Hidden Treasures Revelations - The Rolling Stones

[Scott]

Debuting a new forum topic this week. I'm calling it 'Revelations' ...


You know, the folks on this site have opened my eyes to all sorts of new bands but what is even cooler are the bands I totally whiffed on growing up and recently been reintroduced to because of this site. Maybe there was something I didn't like about them and so I never looked passed it, now I get a second chance at some bands. So that's what the new series will be about from time to time.


Lately that band is The Rolling Stones. To my shame I've always thought they were annoying, and that Jagger was awkward to watch and listen to. Sure I like Satisfaction, Brown Sugar, and a few others, but I never had any other interest outside of the hit songs.... until now, so while this band may be old hat to you, they are a revelation to me!


Here are a couple observations...

• The Guitar work is really good, especially the acoustic tunes. Gotta admit I really like the Mick Taylor stuff though!
• Jagger's vocals on the country tunes sound like he's mocking Country music. I like that!
• They play/experiment with all sorts of styles.
• Watts is a beast.
• Watch out! They can be very sexual and like to sing about it in explicit terms

PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/avu8wccu

	Let It Bleed 1969 1 - Live With Me Mostly recorded without Brian Jones -- who died several months before its release (although he does play on two tracks) and was replaced by Mick Taylor (who also plays on just two songs) -- this extends the rock and blues feel of Beggars Banquet into slightly harder-rocking, more demonically sexual territory. The Stones were never as consistent on album as their main rivals, the Beatles, and Let It Bleed suffers from some rather perfunctory tracks, like "Monkey Man" and a countrified remake of the classic "Honky Tonk Woman" (here titled "Country Honk"). Yet some of the songs are among their very best, especially "Gimme Shelter," with its shimmering guitar lines and apocalyptic lyrics; the harmonica-driven "Midnight Rambler"; the druggy party ambience of the title track; and the stunning "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which was The Stones' "Hey Jude" of sorts, with its epic structure, horns, philosophical lyrics, and swelling choral vocals.
	It's Only Rock 'N' Roll 1974 2 - Fingerprint File It's uneven, but at times It's Only Rock 'n Roll catches fire. The songs and performances are stronger than those on Goats Head Soup; the tossed-off numbers sound effortless, not careless. Throughout, the Stones wear their title as the "World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band" with a defiant smirk, which makes the bitter cynicism of "If You Can't Rock Me" and the title track all the more striking, and the reggae experimentation of "Luxury," the aching beauty of "Time Waits for No One," and the agreeable filler of "Dance Little Sister" and "Short and Curlies" all the more enjoyable.
	Emotional Rescue 1980 3 - Send It To Me Coasting on the success of Some Girls, the Stones offered more of the same on Emotional Rescue. Comprised of leftovers from the previous album's sessions and hastily written new numbers, Emotional Rescue may consist mainly of filler, but it's expertly written and performed filler. the Stones toss off throwaways like the reggae-fueled, mail-order bride anthem "Send It to Me" or rockers like "Summer Romance" and "Where the Boys Go" with an authority that makes the record a guilty pleasure, even if it's clear that only two songs -- the icy but sexy disco-rock of "Emotional Rescue" and the revamped Chuck Berry rocker "She's So Cold" -- come close to being classic Stones.
	Undercover 1983 4 - Too Much Blood As the Rolling Stones' most ambitious album since Some Girls, Undercover is a weird, wild mix of hard rock, new wave pop, reggae, dub, and soul. Even with all the careening musical eclecticism, what distinguishes Undercover is its bleak, nihilistic attitude -- it's teeming with sickness, with violence, kinky sex, and loathing dripping from almost every song. "Undercover of the Night" slams with echoing guitars and rubbery basslines, as Jagger gives a feverish litany of sex, corruption, and suicide. It set the tone for the rest of the album, whether it's the runaway nymphomaniac of "She Was Hot" or the ridiculous slasher imagery of "Too Much Blood." Only Keith's "Wanna Hold You" offers a reprieve from the carnage, and its relentless bloodletting makes the album a singularly fascinating listen. For some observers, that mixture was nearly too difficult to stomach, but for others, it's a fascinating record, particularly since much of its nastiness feels as if the Stones, and Jagger and Richards in particular, are running out of patience with each other.
	Voodoo Lounge 1994 5 - Brand New Car Funny that the much-touted "reunion/comeback" album Steel Wheels followed Dirty Work by just three years, while it took the Stones five years to turn out its sequel, Voodoo Lounge -- a time frame that seems much more appropriate for a "comeback." To pile on the irony, Voodoo Lounge feels more like a return to form than its predecessor, even if it's every bit as calculated and Bill Wyman has flown the coup. With Don Was, a neo-classic rock producer who always attempts to reclaim his artist's original claim to greatness, helming the boards with the Glimmer Twins, the Stones strip their sound back to its spare, hard-rocking basics. the Stones act in kind, turning out a set of songs that are pretty traditionalist. There are no new twists or turns in either the rockers or ballads (apart maybe from the quiet menace of "Thru and Thru," later used to great effect on The Sopranos), even if they revive some of the English folk and acoustic country-blues that was on Beggars Banquet. Still, this approach works because they are turning out songs that may not be classics but are first-rate examples of the value of craft. If this was released ten years, even five years earlier, this would be a near-triumph of classicist rock, but since Voodoo Lounge came out in the CD age, it's padded out to 15 tracks, five of which could have been chopped to make the album much stronger.

[Niels (Mod)]

Yay! No "Scott-rock"!!

