Sorry for the non-Stones content. I need to get it out of my system periodically.
The Kinks
"Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" (Ray Davies) – 2:16
Released in March 1965, it was the last of the Kinks run of great rock and roll singles before they went into a more contemplative (i.e. boring) direction. The whole thing is a distressingly sloppy mess of cymbals, handclaps, and rhythm guitar, and kicks eighteen kinds of ass.
Out of Our Heads (USA version)
Side 1, Track 4
"That's How Strong My Love Is" (Roosevelt Jamison) – 2:25
Roosevelt Jamison wrote "That's How Strong My Love Is" and gave it to journeyman soul singer OV Wrigtht, who recorded and released is as his debut single on Goldwax in 1964. Less than a year later, Otis Redding got hold of the song and released it on The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads, an album that has the most obvious title ever – it would be like a James Brown album called There Might Be Some Funk In Here.
Anyway, I'm not sure where Otis got the song from, but the music on his version is totally different from Wright's original (although the lyrics are the same): the chord changes are all different (Wrigth's version goes to the IV for the chorus, Otis just uses the same changes as the verse), Wright spaces his verse lyrics out while Otis packs them into two bars, and while Wright puts up a game effort, doing his best Sam Cooke impression, there is simply no way he can hang with Otis Redding, who was to soul balladry what Bono is to self-promotion.
Two months after Otis released his version, the Stones stepped into the Chess Studios in Hollywood to try their hand at "That's How Strong My Love Is". Now, I am an unabashed Otis fan, and I was not looking forward to seeing how the Stones handled this song considering the weak attempt at a previous Otis number. And it's true that while they used Otis's arrangement, the band's performance is pretty sloppy (especially the guitars). Mick's vocal, however, makes up for a lot of sins, this time anyway – his first great ballad performance. I will never doubt them again!
Out of Our Heads (USA version)
Side 1, Track 3
"The Last Time" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 3:41
When you start writing, the first batch of songs is almost always puerile ballads, for some reason - I think they're easier to write. To write a good rock and roll song is one of the hardest things because it has to be stripped down so simple, to that same basic format shared by rock & roll and rhythm & blues and Irish folk songs from thousands of years ago. It's a very simple form, and yet you have to find a certain element in there that still lives, that isn't just a rehash. It can REMIND you - and probably will - of something else, but it should still add something new, have a freshness and individuality about it. The rules on it are very strict, you see (laughs). I think The Last Time was the first one we actually managed to write with a BEAT, the first non-puerile song. It had a strong Staple Singers influence in that it came out of an old gospel song that we revamped and reworked. And I didn't actually realize until after we'd written it because we'd been listening to this Staple Singers album for 10 months or so. You don't go out of your way to LIFT songs, but what you play is eventually the product of what you've heard before.So said Keith about "The Last Time" (thanks to TimeIsOnOurSide.com for that quote).
Primer: The Rolling Stones, over at the AV Club. Go read it, you'll never have to bother with my lame, Rolling Stones-blogging ass again.The Rolling Stones 101:
Unlike their classic rival, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones aren't frozen in time. Their body of work spans several decades, covers numerous musical eras, and varies widely in quality as the band aged, changed members, and attained incredible wealth. Exactly when and where you come at The Stones will define how you see the band. If you were born in the '80s or '90s, Mick Jagger has always been a preening, somewhat ridiculous dinosaur, shaking his wrinkled ass for graying baby boomers at $200 a ticket. It isn't a pretty picture, nor wholly representative of a band that's been making records for nearly 45 years.
Like the American bluesmen they emulated, The Stones have continued making music well into their 60s. They've been pilloried as much as praised for sticking together, but that's nothing new. As early as 1969, in the middle of the band's prime, people railed against The Stones for not breaking up already. (Rock writer Nik Cohn famously wished the band members would die in a plane crash before their 30th birthdays, so they could stay forever young.) It's a silly argument, because the greatness of what The Rolling Stones created could never be overshadowed, even by a hundred late-career cash-in tours. Any statement to the contrary is quickly refuted by the first 10 seconds of "Jumpin' Jack Flash," which still are as hard, exciting, and vital as any moments in rock 'n' roll.
I have a (not terribly well-developed) theory that The Stones have made the most interesting and entertaining “bad” albums of any major artist in rock history. (At least that I can think of.) Before I proceed with this, let me define the word “bad” here. I don’t think The Stones have ever made a bad record in the way, say, prime period Creed is bad. Give me a poorly regarded Stones record, and I’ll pick out a couple of killer tracks.
