Not two, not four, not less, not more… Go!
Aug 062010
Jul 272010
It turns out that in the mid-’80s a true stereo version of “Satisfaction” appeared on Japanese and German editions of Hot Rocks 1964-67, which are long out of print.
The acoustic guitar is even MORE prominent on this version than on the remastered mono version. And it turns out that there’s piano underneath the guitars too, played by Jack Nitzsche.
I know Mr. Mod is going to love this, but what about the rest of you?
Jul 112010
Workin’ their mojo.
I ran into an acquaintance from the Halls of Rock recently who had been following the recently completed Rock Town Hall World Cup of Rock ‘n Roll. “You know the most striking thing I learned?” he confided, “The Beatles are heavier than The Rolling Stones.”
“That’s interesting,” I replied, not surprised that he would come to that conclusion and, based on my own prejudices, almost immediately swayed by his conclusion.
He continued. “I love Charlie Watts – don’t get me wrong – but he’s a light,” he said, sliding up a few notes as he reached the t in light, “drummer. And the Stones don’t have McCartney on bass.”
Then, before we parted ways, we discussed how much the Stones’ heaviosity must be based on their image. Depending on how we define heavy in this context, this Townsman may have a point.
I haven’t been able to shake these comments since that chance encounter.
May 282010
They had to go and make it longer, didn’t they? The Rolling Stones couldn’t leave the legacy of the sprawling Exile on Main Street alone. In this newly remastered, expanded edition rock’s most notorious tax exiles add 10 previously unreleased/unfinished tracks. Shotgun-worthy Don Was helped shepherd these outtakes into the 21st century, with Mick Jagger writing new lyrics and adding new vocal parts, in some cases. Considering that the Stones have been reviving leftover jams as new material for more than half their career (eg, “Start Me Up” had been sitting around for 6 years before being revised and released as the band’s modern-day theme song), why didn’t they just release these tracks as a new Stones album and do the necessary work of trimming Exile on Main Street down from a flabby double album to killer EP it essentially is? Lord knows this collection of 10 revived tracks, kicking off with the funky “Pass the Wine (Sophia Loren)” and the pleading “Plundered My Soul,” would have been the band’s “best album since Exile.”
OK, the newest “best Stones album since Exile” wouldn’t have been that easy to concoct – some of these outtakes are early versions of eventual songs from the album. I especially dig “Good Time Woman,” an early sketch of what would become the sublime “Tumbling Dice,” a song I could bring to my lab and never cease to find fascinating in the way each part contains the code for the whole of the song. Surely there would be dozens of sketches left on the floor of Compass Point Studios for them to fill out side two. Then the Stones could have really shaken up the rock world by taking a washcloth to the abundance of blackface greasepaint smeared across the two LPs of the original release.
Considering how much slack I’ve cut lesser bands over the years, it may be unfair to find fault the Stones for dragging down what could have been the greatest EP in the history of rock with a bunch of overblown gospel-blues jams and fun rave-ups, but we really need to spend any more time stoned and nodding along to Bobby Keys’ sax solo on “Casino Boogie?” Does making it through “Sweet Virginia” earn us a hole-punch on our Educated, White, Middle-Class Dude Who Really Digs American Traditional Music card? How many times does that card need to be punched before we’re awarded an actual album of American traditional music?
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May 252010
The premise is simple: Sum up any Rolling Stones lyric in Haiku form.
No contest. No judgment. Only pure poetry!
Here is my first:
Heartbreaker
Delicate flowers
Injustice for down and outs
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo
May 112010
I just want to say… I just want to let you know that… I just… I…
Oh, hell, just go here:
http://www.billwymandetector.com/
Feb 282010
The Rolling Stones are set to reissue Exile on Main Street in expanded bonus-track – even unfinished-leftover-track-completed-years-later-by-surviving-members-a la-The Beatles’ “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” (but with neither Mick nor Keef having to die first) bonus track – format! This will surely be their best album since Exile…!
One name in particular stood out for me from this report:
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