decembers Children' is an afterthought, a way of making money. I like 'I'm Free', in the UK a group called The Soup Dragons (?) had a hit with a cover version. It's a good song with plenty of hooks and a nifty enjoyable guitar solo too.
The US version differs by not having 'Mother's Little Helper' opening the album and by being several songs shorter. The Rolling Stones advance in a sense, having self composed every song here, but they were surely capable of doing the same a year or so earlier if they'd wanted to? In the year 1966, the year of 'Blonde On Blonde', 'Revolver' and 'Pet Sounds', how does 'Aftermath' compare exactly? Well, it comes fourth, doesn't it, and that's ignoring everything else released that famous year. The Byrds released 'Eight Miles High' for fucks sake! Anyhow, The Stones put on a good show here, by and large. But nothing is better than before, just perhaps more consistent, were it not for the fact this album actually isn't consistent! The likes of 'Mothers Little Helper' and 'Under My Thumb' are of course superb and perennial Stones concert favourites, but what else is here? Well, dropped from the US version of the album we have 'Out Of Time', a gorgeous pop song, absolutely perfect and practically my favourite song here. Well, 'Under My Thumb' is possibly better. We've got 'Lady Jane', a sweet ballad loosely in the style of 'As Tears Go By' in that it doesn't sound at all like a Stones song whatsoever. The first four songs here do form a very strong start to the record, though. Following that is 'Doncha Bother Me' a blues rhythm and blues thing i've have regarded as being a weak link in the chain on their debut, let alone here. Progress? Not really. 'Going Home' is eleven minutes long, and actually rather entertaining but the UK version of this album places it song five whilst the US version more sensibly places it at the end of the set. But, but! The UK versions scores over the US version by having 'Out Of Time' on it, which it does of course. 'Out Of Time' is pop gold, beautiful soft Jagger vocals and a hook akin to a medium sized planet. What more could you ask for?
'Yesterday's Papers' has a tough time, let's face it. Stuck between two of the finest Stones songs ever, stuck and forgotten, right there, left to fend for itself. It's my favourite song on the album. It's short, just over two minutes long. Contains absolutely no impressive ROCK! instrumentation. I just love the feel of it. 'Between The Buttons' is a Rolling Stones pop album from start to finish. And 'Ruby Tuesday'? The drums are completely ham-fisted, terrible things, mixed too loud - clumsily they come in, but still the song is absolutely glorious. The opening 'Let's Spend The Night Together' is rocking enough a way to open a stones album, and a great production in addition. The Stones sound good all across the album. Ah! 'Connection' is just this dumb, fucking dense little shuffling rhythm, but it's so glorious, words cannot describe! The Rolling Stones ( greatest rock n roll band in the world ever, woven into the very fabric of rock music itself! T.M. ) create a song out of absolutely nothing at all, just this MELODY! Wow, who would have thought melody would win the day?
And who had the bright idea for The Stones to go psychedelic?? There were already lingering doubters of the group, people who placed them firmly in The Beatles shadow, so in which case, releasing an almost transparent 'response' to 'Sgt Peppers' hardly helped in that respect. In actual fact, there's more Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd here ( massively influential during the time they existed ) and actual Rolling Stones (?!) hidden underneath all the unnecessary effects, than there is any musical nod to The Beatles in particular. It was a time in history where it was assumed this new music really would taken over. Trouble is, The Rolling Stones weren't particularly 'deep', you know? It had never been a problem before but its a problem here. An album contributed to heavily by Brian Jones and Charlie Watts. Brian, playing virtually everything here seemingly and Charlie? About the only one who was being sensible and organised through the whole sorry enterprise! Well, let's take the opening 'Sing All This Together'? It has a ramshackle charm, but The Rolling Stones are nowhere to be seen or heard, not as we know them. We get to hear Jagger come the second song 'Citadel', quite nice song actually, but the production and effects eventually obliterate any semblance of enjoyability and the guitar sound, clearly nodding towards Syd Barrett, is always fairly transparent. As are the lyrics, actually. More Syd Barrett than anything else! Somebody thought it was a good idea for Bill Wyman to write and sing a song, hence the fairly atrocious 'In Another Land' which is a triumph of production. Shame it has no substance whatsoever, really. You see, at this point in time, The Stones never really relaxed and floated downstream. They never opened their minds, despite 'In Another Land' claiming "I opened my eyes". Their eyes may have been open I suppose, but they certainly never felt this stuff and it doesn't come across at all naturally.
Brian Jones gets arrested for possession of cannibis, the court case and subsequent 'troubles' postpone the release of The Rolling Stones comeback to real Rock And Roll, to real country and blues... by three months. Suffice to say, it must have been worth waiting for at the time, because 'Beggars Banquet' not only restores The Stones to former Rock N Roll heights, but surpasses anything they'd previously done. Not a weak moment in sight, unless you count 'Dear Doctor', but the light country shuffle of 'Dear Doctor' benefits from a perfectly placed Jagger vocal, a Mick Jagger who impresses throughout the entire album, by the way. Selected musical highlights? Well, apart from all of 'Sympathy For The Devil' ( with it's tight, sexy groove ) - a charming and happy fiddle runs around acoustic guitar, and that's 'Factory Girl'. Stupendous performances from Charlie and Bill with Mick riding an unusual rhythm, add classic Stones guitars, and that's 'Street Fighting Man'. Pretty much every single song here has something notable about either the music, or the vocals - usually both. 'Stray Cat Blues'? Mick sounds like a Punk singer ten years before the event, I mean, good god! And then the song goes off on this heavy groove guitar rock thing.... and you realise why people ever called The Rolling Stones the greatest Rock N Roll band in the first place! 'Sympathy For The Devil'? These things here.... ARE LYRICS! Danger, sex and groove - "Whoa ohhh!" indeed.
Poor dear Brian Jones....... I know I haven't spoken of him much on the page, but he was an original founder member and a beautiful soul who could ply his art and trade on virtually any stringed instrument he could lay his hands on. He left the group, and was dead alarmingly soon afterwards. He appears on two songs here, 'Midnight Rambler' and 'You Got The Silver', but he'd already gone.... The Rolling Stones plug the gap with guitarist Mick Taylor. He does a little slide thing on 'Country Honk', adds guitar to 'Live With Me' but would only fully be a part of the group, studio wise, come the 1970 album 'Sticky Fingers'. But, let's forget all of that. Let's talk about 'Gimmie Shelter', a weird kind of song but a song with power. The repeated "Just a shot away" lyric plugging in with the times, but then, these times right now are different times.... Still powerful though, and
loose yet together musical groove. Still a fabulous Jagger vocal. Keith Richards not Bill Wyman plays the fabulous bass line that pins together the absolutely prime Stones wonder that is the 'Live With Me'. Leon Russell and Nicky Hopkins play Piano! Jimmie Miller produces, Glyn Johns AND Bruce Botnick ( and Jerry Hansen?! ) engineer! No wonder it sounds so damn fabulous, jesus christ! But first, this. A bugbear. I really wish 'Country Honk' wasn't here. At all. I just dislike this 'humorous' piece of shambling and 'funny' country run through of 'Honky Tonk Woman'. Just put the damn proper 'Honky Tonk Woman' on the damn album, you........ GRRRR!
The Rolling Stones captured live, long after The Beatles had ceased playing live. The sound of this album is pretty muddy, raw - but the rawness adds to the excitement. It's The Rolling Stones being showmen ( Mick, "you don't want me to drop my trousers do you?", "YES!" reply the crowd, alarmingly! ) etc, etc. The tracklisting is pretty cool, the guitar is VERY cool all through the rhythm and blues stomper that is Carol. That's arrived after a mighty fine version of 'Jumpin Jack Flash', the single that restored The Rolling Stones reputation after 'Satanic Majesties' had made people wonder what the hell was going on. 'Stray Cat Blues', oooh, I adore the guitar and I wish I was there!! Ah, I wasn't born, what can I do, travel back in time?? 'Beggars Banquet' is such a fantastic album anyway and this version of the song from said album starts all slow, moves and grooves as it goes along, and Keith Richards proves himself to be a guitar god once and for all. Live Rolling Stones is something different, a little. It's a show, and it's fab from a musical point of view, offering something slightly different from the studio versions which were never as raw or genuine as this. So, we have mistakes. We have all sorts of things. We have Keith flying during his guitar solo, relying on talent and instinct, more than remembering what it was he was actually meant to be playing in first place!
The CD liner info has a note from Mr Jimmy Miller which reads as follows.... "Maximum cycle characteristics and frequency response at high decibel level have been set accordingly to standards suggested in the guy stevens producer manual, chart R-357, in index, page 304. These recommended standards were compiled by the same authority having recently measured audible damage created by supersonic aircraft. If for any reason you do not agree with the standards - turn it up. " - good advice, I say! But, what about 'Sticky Fingers', the first Stones of the Seventies? Well, the first twenty three minutes or so are all stunning, amazing things. Amazing soul, amazing Rock n Roll, truly fabulous minutes and seconds. They'll pass by, and you'll be drawn in and invited to experience different emotions. 'Brown Sugar' is dirty, sexy... an instant classic Stones single. Classic riff, classic. Full stop. Second song of this particular 'fab four' is the lazy yet together 'Sway'. Loose, so loose it sounds like it's about to fall apart at any moment. The subtle strings in the background are a nice touch. The Mick Taylor guitar work just sounds so damn amazing. Fantastic lead vocals from Mr Jagger, very soulful. Keef provides additional vocals, and doesn't play any guitar at all on this recording, which is interesting given that Mick Taylor was the new boy. I see that as a vote of confidence for him from the other guys! 'Wild Horses' has an interesting story behind it, in that The Flying Burrito Brothers released a version of this particular Jagger/Richards composition before The Stones themselves did. Keith was hanging around with Gram Parsons quite a lot, bonding with the guy. Well, if the time he spent with Gram was even partly responsible for the gorgeous 'Wild Horses' then it was time truly damn well spent! As with 'Sway', Keith joins Mick for the chorus vocals, and the sound of them singing together is a genuinely affecting sound. 'Can't' You Hear Me Knocking' is a certified seven minute wonder with riffs, Jagger vocal sounds - "YEAH! Got COCAINE EYES!". The song ebbs and flows and the guitars of Richards and Taylor combine so well, the sound of a genuine love of playing together shines through. Ah, shame about the blues cover 'You Gotta Move' but then, it has a hard job following these opening four songs. To be fair, it's short and does nothing wrong as such..... You could argue it doesn't exactly 'fit' the album perfectly, if you took it out altogether things would remain much the same.... Sorry, i'm not doing so well explaining myself. Let's just say that 'You Gotta Move' is great, but maybe doesn't fit? But ah, the question mark remains!
A varying mass of Rolling Stones material recorded in a house they holed themselves up in, with the idea seemingly being to display the full range of influences The Rolling Stones enjoyed and admired - their entire 'thing' in the space of a double album. The production and sound is a world removed from the craft and clarity of a 'Let It Bleed' as The Stones go for a sound that, I suppose, they felt more natural and real. The material collected here, and there's a lot of it, feels very loose and jam based and the sound is muddy and indistinct, deliberately so, it would seem. Receiving very mixed reviews upon original release, 'Exile' has gone on not only to become one of the most highly regarded Rolling Stones, but one of the classic albums of the Rock music era. Performances are down, technically speaking. It was so hot where they were recording, it proved difficult to keep guitars in tune and Jaggers voice in shape even throughout a single song performance. Keith Richards liked the sound and overall feel of the songs in particular however, felt that these 'mistakes' added to the whole effect. You must understand, by the way. By giving this highly regarded classic of rock music such a low grade, i'm not trying to be a bad fellow, or anything. 'Exile' can be said to be more than the sum of its parts, the cumulative effect of these muddy sounding yet genuine Rock N Roll songs leaves you with a sense of being impressed that the album exists in the first place, but enjoying the actual music seems more of an aquired taste.
The Rolling Stones slide into irrelevancy wasn't entirely their own fault, rather the product of changing times and the fact that they'd been around a heck of a long time. The Rolling Stones were still a top draw and any tour or new album release was still guarranteed to sell by the truckload. One factor in their slide away from the edge may be the fact they hadn't released a classic single for quite some time. 'Exile' didn't contain one and this album doesn't either. Well, 'Angie' was a big hit, but surely not comparable in terms of quality to a 'Jumping Jack Flash' or 'Paint It Black'? Well, you get the point. 'Goats Head Soup' by the way follows 'Exile On Main Street' by sounding both exactly like The Rolling Stones and also sounding like the first album they'd released to entirely break out of the Sixties. The sound of 'Goats Head Soup' is Rock N Roll of course, but a little mellower in places, less raw and more polished around the edges. 'Exile' was deliberately unpolished and some didn't like that effect. It's possible that 'Goats Head Soup' goes too far the other way - there is little here that will bite your ears off or stun and amaze you. But, 'Goats Head Soup' is a solid work and very easy to enjoy and listen to from beginning to end.