[Jon]

Except for MAYBE the first song, I noticed that these songs you chose were a bit funky. Was this done on purpose or was this done unknowingly? 

The only one of these albums I'm a bit indifferent about is "Voodoo Lounge". Each time I listen to it, I expect that to be the time to find something I missed before but I always come away a bit bored. Plus the cover kinda sucks.

Always dug "Too Much Blood". It's such a nasty song off a nasty album. When I first "Undercover Of The Night", I was blown away since it was so hard. Not what I expected and this album is one of my favorite RS albums. 

IF I were to rank these albums.........

1. Let It Bleed

2. Undercover

3. It's Only Rock 'N' Roll

4. Emotional Rescue

and a very, very very very, very, VERY distant....

5. Voodoo Lounge 

Cool that you're discovering this, oh so late in your life. 

[Scott]

The funk factor was unintentional, but I would admit that I do have a love for that mix of rock and funk.

[Scott]

I totally took your advise on purchases and you n ailed it, but in doing so I ran across Voodoo Lounge and started reading the reviews and then listening to the soundbytes.  So I sat on it for awhile, then came back and revisited some alternate sources for more reviews and then re-listened a few times to the iTunes samples...  I think its a fantastic album, and one of the rare mid-90's over 12 track packed CD's that I enjoyed track for track, just sayin' I think you got it wrong on Voodoo Lounge...

[Jon]

Check out their last album, "A Bigger Bang". I really like that album, it really rocks and it only has a measly 16 tracks.

[Scott]

Only 16?  Just for the record, 10-12 is still the perfect # of tracks per CD.

[Niels (Mod)]

LIVE WITH ME - Nice bass!! I actually think, there's no real Stones without Wyman. Some nice tracks on this album, but as I've said before: The only really great Stones-album is Exile. Never was a fan of Saxophones. But I can't help dancing a little bit on my office-chair here at work. Good stuff!!

FINGERPRINT FILE - I don't have this album, and I don't think, I've heard this song before. It sounds like The Stones, which can be both good and bad. Again a good bass-sound, and drums. Very funky stuff, and again it's hard to sit still. But the track is too long. Okay stuff, but classic!!

SEND IT TO ME - I've heard this one before, but not more than a couple of times. I do NOT care for reggae, and around 1980 everybody was playing reggae. This must be a Richards-written song, becuase he's a sucker for reggae. The songs are getting weaker and weaker, not surprisingly.

TOO MUCH BLOOD - The start sound like Manhattan Transfer or some english ska-band, until Jagger starts. I don't really care for the Stones-album/songs released after.....1981. This is actually pretty bad. Stones actually had some kind of come-back in the start of the 80's, but probably not because of their studio-albums, more because Jagger and the others played some very good stadium-concerts. This song SUCKS!!!

BRAND NEW CAR - I remember buying this album in 1994. I haven't heard it since 1994. I remember this song, and it's better, MUCH better than the stuff, they released in the 80's. But off course nowwhere near as good, as the 60's-stuff. I saw Stones in 1990, and they made a hell of a show.

I won't call me a fan of Stones, only of the stuff they made up until Exile. They have made too much crap since. The first stones-album I got was Dirty Work in 1986. In '89, I bought a box-set of hits and stuff, but only '60's-stuff.

Best SHT for a while, though :-)

[Scott]

Sweet!!!  Best SHT for a while!!  I'll take that....

You're 100% on the bass work to, its an observation I should have noted in this post as well.  There is some great bass lines on all these albums...

[RJhog (Admin)]

Live With Me - Awesome bass at the beginning.  And that guitar work.  Not necessarily lead work, just the awesome rhythm playing.  You can hear it in both ears.  I guess the Stones used a good bit of horns as well.  I've heard them on many of their songs.  Never heard this song (that I can remember, even though I think I have this album), but I dig it.  

Fingerprint File - More sweet bass work from Mr. Wyman.  I never know who's doing it, but the rhythm guitar again is stellar.  I like the backing vocals on this song (as well as most Stones songs).  I guess the lady or ladies would be session musicians.  Wocka Wocka is alive on this track.  Did I say Wyman is on fire?

Send It To Me - Another newbie for me.  I immediately get the reggae vibe.  The song has some of the same endearing qualities as the previous two songs like the bass work and rhythm work, but I can say that the song itself leaves a bit to be desired.  Don't really care for it.

Too Much Blood - This sounds like it should be in an 80's movie.  Hey, he just mentioned a movie screen.  Mind blown. Okay, this is quite dark.  Not sure about the spoken vocal delivery.  It worked really well for Tom Petty, but I'm not as convinced with Mick.  Had no idea The Stones made this type of music.  Sort of weird.  

Brand New Car - You picked five songs I've never heard before, so you certainly did your job well this week.  Not to sound like a broken record, but the rhythm guitar continues to shine.  Other than that, this song really goes nowhere either.  

I don't own much Stones work either.  I have a couple of greatest hits discs and probably 3 or 4 studio albums.  But I too have been noticing that terrific guitar work on their releases that I do own.  And I may just do more digging in the future.  Good job this week.

Ranking:

1. Live With Me

2. Fingerprint File

3. Too Much Blood

4. Brand New Car

5. Send It To Me

[RJhog (Admin)]

Four acts that immediately come to mind for me are:

1. Dio

2. Rush

3. Iron Maiden

4. UFO

I ignored all of these, but I wish I hadn't.  It's much more difficult to grab a song or album and really hold on to it at this age.  If I would have done so in my teens and early twenties, they would still be with me today.  Excellent topic.