Jul 202012
It’s time for a little Dugout Chatter, when Townspeople provide gut answers to a handful of probing questions. You know the drill, right? In case you’re not sure, there’s no right or wrong answers, just honest ones. Today’s Dugout Chatter questions will test the honesty of even the most candid Townspeople. Here goes!
- What’s Mick Jagger‘s finest hour (or 30 seconds) as a vocalist?
- What’s Charlie Watts‘ finest hour (or 4 measures) as a drummer?
- What’s Keith Richards‘ finest hour (or 5 strings) as a guitarist?
- What’s Bill Wyman‘s finest hour as a bassist, which depending on how late a recording session started actually may have been Keith Richards’ finest hour as a bassist?
- What’s Mick Taylor‘s finest hour as a guitarist, which if you’re like me and get who plays what on those records confused actually may have been Keith Richards’ finest hour as a guitarist?
- If Brian Jones had lived long enough to experiment with a new hairdo, what might he have tried?
- Finally, if Andrew Loog Oldham didn’t have that “Loog” stuck in the middle of his name would he have been able to have made a career out of doing almost nothing substantial? He seems to be the least-consequential manager of a major band ever.
I look forward to your responses.
OK, I’ll play:
–Jagger’s finest moment. “Moonlight Mile,” which is also the best Rolling stones song, period.
–Charlie Watts’ finest moment…the first drum roll in “Sister Morphine” is one of the two or three greatest drum moments in rock history.
–Keith Richards’ finest moment: If it was really him and not Ry Cooder, the slide guitar on “Let It Bleed.” If it was Cooder, I’ll vote for the toughest acoustic guitar in rock history, on “Street Fighting Man.”
–Wyman is a tougher one…I mean, how often was the bass ever mixed high enough to even notice? In fact, the most noticeable bass line in Stones’ history (“Live with Me”) was playd by Richards. I’ll throw out a dark horse and say Wyman’s greatest moment was as writer of “Downtown Suzie.”
–Jones hairdo: Bald, completely
–Oldham deserves more credit since he also managed one of the great lost bands of the 60s, The Poets.
oops, forgot one: Mick Taylor’s greatest moment is the solo on “Time Waits For No One,” one of the great guitar solos of the 70s.
Pudman is right, it’s frequently difficult to hear the bass lines Wyman plated on those records.
1. The verse of “Beast of Burden” that begins “You can put me out on the street.”
2. The drums’ entrance on “Let it Bleed.”
3. The opening of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
4. Vibes and bass on “Monkey Man”
5. Jones hairdo: ’80s-era Peter Tork
6. Oldman might’ve done more than the two upper-class guys who originally managed the Kinks.
I too forgot Mick Taylor. Gonna be obvious and say the guitar solo from “Tumblin’ Dice.”
The only reason I know about Oldman is that he got them the extra dough for successfully arguing that The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” used to much of “The Last Time” leading to Richard Ashcroft’s assertion said that Bittersweet Symphony was the “best song” Jagger and Richards had written in 20 years!
Mick Jagger – Fool To Cry – hands down.
Charlie Watts – The last 20 seconds of Shattered has brilliant fills.
Keef – All throughout Sister Morphine
Mick Taylor – The coda solo from Can’t You Hear Me Knocking. This may seem obvious but hey it moves me.
Brian Jones – I could see him dyeing his hair black.
Bill Wyman – He is rather groovy on Emotional Rescue
The guitar work on the Get Yer Ya Yas out version of “Sympathy for the Devil” kills me.
Wooooooooooooooooooo….Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaahhhhhhhh!
What’s Mick Jagger‘s finest hour (or 30 seconds) as a vocalist?
For a finest hour I think I’ll take Rip This Joint. I think he’s great on that. For a finest few seconds, today I’ll pick the line where he sings, “What’s all this laughter on the 22nd floor, it’s just some friends of mine and they’re bustin’ down the door” from Memory Motel.
What’s Charlie Watts‘ finest hour (or 4 measures) as a drummer?
Rip This Joint again! Charlie is super on that.
What’s Keith Richards‘ finest hour (or 5 strings) as a guitarist?
Monkey Man. He plays every note. The solo to Sympathy is right there, too. That’s just amazing.
What’s Bill Wyman‘s finest hour as a bassist, which depending on how late a recording session started actually may have been Keith Richards’ finest hour as a bassist?
Bill is so underrated. They lost a lot when they lost him. I like the end of 19th Nervous Breakdown.
What’s Mick Taylor‘s finest hour as a guitarist, which if you’re like me and get who plays what on those records confused actually may have been Keith Richards’ finest hour as a guitarist?
Street Fighting Man, Empire Pool, Wembley 1973. Jaw droppingly amazing.
If Brian Jones had lived long enough to experiment with a new hairdo, what might he have tried?
He’d have looked like Peter Case does now.
Finally, if Andrew Loog Oldham didn’t have that “Loog” stuck in the middle of his name would he have been able to have made a career out of doing almost nothing substantial? He seems to be the least-consequential manager of a major band ever.
He deserves far more credit than you’re giving him. He was a class A bullshitter, and a heckuva manager. He saw where the songwriting in the group could come from, he came up with an image that would sell and he pushed it hard. That whole “Are you Beatles or Are you Stones” thing wasn’t exactly a grassroots reaction. It was well thought out and well played. In fact, played so well people still ask that question today.
Genius!
That’s Ry Cooder on “Sister Morphine.”
The sample comes from an album by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, but I think the dough went to Allen Klein, because Abkco owns the early Stones catalog.
What’s Mick Jagger‘s finest hour (or 30 seconds) as a vocalist?
“Brothers and sisters, why are we fighting?”
What’s Charlie Watts‘ finest hour (or 4 measures) as a drummer?
The fill after “I could not foresee this thing happening to you” on Paint It Black.
What’s Keith Richards‘ finest hour (or 5 strings) as a guitarist?
The opening riff on Brown Sugar.
What’s Bill Wyman‘s finest hour as a bassist, which depending on how late a recording session started actually may have been Keith Richards’ finest hour as a bassist?
The descending bass run at the end of 19th Nervous Breakdown.
What’s Mick Taylor‘s finest hour as a guitarist, which if you’re like me and get who plays what on those records confused actually may have been Keith Richards’ finest hour as a guitarist?
Moonlight Mile.
If Brian Jones had lived long enough to experiment with a new hairdo, what might he have tried?
Mohawk.
Finally, if Andrew Loog Oldham didn’t have that “Loog” stuck in the middle of his name would he have been able to have made a career out of doing almost nothing substantial? He seems to be the least-consequential manager of a major band ever.
No, he was a wastrel.
Mick – the soundtrack version of Memo from turner. If that doesn’t count then shine a light.
Keith – the rhythm guitar on sympathy from ya yas or beast of burden
Bill – miss you
Charlie tumbling dice (and yes, I know jimmy miller plated the end of it).
Mick Taylor – tumbling dice
Brian – super clean Arian cut
Keith plays the acoustic on Sister Morphine.
Since when? Just kiddin’. I should pull out the liner notes more often. Then again, I should have known better cause the lines don’t sound Richardsonian. Therefore, I will go off the top of my head and say….
The opening chords of Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.
At least 2 of your answers, Oats, are so money it’s not funny! More later. Keep the rock chatter going, folks, as I peek in from beautiful Marin County.
I second that one. That intro is damn fine.
Ry Cooder should have been one of the options.