THE ROLLING STONES

-Keith Richards isn't "one of the finest riff creators of all time", he is THE finest riff creator of all time, and one of the best SONGWRITERS of all time. To anyone who disputes Mr. Rock n Roll's crown as best riffer of all time: Brown Sugar, Satisfaction, Can't You Hear Me Knockin, Rocks Off.... i think you get the point. And for anyone who does not think Mr Richards is one of the greatest songwriters of all time, I have but two words for you: "Gimme Shelter."

ENGLAND'S NEWEST HITMAKERS (1964)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: I'm A King Bee, Tell Me, Route 66, Carol. LOW POINTS: Can I Get A Witness.

So this is how The Stones began - as hard hitting interpreters of the rock and roll, blues and Motown scene with a lot of energy and professionalism. In fact, the very sound of the album itself is what makes it probably the most revolutionary of their entire catalog, as here, the band effortlessly bridges the gap between the professional-sounding but hardly energetic outfits (practically all the pop bands at the time, Beatles included) and those who had a raw and energetic sound that was too sloppy (like The Kinks). Sure, the thing that will catch most people's eyes about Hitmakers is that the album's made up almost entirely of covers, with only one song being a complete Jagger-Richards original (a great one it is, though), but hey, at this stage of their career they were simply awesome at making these older standards into their own. What better substitute for Chuck Berry's playing than Keith Richards? Plus, Mick Jagger's singing is among his most convincing, and the rhythm section's tight. Early rock and roll at its' best.

Well, at least if you dig the sound, it is, and I can easily see where people wouldn't. The album isn't very adventurous or varied, plus chances are good that if you're really biased against this older style and don't care for its' early simplicity, you may not dig it. But I personally can see this as a somewhat fun album to listen to in spite of the obvious limitations - the charisma and tightness alone is enough to make "Route 66" (an old blues standard that's made faster and exciting), Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" (a lively way to open up the whole album), and Chuck Berry's "Carol" (where Keith really nails the old master's guitar style down and then some) come alive. Even the potentially annoying stuff like "I Just Want To Make Love To You" is made irresistible for me just because of that totally addictive way that guitar part keeps repeating itself over the rhythm, and the excitement of Jagger's vocals is at a high.

This album isn't all out rock, though, as much as the Stones are proficient at that. They also pull off a really neat take on slow blues in "I'm A King Bee", which is about as great a musical imitation of said insect that could be pulled off in 1964, what with the 'swooping' bassline from Bill Wyman, and the buzzing and stinging guitars of Brian Jones and Keith. It's probably the best song here due to the clever ear-catching way they pull it off, but second place for me is actually the original "Tell Me" - what a great acoustic guitar ballad this one is, with its' echoey production, inventive use of vocal effects, and the way it gets louder and poppy at the very, very memorable chorus ('tell me you're coming... back to me') with killer backing vocals to boot. There's also "Now I've Got A Witness", a highly entertaining organ-led instrumental with a fast chugging bassline that perversely is a lot more enjoyable than the song whose rhythm it's based on (more on that later).

As revolutionary and exciting as Hitmakers is, though, not all is perfect here. Besides the somewhat underlong 31 minute length, there are a few Motown style songs in "Honest I Do", "You Can Make It If You Try", and "Can I Get A Witness", and while the first two of those are decent (the band shows they're also proficient enough to handle their slow, thudding tempos as well as the faster songs, and the latter in particular has fine vocals), the third of these is kinda ehh - Jagger's got a weird vocal tone going on here, plus the annoying chants and bland repetitive piano line are enough to kinda wreck the whole song for me. In addition, the other partial original "Little By Little" actually has a great guitar and harmonica jam (where Jagger yells out 'My turn!'), but not really much else.

Still, this is a very excellent debut that shows how hard hitting and entertaining early rock and roll can be in the right hands. And there's even some charm to the sound too, as evidenced by the closing "Walking The Dog" - I like Aerosmith's cover on their debut slightly better, mostly because the way they stop the music right before the chorus is even more effective, but that's not to take away from the amusing background vocals and whistles on this version any. It's fun, as is most of the album. This might be the early Stones record to get as a starting point, actually, though people seem to hold Now! up as the quintessential example of their formative years. That one's excellent, too, but the historical importance and consistency of this one is good enough for me. And objectively, "Tell Me" > "Heart Of Stone".

OVERALL RATING: 8.5

12 x 5 (1964)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: It's All Over Now, Around And Around, 2120 South Michigan Avenue. LOW POINTS: If You Need Me.

When discussing the US version of the Stones' sophomore effort, the more noticeable pop influence is always brought up, and for a good reason, as the overall sound is definitely less energetic this time out as opposed to before. Even more apparent, though, is that this time five of the songs are originals, and in general, they're kind of on the underwhelming side - it's nothing short of amazing that in one or two short years after this stuff, they'd be writing stuff like "Satisfaction" and "Paint It, Black". Add that to the fact overall, the covers don't quite hit the same consistently excellent quality that they did before (though there are a couple big exceptions to that), plus there are a couple unmemorable tracks and some stylistic ventures that seem really out of place coming from a Stones album, and it's no wonder I consider this a bit inferior to the debut. But not so much that it's a drop off a cliff or anything.