Out of Our Heads (USA version)
Side 1, Track 2
"Hitch Hike" (Marvin Gaye/William Stevenson/Clarence Paul) – 2:25
This is the second time the Stones have gone after a Marvin Gaye hit, but unlike their driving "Can I Get a Witness", "Hitch Hike" is something of a pedestrian affair, lacking the energy that made "Mercy, Mercy" so much fun. That probably has something to do with the material: "Hitch Hike", the song, is a perfectly passable slice of early 60s Motown pop, aspiring to nothing more than Top 40 hitdom, whereas "Mercy, Mercy" is a crushing soul song with an agenda.
Still, there's nothing the Stones have to be ashamed of here. After all the tepid blues workouts that littered their previous albums, it would be a relief to have to listen to nothing by bland R&B. However, I have a feeling that this album is really going to start to pick up....
Out of Our Heads (USA version)
Side 1, Track 1
"Mercy, Mercy" (Don Covay/Ronnie Miller) – 2:45
The Stones once again try their luck on a soul classic. This time they went after Don Covay's "Mercy, Mercy", and the band didn't just do a pretty good job reproducing Covay's garage-soul groove, but Mick also artfully knicked Covay's phrasing. Here's the original:
If you hadn't already heard of Don Covay, here's all you really need to know: he wrote "Chain of Fools".
Yeah.
There are dozens of guys like that, writers and performers with abilities and accomplishments that, in a fair world, would make them household names. Alas, we don't live in such a world – but you can do you part: you should learn more about Don Covay.
The Stones themselves sound great on this track. They don't make any changes to Covay's arrangment – they just rock up the beat a little, slap some distortion on that great guitar riff, and let her rip. This is what happens when the band gets ahold of an actual song instead of trying to prove their street cred with those repetitive blues tracks.
Rolling Stones No. 2 Roundup
Side 1
1. "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" (Solomon Burke/Jerry Wexler/Bert Russell) – 5:03
2. "Down Home Girl" (Jerry Leiber/Arthur Butler) – 4:11
3. "You Can't Catch Me" (Chuck Berry) – 3:38
4. "Time Is on My Side" (Norman Meade) – 2:58
5. "What a Shame" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 3:03
6. "Grown Up Wrong" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 1:50
Side 2
1. "Down The Road Apiece" (Don Raye) – 2:55
2. "Under the Boardwalk" (Arthur Resnick/Kenny Young) – 2:46
3. "I Can't Be Satisfied" (McKinley Morganfield) – 3:26
4. "Pain In My Heart" (Naomi Neville) – 2:11
5. "Off The Hook" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 2:33
6. "Susie Q" (Eleanor Broadwater/Dale Hawkins/Stan Lewis) – 1:50
From Wikipedia:
The Rolling Stones No. 2 is the second UK album by The Rolling Stones released in 1965 following the Around and Around and the massive success of 1964's debut The Rolling Stones. Not surprisingly, The Rolling Stones No. 2 followed its predecessor's tendency to largely feature R&B covers. However, it does contain three compositions from the still-developing Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songwriting team.
Using the cover shot for 12 X 5, the second US-released album in October 1964, The Rolling Stones No. 2's tracklisting would largely be emulated on the upcoming US release of The Rolling Stones, Now!. While Eric Easton was co-credited as producer alongside Andrew Loog Oldham on The Rolling Stones' debut album, Oldham takes full production duties for The Rolling Stones No, 2, which was recorded sporadically in the UK and US during 1964.
A huge hit in the United Kingdom upon release, The Rolling Stones No. 2 spent 10 weeks at #1 in early 1965, becoming one of the year's biggest sellers in the United Kingdom.
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 2, Track 6
"Susie Q" (Eleanor Broadwater/Dale Hawkins/Stan Lewis) – 1:50
Same as the 12x5 version. Don't really have anything more to add except to note, once again, how good it is – it's clear that at this point in their career, the Stones couldn't really do much with their own compositions, but given some better material, they could really rock.
UPDATE: I just listened to it again, and it really kicks ass. Go Stones!
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 2, Track 5
"Off The Hook" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 2:33
A fairly straightforward Mick and Keith composition. Nothing especially notable here except for the double-tracked lead vocals, a technique used by the Beatles in their early years (contemporaneous with the recording of this song) for Lennon songs. He hated double-tracking his vocals because of the amount of effort to get the timing exactly right – every note has to be sung exactly the same as the main track, without any improvisation. This involved a lot of time in the studio doing many takes of the same melody until he recorded two that were exactly the same. Mick solved this problem by just using the first take, regardless of how sloppy it sounded.