Even Status Quo made better records than this. AC/DC were just starting to fire out of Australia, and it wasn't only just Rock N Roll. It meant something. The Stones never used to be just only Rock and Roll. What happened? Where did this pub-rock boogie come from? Where did all the great songs go? The sprawling 'Exile On Main Street' had a couple of good songs, this has a couple of average songs. A couple of 'decent' songs, and much else that will never, ever - change your life, or much likely, mean anything. The songs are so simple - played well enough, but nobody sounds on fire, nobody sounds on top form. Absolutely nobody, not Keith, not Mick. Nobody. What the hell happened to Mick Taylor?? He's hardly here. Maybe not his fault, I don't know. Just the product of confused times, most likely. So, 'It's Only Rock N Roll'? Well, the title song has a certain shambolic but endearing groove about it. So, that's ok. 'If You Can't Rock Me' is just.... it's a groove, a single groove - yet with uninteresting lyrics, uninteresting bass. Charlie Watts, bless im', gives it his all - or at least, as much as he could given the circumstances. But..... this is just so 'ordinary'. Pub rock boogie? Too right it is. 'Aint Too Proud To Beg' includes a few nice piano sections and a few bracing guitar sections, but again - never amounts to more than "oh, it's okay". Even the ballads go downhill. 'Till The Next Goodbye' is sappy and unconvincing, the gospel flavoured 'If You Really Want To Be My Friend' including a few interesting instrumental parts, but little magic. No magic at all, actually. What's wrong? I don't know. How can such a great band produce such average material as this, so soon after producing classic material? Drugs? Lack of motivation?? Whatever. Ron Wood was a man seemingly born to one day join The Rolling Stones. His work with Rod Stewart and The Faces... the way he looked. So, this was his lucky day, following Mick Taylor's exit, in came Ron Wood. He's been there ever since, much to his credit. Ah, a word about 'Black And Blue' in general?? If the previous Stones studio outing was almost a cartoon cliche version of the group, 'Black And Blue' almost veers too far in the opposite direction. Apart from a couple of tracks, well, one.... this album sounds almost completely unlike what we'd come to expect from the group. That's actually a positive, but another song or two in the classic Rolling Stones vein would have been welcome. Another positive is the sound of the thing. Clear sound and seperation, good mixing. A well produced,
professional record. But, back to that laudable, on the face of it, diversification that 'Black And Blue' displays?? Well, when The Stones tackle the reggae classic 'Cherry Oh Baby' the results are far from pleasing. Oh, they do it well enough, I suppose - but it's not suitable Rolling Stones material, and following the majesty of 'Hand Of Fate', just further adds to the confusion this 'Black And Blue' album displays. Yeah, 'Hand Of Fate' is the most 'Stones' sounding song here, the one song that could squeeze onto your personal 'best of' Stones mix-cd from 'Black And Blue' and not sound horribly out of place. The other song here that's quite impressive is the funk of the opening cut. Lots of little guitar lines, a groove, repetition, but it works - it sounds convincing. The Rolling Stones were still immensely popular, although their critical reputation had taken gradual knocks throughout the seventies, for a variety of reasons. Various drugs busts, Mr Jagger becomming more and more showbiz. Etc, etc. Still, their 1978 'Some Girls' album went some way to restoring their critical reputation. 'Miss You', the lead single and opening salvo that the album presents us with, disco influences or no disco influences - was/is just a great song. It was the stones biggest hit for some time, reaching number one in the US, number three in the UK. The groove is addictive, Keith does simple little things - the stones sound together in a way that's good, but could be blown apart by a light breeze any second. Still, this top and catchy commercial Stones moment is followed by the more rock n roll 'When The Whip Comes Down'. Very simple kind of song, nothing to blow anybody apart, but it's catchy enough. 'Just My Imagination' is a minor classic, sounds like it could have come from the late sixties, almost. Not quite, but almost. Even more of a classic Stones tune arrives right towards the end, certified gold, 'Beast Of Burden'. Right from the opening Keith guitar parts, mellow and soulful - through to Jagger's vocal performance. A latter day Stones classic? You bet. 'Black And Blue', 'Some Girls', etc, etc. After the self parody of 'It's Only Rock N Roll' we can all understand and appreciate The Rolling Stones attempts at diversification, can't we? Do you, dear reader, have any problems with their diversification? Well, let's take 'Dance Pt 1'. The music sort of carries of from parts of 'Some Girls'. You know, that disco/soul groove? Mick sings. Now, that's important. The fact of Mick Jagger singing immediately places the name Rolling Stones in the listeners mind. Ultimately, the voice of Mick Jagger both made The Rolling Stones ( in the sixites ), and held them back ( in the mid to late seventies ), simply because of the familiarity everybody has with his voice. Try and divorce the vocals this album contains from the music, for a second. Imagine this as an album of instrumentals by an unknown or little known band, that the singer has yet to lend his voice too. Try this, it works. So, the semi-reggae of 'Send It To Me'. So, the pub-rock of 'Summer Romance'. Neither backing track convinces. Both are professional and competent, but rock n roll excitement? Danger?? Soul??? Well, not for my money. Of course, put back in the Jagger vocals and especially the Jagger vocals for 'Send It To Me' and everything returns to how it should be. Well, more or less. Jagger's performance is both classic Jagger and faintly ridiculous. Pure entertainment, ultimately. Thus, 'Send It To Me' becomes family entertainment, something for everyone. Well, I gather the punk rockers were hardly impressed. They ( the punk rockers ) may have been secretly impressed by the seemingly ( and amazingly ) indescructable Keith Richards, but not likely too impressed with the likes of this 'Emotional Rescue' album. It's really deeply average work. That's whether it's a Rolling Stones album, or not. Quite frankly, unless you're a rabid fan, the fact of this being a Rolling Stones album is mostly irrelevant to its actual quality. No use in crying? I dunno, does me good sometimes, but nevermind that. The Stones reach into the eighties by doing 'Start Me Up', a Stones song with a classic Stones riff that bar the recording quality, could have been released in 1965 for all the difference it made. That it was released in 1981 means it isn't quite given its due satisfaction, to loan a phrase. It's use by Microsoft to launch, what was it, Windows 95, hardly helps. "You make a grown man cry"? Most Microsoft software does! Anyway, ignoring my career vaguely related to computing for a moment, how about this Rolling Stones album? Well, it's a lot more enjoyable than many of their other albums. Even 'Hang Five', very eighties, very 'late period stones', manages not to embarrass and manages to be decently catchy and 'stuff'. And, if this review isn't informal and chatty enough for you, then what review is? Hey, I pride myself on this kind of crap! Three songs in, 'Slave' being very listenable too, you start to wonder? You know, have the Stones hit upon something here, a way forward through the 80's - but sadly they didn't. Just a moment here and there. Still, 'keef' sounds good throughout as does Mick. That's most of the battle won. Even ridiculous material such as 'Tops', some kind of semi-preacher, semi-pleading, semi-love song performance from Mick, sounds very listenable. That's enough for me. If I can sit through an album, even an album where material such as 'Tops' is hardly 'Gimmie Shelter', yet enjoy myself throughout? That's enough for me. It must have been difficult being The Rolling Stones in 1983. You know, The Beatles were gods, because they stopped making music in 1970. You just carried on, facing and fighting the turning fashions, etc, etc. Carrying on for god knows what reason. Well, i'm glad they did carry on. Their critical standing may have been improved totally, if they had split up after 'Exile On Main Street', but then we would have been deprived the good material they did manage after that time. A decline, yes. Anybody would have faced to such a decline. Do you suppose The Beatles would still have been cutting edge in 1983? No, of course they wouldn't have been. So, neither were The Rolling Stones, yet they did produce music that was contemporary of sorts. This 'Undercover' album compares very favourably with the kind of music mainstream artists were producing in 1983. I'm old enough to remember what music was like in 1983. And, a test of any good album is simply to put it on random play and see what comes up. When nearly every song that does come up proves to be enjoyable, you know you're onto a winner. You see, me personally, i've little time for judging an artist against their past work, if I can help it. Rather, I judge them against every other album ever made, that I've actually heard. So, how does 'Undercover' compare to a Eurthymics or Duran Duran or Soft Cell or ABC of Depeche Mode album, circa 1983? Or, to make it clearer, circa any year since music began in stone age times and people were simply banging rocks together. Like, hey yeah, let's get it on guys with those groovy rhythms those rocks create! Bang, bang, bang. Etc, etc. Those guys were the REAL innovators!!! A three year gap that saw Mick release a solo album. Listening to 'Dirty Work', Keef was either asleep or not bothered about writing guitar lines that are even remotely interesting, different or special. This is run of the mill stuff that wouldn't have even seen the light of day had the name 'Rolling Stones' not been attached to it. We've such generic material here, all that saves this album from utter crapness is the groove of 'Harlem Shuffle', a pop song that proves the Stones could still kick up a nice thing if they put their minds to it. So, what's the excuse for the rest of the album? For example, the opening 'One Hit' sounds to me like a song designed to fight off much of the critiscm the dance thing the previous album had attracted. Yet, that 'dance thing' was at least slightly inventive and required a modicum of thought from the band as to how they had to approach the arrangements of the songs. To be fair, 'One Hit' has a fine guitar solo all through it, yet there remains absolutely nothing at all distinctive about it. Nothing. As for the title song, well. It's just not memorable. What, this is the best song here? A song so good the album was named after it? Why not call the album 'Harlem Shuffle' instead? Anyhoo. Yeah, the title song has trite lyrics that you can barely hear anyway, and given the musical backing, don't have much desire to want to. Album and tour, album and tour. We waited three years after the 'Undercover' record to be greeted with the lack-lustre 'Dirty Work'. Another three years gave us 'Steel Wheels' and the Rolling Stones marketing machine went into full gear, it was clear the tour was going to be huge, the album provided an excuse for the tour and was also billed as their comeback record. Keef and Mick work their way through twelve songs that encompass various aspects of The Stones. As a result, 'Steel Wheels' is surely an album a hard-core Stones fantatic would find hard to resist. As for the rest of the world, the Stones were back in the news, newcommers to the group found 'Steel Wheels' to be palatable and fitting in with the groups legend. That's not to say that 'Steel Wheels' is amongst the bands very best work, because quite frankly, it isn't. There is little sense of danger and genuine excitement and at times, the sound and production of the record comes across as a little too contemporary to the day it was released and recorded. Still, we've a bunch of fine listenable songs. That's what counts at the end of the day, above any small quibbles about the sterile sound of the album, or the generally unimaginative song arrangements. 'Almost Hear You Sigh' is a genuinelly beautiful stones ballad, for example. The stones record songs befitting their age for 'Steel Wheels', 'Dirty Work' was possibly a little misguided in that respect. A world tour, another lengthy gap between albums. A return with Voodoo Lounge, another lengthy tour, etc, etc. 'Voodoo Lounge' saw Don Was work as The Stones producer, a guy who once claimed he wanted to collect all of the great artists on his production CV like baseball cards. A guy that tries to reclaim an artists greatness through a return to that artists core values. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Usually it's something of a mixed bag. In this case, we do get a stripped back sound for The Stones and one that appears to mean business. Simple, straightforward and rather tradditional. We saw the departure of bass player Bill Wyman prior to this album, although that doesn't appear to make any difference to The Stones in the studio an awful lot. Before going into the songs in any more detail, i'll mention a grip of mine. As an album made for the CD age, 'Voodoo Lounge' stretches out to just over an hour in length. I understand fans may have felt short-changed if the stones had released a forty minute long album after five years away, although if they had done in this case, 'Voodoo Lounge' would have been stripped of at least five songs of filler. It would have hit harder and had a greater overall impact. Still, for an album that does strip The Stones of any fashion or trends and returns them to their core values, 'Voodoo Lounge' works very well. The song titles themselves reveal clues, like all of the words in previous Stones song titles have been cut-up and thrown in the air and fallen down again in new combinations. Hence we get the quite lovely 'Blinded By Rainbows' with its keen Jagger vocal. The quality ballad 'Out Of Tears', although it's slightly bland. The closing track, 'Mean Disposition' which sways and rocks nicely, even though as a composition it never actually goes anywhere. Immediately before spending my listening /reviewing time on 'Bridges To Babylon' I listened to some of the classic Stones hits to get myself some perspective on this release. It had me yearning that even just one song on this latest stones LP had one of those great simple Keef riffs on it. I do realise all The Rolling Stones are now 60ish, grandads, etc. Of course I realise that but with a band like The Stones it's tempting to imagine your own ideal new Stones release and how it would sound. Personally, i'd like a couple of songs based on a single Keef riff. I'd like them to really go down that blues route on other songs, make a concerted and serious artistic effort that sounded different to other stones LPs. Well, either that or a silly, dirty and playful Stones LPs where Mick, Keef and co comes across as deliberately taking the micky out of themselves and having fun with peoples expectations of them. Oh, and i'd also like this imaginary Stones album to come in at around 50 minutes playing time maximum rather than the hour plus of 'Bridges To Babylon'. We can all dream, you will have your own idea of what kind of album these latter day Rolling Stones could make. Let us know, it'll be fun! Anyhoo, 'Bridges' gets off to a fine one-two start with the energy of 'Flip The Switch' and the great if entirely unoriginal stones balladry of the fairly swoonsome 'Anybody Seen My Baby'. Other highlights abound such as the guitar of the aggressive 'Gunface', the nice 'Always Suffering', Mick sings well and it's a good Stones song, no question of that. Love the country style harmonising on this number! Still, too many other songs here are, in a word, merely tasteful. Since when were the stones supposed to be that? Sixteen songs, 64 minutes of new Jagger/Richards compositions. It's been eight years since their last album, with the group members now all in their sixties, what price would you give me if I said this is almost certainly the last new studio album we'll see from The Rolling Stones? Well, with these guys, you never know, do you? Still, if it is going to wind up being their last album, they've gone out with a bang. Indeed, a bigger bang, ha ha! Ah, well. Impressions are favourable before you've even placed the CD in the tray. The artwork is great, older faces aside, like a 60s/70s iconic Stones record sleeve. The guys are looking across at each other, with reflections of themselves staring up. It gives the impression that there is actually more than just the four of them. I like it. A quick scan over the album, a first few plays if you will, also prompt favourable responses within me. The sound seems simpler. If 'Voodoo Lounge' was attempting to get back to basics, they are trying the same kind of thing here, only more successfully, it would seem. The sound of the record is good. I mentioned I wanted a blues thing during the review of their last album? Well, here we've got 'Back Of My Hand', harp work included! It's a classy moment that reveals a real back to the roots approach. Oh, and riffs? There are songs on this record with lots of riffs! Keef gives a great performance throughout 'A Bigger Bang'. Not necessarily one of the highlights, but even a track such as 'Look What The Cat Dragged In', buried towards the end of the album, sparkles with good guitar riffs and much attitude from Jagger in the vocal department. In a similar vein is 'Driving Too Fast', opens with a riff! Jagger does a great vocal performance in classic Stones style and the song reaches further heights when the chorus is reached. That so many tuneful and memorable and not at all embarrasing Stones moments are included on the same LP, this late into their career? Well, it pleases me.
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The Rolling Stones ( England's Newest Hitmakers ) 8
( 1964, UK pos 1)
Not Fade Away / Route 66 / I Just Want To Make Love To You / Honest I Do / Now I've Got A Witness / Little By Little / I'm A King Bee / Carol / Tell Me / Can I Get A Witness / You Can Make It If You Try / Walking The Dog
'Not Fade Away' I adore with the shaking rhythm and the great harmonica. 'Route 66' is pretty straight, not terribly an imaginative interpretation, but played with passion and conviction all the same. 'I just Want To Make Love To You' is a good example of The Stones sounding dangerously 'on the edge' and sounding sexual with it, thanks to the vocals of Mick Jagger more than anything else, although the music is pretty unhinged as well - great stuff. I dig the guitar sounds in 'Little By Little' and the vocals of Mick Jagger again impress with his twisting of vowels and his full on, breathless approach - the guitar picks up, a neat little solo twisting around the mid-section of the song, and this really is fabulous stuff. 'King Bee' is even better, a blues workout recorded with amazing clarity - you can hear each and every single note and vocal expression, very warm and up-close, but with the necessary sexual and dangerous tone required running throughout. The remaining material here doesn't quite thrill me as much as songs one to seven, but then, the conviction and energy remains to pull you through. The only jagger/richard composition on the entire album, 'Tell Me' sounds markedly different to everything else here, a very simple song, certainly not a great song but the vocals get me every time. 'Tell Me' is rooted in American music forms, but the echo on the vocals in the chorus - a chorus almost like some old doo-wop tune is really very charming! Of the closing three songs, 'Walking The Dog' is impressive musically with 'You Can Make It If You Try' impressive vocally. Good work Mick! Good work - Keith, Brian and 'the boys'. I'll be tuning in next time around, no worries.