In fact, this starts off just as excellent as Hitmakers and even more so - the opening "Around And Around" is yet more evidence that the Stones are really suited for playing Chuck Berry, with the swinging rhythm section and fantastic guitar work abounding. Well-produced and full sounding compared to most of the rest, as well. And the album can also boast what is probably the best cover they ever did in my humble opinion - "It's All Over Now" has incredibly exciting frantic energy (especially the guitar solo), a cool rumbling bass riff, more insanely good tightness, a great echoey fadeout, and hey, is that a 'half-assed' I hear in the lyrics? In a 1964 song? Hmm. I guess the gospel-influenced smash hit "Time Is On My Side", though a bit weaker than the single version, is very good too, since it's already got an excellent melody to begin with, plus there's nice band harmonizing. I don't think it quite holds up as well when compared to their later ballads, though - I've always thought it to be a bit overrated, though still reasonably impressive.

The rest of the album stays consistently good, though not always particularly special or memorable (as in the hardcore blues "Confessin' The Blues" or the 'original that sounds like a blues song and Led Zeppelin song title' "Good Times, Bad Times"), and it's occasionally awkward ("Under The Boardwalk" is not a pop standard the 'bad boys of rock and roll' should be doing, though the actual performance is nice). Plus, the closing "Suzie Q", unlike the less than 2 minute version here, was done in a far more definitive, epic version by CCR (even if this particular take is good, if a bit pointless), while "Congratulations", "Empty Heart" and "Grown Up Wrong" are somewhat formative originals, showing a few signs of inspiration and catchy melodies, but they don't really blow me away or anything. Even though the last one does have probably one of the earliest riffs in Keith Richards history, a neat sliding sort of rhythm.

I have to mention a real sleeper tune here, though, in the form of the instrumental "2120 South Michigan Avenue", probably one of the most overlooked Stones songs ever. What a fun little jam session this one is, driven by an upfront bassline and enthralling two-note repeating riff they use as a foundation for really cool organ, harmonica and guitar soloing. Certainly a fine display of chops, and believe it or not, it's one of my top three songs on the album. Which says something, because apart from another misguided Motown-ish mistake in "If You Need Me" (a clone if "You Can Make It If You Try", pretty much), I really like all the songs on here to some extent, making the album an overall very good early effort, even if only a couple of them can be called classics, and several songs suggest there's still room for improvement. But that improvement would be just around the corner!

OVERALL RATING: 7.5

THE ROLLING STONES, NOW! (1965)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Down Home Girl, Down The Road Apiece, Little Red Rooster. LOW POINTS: Pain In My Heart.

The Stones' third American album (which made up most of the British equivalent The Rolling Stones No. 2) and their first U.S. release of 1965 finds them continuing to interpret their rock 'n' roll, R&B and blues influences, with Jagger and Richards slowly attempting to find their own songwriting voice. Although their own material still doesn't do justice to the stuff they're covering, which probably contributes to my feeling that Now! seems a bit overrated, the performances still sound incredibly tight and the songs themselves are mostly a fun listen. I don't even mind that the sound quality varies a lot between tracks since this album was also pieced together from not only No. 2 tracks, but also singles from around the time. If I were the All Music Guide, I'd probably end this review right here, but I ain't going to.

Like I said before, the four originals here aren't really up to par with the rest of the material, though they're all at least decent. "What A Shame" is probably the best of them with its' really nice full-sounding speaker separation that captures Bill Wyman's bass especially well (good melody, too) and "Surprise, Surprise" is just a lightweight, fun little pop closer that doesn't really stand out too much, though it's nice. The hit ballad "Heart Of Stone" is regarded as their first classic ballad, but even though it does have a fine passionate chorus, the verses just sound too much like generic R&B for me to appreciate it that much, not to mention their resemblance to the similarly-styled, very bland "Pain In My Heart" (the weakest cover and low point of the album). The last original "Off The Hook" is a bit repetitive, though certainly catchy on account of its' memorable guitar riff.

The cover material (with that one exception I mentioned), though, is the real reason for the album's existence. The opening "Everybody Wants Somebody To Love" is my favorite, as its' such an amazingly fabulous groove that works for 5 totally addictive minutes (especially the 'I need you, you, you...' refrain). The ending Jagger vocal improvisations even hinting at the later "Going Home" epic, and that's certainly something. There's also the downright nasty "Down Home Girl", boasting extremely effective guitar licks after each lyric, a great pace, and totally unique atmosphere. "Down The Road Apiece" is also a great swinging boogie, and the Robert Johnson blues "Little Red Rooster", actually a number one hit for the band, is really a signature display of Mick Jagger's vocals and Brian Jones' slide guitar work.

The performance of Chuck Berry cover "You Can't Catch Me" is also fast and inspired, plus if the melody and a couple lines might sound strangely familiar to you, I have two words for you - "Come Together". Yup, that's where John Lennon got his inspiration for that song from. Their take on Bo Diddley's "Mona (I Need You Baby)" certainly isn't bad either - it may be a bit repetitive, but Jagger manages to give a hypnotizing vocal performance, especially in his delivery of 'I said yeah! yeah yeah yeah Mona...' "Oh Baby (We Got A Good Thing Goin')", meanwhile, is decent catchy rock 'n' roll to round out the whole album. Their breakthrough as songwriters may not have come until later, but here there are enough vintage performances to call Now! a very solid and consistent album, so along with Hitmakers, this is a very worthwhile start for getting acquainted with the Stones' early sound.