Image courtesy of news.bbc.co.uk
I'll be throwing in some non-Rolling Stones, although Stones-related, posts here and there. Apparently, I'm also throwing in the occaisional non-Rolling Stones and Stones-unrelated posts too. This won't happen often, I promise.
Lou Donaldson
"Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)" (Allen Toussaint) – 5:30
(That's Lee Dorsey on the vocals.)
Jason Heller has a nice piece today at the AV Club on the funk music played by jazz artists, and how it is marginalised by jazzheads as inconsequential ephemera. I have nothing to add to what he said, except to note that I hate the jazz (and jazzheads for that matter), but love the funk. But I want to thank Heller for reminding me of this great 1969 track, which I first heard on some Blue-Note-does-Soul! comp many years ago and not nearly often enough since.
Lou Donaldson
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 2, Track 3
"I Can't Be Satisfied" (McKinley Morganfield) – 3:26
A note-for-not duplicate of Muddy Waters' original. Compare the two versions:
Now, tell me: was there anything to be gained by recording this song? Did the Stones add anything, either to the song or to the world in general?
So, not only did the Rolling Stones take their name from Muddy Waters, not only did they take one of his best songs from him, but they also used that song as the basis for their biggest hit.[*]
[* Okay, a stretch. I can't be satisfied? I can't get no satisfaction? Big difference.]
Image courtesy of Micah Lopez.
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 2, Track 2
"Under the Boardwalk" (Arthur Resnick/Kenny Young) – 2:46
Same as the 12 x 5 version. Again I have to ask, what were they thinking?
Image courtesy of firststrategy.com.
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 2, Track 1
"Down The Road Apiece" (Don Raye) – 2:55
Who is Don Raye? Glad you asked. From wikipedia:Raye started his career as a dancer, going on to win the "Virginia State Dancing Championship." He started work in vaudeville as a "song and dance man" often writing his own songs for his act. In 1935 he started work as a songwriter, collaborating with composers Samuel Cahn and Saul Chaplin, and Saxophonist Jimmie Lunceford.
Okay, that's fine and everything, but this is the good part:His great success with "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" caused Raye to write the follow-up songs, "Scrub Me Mamma, with a Boogie Beat," "Bounce Me Brother, with a Solid Four," and "Fry Me Cookie, with a Can of Lard."
They don't write 'em with titles like that anymore! Anyway, the part we're after:He also composed the song "(That Place) Down the Road a Piece," one of his boogie woogie songs, which has a medium bright boogie tempo. It was written for the Will Bradley Orchestra, who recorded it in 1940, but the song was destined to become a rock and roll standard, recorded by The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Foghat, Amos Milburn, Harry Gibson, and countless others.
(Much more about Don Raye at the Big Band Database.)
If I had to guess, the Stones picked the song up from Chuck Berry, who was a huge fan of big band music. This may be the only time in the history of Rolling Stones music that the rhythm section actually swings, making a fairly generic tune interesting. Keith throws in his usual ace Chuck Berry solo (the third chorus kicks some ass), and Mick sits out most of the tune, presumably dancing the Charleston around the studio with some flapper.
Image courtesy of www.mirrorprintstore.co.uk. Caption readsOne or two famous names from the world of pop music photographed together after a concert in 1965. They include Mick Jagger and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones who had just started down the road to international superstardom. A young Dusty Springfield with the DJ Jimmy Saville, Tom Jones, the legendary Welsh crooner and at his side Priscilla White (or Cilla Black as we know her now).
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 1, Track 6
"Grown Up Wrong" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 1:50
A wonderfully evocative blues shuffle, capturing the full depth of emotion inherent in the form. But the spiritual profundity should not overshadow the technical precision displayed by the musicians, which reveals a whole new layer of meaning.... All right, that's enough. It's April Fools Days, which apparently means that everyone has to write a terrible joke post of some kind. I think I fulfilled my duty.
I think this recording of "Grown Up Wrong" is the same version as the one released on 12 x 5. I don't have much more to add to my previous post except to note once again how sloppy the Stones' blues recordings are, especially the background vocals which never come in on time and the slide guitar which only occasionally hits the note it wants to.
There are some people out there who would claim that sloppiness is a virtue when it comes to the blues, and to those people I only have two words to say, one of which rhymes with "fuck" and the other with "you". There's a big difference between the claim that technical proficiency is irrelevant in the blues, and the claim that sloppiness is something to be desired. I think a lot of people are mistaking sloppiness for authenticity – but that is a rant for another post.
UPDATE: It was bugging me that this song reminded me of another song, and I finally placed it:
Okay, I guess they aren't all that similar.