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Noah Stern nstern.bird@verizon.net
I'd rate this album a 5/10, & I would give 6 or a 7, if not for "Honest I Do" & "Now I've Got A Witness". First of all, "Honest I Do" is my second least favorite song ever done (only their 8 & 1/2 minute sound collage on "Their Satanic Majesties" is worst). It has 2 horrendous harmonica solos from Mick J, annoying loud drumming from Charlie, & you get the picture, don't ya? "Now I've Got A Witness" is also horrible, with even more crappy harmonica, this time from Brian. All together this album is a mediocre one.
Dave Ambler dtambler@lsckpa.org
I first heard this album in my older cousins collection way back when I was 10 years old in '64. I though it was the best thing I'd ever heard and probably still do. A striking album that was years ahead of it's time. A pure classic!
James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
Debut album 8.75 out of 10. "Honest I do" = 10. Not fade away = 7. ( Ilike version on stripped better! Route 66 7. I'm not sure what my favorite version of this song is (studio or live). "Little by little" =8. I'm a King Bee = 9. "Walking the Dog" = 9. "Can I get a witness" =7.5." I just want to make love to you" = 10. "you can make it if you try" = 7.75. Carol =7.5. Think live version is better. "Tell me "=9.25. "now Iv'e got witness" Do not like. Should of been left off album Must of needed filler time. I Like this debut better than next 2-3 early albums.
12x5 7
( 1964 )
Around And Around / Confessing The Blues / Empty Heart / Time Is On My Side / Good Times, Bad Times / It's All Over Now / 2120 South Michigan Ave / Under The Boardwalk / Congratulations / Grown Up Wrong / If You Need Me / Susie Q
'Confessing The Blues' has a harmonica part that comes in, literally in the background. The echo and production here is fabulous - the slow grind of the song utterly convincing and the Piano parts great, too. 'Time Is On My Side' is fabulous, wonderful Jagger vocals and a performance that sounds very haunting in a chill up the spine kind of a way. 'It's All Over Now' is a certified Stones classic to my mind, a hit single, and the sound of later Rolling Stones moved forwards to 1964, if you can imagine such a thing. The Jagger vocals sound even more characteristic and the guitar parts sound more 'Rolling Stones' than anything else here. Of course, all of this is said by myself knowing what came later, but there's no other way I can approach these early Stones records. What else do we have? Well, '2120 South Michigan Ave' is a two minute organ led instrumental akin to 'Now I've Got A Witness' from 'Englands Newest Hitmakers'. 'Under The Boardwalk' really is THAT 'Under The Boardwalk', a song I usually despise - but this Stones version doesn't irritate me at all. It sounds quite nice in some places and in other places unintentionally comical! I like 'If You Need Me' with its genuine and passionate sounding Jagger vocal but don't care for the closing 'Susie Q' very much at all. For the first time so far The Rolling Stones sound sloppy and the mixing here on 'Susie Q' fails to match the levels of clarity the debut acheived. Still, as I said right at the start of this review, '12x5' is a good thing to have around.
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Mike Harrison fughedaboudit455@yahoo.com
Adrian's right on the mark with this review. The album doesn't flow because it's a butcher job. As a result, this album has some really weak cover material, with "Susie Q" the most uninspired of all. But the good covers are really GOOD; the harsh sound
of "It's All Over Now" exemplifies how the Stones were far, far superior over other UK bands of the time at interpreting American R&B.
James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
I agree not as good as debut album. I'd give it a 6.75 or 7. Best tunes = "If you need me" = 10. "Its all over now" = 10. "Good times / Bad times" =10 Three great songs!!. A notch below but very good songs = "Congratulations" = 8. "Confession the Blues" =8. Next in quality = "Around and Around"= 7.5. The instrumental is good Micigan Ave "=7. "Time is on my side. I do not like this version! It gets low # when compared to Guitar version. Two average to slightly above = version of "under the boardwalk" = 6.25. "Grown up Wrong" = 6. "Emty Heart is below average like a 4. Suzie Q is complete garbage. Should of not been on album but again must of needed filler. This sucks like a 2, which skews caliber of overall rating. Pretty good but less than 1st album.
The Rolling Stones Now 6½
( 1965 )
Everybody Needs Somebody To Love / Down Home Girl / You Can't Catch Me / Heart Of Stone / Mona / Down The Road Apiece / Off The Hook / Pain In My Heart / Oh Baby / Little Red Rooster / Surprise, Surprise
'Everybody Needs Somebody To Love' I detest, not the Stones performance here, which is very good, but the song in general. This is a personal bias of mine, but I can't help that. And no, I don't like 'The Blues Brothers' either. The five minute long 'Everybody Needs Somebody To Love' is followed by the mid-tempo four minute long 'Down Home Girl' and the pace, passion and concise nature of the first Stones LP has seemingly dissipated altogether.
'You Can't Catch Me' is energetic and well performed, but this was 1965! Bob Dylan and The Beatles were making huge strides in 1965, what were The Stones upto? Doing the same old stuff they did in 1964, that's what, and not doing it better either. I'm being unfair I realise, this was EARLY 1965, after all - and The Stones would indeed progress as they went along. Just listen to 'The Last Time' for evidence, Keith Richards writes his first great riff for that song. Why wasn't it here? 'Heart Of Stone' is here though and it's great, Mick sounds fabulous with the vocals. 'What A Shame' is true to the early Rolling Stones roots and influences, 'Mona' is great, very in line with 'Not Fade Away' from 'Englands Newest Hitmakers' funnily enough. 'Down The Road Apiece' has energy and passion in the performance, 'Off The Hook' has an interesting rhythm, but I feel like i'm clutching at straws.
'Little Red Rooster' eventually arrives, and is truly magnificent. As good as 'King Bee' from the debut? Yeah, it is. And with 'Heart Of Stone' and 'The Last Time' The Rolling Stones were showing signs that they could write their own chart topping original material. Things were gonna happen. Hey, there's another statement made with hindsight! Ah, whatever. This is my least favourite of the first three US Stones albums. That a good portion of it is based on the second UK Stones album doesn't matter. I haven't heard that version of the album, but I would think I'd prefer that a good deal less than the debut, as well.
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Jude Bolton Bolton_154@hotmail.com
In my opinion this is the best early Stones album (I'm making this judgement without hearing Decembers Children). Down Home Girl is such a groovy song. Heart Of Stone, What A Shame, and Surprise Surprise are great Jagger/Richards orginals. I love the sound of the drums in Surprise Surprise.
James Lynn lynnjf@comcast.net
Overall I like slightly less than other 5-6 "early albums". Probably because there is no song that is a fav. I like Down Home girl the most. Also really like Heart of Stone & Suprise Suprise. Can't catch me & Down Road a piece sound similar & are good. Everybody needs somebody is too long & repetitive. Is the 3 min version around I,ve heard people refer to. Baby got a good thing & Mona are ok. Usually there is 1-2 i really dislike each LP or 24 albums. Not bad really dislike like only 30 tunes out of 3oo plus.
Out Of Our Heads 8½
( 1965, UK pos 2 )
Mercy Mercy / Hitch Hike / The Last Time / That's How Strong My Love Is / Good Times / I'm All Right / I Can't Get No Satisfaction / Cry To Me / The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man / Play With Fire / The Spider And The Fly / One More Try
'Cry To Me' is a great soulful vocal performance from the man they called Mr Jagger (?), 'The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man' ( one question, why? ) is a song that sounds very off the cuff, very blues based, enjoyable enough. 'Play With Fire' is haunting and spooky and a classic song. Um, i'm realising right now, there's only a couple of songs here I don't care for. One is the live track, another is the blues workout 'The Spider And The Fly', which although well done, kinda drags compared to the material elsewhere on the album. The closing 'One More Try' is a very simple song with harmonica blaring through - no genius, just great performance. 'Out Of Our Heads' doesn't reach the ultimate heights later Stones albums would, but it's just so very easy to listen to and groove away to. An excellent record indeed.
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James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
I agree very very good. Obviously Satisfaction historic Last Time & play with Fire Other early hits 7 rightly so. Mercy Mercy is more infectious every time I hear it. Under Asst Promo is just a fun song of good quality. Thata How Strong My Love is Awesome! Hitch Hike& One More Try Simple yet very fun effective tunes. Good times I like soulful. The only song i skip or leave off all time self mixes is i'm alright. Out of 300 plus I only leave off like 30 or so & this is 1 of them. Sound quality & production sounds awful Music is muffled & fans screaming too much in forefront. Perhaps at that time it was considered avant garde but stinks. Song itself nice little piece wish it was done studio & not live! Mez
Decembers Children (And Everybody) 5½
( 1965 )
She Said Yeah / Talkin' Bout You / You Better Move On / Look What You've Done / The Singer Not The Song / Route 66 (Live) / Gett Off Of My Cloud / I'm Free / As Tears Go By / Gotta Get Away / Blue Turns To Grey / I'm Moving On (Live)
'As Tears Go By' I understand was the first original Jagger/Richards composition, ever - and was offered to Marianne Faithful because The Stones thought it too 'sissy' to fit in with their image at the time. The strings are nice, the vocals are sweet. Mick does a little acting thing, placing himself in the song..... this isn't the sound of the real Rolling Stones, just an
exercise, but it sounds good. What matters is that it sounds good. The Stones poppier material would receive some niggling comments from fans, but The Stones turned out to be a great pop band for a while there. I'm getting ahead of myself, though. The remainder of this album is totally forgettable, the closing live version of 'I'm Moving On' sounding atrocious..... poor recording quality more than anything, but absolutely no way to close any album by a group of The Rolling Stones standing in 1965.
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James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
I like this album better than you do. Great songs here are " Get off my cloud" =9.25. "you better move on " = 9.5. "As tears go by" = 9.75. "Blue turns to grey" =9.5. " I'm Free is another very good to great song. But I like version on stripped much better so hard to be truely objective. 8.25. Next tier of tunes are: "Look what youv'e done" = 7.75. " Singer not the song" = 7.75. Average well little above is " She said yeah" (too sort) = 6.75. Completely average Ok songs are " Gotta ge Away" =5. & "Talkin about you" =5. Route 66 discussed on other album Good tune. Like 1st 2 records one garbage song " I'm moving on " Terrible sound etc. = 2. on many stones sites many fans like this song. I don't get it!! A solid effort well slightly below. I love 4-5 songs like additional 2-3 very much. 2-3 average 7 1 song trash.
Aftermath ( UK ) 7½
( 1966, UK pos 1 )
Mothers Little Helper / Stupid Girl / Lady Jane / Under My Thumb / Donca Bother Me / Going Home / Flight 505 / High And Dry / Out Of Time / It's Not Easy / I Am Waiting / Take It Or Leave It / Think / What To Do
'It's Not Easy' is a rocking Stones rhythm and blues by numbers piece, no more no less. 'I Am Waiting' still doesn't rank the stones level, or even remotely close, to the 1966 innovations of the likes of The Beach Boys, The Byrds or The Beatles but is an ultra sweet and hugely enjoyable folky and semi acoustic pop song. 'Take It Or Leave It'? I'll leave this one. 'Think'? This is clear filler, barely audible instrumentation even on the new remasters. 'What To Do' is a sing-a-long pop song, pretty good, and there you have it. The Rolling Stones would make huge advances, but not just yet. Consistency is a problem with the UK version of 'Aftermath' at least, and with a good part of the album not exactly being mind-blowing, I couldn't imagine rating the US version higher than an '8'. An '8'? Sounds like i'm really down on this album, doesn't it? I'm not, it's good.
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Michael Harrison fughedaboudit455@yahoo.com
A lot of critics praise the UK version of AFTERMATH as the Stones' most consistent 1960s album.....to be honest, I don't quite understand why. It IS a good album, but there isn't a high degree of musical experimentation here as the critics would have you believe. There are too many blues-derived knockoffs. "Going Home" is so leaden and boring....weak blues filler, and that's it. Fortunately, the Glimmer Twins' songwriting abilities began to develop here, and they provided a good share of great tunes that reflect this. "Lady Jane" is actually a beautiful song, and "Under My Thumb" is my fave.....you couldn't find another mid-sixties tune with an arrangement like this.
Sasca kpayne@telkomsa.net
I programme out 'It's Not Easy' and 'Think' (slightly awkward rockers both; decent b-sides) and listen to Carnaby Street in all its glorious variety. Fourth? No, no, no. I love 'Pet Sounds' but there are times when the the beauty of the arrangements is not matched by the basic songs (so far as those aspects can be separated). 'Blonde On Blonde' is, like most double albums, too long and Dylan's too-cool-to-sing mannerisms occasionally grate. And Revolver? Well, it has 'Good Day Sunshine' and 'I Want to Tell You' and 'Got to Get You into My Life'. No, 'Aftermath' (UK version) is one of the greatest - and most underrated - albums. Mick and Keith (and, uncredited, Brian and Bill) have reached their first peak as songwriters while the arrangements...oh dear Lord. Who has ever plucked such beauty from such a variety of sources as Brian Jones? What is remarkable for me is the clarity with which the parts are brought together - while many groups were inclining towards haziness, the Stones balance sounds with the care of a Renaissance composer.
If only more groups had followed the innovations of these songs. Not least the Stones themselves.
David Walker dwalker@rctech.com
The most underappreciated aspect of this album is Jagger's aggressive vocal delivery - from "I wanna see ya paint it, paint it, paint it, paint it black, yeah", to the "Under Myyyyyyyyyyy Thumb" deep-throated roar, to the crescendo build up in the "nothing to do, nowhere to go, talkin' 'bout people that you don't know"-section in "What To Do", he provide the Stones with a ballsiness completely missing from the other great '66 entries. The Stones were never about being pretty (though they had and would continue to master balladeering-type songwriting), and thi album, with the gothic mood of Paint It Black, the macho swagger of Under My Thumb, and the social commentary of Mother's Little Helper cointerpoints wonderfuly with the ethereal "I Am Waiting" and the Renaissance-folk of "Lady Jane". Plus, the excellent level achieved by the filler tracks such as "Think", and "High and Dry" make this album more than able to overcome sloppy laziness of "Stupid Girl", and "Going Home".
gazza garyhess44@hotmail.com
The stones have been on the stereo a lot of late . aftermaths a bit of a fave of mine . One of the great garage rock albums . Brian was at his most influential here playing every instrument he could lay his hands on . goin home is about 5 minutes too long but apart from that every track is satisfying . micks lyrically at his best too , women hating and camp . see stupid girl and lady jane respectively .
Between The Buttons 8½
( 1967, UK pos 3 )
Let's Spend The Night Together / Yesterday's Papers / Ruby Tuesday / Connection / She Smiled Sweetly / Cool, Calm And Collected / All Sold Out / My Obession / Who's Been Sleeping Here / Complicated / Miss Amanda Jones
'She Smiled Sweetly' is a typical 'Between The Buttons' song, everyone apart from Mick possibly - must have been dismayed and even ANGRY at having to play such a soft and un-stones sounding song, but god is it sweet listening! The Rolling Stones prove themselves here. An album without a single bad song, without a SINGLE bad song, for the first time ever for them. The rinky dink Piano of 'Cool, Calm Collected' is glorious, the pop of 'All Sold Out' not terribly well played - again drummer Charlie Watts wishes he wasn't even there, but still, melody wins in the end. Such simple songs! Who complained about the lack of innovation on the previous Stones album? Ah! That's right, I did! But, you see - it depends what you're trying to do in the first place. Reach 100% of 50%? That's better than reaching 50% of 100%, isn't it...? Not that i'm suggesting anything, of course. More of which later...... There's a song here called 'Complicated' and it really is the least complicated thing on earth. Good, though! 'Between The Buttons' is so simple yet so full of melody. So easily listenable, it creates a rare form a genius without even trying. Everyone was dismayed in the Stones camp - Brian Jones didn't even much want to be there anymore, and Charlie Watts, judging by his performances here, was clearly embarrassed by the whole enterprise. But, it's still GREAT!