OVERALL RATING: 8

OUT OF OUR HEADS (1965)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Satisfaction, The Last Time, Play With Fire. LOW POINTS: That's How Strong My Love Is.

Although by this point the Stones' had certainly established themselves as a force in rock with their first three albums, they had done it primarily through interpretations of other people's material (not that there was anything wrong with that, as they were extremely proficient, and in Hitmakers' case quite innovative, at doing so). That, however, would change once Jagger and Richards came closer and closer to finding a songwriting voice of their own. So close, in fact, that the best of these seven originals (by far a high for them at this point) completely blow most of their self-penned competition on the first three albums out of the water. And given that the covers lifted Now! to complete excellence in several places, this should theoretically be the easy choice for best early Stones album. But curiously, this is a case where the theory is proven wrong, since Out Of Our Heads is actually an astoundingly inconsistent piece of work in the end.

First off, quite unlike Now!, none of the five cover versions are what I'd exactly call great - actually, they seem almost pointless and boring in the context of the entire listening experience. Only one of them actually sucks - "That's How Strong My Love Is" has okay singing, but it's another one of their dull and crappy Motown workouts with the repetitive chorus totally getting on my nerves. But even though they're still decent in the long run, moments like the similarly repetitive (but at least damn infectious) Marvin Gaye tune "Hitch Hike" and the tight opening R&B workout "Have Mercy" don't catch fire the same way as their previous covers do, and they're a lot more lightweight as well. Ditto for the Sam Cooke tune "Good Times" (the one that goes 'come on, let the good times roll / we're gonna stay here till we soothe our soul'). "Cry To Me" probably comes the closest to achieving greatness, with a passionate tone to the singing and nice atmosphere, though it still doesn't come across as amazing for whatever reason.

Oh, I know what reason - it comes directly after the song that would put most followup tunes to shame, not only the most impressive of the originals, but arguably the defining song of rock and roll in "Satisfaction". It has a guitar whose tone sounds almost like a sax! Bill Wyman's bassline rules! Oh, and there's some main riff in there that's pretty good, and the lyrics do an okay job of conveying sleaze and whatnot. Plus, the hook is okay - maybe you'll actually remember it after a couple listens (kidding, of course). Or what about "The Last Time", whose sliding riff sounds utterly simplistic and poorly produced at first, but ultimately incredibly tight and poppy in such a way that it'll never leave your head (plus the main melody is almost as unforgettable)? Or the other big highlight among the orignals (actually, the whole album) in the folk tune "Play With Fire", which isn't just any old folk tune, but a downright creepy mystical one with a dark tinge in the melody, eerie harpsichord work and partially the lyrics? On most albums, it'd probably be the best song, but not this one.

Of course, that's not too much of a compliment towards the album as a whole, nope. You should have already figured that out by now based on my skepticism of the covers. That and the fact that none of the other originals are amazing either. Two of the others come close to really good ("The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man", "The Spider And The Fly"), but the one thing holding them back is that, at the core, they're just well played generic blues. Still, I can't deny the subtle little catchy riff in the former or the quiet, swaying melody that gets under your skin during the latter. The other two, meanwhile, are decent but nothing special, whether it be the live track "I'm All Right" (which could actually be quite good without those screaming girls and crappy production, since it has a catchy riff and nice energy) and the closing "One More Try" (a fast blues tune that has such an idiotic melody, but yet it's got cool harmonica work and fun energy plus it always gets stuck in my head, so it's a big guilty pleasure for me). Pretty damn uneven, but the highs on here are essential, and almost everything here is pleasant at the very least.

OVERALL RATING: 7.5

AFTERMATH (1966)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Under My Thumb, Paint It Black, Goin' Home, Lady Jane, Stupid Girl. LOW POINTS: Think.

By 1966, rock music was starting to evolve from a much more singles-oriented format in its' beginning to a somewhat more album-oriented one, and this was The Stones' equivalent of the immaculately flowing studio album that was seemed to fit right in with full length LP masterworks from The Beatles (Revolver), The Kinks (Face To Face), The Beach Boys (Pet Sounds) and Bob Dylan (Blonde On Blonde). By this point in their career, cover material was no longer the focus of the band's sound, as this is the very first Stones album composed entirely of original material, and the songs reflect their artistic growth. At the core, the tracks on Aftermath are simple pop tunes, but each of them have distinguishing features about them much like the other '66 blockbusters, featuring such diverse instrumentation (much of it played by Brian Jones) such as the marimba, dulcimer, xylphone, and sitar to go along with electric guitar and Jagger harmonica. The British version of this album had 14 original tunes, but the now standard American deletes three of them and opens the album with the single "Paint It Black" instead.