Image courtesy of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Rolling Stones with DJ Stan Rofe, Palais Theatre, St Kilda, February 1965.
Caption reads
Following in the wake of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones first performed in Australia in 1965. Publicist Andrew Loog Oldham moulded the band's image, selling them as the rebellious alternative to the clean-cut Beatles.
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 1, Track 5
"What a Shame" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 3:03
Another blues shuffle. At some point they stopped doing these, right? I mean, I'm not going to have to listen to 27 more albums of this stuff, am I?
Image courtesy of this forum, and dates to the time of this album's release. The caption reads: The Stones' performance at the ABC Theatre in Belfast on January 6, 1965. It was all smiles backstage, but when the curtain went up, the group were bombarded with dangerous objects as the crowd's enthusiasm threatened to get out of control.
The Rolling Stones No. 2
Side 1, Track 4
"Time Is on My Side" (Norman Meade) – 2:58
Note: This is the version with the guitar intro, not the organ intro as on 12 x 5.
This is the hit (unlike the version on 12 x 5). As I said before, this is probably the most sophisticated song the Stones had attempted at this point, and they really put a good arrangement together. In retrospect, the performance lacks some fire, but it's easy to see here why the label was optimistic about the possibilities: a photogenic white band singing a catchy soul song with conviction (and even some originality) – someone smelled money.
Also:
Image courtesy of morethings.com "Rolling Stones 1964 Photo Galleries"
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 1, Track 3
"You Can't Catch Me" (Chuck Berry) – 3:38
The obligatory Chuck Berry number, this time one of Chuck's great car songs (make sure you check out the original, which features a great piano track by Johnnie Johnson, along with some snappy duckwalking). The Stones slow the tempo a bit, but that's the only change they made – if you're a fan of the original you won't find much to complain about here, nor will you find anything new.
Image courtesy of serega.icnet.ru
I'll be throwing in some non-Rolling Stones, although Stones-related, posts here and there.
Keith Richards
"Run Rudolph Run" (Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie) – 3:11
b/w "The Harder They Come" (Jimmy Cliff) – 3:41
This single dates to either 1978 or 79 (the internet isn't exactly clear on this).
Keith is obviously working off Chuck Berry's famous version, which was a minor hit in 1958. Interestingly, Keith and the band play the rhythm in swing eighths, whereas Chuck played straight eighths on the original – this is almost the exact opposite of what happens when someone covers a Chuck Berry song. (Chuck, or at least his band, usually played in swing time, creating some nice rhythmic tension. Covers almost always play it straight, removing all the subtlety from Chuck's original. If you are removing the subtlety from a Chuck Berry song, you probably should look for another line of work.)
Keith's vocal is endearingly ragged and the band rises to the occasion by summoning some bar-band level professionalism. This would have knocked them dead at the El Macombo.
And then there's this...
Okay, Keith, I get it. The officers are trying to keep you down. You'd rather be a free man in your grave than living like a puppet or a slave. Got it. But listen, Keith: nobody gives a shit about a millionaire rock star's problems with drug busts, okay? That's almost as obnoxious as George Harrison complaining about having to pay taxes. Shut the fuck up, you whiny bitch.
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 1, Track 2
"Down Home Girl" (Jerry Leiber/Arthur Butler) – 4:11
"Down Home Girl" has the same midtempo R&B groove that was featured on dozens of recordings from the era (eg. "Polk Salad Annie"). I haven't been able to track down who performed the original, but seeing the Jerry Leiber songwriting credit, I'm going to guess it was a novelty act like The Coasters. Check out the first couple of lines:
Lord I swear the perfume you wear was made out of turnip greensIt's hard to tell just how seriously the band is taking this, but I'll be generous and believe they were in on the joke.
And every time I kiss you, girl, it tastes like pork and beans
I'll be throwing in some non-Rolling Stones, although Stones-related, posts here and there. Don't judge me!
Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger
"State of Shock" (Michael Jackson/Randy Hansen) – 4:30
In a career filled with ridiculous moments, this may be the most sublimely ridiculous of all. I'm tempted to let the music speak for itself. For the kids reading this that may need some kind of explanation as to why something like this could have been allowed to happen, all I can say is, hey, it was the 80s.
LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!
Look at me!