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Michael Harrison fughedaboudit455@yahoo.com
Adrian reviewed the US version.....you can't go wrong with a tune like "Let Spend the Night Together." I have the UK version of this, which has "Back Street Girl" and "Something Happened to Me Yesterday" in place of the "Ruby"/"Let's Spend the Night" single. I would give the album an 8; it's all over the place stylistically. Yet, with all the screwing around, it works as a cohesive album because that's part of the
charm! A good balance between the low-key ballads and effective rock songs helps. This album arrived at about the point where the Stones' music softened a bit too much for my liking, but tunes such as "Complicated" and "Miss Amanda Jones" prove that they
could still rock out. WARNING WARNING WARNING: if you pick up the UK version of this, avoid repeated listenings of the Keith-sung "Something Happened." You'll find out why!
Noah Stern nstern.bird@verizon.net
I've never heard the song before but I went mon to Keno's website,saw the instruments and felt disgusted.Sitar,harmonica,kazoo and the banjo. Even wierder Brian Jones is playing all those instruments. The harmonica happens to be my least favorite instrument and the song is combining indian music(sitar),folk music(kazoo) and country music (the other two instruments I mentioned). What I'm saying is that the instruments just don't work out. Next time focus on the bad instrument combinations,not the honky-tonk piano when you listen to this song.
Matthew Byrd matthewbyrd@hotmail.com
Ah Beggar's Banquet! This is the greatest Stones' album, it not only finished the free-fall of failure which followed Their Satanic Majesties Request, but in its dirty, thrown-in-the-dirt and stomped on feel(perfected on Exile On Main Street) is where the Stones capitalized on their blues-rock mastery. Although Let It Bleed was more cohesive and Sticky Fingers is more glamarous(and more contrived) Beggar's Banquet showed that the Stones could perform with both interesting lyrics and the delta-blues sound of the American south. The Stones at their least self-indulgent (and best). Street Fightin' Man, Sympathy For The Devil, Stray-Cat Blues are some of rocks best cuts.
moyna jofam@telkomsa.net
So glad to see this review - I have been discussing Yesterday's Papers with some real musical fundis and they could not recall the song at all - implied I was delusional. I totally agree with your comments!
Gazza Edinburgh
This is very much of its time , but also very overlooked in the stones canon. With aftermath completed the band were clearly unsure which way to head, instead they accumulated everything from swinging london at the time and produced this cracking little record. The influence of the kinks can be heard in the vaudeville tracks "cool calm and collected" and "something happened" , they are very much tongue in cheek but a lot of fun . The hood eyed spirit of blonde on blonde is clear on "she smiled sweetly" and "whos been sleeping here" (The former is one of the best tracks despite its atrocious bass playing - suspect it was dubbed on by keith) and of course the beatles revolver can be heard in the indian style vocals and drone guitars in "my obsession" and "complicated" . They even filtered their own sound through the times with the psychedelic bo diddley of "please go home" . All this would make a good album on its own but with the addition of "yesterdays papers" where jag! ger! rips apart another female to a pretty backing track of harpsichord and bells and "back street girl" where jagger appears to urge a groupie to keep her distance (unless mick wants her !!) - again the music is sublime with beautiful accordian and autoharp conjuring up images of parisian sidestreets, These tracks elevate the album even more. The band dissolved into narcotic and legal problems for the rest of the year before opting for the more rootsier sounds of beggars banquet but by then the whole world was moving in that direction..
Their Satanic Majesties Request 6
( 1967, UK pos 3 )
Sing This All Together / Citadel / In Another Land / 2,000 Man / Sing This All Together (See What Happens) / She's A Rainbow / The Latern / Gomper / 2,000 Light Years From Home / On With The Show
'Sgt Peppers', without the production, still stands up as a set of fine songs. There are so few actual SONGS here that stand the test of time, or any test at all, for that matter. '2000 Man' is good, opening all acoustic then switching a few times through its running time. It's more 'Between The Buttons' than anything else here. Well, add the marvellous pop song 'She's A Rainbow' to that too - the finest thing here by some distance, along with the charming '2000 Man'. Um, what else is here? Not much. 'Gomper' is nothing at all, '2000 Light Years From Home' supposedly some kind of deep message... Oh, a word about the artwork? It's fairly atrocious, ugly artwork. Mick wears a wizards hat. It was meant to portray a little darkness, actually, like a fable. Anyway, the unmentionable nonsense of 'On With The Show' ends this whole sorry enterprise, the one song here that does noticebly nod to 'Sgt Pepper' more than anything else, the whole circus, roll up, roll up, cabaret music hall thing. The Stones were rhythm and blues and Rock N Roll. What the hell did they even think they were doing?? Lucky for them 1968 saw a return to back to basics, not only from The Beatles, but from Dylan, The Beach Boys - and a host of others too. They wouldn't need to pretend anymore and would get back to doing what they did best.
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James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
I did not like this at first for quite some time. Once i became a hard core fanatic suddenly it seemed better. Wonder why???? Anyway really is not as bad as made out to be. Yes its really "not the Stones" niche & silly to some degree as the "dated" factor. Sing all together is ok. Bit silly & sounds like should be Beatles on Sgt Peppers but that was their whole purpose of what they were trying to create I suppose. CITADEL is really very good. Its buried in its production but re released with different more modern sound would be excellent I think. Solid B nontheless. 2000 Man is great!! An A or 10. Very underated gem. Sing all together see what want to me is probably their worst song ever!! Can't stand it. Do not like gomper either. Both I skip 7 leave off mixes. The LANTERN I like more every time I hear it. 8 out of ten. Same with In Another Land 7.5 or B-. Both have really grown on me. Shes a Rainbow excellent & just below 2000 Man. Love it much. On with the show terrible, ! silly, dated 7 nonsense. Not worthy of rating asessment. 200 light years from home is alright better than avg to good. Many people I know Love it. Just doesn't do it for me. Good though. So 2 gems, 2 very good, few ok & 3 garbage songs. In lower echelon of catalogue but don't miss the gems!!!!!
Gazza garyhess44@hotmail.com
This one gets an unjustly hard time i think . The stones great strength was moving between musical genres like country,soul,reggae,rnb etc and they make not a bad fist of psychedelia either .
Its not like "pepper" AT ALL it sounds a lot less composed and looser and more like what the americans were doing with psychedelia at the time . "sing this together" is tremendous fun , citadel invented baggie especially the charlatans , 2000 man had wierdly prophetic lyrics and a lovely folky melody . Shes a rainbow is charming and beautifully arranged . Its all really a blast to listen to .
gomper showed keith to be a really inventive guitarist when he could be bothered and i love the combo of african percussion and flute here .
Bur best of all is "2000 light years from home" a melody the roses or mondays would have killed for . It has a deeply sinister groove and finds the stones hungover in a spaceship over the desert while flower power continues worldwide - What a bunch! of guys !!
Mellotrons and strange percussion all over the shop , 1967 was a great year for music . Listen to this along with Magical mystery tour, are you experienced,traffics 1st album and piper at the gates of dawn and it makes a lot more sense
Steve
This really could have been a great album if the right songs were included. She's A Rainbow, 2000 Man, 2000 Light Years From Home are the best cuts here. Sing This All Together (see what happens), In Another Land & Gomper are the weakest here. My question is -- Why weren't Dandelion, We Love You & Child Of the Moon put on here instead? The inclusion of these 3 great songs would have actually made this a superior album & would have fit right in on the albums theme. The 3 losing tracks could have been used as B-sides to singles. That being said I would rate this a 6.
Beggars Banquet 9
( 1968, UK pos 3 )
Sympathy For The Devil / No Expectations / Dear Doctor / Parachute Woman / Jigsaw Puzzle / Street Fighting Man / Prodigal Son / Stray Cat Blues / Factory Girl / Salt Of The Earth
I'm fascinated by 'Prodigal Son', totally amazed by this simple song. Mick sounds like an old blues singer, genuinely sounds like an old blues singer. He sounds fantastic. The guitar reminds me of a T-Rex riff, only T Rex hadn't quite been invented yet. Was Marc Bolan a Stones fan? I can sing 'Ride A White Swan' along to this! Well, almost. 'No Expectations' has some nice slide from Brian Jones and a lovely beautiful vocal and feel from Mick. 'Parachute Woman' is just regular Stones, although with more groovy guitar and more genuinely great vocals. The six minute long 'Jigsaw Puzzle' has fabulous lyrics, "He's a walking clothes-line.....And here comes the Bishop's daughter...." and so it goes on. Perfect Rock N Roll Piano arrives through the songs mid-section instrumental break, the guitars swing and groove a little louder - an amazing noise swirls around you. The closing 'Salt Of The Earth' apparently opens with Keith Richards singing the first verse before Mick comes in to take over and then before a chorus arrives hymnal fashion. Piano, a Dylan 'Blonde On Blonde' feel in places - loud drums in the chorus. There's something not quite smooth about the songs execution, but its heart is in the right place and it's certainly enjoyable. 'Beggars Banquet' is good and true, and The Stones were flying.
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Peter Benson bendipa@boltblue.com
As the first of the Stones 'golden era' albums, this was their greatest musical achievement. Not a duff track on it, unlike 'Let it Bleed', their next album, and favourite of most fans. The sequence of tracks, and the excellent playing and standard of songs on BB established the Stones as a serious musical force, rather than just a highly successful pop group. It stands the test of time superbly, and is still probably the best rock/blues album ever made.
bassplayeredd eddie123zeppelin@hotmail.com
although they'd had great songs you couldn't call the stones great until BB and let it bleed. The album is superb. Parachute woman, sympathy for the devil, salt of the earth and no expectations are my favourites
Jason Southgate jason_southgate@hotmail.com
Agreed, starting with Beggars Banquet, this is a great Stones period. With Brian Jones still with the group, this had some great sitar and his other unusual strings.
gazza garyhess44@hotmail.com
Apart from no expectations all the guitars were played by keith on beggars banquet. Its a smashing record , it has a murky sound opposed to the evil clarity of let it bleed but it suits the songs perfectly.
All the tracks are excellent but special mention must be made of the grinding sleaze that is "stray cat blues" , the beautiful delta blues "no expectations), and the samba funk of sympathy for the devil . Keiths playing is pretty ferocious throughout using overloaded acoustic guitars - the solo on sympathy is probably his greatest moment as a guitarist .
gazza garyhess44@hotmail.com
This is very much of its time , but also very overlooked in the stones canon. With aftermath completed the band were clearly unsure which way to head, instead they accumulated everything from swinging london at the time and produced this cracking little record.
The influence of the kinks can be heard in the vaudeville tracks "cool calm and collected" and "something happened" , they are very much tongue in cheek but a lot of fun . The hood eyed spirit of blonde on blonde is clear on "she smiled sweetly" and "whos been sleeping here" (The former is one of the best tracks despite its atrocious bass playing - suspect it was dubbed on by keith) and of course the beatles revolver can be heard in the indian style vocals and drone guitars in "my obsession" and "complicated" . They even filtered their own sound through the times with the psychedelic bo diddley of "please go home" . All this would make a good album on its own but with the addition of "yesterdays papers" where jag! ger rips apart another female to a pretty backing track of harpsichord and bells and "back street girl" where jagger appears to urge a groupie to keep her distance (unless mick wants her !!) - again the music is sublime with beautiful accordian and autoharp conjuring up images of parisian sidestreets, These tracks elevate the album even more.
The band dissolved into narcotic and legal problems for the rest of the year before opting for the more rootsier sounds of beggars banquet but by then the whole world was moving in that direction...
Let It Bleed 9
( 1969, UK pos 1 )
Gimmie Shelter / Love In Vain / Country Honk / Live With Me / Let It Bleed / Midnight Rambler / You Got The Silver / Monkey Man / You Can't Always Get What You Want
'Love In Vain' is a beautiful Robert Johnson blues cover, a stupendous song given a sensitive and genuinely different and soulful reading - heartbreaking. Oh, the title song is good, great drums, great Piano. Standard sort of Stones song, actually - but the vocals are something else - Mick 'acting' and sounding wonderful. "She said my breasts, they will always be open, baby..... you can rest your weary head right on me...." and the Piano continues.... "there will always be a space in my parking lot...." WHAT? Fabulous lyrics. The album swings around the near seven minute long glory that is 'Midnight Rambler'. I remember my very first listen to this groove based blues jam, and being bored to tears. Further listens.... one day I picked up on the harp sound. I could marry and have children with that harp sound, were it not a harp attached to the mouth of Mick Jagger. Urrghhh! 'You Got The Silver' has lovely blues guitar, very mellow and nice. Sung by Keith Richards! It's good! 'Monkey Man' is a blissful late night groove under a full moon.... it's a full moon tonight as i'm writing this review. Spooky, hey? Great guitar from Keith, "all my friends are junkies" from Mick. That was right too, wasn't it?!?! And, 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' to close, with Nanette Newman singing as part of the gospel flavoured chorus. She later advertised washing up liquid on UK television.... what do you mean, its not the same one?? Damn, i'm all disappointed now.
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o.hugues@wanadoo.fr
I'm not the biggest Stones fan of the earth, but I always found this album more soulful and special, compared to all of the others (the ones I know, at least). I don't know why, it has something. Okay, the Beatles "Abbey Road" had actually "Something", but here I talk of something really special. You know what? I think it's something bleeding. I love Keith voice on "You Got The Silver". I love harmonica feeling on "Midnight Rambler". I love Watts drums on all of the album. "Gimme Shelter"'s introduction... Mick's voice on "You Can't Always Get...".... Yes, if I ever felt something from this band that I did never use to favour to the Doors, nor Otis Redding nor Janis Joplin, it's with "Let It Bleed", december 69, the very end of the sixties. Goodbye Brian.
Jroseveare@aol.com
This is better than Beggars Banguet because the best songs here such as Midnight Rambler are absolutely mindblowingly good! I could do with out Love In Vain. Though it's a nice relaxing respite from Gimme Shelter which is so claustrophobic. It has, I think the greatest intro of any song ever and therefore as the album's opening song, any album ever; a simple guitar line yet utterly devastating. Country Honk (I believe, hey I'm only 20!) was actually written before Honky Tonk, so you can't really fault them on that. Yes I agree it's better than the country version though. Basically like I said at the beginning every song on BB is great: same here except several are not merely great, they're some of the best songs your ever likely to hear.