No matter, though, as that 'single' gets the album off to an huge momentum: driven by a completely distinctive and ultra-memorable sitar part, great melody and really dark mood driven by the music, vocals and lyrics, it's a genuine classic, a really friggin' great paranoid pop song to say the least. Don't think it stops there, though, as it's followed up by the nasty two-chord female putdown "Stupid Girl", which is driven by an incessant rhythm, organ playing and catchy as hell melody. Then it curiously veers from there into elegance with the acoustic guitar and dulcimer-driven Elizabethan ballad "Lady Jane", a completely beautiful and breathtaking experience with its' moving melody and perfect instrumental parts. It's also a real lyrical oddity here amongst the darkness and nasty attitude displayed amongst this stretch.

This stretch reaches pure perfection with my choice for best song on the album in another classic putdown of women in "Under My Thumb". The coolest feature of the song is certainly Brian Jones' marimba part (which is simple enough, but utterly distinctive and engaging), but the melodic flow between the verse and chorus is just perfect. So much so, in fact, that it seems that the rest of the album can't quite keep the classic momentum going, as it begins to lose a bit of steam in the next few tracks. None of these songs are actually weak, that's for sure, though probably coming the closest are the next two, the rather ordinary pop tune "Think" that is a bit of a rewrite of "Under My Thumb" in the verses, and "Doncha Bother Me", which is only really distinguished by its' fine slide guitar part, but it's a lot of fun while it's on.

The pace does pick back up a little bit with the pleasantly groovy piano shuffle "Flight 505" and the bouncy and entertaining "High And Dry", which has a more pronounced country influence used quite effectively, though those two aren't really exceptional either, even though I can certainly get a kick out of them while they're on. The distorted bass riff-driven and infectious "It's Not Easy" (which has a really great refrain - 'and it's haaaaaaaaaaaard') and the folky chanting ballad "I Am Waiting" (a very excellent mysterious tune with a very, very solid pop refrain) are probably the closest things to great in this portion of the album, and you'll be happy to hear them.

Happy, especially, in the anticipation of what closes the album - the controversial 11-minute closing track "Going Home". The song starts off as a road-weary blues lament with a fine melody and an amusing chorus ('goin' home, bome, badome bome bome bome...'), but what really distinguishes the song is what comes after its' first three minutes - nearly that entire time is taken up by Jagger vocal improvisations that you may get irritated with, but they personally captivate me the entire time, because they're really varied and clever, and the whole rhythm starts to get really addictive with the bassline that appears later. It's easily a golden classic, especially since in the hands of almost any other band, a song like this would be a complete disaster. As for the album, it's not quite an undeniable 10, as its' middle numbers aren't really exceptional, but the best material on here is as great as anything else in their catalog, and that's certainly something.

OVERALL RATING: 9

BETWEEN THE BUTTONS (1967)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Ruby Tuesday, Cool Calm And Collected, Let's Spend The Night Together, Something Happened To Me Yesterday, Miss Amanda Jones, Connection. LOW POINTS: None.

As if Aftermath wasn't based enough in pop songwriting, The Stones followed up that album with one of the most controversial (and often overlooked) years in their career with material based even more in that vein. Essentially, Between The Buttons is a collection of pop gems with simple, but effortlessly flowing melodies whose subject matter takes on English life, much like The Kinks were doing at the same time, only this album puts down that life style while those releases celebrated it. Again, just like Aftermath, the track listing differs slightly between the British and American versions, and again I'm following the standard U.S. one here, which adds the hit singles "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" in place of other album tracks, which does make the slightly conceptual flow of this release suffer a bit, but it doesn't hurt the quality anyway. How could it hurt things when the songwriting is still on a great momentum?

The material here is at such a high, in fact, that I can easily call this one of the best pop albums I've ever heard, and probably the band's masterpiece in that area along with the following American bastard release Flowers. The aforementioned singles (which are also present on that album, damn record companies!) definitely qualify as smashing classics. The first of these, of course, is a wonderfully uptempo and energetic number with a priceless melody ('da da da da...' chants and all) that just flows so incredibly well that just about any band would kill for it. The second one is definitely one of the greatest ballads in the Stones' catalog, with gorgeous soft verses, irresistible (and weird, thanks a lot to Brian Jones!) background instrumentation and a great, great chorus (accented by perfectly placed drum beats) that easily makes it the best number here.

The exceptional "Connection" has fine rocking energy and is another melodic gem (where have I heard that melody before, though? someone clue me in!), and "Yesterday's Papers" being a slightly melancholy and haunting reflection ('who wants yesterday's paper's? nobody in the world...') with great marimba work and an absolutely fantastic counterpart hook. And who could possibly forget the really Kinks-ish "Cool, Calm & Collected"? The fast-paced piano laden verses are absolutely perfect the way it comes full circle with its' slower chorus, the breakaway toward the end probably imitating a train is one of the absolute coolest ideas I've ever heard in a song, and the feature that tops everything else, it has a kazoo in it. Now how can you top a pop song like that one?

Well, there are several other tunes here that aren't quite off from that standard. Unlike Aftermath, which couldn't quite maintain a classic pace after its' first four song stretch, this album manages to overflow with hooks almost all the way through. To round out the first half we have the slow organ groove of "She Smiled Sweetly" (which has a wonderful refrain, and the most charming part of it is the 'oh no, no, no' line by Mick), but the highlights of side two are just as good. The rumbling "My Obsession" has another extremely infectious piano groove with another melody to kill for (if you'd actually want to do that), and "Complicated" is another fun little number in pretty much the same style with even more of an emphasis on that putdown stuff they were so good at Excellent work.