Look at me...
look at me
Wikipedia info:
Single by The Jacksons featuring Mick Jagger
from the album Victory
Released July 1984
Format 7" single
Recorded 1984
Genre Pop-Rock
Length 4:30
Label Epic 34-04503
Writer(s) Michael Jackson, Randy Hansen
Producer Michael Jackson
The Rolling Stones No.2
Side 1, Track 1
"Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" (Solomon Burke/Jerry Wexler/Bert Russell) – 5:03
Solomon Burke is back. We first met his acquaintance on 12 x 5's "If You Need Me", a slow ballad that showed Mick the dangers of tangling with a real soul singer. This time, Mick takes a swipe at a more uptempo number, complete with a long soul testifying interlude, and of course the famous spoken intro, which could only have been released in the sixties:
You know, sometimes you get what you wantSez on Wikipedia that the version of this song that appears on The Rolling Stones, Now! is two minutes shorter. We'll see about that: Now! is the next album in my queue. The version on this album is more than five minutes long, and for some reason they left the long, meandering outro in place, even though Mick is clearly expecting to be faded out.
And then you go and lose what you have
And I believe every woman and every man here tonight listen to my song
And it save the whole world.
The Rolling Stones played on 26th August 1964 (2 shows at the ABC) and on the 2nd October 1964 (2 shows at the Odeon). The Odeon had just spent £6,000 on new dressing rooms and enlarging the stage. The rare photo of the Stones was taken backstage at the ABC 26th August show.
I'm still settling into Blogger, but I think I've made all the template adjustments I needed to do. I may still do some tweaking to the sidebar widgets, but nothing major.
I'm not going to spend much time writing about non-Rolling Stones-related items – this won't be a personal journal, except insofar as my thoughts relate to the music under discussion. However, there will be the occasional post, like this one, without any Stones content. These irrelevant posts are tagged "nonstones", but I haven't figured out a way to get a feed to just the Stones content yet. Stay tuned.
12 x 5 Roundup
Side 1
1. "Around and Around" (Chuck Berry) – 3:03
2. "Confessin' the Blues" (Jay McShann/Walter Brown) – 2:47
3. "Empty Heart" (Nanker Phelge) – 2:37
4. "Time Is on My Side" (Norman Meade) – 2:53
5. "Good Times, Bad Times" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 2:30
6. "It's All Over Now" (Bobby Womack/Shirley Jean Womack) – 3:26
Side 2
1. "2120 South Michigan Avenue" (Nanker Phelge) – 3:38
2. "Under the Boardwalk" (Arthur Resnick/Kenny Young) – 2:46
3. "Congratulations" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 2:29
4. "Grown Up Wrong" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) – 2:05
5. "If You Need Me" (Robert Bateman/Wilson Pickett) – 2:04
6. "Susie Q" (Eleanor Broadwater/Stan Lewis/Dale Hawkins) – 1:50
I'll start including some album info from TimeIsOnOurSide and Wikipedia on these roundup pages.
Recorded & mixed:
February 24-25 and May 12, 1964: Regent Sound Studios, London, England
June 10-11, 1964: Chess Studios, Chicago, USA
August 31-September 4, 1964: Regent Sound Studios, London, England
Producer: Andrew Oldham
Engineers: Bill Farley, Ron Malo
Released: October 1964
Original label: London Records (Polygram)
12 X 5 is the second US album by The Rolling Stones released in 1964 following the massive success of their debut The Rolling Stones in the UK and the promising sales of its American substitute England's Newest Hit Makers .
Not surprisingly, 12 X 5 followed its predecessor's tendency to largely feature R&B covers, however it does contain three compositions from the still-developing Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songwriting team, as well as two group compositions under the pseudonym of "Nanker Phelge".
After a series of sessions in Chicago in June 1964, The Rolling Stones' UK label Decca Records released the five song EP Five by Five. Because EPs were never a lucrative format in the US, London Records - their American distributor at the time - spread the EP songs across an entire album, adding seven new recordings to create a release of 12 songs by 5 musicians, hence the album's title. Decca would use the same cover (minus the lettering) for The Rolling Stones' second UK album The Rolling Stones No. 2 in early 1965.
12 X 5 proved to be a faster seller than England's Newest Hit Makers, reaching #3 and going gold quickly.
In August 2002, 12 X 5 was reissued in a new remastered CD and SACD digipak by ABKCO Records.
12 x 5
Side 2, Track 6
"Susie Q" (Eleanor Broadwater/Stan Lewis/Dale Hawkins) – 1:50
This is the old swamp rockabilly number – finally, something the Stones can really sink their teeth into. Mick's slurring vocal, Charlie Watts' neo-"What'd I Say" beat, Keith's biting solo – this might even be the definitive version: more rocking than the Dale Hawkins' original, less sprawling that CCR's psychedelic extravaganza.
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