Simon B slb23@shaw.ca
I listened to LET IT BLEED in a record shop some time ago, and the only ones I
remember liking a lot were: "Gimmie Shelter" (really powerful and menacing, and the
female vocals are the icing on the cake), "Midnight Rambler" (good and creepy,
although I prefer the live version on GET YER YA YA'S OUT which rocks out more than
the studio version), and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (This is arguably a
superior cousin to the Beatles' "Hey Jude". Great lyrics, imagery, and energy. IMHO,
it has a better ending than "Hey Jude" - it doesn't get meandering and repetitive
like "Hey Jude" does. Instead, it builds up that awesome energy until just before
the fade out, where it REALLY kicks out the jams).
The rest of the songs I don't remember liking very much, but on the strength of the
three above, I give it a 6.5/10
Aaron agazap999@hotmail.com
GIMME SHELTER!!! You can't call this song weird, if it was weird, I wouldn't have listened to it 20 times during 24 hours of me buying Let It Bleed. What is it warning us? War is just a shot away? I love the scary, apocolytic epicness mixed with straight rock. Have you noticed Mary Clayton accidentely screaming when she sings 'Murder'.
herman herman.victoor@skynet.be
"Nanette Newman" (famous actrice in the sixties and seventies) didn't sing on "Let it bleed". It was "Nanette Workman", together with a few other very famous female singers. Her name was changed in the album notes because of problems regarding her working permit. She had a very interesting carreer (and life): she was the first to sing "Lady Marmelade", she made an album with Peter Frampton and had a relationship with him. Then she had a relationship with Johnny Halliday. Then she was a star in Starmania. And she has still been singing and recording in recent years.
Dead_Head apache@wildcat.unitedhosting.co.uk
Let It Bleed is an album which has to grow on you, it's very rare to love it after hearing it a few times. I listened to Let It Bleed many times and then one day i got hooked and now i have to listen to it a couple times a day. I give it 10 out of 10. Many people say if they wanted someone to get hooked on the Stones they would give them this album, i one the other hand would not. This album is meant for blues fans in particular.
Peter Benson bendipa@boltblue.com
Although a firm favourite with many Stones fans, LIB for me is inconsistent, unlike its superb predecessor, BB. 'Country Honk', Monkey man' are just filler tracks, and poor ones at that. The title track is ok, but nothing special. But 'Gimme shelter', 'Midnight rambler', and & 'You can't always get what you want' are excellent. A good album overall, but not that great.
Rob rockylisa@yahoo.com
Dont even think about Country Honk not being on it! I like this version better than the rock version. Love in Vain is ok. Kinda pedestrian. Its passable I guess. Live with me is also kind of generic but has its place on the record. Everything else is perfect.
Kake kmisra77@hotmail.com
There seems to be a major disagreement between the reviewers when it comes to the best Stones album - Its either always "Sticky Fingers" or this baby. Well, I agree with the proponents of the former, but the songs on this one may actually be more enjoyable. The only disadvantage that this album has wrt Sticky is that the singing and the production here are considerably inferior to that on Fingers(!!). Jagger has sung all the songs in the same key here, whereas he introduces amazing diversity on Sticky Fingers. Also, the guitars (as on "Gimme Shelter", though it may be Keef's best lead playing EVER) and vocals (as on "Monkey Man") seem to get lost in the song. The best song here would be "Gimme Shelter" (though the black humour on "Live with me" is very enoyable too). Great album (though not their best, IMHO).
gazza garyhess44@hotmail.com
Brian jones ? a beautiful soul? here was me thinking he was a woman beating basket case druggie who tried to sabotage his own band . Anyhow let it bleed is another strong album from the bands best purple patch 68-72. the only mistake is country honk which was unecessary and midnight rambler goes on a bit but everything else hits the spot in a really satisfactory way .
Love how the guitars unwind and the girls voice gets hysterical on gimmie shelter a great production.
Love in vain is a beautiful interpretation of robert johnsons blues , but my fave is monkey man explosive,funky and sleazy . 8/10
Get Yer Ya Ya's Out 9
( 1970, UK pos 1 )
Jumpin Jack Flash / Carol / Stray Cat Blues / Love In Vain / Midnight Rambler / Sympathy For The Devil / Live With Me / Little Queenie / Honky Tonk Women / Street Fighting Man
Things continue, a gorgeous 'Love In Vain' that breaks my heart and has me weeping. A nine minute long 'Midnight Rambler', stupendous, etc, etc. A live 'Sympathy For The Devil' that lacks the carefully crafted mood of the studio original but still reveals itself to be a fine song in any case. Come 'Live With Me', the groove and kick is infectious, come the closing brace of 'Honky Tonk Women' and 'Street Fighting Man' we learn that a)The Rolling Stones were fantastic and b)that "Charlie's good tonight, innie?", which indeed it appears he was, bless him. Oooh, a story!! This is so funny! One Xmas, a couple of years ago now, I travelled down to see my parents, as you do. My dad was unemployed at the time, and there was a job in the paper. "It's working at old Charlie Watts place" said my dad. To which my brother Jason replied, "Isn't he the drummer for The Rolling Stones?" and he laughed. To which my dad replied, "yeah, he's looking for a groundsman". And we were like, SILENCE! How cool would that have been?? My dad working for Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones, lol! here. Charlie has a load of land, a farmhouse and horses right in Devon, where my family are from!! The only sad thing is my Dad didn't get the job, goddamit. I could have gone around telling everyone that my father works for The Rolling Stones. How rock n roll would that be??!
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Simon B slb23@shaw.ca
A lot of people say this is one the best live albums. I'm afraid I'd have to
disagree. It's a good live album, but not an excellent one. But that's just my
opinion. The playing is fine itself (hard but raunchy, sloppy but precise), but most
of the songs just don't catch fire. The only good (if not great) songs are "Jumping
Jack Flash", "Midnight Rambler" (a hell of a lot better than the studio version),
"Sympathy For The Devil" (good, but lacks the great rhythmic percussion of the
studio version), and "Street Fighting Man" (just a damn good song).
The begining of the record is neat, as it has a collage of MC announcments from
various shows announcing the arrival on stage of "the greatest rock and roll band in
the world". Between songs there's the stage banter "It seems as though one of the
buttons of my trousers fell off. You don't want my trousers to fall down, do you?",
"C'mon New York City, we've toured alot, let's have a look at you", "Charlie's good
tonight, ain't ! he?", "We're gonna do one more, then we're gonna go".
Then there's the crowd: Just as "Midnight Rambler" starts, someone yells "Love
Jesus!!", and before "Sympathy For The Devil" starts, a really nasal-sounding woman
shouts "Paint it Black! Paint it black, you devils!".
As a casual fan of the Rolling Stones, I think this is an okay record to pick up.
But if you're a real fan, I think I'd recommend it (if you haven't already got it).
6.5 out of 10.review by Simon B.
andrew croft sales@northgatevehiclerental.co.uk
The best Stones live album and one of the best live albums ever. The performances are swaggering, dirty, rough, beautiful, dexterous, metallic and subtle, establishing and cementing their reputation as the "Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World" in 10 tracks. Unusually for a live album, the excitement and banter in the crowd is also captured. Best played loud! 9/10
Sticky Fingers 9½
( 1970, UK pos 1 )
Brown Sugar / Sway / Wild Horses / Can't You Hear Me Knocking / You Gotta Move / Bitch / I Got The Blues / Sister Morphine / Dead Flowers / Moonlight Mile
Moving on, 'Bitch' is a truly fantastic driving song. Imagine a convertible with the wind blowing through you, an empty highway and 'Bitch' played FUCKING LOUD. You're on your way somewhere, you're gonna fucking LIVE, for today! Fuck the boss, fuck the job. Let's gamble and get drunk and..... be sexy. "Move like a stud" perhaps? Well, thanks Mick! We'll consider that one too. 'I Got The Blues' has heartbreakingly beautiful vocals, 'Sister Morphine' is another song like 'Wild Horses', possibly benefiting from the presence around Keith of Gram Parsons.
It's also undoubtedly inspired by the ( very inspiring ) presence of Marianne Faithful. Ry Cooder adds ghostly guitar work... great track. 'Dead Flowers' is just yer regular 'good' Stones song but it fits. The closing 'Moonlight Mile' is another classic akin to the first four songs. Strings, piano - with Mick Taylor on guitar doing another damn fine job of his parts. 'Sticky Fingers' really sees Mick Taylor 'fully' a Rolling Stone. It sees The Stones themselves rise to their own artistic challenge - the run of 'Beggars Banquet' and 'Let It Bleed'. That they manage to add 'Sticky Fingers' to that list says something for the run of form they were on.
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matt byrd matthewbyrd@hotmail.com
This is an excellent album.... but I think Jon Landau got the correct impression from this disc.... it's contrived! The whole album is their patented blues-rock lyrics but the sound is TOO neat and this really gives me reservations about giving this one an excellent rating. Wild horses sounds nothing but contrived! Oh well.... I DO disagree with Jon about "dead flowers".... I enjoy that song fully... I do recommmend this album becuase I don't think that many people will care about the contrived sound). I give this one the most reluctant 9 I will ever award an album.
gazza garyhess44@hotmail.com
this is the perfect stones album , every song is brilliant in its own right and perfectly sequenced . Jagger seemed to have control of the band at this stage and the whole thing is so disciplined and well produced . So many highlights - the freeform jam on can you hear me rockin, ry cooders slide on sister morphine , the filthy sax on brown sugar , the majestic strings on moonlight mile . surprised to see criticism of you gotta move , its probably the stones finest straight blues performance . Lyrically its sexual and drug burn out to the max with stunning music ! The mick taylor era had started with a bang !!
Exile On Main Street 6½
( 1972, UK pos 1 )
Rocks Off / Rip This Joint / Shake Your Hips / Casino Boogie / Tumbling Dice / Sweet Virginia / Torn And Frayed / Sweet Black Angel / Loving Cup / Happy / Turd On The Run / Ventilator Blues / I Just Want To See His Face / Let It Loose / All Down The Line / Stop Breaking Down / Shine A Light / Soul Survivor
'Rocks Off' is a decent intro with nice horn parts, 'Rip This Joint' a brief blast through a very Fifties styled Rock n Roll tune, 'Shake Your Hips' does the blues thing, 'Tumbling Dice' is just pure Stones and also the best song out the entire eighteen on display. It sounds like a good Rolling Stones song, but jesus, 'Turd On The Run'? Nice harp parts! Nice shuffling rhythm, but this isn't strong material and the performance here is particularly loose. The blues tunes here are good - i'd have liked to have seen them pursue that direction over the course of a single album and pursue it properly. Of course, all of The Stones, Keith in particular, were heavily under the influence of drugs at this point in time. Anyway, 'Ventilator Blues' is a seriously great track that sounds convincing in a way too many of the other songs here really don't. 'Exile' is a self indulgent Stones party - a Stones surrounded by too many hangers on. A Stones moving away from 'Let It Bleed', 'Sticky Fingers' etc and throwing as much music at the listener as the average listener can take and hoping most of it sticks.... Oooh, I like 'Shine A Light', a sweet soul song with accomplished Piano. Accomplished isn't a word you'd use to describe 'Exile On Main Street' on the whole however, and not just because of muddy mixing. The performances are loose yet more importantly the writing is loose, Stones by numbers. They aren't stretching themselves here, apart from possibly even managing to record these eighteen songs in the first place.
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o.hugues@wanadoo.fr
You seem to neglect this is the last great album by the Rolling Stones. They will never be as good again. Considering that, your 6 is pretty provocative! ;o)
You understood here that's all a matter of feeling. But you shouldn't deny the value of this feeling. "Exile" would deserve at least a 8.
Jonathan Roseveare jrr1@ukc.ac.uk
This is absurd-what about the classics you neglected to mention, All Down The Line, Torn And Frayed, Loving Cup, Let It Loose, the list goes on. I totally agree that Turd On The Run isn't good, but that's the only one! If anything the songwriting is better-it's looser, more varied. They're not just writing riff songs or ballads, there's blues, folk and gospel in
there too. It's their most complete work I'd say. Word of warning though-this album takes ages to get into but once you get it, you'll then realise what all the fuss is about.
Deanuwarrior@aol.com
Normally I don't care if somebody puts down a disc of such importance, but this has to be the exception. Ever since '86 when the warm sound of vinyl Exile hit these ears this has been my all-time favourite record; having it all on a CD was also necessary. Just listen closely to Let It Loose and you'll see why EOMS has been praised by just about everyone since '72. Other
overlooked gems include Casino Boogie, Ventilator Blues (which I'm glad you like), even covers of Shake Your Hips/Stop Breaking Down. Not to mention that Rocks Off is one of the band's greatest tunes ever. Of course, it's not all sonic perfection: Tumblin' Dice usually bores me to tears while the last song also sucks for the most part.
Ben Swift benswift101@hotmail.com
Wrong, wrong, wrong! I agree with your scores for all the albums reviewed but 6 for Exile!!! Man it must have just gone right over your head. This album is the Stones at there most creative and intelligent. It has what is possibly the greatest opening track of any album
released in the 70's by any band ( better then Dylans changing of the guard ). The
rest of the album leaves you mesmerised by the versatility of the band. It is an
album that no matter how many times you listen to it you discover something new each
time you play it. I would give the album a 9 or 9.5.
Mark Evans markphilipevans@hotmail.com
Spot on review. One of the most overrated albums of all time. Exile contains only a
handful of good songs and would barely make a good single album let alone a double.
Please don't make this rating any higher as this piece of turd simply doesn't
deserve it. See the light people!
darcy thivierge darcy@royallepage.ca
Hi Aadrian. I agree with your assessment of this album. The rating is unimportant.
Although everyone reading this site is a Stones fan, we all have our own tastes and
will like different songs. I find this album to be too long. On the original vinyl I
would only play a side of two at one time. With the cd you are pretty much stuck
listing to the whole thing from beginning to end. By the time I reach side four (All
Down The Line) I have had enough and don't get into it. I love 2/3 of the album, so
I program the tracks that I like to make my own single album version - this makes
the album much more accessable and many of the songs are shown in a better light. If
you are curious, Adrian, I ALWAYS program the tracks as follows (and being from the
album generation I very much consider this side one and side two of an album even
though I listen to all 12 songs): Side one #1,11,3,15,16,9 and Side two
#5,6,8,12,13,17.
I like 'Happy' but I've heard it so many times on the radio!
and Stones compilations in the past 25 years that I don't need to hear it here (If
I were to program the remaining songs, the order would be: #2,4,10,7,14,18).
I hope this helps you enjoy the album more, Adrian - it has some brilliant moments
as you know. Cheers
matt byrd matthewbyrd@hotmail.com
Well, I would have to say that I disagree with Adrain on this one. I think that Exile On Main Street is the best of the Stones..... therefore one of the greatest records produced.. excellent blues-rock. Tumbling Dice is one of the most overlooked songs in the huge Stones catalogue.
philip ppl1158@hotmail.com
i enjoy and wholeheartedly applaud most of your reviews but must take issue with your relative panning of this album. while these 2 discs are far less commercial than most stones offerings, they document the band at its absolute peak. each of the 4 vinyl sides had a distinctly unique texture that captures the many facets of the worlds greatest band. this is easily the stones most enduring piece of work.