There's even successful Beatles and Dylan imitations (filtered through Jagger/Richards songwriting of course) in "All Sold Out", with yet another top-notch melody, and the way the chorus is sung is very reminiscent of the Fabs' early period, and "Who's Been Sleeping Here", a track where Mick gets Bob's vibe down pretty well, from the lyrics, vocal intonations, and harmonica playing (plus there's a really cool bassline underpinning the acoustic guitar). "Miss Amanda Jones" is faster than the rest of them, and that feature makes it an even more entertaining uptempo, classic putdown of the English ways and such, with an absolutely awesome 'round and round and round and round...' melody).

Then finally, an indicator of the album's sheer quality comes in what closes things off. "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" is a music hall tune that could easily annoy, mostly because of those obnoxious 'oh so groovy' parts in there and the corny 'farewell' thing at the end, but the counterpart 'he don't know just where it was...' melody sung by Keith Richards is just criminally catchy, and the instrumentation and tempo is so incredibly fun and timeless that it's a classic. And there it is. This is unquestionably a fantastic effort, if you ask me - too bad this album has generally been forgotten in the band's catalog (mostly because the Stones themselves understandably dismiss it nowadays). Other than its' issues of flow toward the beginning and a few of the hooks taking a couple listens to become truly become memorable, this is a pure pop masterpiece. Definitely give it a shot.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

FLOWERS (1967)

(reviewed by Kevin Baker)

Vat eez zis? Ze Stones doing ze pop muzik??? Ja! Ja, eet eez! Und eet eez gut! Corny German accents aside, this is a goodie, even if it is nothing but a weird American release. You see, the Stones discography was getting screwy by 1967, so the record company threw together a collection of lovely singles and songs omitted from the American Stones LPs or some stuff like that....all I know is that if you want a good overlook to the Stones pop period, here ya be. Well, wot do we 'ave 'ere, guvnor? We got good stuff! You've all no doubt heard Ruby Tuesday, Let's Spend The Night Together, and Lady Jane....and they're all fantastic. ;But the real high point is not one of these gems. Nope, it's.....Backstreet Girl! Yes, the real winner here is a soft, prety, accordion-laden ode to adulterous adventures involving a rich pig and his lovely young peasant lass who he treats like 100% crap because he's rich and she's not. However, he still keeps her around so he can get some. Jerk. But a devastatingly great song.

Other winners? Out Of Time! It's got that nifty little marimba or whatever it is, just like Under My Thumb. And don't forget Please Go Home, a heavier little number with a Bo Diddley beat. Ooh, and Mother's Little Helper....the best song about your mom getting high on pills you've ever heard! Oh, and Have You Seen Yoru Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow! Nasty, grungey little song.....viscious indeed. But still a top 10 hit for Mick, Keith, and the boys. Oh, and they also do My Girl here.....no joke. It's not bad, either.

Now back to those aforementioned songs you've heard. My personal favorite would be Let's Spend The Night Together....what a faboo melody, and the pianos with the stomping rhythm sound great! But Ruby Tuesday's great, too! Maybe the best Stones ballad of the 60s. Maybe not. But it's still gorgeous in the utmost....I love the mellotron. Meanwhile, Lady Jane sounds right special because of that dulcimer. Very arresting. So, what's the verdict? Good! Not a 10 because some of the other songs too cruddy to mention go nowhere so I don't mention them at all the walrus cried aloud as his fin went the sky is...sorry, having a James Joyce moment. I guess what I love is how the Stones could arrange popsongs. They always used such cool little things like marimbas and dulcimers and accordions and stuff. Nifty!

OVERALL RATING: 9

THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST (1967)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Citadel, 2000 Light Years From Home, She's A Rainbow, The Lantern, In Another Land, Sing This All Together. LOW POINTS: Sing This All Together (See What Happens).

Now here is where opinions really get divided during the band's 'trend following' ventures in 1967. On this album, The Stones try their hand at psychedelia, and the end result is usually either dismissed as a lame Sgt. Pepper ripoff that's a failed and dated attempt at experimentation or praised as their most underrated album ever. The accusations that they were merely following the trends here may be true to a point (same with Between The Buttons), but who exactly wasn't going far out during this time period? If anything, the sound here is much closer to Pink Floyd's Piper At The Gates Of Dawn in its' dark and uneasy atmosphere than 'flower power' pop. And besides, the exceptional melodies here still exist in large part, and there are even slight hints of the direction they would be heading later (though it's still a pretty jarring and extremely unexpected transition from here to Beggars Banquet).