Andy swirlinghorse4635@hotmail.com
What you said is complete b@#~][s rocks off is one of the best intros in rock history, better in my opinion than brown sugar. U failed to mention the beautiful piano that introduces loving cup or Keith individuality and vocal style on happy. If you cant handle "muddy" sounding, not particularly structured music with a particular drunken feel then you shouldnt be listening to the rolling stones in the first place
David Atkinson d.atkinson@maxfordham.com
Of the holy quartet of Stones albums (Beggar's, Bleed, Fingers and Exile) I think this is the weakest. The production is awful, all spit and mud, and there are too many lazy blues jams here (Shake Your Hips, Casino Boogie, Ventilator Blues) and not enough great rock tunes (Tumbling Dice, Torn & Frayed, Lovin' Cup). May have been their greatest if they weren't all so junked up, and if they'd trimmed some of the fat.
adam collins adamcollins8@aol.com
I don't know how you can give this a 6 & Beggars Banquet a 9. BB only had 10 songs and only two of then were good. Exile has 18 songs, sure some are weak but there are at least 6 great songs suck as - 'Rocks Off' 'Sweet Virginia' & 'Loving up'. Exile should be given a 9.
sam sammyboyb@yahoo.com
I'm young, so I've been a stones fan only since I first discovered them about two years ago. For the first year of that time I would have agreed with your score for Exile on Main Street. I listened to it several times and didn't like it at all compared to their other albums. Then one week I found myself singing songs in my head from that album, even though I hadn't listened to it in forever. I put in the CD and from that day on it's been my favorite album of all time. So maybe you should listen to it again.
denise denise@hotmail.com
If you are looking for an addition to the Stones 'Holy Trinity' of all time great records (Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, and Sticky Fingers), Exile on Main Street will be a huge disappointment. A few good (but none truly great)songs are scatted throughout this unpolished record, but nothing really shines. The slower songs lack the gorgeous vocals of No Expectations, I Got the Blues or Moonlight Mile from BB and SF, and the rock songs lack the character and guitar work of songs like Stray Cat Blues, Sway, or Monkey Man. Exile also lacks much of the beautiful piano arrangements (of multiple players) that is all over Sticky Fingers and Beggars Banquet, and the horns on Exile are not highlighted nor do they have the punch like in Live with Me or Can't You Hear Me Knocking. There is a good deal of raw energy and gospel overtones that salvage the record, but artistically it does not approach what they achieved on the other albums. If anyone BUT the Rolling Stones put this rec! ord out it would not have the staying power that it seems to have. As a fan of the Stones it is essential, but by contrast it is substandard material from that period in their career.
chris chrisfret2004@yahoo.co.uk
really enjoying your site.agree with almost all of your reviews too! EXCEPT!!! cant remember if i mentioned this before but hell its worth saying twice!your review for 'Exile' is ridiculously misjudged - even if you dislike the length and the 'muddy' production you simply cant argue with so many great songs:rocks off, torn and frayed, rip this joint, loving cup, happy, all down the line , tumbling dice, casino boogie...i could list all of it really.giving this half a point more than 'satanic majesties...' is laughable. does take a lot of listens though- try viewing it as four sides of vinyl, that way the more 'swampy' side three of 'turd on the run' etc sounds like an equally vital part of the record.there isnt a second of 'filler', everything just sounds so soulful and special.and their writing is arguably stronger here than on the already awesome 'beggars', 'bleed', 'sticky fingers'.u really are missing out if you dont 'get' this one!
gazza garyhess.44@hotmail.com
exile on main street is the stones best blend of the american musics that inspired them . The rawness of the production helps rather than hinders . the sequence ventilator blues/just wanna see his face/let it loose is the best in the stones catalogue. Its druggy as f**k and classes as one of THE great hangover albums lifting your spirits next day after one of those nights chasing girls and getting blasted .
BobB h-knocks@hotmail.com
Yikes!!! A 6 1/2 ??? For one of rock's three greatest double albums of all time ??? (the other two being 'Blonde on Blonde' and 'London Calling'). Yes, there's a couple of filler tracks in the middle of side three ("Turd on the Run", "Ventilator Blues", and "I Just Wanna See His Face"), and yes, the four albums that preceded 'Exile' ('Beggars Banquet', 'Let It Bleed', the live 'Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!', and 'Sticky Fingers') are superior. But c'mon ! Number five overall in the Stones' catalogue ain't too shabby, and no other rock album I can think of has the dank, sweaty, wasted, bluesy, loose feel of a late night cellar jam session like this one does, and outside of those three filler tracks I mentioned, the rest of 'Exile' is so magnificent it makes every Stones album since sound like the works of a lesser band. "Loving Cup" is one of the band's very best fusions of country and rock, and "Let It Loose" just might be Jagger's best vocal performance ever. And rockers ? ! "Rocks Off", "Rip This Joint", "Tumbling Dice", "All Down the Line"...the list goes on and on. Add in the guitar riff interplay between Keith Richards and Mick Taylor and what you've got is one unbeatable double album. No, 'Exile' is easily a 9.5, and remains essential to any rock conossieur's CD collection.
Goats Head Soup 7½
( 1973, UK pos 1 )
Dancing With Mister D / 100 Years Ago / Coming Down Again / Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) / Angie / Silver Train / Hide Your Love / Winter / Can You Hear The Music / Star Star
'Dancing With Mister D' is surely no classic Stones album opener akin to 'Brown Suger' or 'Gimmie Shelter' but then again, does it have to be? It's got nice guitar parts and nice Piano parts here and there, adding to the overall sound. 'Dancing With Mister D' wasn't and still isn't relevant and doesn't speak to me at all as a song, but it does sound fairly decent and groovy. '100 Years Ago' and 'Coming Down Again' are strong songs once you've adjusted to this fairly mellow and not in your face... Rolling Stones album. But, as if to prove the point that The Stones were stuggling all of a sudden on the singles market, the soul flavoured 'Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)' just about qualifies as a good album track, but no way at all made a good single. It moves away from past Stones material in terms of sound, including brass parts and a full, clearly thought about arrangement - but doesn't contain a big giant hook akin to Stones singles of the past. 'Silver Train' moves the Stones into country rock boogie territory, and does so enjoyably - but this could be any number of bands other than The Rolling Stones. Had The Rolling Stones lost a little of their distinctive edge since the glory days of the late Sixties? Well, quite possibly, but upon the arrival of songs such as the blues Piano of 'Hide Your Love' and the mid-tempo quality ballad of 'Winter' - you realise that 'Goats Head Soup' is indeed pretty damn solid and that practically everything here, whilst not being classic material - is at the very least goodly enjoyable. And, that's something, that counts for a lot.
'Can You Hear The Music' is the first song here I don't enjoy, being a terribly formless five and a half minute slow plodding tuneless bore of a ballad. The closing 'Star Star' is pretty simple material both musically and lyrically - but it has a fun, pub rock boogie about it. Pub rock boogie? Says it all really, doesn't it - but forget that. 'Goats Head Soup' is a pretty darn enjoyable listen. Whether it's a work of art or not is another matter. I'd say no, but this time round at least, does it really matter?
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Rob rockylisa@yahoo.com
You give Goats Head Soup a higher rating than Exile? Some people just dont get it! I like Goats Head Soup, but better than Exile? HA! HA! HA! Exile was about being up and "high", Goats Head is like coming down.
David Atkinson d.atkinson@maxfordham.com
This deserves a better mark than 'Exile' if only for these great lines in the 2nd verse of 'Coming Down Again': 'I had my tongue in someone else's pie...tasted better every time...he turned green and tried to make me cry...been hungry it ain't no crime..' Glorious stuff Mick....
gazza garyhess44@hotmail.com
Comparing angie to jumping jack flash is a non starter really . Angie is a beautifully weary and tender ballad with great lyrics,( it actually sounds like a come down ) the rest of goats head soup is patchy in the extreme , im still reeling from you giving it a higher rating than exile adrian !! Keiths excesses were starting to take their toll on the band (the same behaviour that got brian jones kicked out) After the triumphs of 68-72 this was a huge but understandable let down - No band could keep up the pace the stones had without collapsing at some point .
GAZZA
Ive tried but i just cant find the value in this lifeless sounding record . I think its mainly because so many tracks sound like pale imitations of stronger stones songs (winter = moonlight mile dancing with mr d = rocks off etc etc)
"Angie" and "heartbreaker" are 2 great singles though
. "100 years ago" and "coming down again" are pleasant for a bit but its clear neither song was properly finished and padded out with nice solos .
"silver train" was given to johnny winter the previous year to record showing how much the stones valued it .The only other track of interest is "hide your love" which has a lovely piano blues feel .
The last 2 songs? Well the 1st sounds like an outtake for satanic majesties and the 2nd is just risible pub rock .
As keith called it at the time " a marking time album" and thats exactly what it is - a producer and 2 of the band were dissapearing under a sea of drugs at this point and This is the sound of a band trying to stay afl! oat.
It's Only Rock 'N' Roll 5
( 1974, UK pos 2 )
If You Can't Rock Me / Ain't Too Proud To Beg / It's Only Rock'n'Roll / Till The Next Goodbye / Time Waits For No One / Luxury / Dance Little Sister / If You Really Want To Be My Friend / Short And Curlies / Fingerprint File
'Dance Little Sister' has a simple groove and riff - Mick is singing utter nonsense, but this has a certain charm. 'Time Waits For No Man' is interesting, with its drum introduction, then very uninteresting as suddenly Mr Jagger especially appears to be just going through the motions. Nice guitar solo near the four minute mark, though. Ah, they still had something. They still were The Rolling Stones, but let's pretend they weren't. Lets pretend this album was released by a bunch of unknowns. Would it have got anywhere at all? It's a thought to ponder.
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Galen Clavio thermocaster@yahoo.com
I suppose I could understand how a listener who wasn't a big fan of the "ramblin' wreck" philosophy of Exile could rate Goat's Head Soup a point higher...but on what plane of existence does this rate two and a half points lower than Goat's Head Soup?
To complain that the songs on here are derivative while not holding the previous album to the same standard seems a bit strange. Nothing on the previous album compares to the surreal aura of "Time Waits for No One" or the funked-up pseudoblaxploitation of "Fingerprint File"...or, for that matter, the guitar-based riffage of the title track or "Dance Little Sister". Not that any of these songs are truly great (except for maybe Fingerprint File), but then again, nothing on the previous album reached that level, either. So why the disparity in points?
andrew croft sales@northgatevehiclerental.co.uk
Mick and Keith's lightweight production makes this the classic Stones "nearly" album. The songs are teeming with potential! If you strain your ears enough on tracks such as "IF You Can't Rock Me", there's some filthy synthesized base and guitar parts bursting to get out, but these are inexplicably buried in the mix. As with all mid-late seventies Stones albums, however, there is at least one classic, in this case the funk-rock masterpeice Fingerprint File - one of Mick Taylor's finest moments and , for once, a song that doesn't sound like the Rolling Stones. 5/10 is a fair score, therefore.
Robertson robertsondruery@hotmail.com
If you listened to this album, without the Stones baggage and expectations, you'd think it was very good. Not great maybe, but very strong. Their name drags down the rating. "Aint Too Proud To Beg" alone is worth the price of admission, not to mention "Time Waits For No One".
GAZZA While i agree IORnR is no classic it certainly has better songs than "goats head soup" , what it doesnt have is its predecessors big hit singles and smooth production , indeed mick and keiths production is pretty hamfisted here (but it was their 1st attempt)
The first half of the album is pretty faultless IMO , in particular "time waits for no one" which features a beautiful guitar solo from taylor - probably his last real contribution to the band . He left in a strop after some cocredits on a couple of songs didnt appear .
Most of his parts here were overdubbed in a different studio , his relationship with keith had gone completely at this stage .
Plus the producer and engineer got sacked for drug problems by mick !! Keith wore a lot of people out with his appetites . Its an achievement any record got made at all .
"luxury" the bands 1st attempt at reggae is ok but lets face it charlie cant play a reggae beat and it shows - "dance little sister" is horrible! and overlong . But the album finishes strong with the soul workout "if you really want to be my friend" and the paranoid funk of "fingerprint file"
"short and curlies" is a piece of salacious boogie to lighten the mood between these rather long tracks .
10 songs , 7 of em strong , so i reckon 7/10 is a fair mark ,the 5 should have gone to "goats head soup".
Status quo ?? Do me a favour - not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as the stones.
Black And Blue 7
( 1976, UK pos 2 )
Hot Stuff / Hand Of Fate / Cherry Oh Baby / Memory Motel / Hey Negrita / Melody / Fool To Cry / Crazy Mama
Two ballads, namely 'Memory Motel' and 'Fool To Cry' sound kind of nice. Both are very well done, both are almost affecting, but the material borders on bland. Plus, both songs are somewhat ruined by the vocals of Mr Jagger. He's rarely sounded less convincing or genuine than he does here, he hams it up - 'Fool To Cry' was the hit, and it's smooth in its mid to late Seventies radio-friendliness. Nothing wrong with either song especially, but the days of The Rolling Stones being the worlds greatest Rock n Roll band were seemingly gone forever. Ah, almost forgot 'Crazy Mama'. I knew there was more than just 'Hand Of Fate' here that sounded like The Rolling Stones we all remember. It's all through 'Crazy Mama'. It's a little ramshackle, but sometimes, depending on the circumstances, ramshackle Rolling Stones is the best way to be.
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Jude Bolton spikeedogmangowoof@yahoo.com.au
Being diverse is fine and all, until you begin completely sucking at most of the musical styles and genres you attempt. To be fair, I don't listen to this album alot, because the first song (Hot Stuff) is so horrendous I often can't make myself go any further. Who could possibly have let the Stones begin an album with Hot Stuff? Give me Brown Sugar, Rocks Off, or Start Me Up. The okay ballad Fool To Cry is much better listened to on Forty Licks.
GARFIELDACRES Edinburgh
The stones auditioned for a new guitarist while recording this and it shows . Like a lot of the stones 70s output its very hit and miss.
The best tracks are the beautiful ballads "fool to cry" and "memory hotel" which have more to do with mick than anyone. The rest is pretty drab , extended grooves instead of ideas , the 2 rockers are mediocre too "hand of fate " is certainly no classic and the reggae cover is a real drag. The stones could have had jeff beck,rory gallagher,harvey mandel etc but ron was the right choice - he was born to be in this band and toured this album before it was even released .Oddly he only plays or supplies backing vocals on a couple of tracks . Black and blue is an inessential work or as lester bangs put it "black and blue is the 1st stones album that doesnt mean anything " Amen to that .
Some Girls 8
( 1978, UK pos 2 )
Miss You / When the Whip Comes Down / Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) / Some Girls / Lies / Far Away Eyes / Respectable / Before They Make Me Run / Beast of Burden / Shattered
Overall, this 'Some Girls' album is good enough to be listened to all the way and to be quietly impressed with. The excursions into disco are limited to the opening tune, which is spiffing anyway - and to the close tune, 'Shattered'. Well, 'Shattered' isn't really a disco tune - it sounds like the stones have been listening to groups like Talking Heads, or some other contemporary group at the time that had angular and funky lines in their songs. Elsewhere, we get a dose of Stones songs that sound like Stones songs. Which is perhaps why a lot of people like this album a lot. They remember it fondly, shall we say. Me listening to it years later is slightly different that if i'd been around at the time, so I don't have that nostalgia thing. What I do have is a song like 'Far Away Eyes'. A song with a country Mick trying to sound like a country preacher guy, or something. I tend to ignore the Mick parts, just concentrating on the delicate and beautiful musical backing instead. 'Respectable' is decent, sounds good listened to loud. The Stones rocking again, the Stones creating a fairly consistent album. It lacks high art, a song like 'Respectable' for instance, enjoyable as it is, at the end of the day is just boogie rock n roll of the kind any number of groups could have done. 'Some Girls' doesn't get an 8 because it stretches the boundaries of music, it gets an 8 because it's quite decently enjoyable.
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matt byrd matthewbyrd@hotmail.com
Some Girls! The Stones start playing a bit after a few years of seeming to taper off into...... well, not very good rock 'n' roll. This is not Beggar's Banquet or Let it Bleed... the sound of Some Girls is more polished and it has a less of a blues-country feel than some, but a good effort by Mick and the boys. This one deserves a bit more than 8.. possibly 8.5 or 9?
GARFIELDACRES Edinburgh
Jagger knew fine and well the stones were in real danger of going tits up after richards drug problems reached a head with the toronto drug bust . Truth is it had been likely to happen for some time,and with keith facing the very real possibility of 10 years in the can jagger snapped quickly out of his world of nightclubs,yachts and high society to helm what was the best stones album since "exile"
Jagger also fills in on rhythm guitar here as keiths contribution does not seem major apart from the nice riffs on "beast of burden" and the redneck country of "far away eyes". It seems like the sneers of the punk rockers got to the band and they decided to so something rawer to shut em up . The stones cut fast and live in the studio , which means wyman didnt phone in his bass parts later so the tracks have an immediacy but also a malevolence about them , its a nasty,sleazy stones album - just the way i like them . The fact that many of these songs are still in the bands live s! et all these years later speaks volumes . Some girls is a great stones album-- sadly the last one until "voodoo lounge" as the band shifted its emphasis to touring .
Emotional Rescue 6
( 1980, UK pos 1 )
Dance Pt 1 / Summer Romance / Send It To Me / Let Me Go / Indian Girl / Where The Boys Go / Down In The Hole / Emotional Rescue / She's So Cold / All About You
Oh, I quite enjoy 'Let Me Go', it sounds like The Rolling Stones. 'Indian Girl' is kind of sweet, Mick does one of his usual Mick ballad things. 'Down In The Hole' is a welcome return to gritty reality, a return to the blues. This is an interesting thing, actually. Best song here for me, it sounds genuine. Sounds like the group doing it for the right reasons, rather than out of habit, or following fashion, or whatever other myriad reasons they actually were doing it for.
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Tattoo You 8
( 1981, UK pos 2 )
Start Me Up / Hang Five / Slave / Little T&A / Black Limosine / Neighbours / Worried About You / Tops / Heaven / No Use In Crying / Waiting For A Friend
'Worried About You' opens with very 80s synth sounds. Mick does a high falsetto, silly vocal. 'No Use In Crying' is fake Eighties soul, but we can't have everything. 'Neighbours' isn't actually a Stones version of the popular Australian soup, sorry, soap opera - rather a little dumb rock song that's very simple. So simple, so much of Mick shouting ridiculously, that you can't help yourself but like it despite yourself. 'Heaven'? Oooh, bland middle of the road! 'Little T&A'? Oooh, guitar! To be truthful, a lot of the material here IS average, but all of it is infused with something, a belief. They coast, but the sound they achieve here is more pleasing to Stones fans than some of their attempts at diversification. Yeah, 'Start Me Up' is a classic. Yeah, 'Black Limosine' is a super fine blues work-out. You know, this is mostly nearly all decent stuff. That doesn't sound entirely positive, I realise, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. An '8'.
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Simon B slb23@shaw.ca
Although not nearly as great as their late 60's early 70's output, it's not a bad record.
Best songs: "Start Me Up", "Slave", "Heaven", "Waiting On a Friend".
4/10
Peter Bendix bendipa@boltblue.com
This was the second ('Emotional Rescue' was the first) album, which sadly showed that the Stones were no longer a tour-de-force when it came to songwriting. Keith & Mick did not appear to be trying any longer.
TY really is a ragbag collection of pretty poor material with only 2 notable exceptions. 'Start me up' is naturally the opening track, and a typical classic Stones song and memorable riff. Had you been listening to TY for the first time, you might have expected other goodies. Sadly there was only one other; the delightful 'Waiting on a friend', the closing track. These two are up there with the best of the Stones past work. What you got in between these 2 tracks however, was a shameful output of dirge. The worst track for me was 'Neighbours', the Stones attempt at punk, and failing abysmally. The best of the dross was 'Heaven', and 'No use in crying', which were listeneable, but still sub- standard.
The most significant thing about TY is that it was t! he final album that the Stones ever wrote anything decent or memorable; ie the opening and closing tracks. But it's not enough to redeem this album. They should have packed it in after releasing this. All good things must come to an end, I suppose.
Undercover 8
( 1983, UK pos 3 )
Undercover Of The Night / She Was Hot / Tie You Up / Wanna Hold You / Feel On Baby / Too Much Blood / Pretty Beat Up / Too Tough / All The Way Down / It Must Be Hell
Well, in such a spirit, 'Too Much Blood' is a disco monster, times ten. You might not want The Rolling Stones to produce a six minute long disco monster, but they did, and it's huge fun. Every song on this album is huge fun. Every single one. In fact, somewhat controversially, I think this is one of my favourite Rolling Stones albums simply in terms of how much FUN it is to listen to. Fun is important, music is meant to be entertainment, after all. Let's face it, if 'Undercover Of The Night' had been recorded in 1969, we'd all be hailing it as a masterpiece right now. Same for 'Start Me Up' from 'Tattoo You'. The fact is, play 'Undercover Of The Night' at top volume, at any kind of social event whatsoever, and people will dance and be happy to be hearing 'Undercover Of The Night'. That's fact!! Try it and see! True, there are a few songs on this album I could happily live without, yet equally, none of them are irritating or truly spoil the flow of this excellent album that is just fun to listen to. That's all this album is. It's fun to listen to. The songs are well constructed, well played. We've got rock music, pop music, disco music. Everything flows by very pleasingly.
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Chris Simpson CHRSIMPSON@yahoo.com
No, no, no......I bought this twice, but for about one dollar a time. Title track (and video) rocked, although not sure Mick and Keef really had much to say on nastiness of Central American death squads etc. "She Was Hot", (as opposed to "She's So Cold") is great as self-parody. "Too Much Blood" got by on Jagger hamming it up. But the rest? "Feel on Baby"...."All the Way Down" and the not-so-lovely "Pain of Love", with Mick ejaculating down his thighs.....? Hazy, lazy stuff.
James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
I agree with you. A fun often underrated album. I keep all in mixes or off delete button except for Feel on baby 7 Pretty beat up. Those two I can do without. All others are good. Only album i can't think of a tune i love or in my all time 100 Stones songs. Ok maybe Undercover Song itself would fall 65 -75 best. I don't exclude Dirty Work as having no tune I love because I do love the Kieth Sleep tonight. This on a whole isn't even in same class as Dirty work. Its so much better than that. She Was Hot I like very very much An 8.25. Tie you up not very melodic but like it more every time hear it 6.75. Wanna hold you good effort from keith Slightly above average of all his 7. Feel on do not like 4.5. Too much Blood wierd song A 7 i guess would be slightly higher but too long Drags a bit. Pretty beat up worst of bunch A 4. Too Tough solid not good or great A 7. All the Way Down Need I say more The Stones at hier best raunchy sexy. A 8.75. It must be hell Riff sounds like Soul S! urvivor off Exile. Another solid # Maybe 6.25 or 6.5 Maybe I leave this off also. Very differnet sounding record from all they did even Emotional Rescue. I like it though but in my bottom 5-6 of all thirs for me.
Dirty Work 4
( 1986 , UK pos 4 )
One Hit / Fight / Harlem Shuffle / Hold Back / Too Rude / Winning Ugly / Back To Zero / Dirty Work / Had It With You / Sleep Tonight / Instrumental
A competent session guitarist could have played all of the guitar lines on this album. Keef does do good guitar lines, but they just don't seem to consist of anything imaginative creatively. The 80s seem to have sucked everything out of the group, by this stage. We had 'Tattoo You', which reprised classic sounding Stones songs, in places. 'Undercover' had a measure of ambition about it. The terrible critical reception 'Undercover' received seems to have removed all of The Rolling Stones ambition, however. Songs such as 'Back To Zero' seem to be lowest common demominator. Like, "oh yeah, let's just sound as shit as everybody else. Everybody else is sounding shit, so why can't we? We're The Rolling Stones, we'll get away with it". Etc, etc. Oh, I can't be bothered to sit through this crap any longer, so i'll end this review..... right now.
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James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
Worst of their catalogue. Not even close. I make all time mixes on multiples discks & tapes. Consist of like 250 tunes. I put only about 3-4 off this piece. One Hit is good. typical opener along lines they normally follow. Like Sad sad caliber or Flip Switch. Good song a 7.5 maybe to me. Fight sucks 4. Harlem Shuffle I include in my "keepers" 8. Hold back not very good 4.5 maybe Too rude I like Reggae mold like you dont have to mean it. 7 or 7.25. Winning ugly not good beter than fight, hold back & dirty work probably. Sounds like that tune from Black & Blue "melody". Back to Zero is this the Stones. At least melodic somewhat unlike fight, Dirty work & hold back. But not the Stones Sounds like 80's generic pop like The Fixx or a Glenn Frey # like Smugglers Blues. Awful 3. Dirty Work again not good total average filler # at best even a little less 4.75 perhaps. Had it with you is fairly good epitomizes Mick & Keiths feelings about each other at this time. a 6.25 maybe. Sleep ! tonight excellent Keith tune 8.5! Skip or keep off all but One Hit, Harlem,Had it with you & Sleep tonight. Oh yeah too rude I keep in mixes also. Rest get rif of & few are actually embarassments to legacy! Very overall low rating a 5.75 maybe only probably because I am total diehard!
Steel Wheels 7
( 1989, UK pos 2 )
Sad Sad Sad / Mixed Emotions / Terrifying / Hold On To Your Hat / Hearts For Sale / Blinded By Love / Rock And A Hard Place / Can't Be Seen / Almost Hear You Sigh / Continental Drift / Break The Spell / Slipping Away
'Continental Drift' links back to Brian Jones era stones, almost. A little eastern experimentation? Long-term Stones fans can't have missed such nods to the groups own past. Elsewhere, a semi-classic Stones rocker arrives with the storming 'Mixed Emotions'. The opening 'Sad Sad Sad' proved to the world that The Rolling Stones had stopped messing around and were back to straight forward, good-time rock'n'roll music. Solo albums from Mick and Keef had met with varying degrees of success before the arrival of 'Steel Wheels'. Basically, Keefs sold nowt but was well received by critics. Micks was poorly received by critics, but was the more commercial work. Perhaps they do need each other, after all??
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Mr. Chimp simon.chimpanzee@post.cz
According to me, Steel Wheels is the most overrated album of Rolling Stones. Music is here too cold and not feelingful.
The only songs that I like on this album are "Mixed Emotions" and "Canīt Be Seen".
Otherwise itīs an average album.
James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
Ok Now I like lesser than Voodoo , Bang but beeter than undercover & Dirty Work. Better than Babaylon??? Not sur about same I think. Both are too overproduced & not raw enough. Sad sad said. typical start off material for them. A good rocker to start with but of lesser caliber than most opening tunes. Like better than Dancing with D or Dance pt 1 as openings go Solid 8. Mixed Emotions I love. I'd give a 9. Terrifying is one of those songs I do not know why I like so much. Definitely overproduced & sterile sound not "Stones" sounding but it hits me man. Hold onto hat i absolutely hate. One of 10 to 15 worst songs ever made! Hearts for Sale a 2 complete average "filler" a 5.75. Blinded by Love good Jagger balland less quality than most of his recent 15 yrs old ballads but i like 7. Rock Hard Place Commercial sounding single but like it 7.75 or 8. Can't be Seen i love. Keith you go man!! Good sound / vibe. Almost sigh one of best ballads last 15 -29 yrs, Excellent 8.75 or 9. C! ontinetal drift. Do not know what to make of it. Many Stones diehards like it lots. I hated for long time. Its grown on me though. Other times I still don't care for. Hard to rate as not a normal tune 6.75???Break the Spell is very weak!! 4.5 below average. I'd keep this off & Hold Hat off any self made mixes & probably Hearts for sale too. All others I would not hit skip button & like all others B caliber & above. Good but not great lP of thier catalogue but I am biased as I am fanatic fan!
andrew croft sales@northgatevehiclerental.co.uk
As this forum has analysed the Stones' original studio recordings in some depth, I thought I would bring a fresh angle to the proceedings. As a Stones fan, I have always been irritated by their inability to reflect the excellent quality of their 70's, 80's and 90's output in compilations. They have seemingly capitulated to the view of many pompous muso journalist that the Stones' post "Exile" output barely deserves compiling at all and so have played it safe by only putting on the hits and omitted the many superb album tracks. On the "40 Licks" compilation, for example, how can bona fide classics like "Bitch", "Can You Hear Me Knocking?", "Heartbreaker", "Fingerprint File", "Hot Stuff", "Some Girls"(yes, it's offensive but political incorrectness is a Stones core value, is it not?), "Dance (Part One)" and "Down in the Hole" be ommitted in favour of feeble efforts like "Mixed Emotions", "Happy" and the four "new" tracks? It beggars belief!! It plays strai! ght in to the critics hands and deprives younger music fans of a proper insight in to The Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World. For what it's worth, therefore, my top 20 Stones tracks of the period (the excellent "A Bigger Bang" falls outside the period)are: Bitch, Can You Hear Me Knocking?, Sway, Brown Sugar, Heartbreaker, Fingerprint File, Hot Stuff, Hey Negrita, Some Girls,Slave, Waiting on a Friend, Tops, Dance (Part One), Emotional Rescue, Down in the Hole, Undercover of the Night, Pretty Beat Up, Continental Drift, You Got Me Rockin',Gunface. Yes! No Exile tracks! Feel free to criticise!
gazza garyhess.44@hotmail.com
Production is awful, killing any chance the songs have to breathe. exile is far better produced record than this and has better songs but steel wheels gets the higher rating !!!
to be fair the last few songs are of a very high standard especially almost hear you sigh and slipping away . The stones post exile work deserves a bit of a fairer hearing but youre better off getting some girls or the excellent "stripped" acoustic cd from the bands later years.