So how good is this album exactly? Well, it's successful for the most part, but there are a few flaws that are the direct result of the band overdoing the experimental trick - the opening "Sing This All Together" may be a really memorable pop singalong with cool astral sound effects toward the end, but its' reprise at the end of side one (with a "See What Happens" tag in parentheses) is a really directionless and boring sound collage that lasts nearly 8 minutes. It has a decent rhythm I suppose, but there isn't much at all that jumps out about the atmosphere, and it lacks a captivating mood or intruiging flow. Much the same with "Gomper", which starts out as a really pretty, mysterious ballad, but then wanders off aimlessly into dull experimental city. There's also the closing "On With The Show", a lame rewrite of "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" done psychedelia style, complete with an overblown accent and dumb silly atmosphere.

Fortunately, though, the remainder of the songs are the usual quality. Besides "Sing This All Together", there's also my personal favorite "Citadel", with an unbeatable combination of a classic Stones riff, effective Mellotron sounds, strange lyrics and unforgettable melody. There's even a Bill Wyman composition ("In Another Land") which features a really neat vibrating vocal and harpsichord part that produces a simply eerie effect, and even a futuristic 'cock rocker' "2000 Man" (later covered by Kiss! shudder), which starts out as a nifty folk song and moves into a rather hilarious chorus. They also haven't left pure pop behind with the album's gorgeous radio representative "She's A Rainbow", which has effective strings and piano parts plus a beautiful melody, and of course the highly moving power of "The Lantern" that boasts arguably the most well-written melody and inspiring vocal performance on the entire album.

Oh yeah, as far as the Piper influence goes, toward the end of the album we also get the band's take on 'space rock' in "2000 Light Years From Home" (what's with these songs with '2000' in the title??), and it's definitely something. The mellotron part of this song perfectly captures the cold, uncertain atmosphere of the outside world, and the tension-filled atmosphere of the song, especially in its' melody and lyrics, certainly are no slouch either, much like this album. Its' more aggressively experimental moments may not be anything spectacular (which is mostly what holds the album back from a higher grade), but there's still plenty of examples of The Stones' exceptional songwriting talents, which definitely makes this controversial affair worth acquiring. Very intriguing cover artwork, too.

UPDATE: Hey, I kinda like "On With The Show" now - it's really, really goofy but perversely charming! And I've gained even more of an appreciation for "Sing This All Together" and "2000 Man" (love that melody and quirky chorus), so I figure a rating increase is in order here.

OVERALL RATING: 9

BEGGARS BANQUET (1968)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Sympathy For The Devil, Salt Of The Earth, No Expectations, Street Fighting Man, Stray Cat Blues, Jig-Saw Puzzle. LOW POINTS: None.

Following their psychedelic release Their Satanic Majesties Request, the Stones decided to reinvent roots rock as their own on its' followup, and as a result created one of the seminal rock albums of the late 60's. Normally, I'm not really too huge a fan of this style, but when it's done with effective diversity incorporated (waltz, samba, blues, country, gospel), entertainingly gritty riffs, raunchy vocals and lyrics and of course excellent melodies, you've got a classic on your hands. It does take a few listens to really get into though - the sound is hardly very inviting on initial runthrough due to the rough production and deceptively messy playing, and the songs seemingly ramble on with little point. But once the sound grabs hold, it never lets go. In other words, it will grow on you if you let it. Just ask John McFerrin.

Plus, the album begins with "Sympathy For The Devil", and that alone means quite a bit. One of the most celebrated songs in the Stones catalog and in rock history, the top highlight with its' obviously Satanic vibe in its' lyrics, appropriate Jagger vocals for the role, bongo drums, 'woo-woo' chants, a piercing guitar solo in the middle, and a simply awesome build throughout the entire song. Definitely one of the band's finest moments, if not their all time best song. But out from the depths of hell afterwards comes "No Expectations", which is, of all things, a slide guitar ballad that is just beautiful beyond words. It has a perfect vibe in its' atmosphere, as it seems to me to perfectly depict the mood of a thunderstorm that has ended, with the rain settling down and the sun just comng up. Great slide work by Brian Jones in painting that picture, and it goes without saying the melody rules.

And of course, there's a lot more great, varied, prime material here, with melodies galore and interesting ideas. "Dear Doctor" is a hilarious waltzy tune with a really, really striking pop melody that easily grabs me, plus a female vocal imitation by Jagger near the end to move the lyrics forward. The hardcore blues of "Parachute Woman" may be slightly simplistic, but the playing and guitar interplay with the vocals (plus that tone!) is incredible, and the line 'parachute woman, land on me tonight' is quite amusing. We even get a Dylan-influenced epic in "Jig-Saw Puzzle" to close side one, which flows wonderfully for six minutes with a fabulous groove, interestingly meaningless lyrics not unlike the master himself, plus a catchy as heck chorus. It may ramble just slightly near the end, but it's powerful enough to entertain straight through.

Opening the second side comes "Street Fighting Man", a glorious acoustic guitar driven political anthem of revolution, and it works oh so well. Enough that the controversial Rage Against The Machine even covered it over 30 years later. Incredible guitar tone, convincing lyrics, and all-around awesome performance, especially since it sounds so heavy even though it's mostly done on acoustic guitar! Afterwards the wonderful folky religious retelling "Prodigal Son" offers a rather interesting perspective on the lyrics, and while it's probably not all that fascinating musically, the melody really works, and that makes everything come through just fine.