Voodoo Lounge 7½
( 1994, UK pos 1 )
Love Is Strong / You Got Me Rocking / Sparks Will Fly / The Worst / New Faces / Moon Is Up / Out Of Tears / I Go Wild / Brand New Car / Sweethearts Together / Suck On The Jugular / Blinded By Rainbows / Baby Break It Down / Thru & Thru / Mean Disposition
The album gets off to a strong start, 'Love Is Strong' sounds like classic Stones, 'Sparks Will Fly' is uptempo and whilst nothing to write home about, is simplistically enjoyable. 'You Got Me Rocking' is a highlight with a true Stones sound and a Jagger vocal in the best Stones tradditions. 'The Worst' certainly isn't, a keef sung track with a lovely country feel. That's about it, a bunch of other songs that are nothing in particular to write home about, although never bad either. It's just at fifteen songs lasting an hour, as an entity, the album loses out slightly. Still, 'Voodoo Lounge' is certainly a worthy addition to The Stones catalogue. It would be unfair to expect The Stones to get back to peak late sixties form thirty years after that peak, after all.
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andrew croft sales@northgatevehiclerental.co.uk
Love is Strong (great harmonica),You Got Me Rockin', Out of Tears, I Go Wild, Brand New Car and Suck on the Jugular all make the grade, making Voodoo Lounge a considerable improvement on the previous 3 Studio Albums. For the most part, however, they are guilty of the laziness and lack of imagination displayed on Dirty Work and Steel Wheels. In other words, too much Stones "by numbers", especially in the guitar work and the anaemic, "spare" production values. As Bridges to Babylon was to prove though, Voodoo Lounge does represent a change for the better.
James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
Voodoo Lounge is an excellent album. Since Some girls put just below Tatoo & Bigger Bang & above others. Although Stripped "unplugged" is the best of past 25 years. Love is Strong isgreat a 10. You Got me Rocking is 8.75 A Stones generic rocker than is perfect for live arena. Sparks will Fly is 8 Very Good. The Worst I love. One of Kiths best 9.5. New Faces is very different sounding & I think is very good. Moon is up another unique sound esp for filler. I like it very much considering its meant as filler tune.=7 Out of tears good balland not as good as Blinded by rainbows. Tears = 7.75 & Rainbows 8.75. I go Wild many fans like more than me. Its alright a 7. Brand new Car has a sexy type feel groove Very sleek or is it schick?? 7.75. Sweethearts together Do not know why I like so much but I confess I Do. 8.25. Baby break it down good blues type a 7 I guess. Thru & thru good Keith tune that grows on you more & more. Never really liked at first but now i do 7 or 7.5. Only two! I do not care for are Suck on jugular & Mean Disposition both fillers I'd leave off an all time Stones mix of 15 self made Stones mixes. Most others I'd add in mixed over entire catalogue. I like Voodoo very much. Am I just a Stones fanatic?? Yes yes yes
GAZZA
The stones new phase commences coming back with a new producer , new bass player and decamping to dublin to make what is undoubtedly their most satisfying album since "tattoo you" - and most of that one was older material rehashed .
The band sensibly run the gamut of what they are good at and don was provides a modern studio sound .
We get bluesy stadium rock (love is strong,got me rocking,sparks will fly) country (the worst,sweethearts together) prince style funk (jugular,brand new car) sonic experiments (new moon) 50s rocknroll (mean disposition) - it all gels together pretty well.
I really like "new faces" with its return to the mid 60s regency pop that the stones once excelled at and keiths solo track is one of his finest .
"i go wild" could have been dropped though and we get the usual lyrical clangers from jagger on "blinded by rainbows" but in overall consistency of the songs and energy of the playing this is in the top 10 stones albums. Along with t! he other old masters from the 60s the stones had proved they were far from finished yet .
Bridges To Babylon 6½
( 1997, UK pos 6 )
Flip The Switch / Anybody Seen My Baby / Low Down / Already Over Me / Gunface / You Don't Have To Mean It / Out Of Control / Saint Of Me / Might As Well Get Juiced / Always Suffering / Too Tight / Theif In The Night / How Can I Stop
The beginning moog type sounds during 'Might As Well Get Juiced' briefly threaten to turn the song into 'Who Are You' by The Who. Sadly it turns into a Stones by numbers piece where Mick tries to sound dangerous and dirty and spectacularly fails to do so. The song drags by for a near five and a half minutes without any particular inticing melodic themes and it's some relief when the song finally ends. 'Might As Well Get Juiced' is one of an astonishing 6 songs on the album that top five minutes in length. Get back to basics, guys! Get your songs down to a snappy three or four minutes. Or, go the whole hog and do a ten minute, multi-part epic. Show some ambition!! Goddamit. Do something interesting!! In summary then, 'Bridges To Babylon' has its moments but has much needless filler too. An album lasting 62 minutes may well be perceived as providing value for money, especially three years since the previous Stones LP. But, but, BUT! Cutting off a good three songs, fifteen minutes would have made this a much tighter and more enjoyable overall listen. Oh, final note. The closing 'How Can I Stop' is simply dreary. My panel of three children I dragged in off the street varying from ages four through to eleven found it alternately, "boring", "not hip hop" and "too slow". Two of the three hadn't even heard of The Rolling Stones. I leave you with those thoughts ringing through your mind. Or, possibly not. You've already switched off and stopped reading? You're reaching for your Usher CD already? Lets start a campaign to get Dr Dre to produce the next Stones LP!
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James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
This is a good album. Flip the Switch is a high energy rocker in tradition of many other opening songs on stones records. Anyone Seen by Baby is a good listen. Lowdown is a so so rocker. Good riff but not too melodic. A slightly above average "filler". Already over me a good ballad. Gunface is excellent albeit drags on too long. "You don't have to mean it" good keith reggae it grooves & good to hear Keith do a more uptempo song. "Out of control" is awesome! Would be a Stones Classic if was less "produced". "Saint of me" great tune. "Might as well get juiced". Yuk techno not suited for Stones. "Always Suffering" another good Jagger Ballad with great chorus I agree. "Too tight" Sexy raunchy Stones fun song. "Thief in the night" do not care for & I am a fan of keiths songs very much. "How Can I stop"? Same thoughts as Thief of night. Both on bottom tier of Keith Songs. Probably his two worst songs. Overall solid though. Would be very good without last 2 songs & get rid of "juic! ed". Would be excellent without those 3 tunes & less production along lines of Voodoo. Flip = 8, Anyone = 8.5 Lowdown = 6.75 Already over me = 7.5 Gunface 8 Mean it 8.5 Out of Control 9.75 Saint of me 9.5 juiced =4 Suffering 6.75 too tight 7.5, Thief =5 Stop =4.75
andrew croft sales@northgatevehiclerental.co.uk
Although the inclusion of decrepid "boogie" numbers such as "Flip the Switch", "Lowdown" and "Too Tight" continue to irritate, "Babylon" sees the Stones rediscovering their song-writing craft and stylistic ambition. In other words, the ballads are uniformly excellent; Richards actually turns in decent vocal performances; "Gunface" sees the welcome return of groove-based rock and the competent experimentations with ambient reggae ("Out of Control"), drum loops ("Saint of Me")and Trip-Hop ("Might As Well Get Juiced")bring the diversity and freshness that is prerequisite to any decent Stones Album. Although not supplying any bonafide "classics" (even the mediocre Steel Wheels delivered one in the form of "Continental Drift")and lacking in sleaze (sleaze is always a good thing where rock albums are concerned), "Babylon" is the most consistently good Stones Album of the 80's and 90's. In all, a thoroughly competent effort.
A Bigger Bang 8
( 2005, UK pos 2 )
Rough Justice / Let Me Down Slow / It Won't Take Long / Rain Fall Down / Streets Of Love / Back Of My Hand / She Saw Me Coming / Biggest Mistake / This Place Is Empty / Oh No, Not You Again / Dangerous Beauty / Laugh, I Nearly Died / Sweet Neo Con / Look What The Cat Dragged In / Driving Too Fast / Infamy
The record kicks off with 'Rough Justice', a good Stones rocker with much attitude. 'Let Me Down Slow' has some lovely Jagger vocal moments and a very nice melody indeed, an uptempo rocker, and although not as aggressive as 'Rough Justice', an even better song. It really reaches fruition during the second half of the song where Jagger does his vocal "oh no no no" section. Beautiful! 64 minutes long, 16 tracks. Well, problems with recent Stones LPs has been the fact they've been overly long. It's not as troublesome here, although there are still a few generic Stones by numbers moments that could have been left out. 'She Saw Me Coming', 'It Won't Take Long'. The power ballad 'Laugh, I Nearly Died'. Sorry, the vocals sound strained rather than the passion I presume they are meant to indicate. Oh, a couple of other highlights. I adore the harmonies during 'Biggest Mistake'. The dirty riff laden 'Dangerous Beauty' contains one of the meanest Jagger vocals. All is well in Stones land. Whoever would have thought it? A rating is difficult, though. There is nothing new here, the album is slightly too long and without quite enough variation. Well, expectations aren't for The Stones to innovate, but even so. The largely homogeneous sound of the LP, with a few exceptions but not enough, do irritate during the albums less than brilliant moments. An 8 seems fair, I think. A more than worthy effort overall, but not quite touching the ultimate Stones classics of yesteryear. Still, ROCK N ROLL!!
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Marcus Reinert mdl_mr@web.de
Indeed, a quite good stones album. I absolutely agree with you on this one. But you forgot the Keef songs here, didn't you? I like "This place is empty" very much, it's one of my favorite keith-ballads now,including good a vocal performance. And "Infamy" is the first keih-closer that isnt't a ballad(!). Although "A Bigger Bang" does not include one single outstanding or "great" song like Start Me Up, Brown Sugar, Under My Thumb or any other stones song that's really special, This album does work. Especially in comparison to the stones records after "tattoo you"
Michael Bleicher mbleicher1@yahoo.com
A nice effort, especially from men their age (though it'd be good enough anyway from younger folks who weren't the Rolling Stones). Solid songwriting and even a few minor gems; nothing to rival the giants of old, but still thoroughly enjoyable. The only gripe I have is that there is a fair amount of filler on here (about 5 or 6 songs) that seems to have been included just so that reviews would remark that the album was "just two minutes shy of 1972's Exile". Forget about Exile already and just make a solid 10 track album! No one would've complainedLet It Bleed is just 9 tracksand I would consider bumping the grade up a point for consistency.
James Lynn lynnjf200@yahoo.com
This is a great Stones album! It has suprised many. Most were pessimistic & I know most true stones fans are pleasently suprised at caliber of CD. Only 2-3 "filler" type tunes. Most others derserve place in better than average good level songs in stones catalogue. A "comeback" LP people have been waiting a long time for. Best since Tatoo You & only notch below the big 4 Beggers thru Exile. As a diehard Stones nut I must say I am very suprised how good this actually is. Fantastic. Cannot rate individual songs yet. Only 2 fillers That are just ok to me are Look waht cat & Driving too fast. All others I think are B caliber at least!!!!!
andrew croft sales@northgatevehiclerental.co.uk
Just when we thought that the feeble "new" tracks on "Forty Licks" would be the last fresh Stones material we would ever hear, isn't it just typical that they then deliver their most aggressive, purposeful album since "Sticky Fingers"!! Yes, we've heard most of the riffs somewhere before. Yes, Keith's soloing has the impact of a duck farting in to a hurricane (just how good would "Oh No Not You Again Be" if Keith's wimpy Chuck Berry lead was a bit nastier?). Yes, the trite chorus and school playground - standard lyrics of Sweet Neocon are a considerable embarrassment to a man of Jagger's learning. But look at the plus side. Jagger's vocal leers and "yowls" throughout and his lyrics generally rediscover the shameless (and glorious)sexual braggadaccio and swagger of The Stones' prime. His guitar playing is pretty good too, ensuring that even the average tracks pack a meaty, modern punch. Charlie Watts, recovering from treatment for throat cancer, plays like a lion and giv! es quite possibly his most powerful display to date. The mightiest contribution, however, comes from Ron Wood. After a 30-year pub crawl, he at last brings the talents he honed in the Faces to the table and makes the Stones sound EXCITING again. Check out the vicious slide guitar on Rough Justice ( a Stones classic if ever there was one); the nifty fret work on "It Won't Take Long" (another love 'em and leave 'em Stones anthem)and and the measured, yet punchy slide on "Biggest Mistake" as examples of this. Also, his fretwork on "Look What the Cat Dragged In" and slide on "Driving Too Fast" and "Let Me Down Slow" make otherwise average tracks irresistable listening. At the end of the day then, "A Bigger Bang" may not be the "classic" that some reviewers have claimed but it continues the improvement in quality initiated by "Bridges" (despite being very different in style)and is as good a rock album as you will hear in 2005.
kier smith amusedtodeath@hotmail.co.uk
The Stones are back with a bang indeed, this is a fine album, its the stones at their swaggering best......'rough justice ' is a good opener, 'it wont take long' is excellent, 'rain falls down', 'streets of love', the biggest mistake', 'dangerous beauty', look what the cat dragged in' its great! seems like theyre churning it out effortlessley, but it shouldnt be underestimated, ive been raving about it to anyone who will care to listen, i reckon this is as good as anything theyve done since 'exile on main street' (which i hasten to add, is not a 6.5! - similar to this, its the stones as we know and love em... change it to a 9! and yeah - an 8 for this, maybe even 9..........but that would mean its as good as exile? ah, er, um...... go buy it and decide for yourself.....
gazza garyhess44@hotmail.com
Opening track blasts out your speakers with an excitement thats just impossible to sustain , and the truth is this album could do with being a bit shorter . 2 or 3 tracks could have got lobbed off and a few tracks while playable could do with trimming length wise . On reflection i would drop "sweet neocon" "dangerous beauty" and "biggest mistake" which seems like a solo jagger track .
Indeed thats whats most visible , how much jagger is the impetus on the album for the 1st time since "undercover". He plays guitar on nearly all tracks ,plus keyboards,bass,and brings back his awesome harp playing . His singing is also incredible for a guy his age (check out laugh i nearly died) . His lyrics are also decent - sneering ,hilarious,sexy and touching takes on infidelity,misogyny,celebrity and lust . "Sweet neocon" we could do without though sounds too much like trying to be controversial and the tunes a dog .
"back of my hand" shows how energised jagger sounds here thoug! h , bringing the band back to its blues roots circa 1964 with real style.
Keiths 2 songs are both brilliant too . Indeed apart from those songs keith seems rather low key here restricted to 2nd and 3rd guitar , the album resembling "some girls" and "undercover" in that respect (neither were favourites of keith) But special mention has to be made for charlie watts whos drumming is rock solid and punchy especially having come back so quickly from illness.
"a bigger bang" is a solid at times inspired rock album even if it does lack voodoo lounges variety . If this is how the stones are going to bow out they can certainly do so with head held high . 7/10
this page last updated 17/10/08
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