Oh yeah, and then there's freakin' "Stray Cat Blues", which is simply the very definition of what a truly awesome raunchy and sleazy song should sound like - excellent guitar work, really sly lyrics and down and dirty, just like that album cover bathroom shot. In my mind, it simply puts Aerosmith, Poison or whoever else you can throw out in this department to shame. And there's even a Mellotron in the chorus. "Factory Girl" isn't quite as good as the other tracks, but it's not really as weak as I used to consider it. The incessant violin and out of tune vocals used to bug me slightly, but these problems are countered by the fact the song's only a little over two minutes long, the acoustic intro and actual vocal melody are great, and the lyrics are really funny.

Then the closing track "Salt Of The Earth" provides a stunning bookend to go along with "Sympathy For The Devil", and it's a simply phenomenal gospel-tinged song that hints at the even greater "You Can't Always Get What You Want" epic from the next album, and it's just beautiful straight through - no other word for it, and the part where the tempo increases with the piano backing is totally majestic. Another Keith Richard vocal job, fantastic melody and lyrics that pretend to be sincere toward the working class but are actually a slap in the face help the song bring a gripping end to this thing. In all, Beggars Banquet, like its' follow-up album, is a total essential for any collection and one of the undisputed greatest albums ever, though the next one is just a little better in consistency. But even Let It Bleed has nothing as brilliant as "Sympathy For The Devil".

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

(Seth Edwards' review)

The first of many albums which fall under the group's peak period of 1968-1972, Beggars Banquet is essential for any fan of rock n roll. Originally intended to have a cover displaying a graffiti-filled bathroom, the cover was banned by their record company and replaced on the shelves with an all white cover with the band and album names on it. The original cover has been available for some time now, and it says everything about this album before you even hear it. Its dirty, raunchy, and edgy, a return to form for the group after 1967's Their Satanic Majesties Request which is still a point of controvery for most fans of the Rolling Stones.

As for the songs, let's start with the obvious. This album has 'Sympathy for the Devil'! The former features great lyrics (some of the best Jagger ever did), although piecing together a meaning for the song is practically impossible. Most people either think it cemented the Stones' reputation as Satanists or they think it's one of the best songs in the entire Stones' catalog. There's the aforementioned lyrics, awesome soloing (thanks to Brian Jones I believe), and more which would make this album worth checking out by itself. There's the album's resident rocker "Street Fighting Man", which has one of the most unique guitar tones around. Rumor has it that Keith recorded the guitar part using a children's tape recorder which resulted in the sound heard on the album. A mighty anthem of revolution, or so it would seem. After ranting about charging feet and railing at the King's servants, Mick questions his own ability to solve anything at all.

There's a few timeless ballads here. First is "No Expectations" which features among other things great slide guitar playing by Brian Jones, who makes his last significant contribution to the group on this album. "Jigsaw Puzzle" features Dylan-esque lyrics, but Mick Jagger is no Bob Dylan. The great melody's here, but the song simply wears out its welcome after 5 minutes or so. The album closer "Salt of the Earth" features a Keith Richards-lead vocal on the first verse, which I believe was his first ever lead vocal for the group, but certainly not his last. It too is a great, gospel-tinged song praising the working class, but is really the prequel to "You Can't Always Get What You Want", the album closer on the album after this one, Let It Bleed.

What about the blues? This is the album where the Stones came back to their roots, after all. "Stray Cat Blues" is built around yet another great riff from Keith Richards. It also features some of Jagger's raunchiest lyrics to date, like "I can see that you're only 15 years old, but I don't want your ID", or "You've got a friend shes wilder than you, why don't you bring her upstairs, if she's so wild than she can join in too". Yes, the Classic Stones are back. "Parachute Woman" is the most traditional blues number here, and is an album low-point for people who don't like straight blues. However, people that don't appreciate the blues probably won't go near this album to begin with. There's a waltz (Dear Doctor), and an acoustic blues song (Factory Girl). Neither quite match up to "Sympathy For The Devil", but then again, what does? This is the record that started the peak period, and its one of the essential albums for any lover of Rock N Roll music at its finest.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

I'm on a Stones ROLL today! ;Hahahahaha!!!! Me so funny! Not really. Drugged up from my wisdom teeth operation, yes, but no funnier than normal according to my good friend Neil. I'll own up to being a Stones fanatic, or at least I'm such when it comes to the whole rootsy 68-72 period. I STILL need a copy of Exile, though....at any rate, out of the whole back-to-the-roots thang they went through, I still think this one is tops. I love all of them, but I really find Beggar's Banquet to be the toppermost. Why? Join me, Kevin Baker, on a journey into the landmark lp known as Beggar's Banquet on today's episode of Kevin Baker Reviews. (key organist to play theme song.)

Hello, and welcome to Kevin Baker Reviews. I'm Kevin Baker, and I'm reviewing. Hence the name of this highly educational program. In 1968, the Stones went back to.....THIS PORTION OF THE PROGRAM DELETED DUE TO AN OBSCENE GESTURE MADE BY THE FAT MAN ON THE LEFT. The opener, Sympathy For The Devil, is a real classic. To comment briefly on the lyrics, I will say that I as a Christian do not find them to be objectionable because they do not change the fundamental truth that Satan is a despicable, evil liar. Thus, the song is not pro-Satan or anything as a lot of folks try to make it out to be. Off the soapox, this song is sooo great instrumentally. I love sambas anyways, but good guggamugga! That solo is one of the finest laid on tape if for no other reason than how perfectly it fits the atmosphere of the song.

But since you all know all about that ditty anyways, let's move on to song numero dos. No Expectations. Lawd, this one is gorgeous. That Brian Jones could play some slide guitar, he could. Mick's in top form, and the whole country blues ballad vibe fits LIKE A GLOOOVE. Now, the next song, Dear Doctor, is a bit corny, but hey....it's supposed to be. It IS a country blues waltz! Mick Jagger's woman impression is a hoot, though. Now we go harder with Parachute Woman. Murky, dark, loud, sleazy.....and randy as all get out. Randy blues. Very cool, and also not overstaying it's welcome as the song is rather short. The same can't be said for Jigsaw Puzzle, which is many things, but not short. The Dylanesque wordgames are quite interesting, but I'm more captivated by the slide guitar.....so close to being out of tune, but still tight. Tight but loose. It works great.

But now we have my favorite.Street Fighting Man. All acoustic except the bass. Distorted by a handheld recording device. Hard, loud, and MEAN. A real anthem of revolution. Soundtrack to Chicago '68. GREAT song. Prodigal Son, the ditty following it, is a bit of an odd choice for the Stones. A GOSPEL BLUES song??? Hey, they do it very well. I like it a lot, partially because the biblical story of the prodigal son is so touching anyways. I also love Stray Cat Blues.....good grief, what a dirty, filthy song. It is THE sleaze anthem of the last 30 years or so. Smutty, but still veiled with innuendo. Thinly veiled, but veiled nonetheless.

Somewhat less dirty is the following Factory Girl, a great little folksy ditty with some GREAT fiddle. Meanwhile, I also adore the closing Salt Of The Earth....an anthem (or anti-anthem? You decide) of the common people featuring some Keith Richards vocal leads in the first verse, and some smokin' Nicky Hopkins piano. OK, so why do I like this one so much? Because it is ALL dark. Even the funnier songs still have this dark atmosphere about them. That atmosphere gives their blues the feel of the blues. THAT's what makes Beggar's Banquet so great.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

COMMENTS

a great album i dont know if its a 9 or a 10. I dont like dear doctor too much but the rest is great! oh and i dont really like factory girl, but the rest of the stuff makes up for it! Oh and actually Keith does the solo on "Sympathy".

You guys are all very strange. And so are the majority of music critics out there, in my opinion. EVERYONE seems to rate this album as a masterpiece. Now, I understand that it's a "classic" in the "this influenced a lot of other bands and marked a new trend" sense of the word. But "masterpiece?" I just don't see it. Only five of the songs seem to be any good (Sympathy for the Devil, Dear Doctor, Jig-Saw Puzzle, Stray Cat Blues, and Salt of the Earth). The problem is, the Rolling Stones just don't seem to be that good with melodies. They can be sleazy, raunchy, rootsy, tootsy, and fruitsy all they want, but unless they write something that sticks in my head, I'm not going to bow down to them like everyone else does. You want REAL memorability, check out Exile on Main Street. THAT has some real hooks.

LET IT BLEED (1969)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Gimmie Shelter, You Can't Always Get What You Want, You Got The Silver, Midnight Rambler, Monkey Man, Live With Me. LOW POINTS: None.

The Stones were right in the midst of a creative hot streak and the death of Brian Jones (who was subsequently replaced by Mick Taylor), they released this gem from the end of the late 60's. Sure, it's actually structured much like the previous year's Beggars Banquet, but the overall quality of the songs is just slightly better, and the way the songs are presented here is just unbelievable, with excellent examples of rock and roll made to be played loud (according to the liner notes) sitting alongside chilling epics, reworked blues, awesome grooves, and acoustic ballads, with great melodies through and through on every last track. In fact, this is definitely one of the best rock albums ever made in terms of sheer power and immaculate flow between the songs - and the quality of the tracks is just incredibly even to the point where I can hardly decide an absolute favorite amongst any of them.

Plus, any record that opens with a song like "Gimmie Shelter" is bound to kick ass. It actrually has a somewhat weaker production than the rest of the tracks (things sound almost muffled here), but that doesn't hurt it one bit. The song really comes alive on an epic level building almost like an unsettling storm, with an absolutely classic haunting guitar line that creates a truly frightening atmosphere that's only enhanced by a fantastically desperate chorus featuring Mary Clayton's backing vocals ('it's just a shot away...') and lyrics that seem to capture the unrest of the late 60's very effectively. It's surely an absolute highlight here, but still, it's just scratching the surface of this masterwork.

"Love In Vain" is one of the obligatory blues homages on the album, a reworking of a Robert Johnson song that eases the mood a bit after the album opener, and it's quite a pleasant slow number, with fine mandolin, slide guitar and of course excellent vocals to elevate the song to the ranks of greatness. The instrumentation is delicately conceived to the point where it really creates a mood that's something special, and it works. "Country Honk" continues to move things along nicely as a country-flavored acoustic song that many dismiss as obvious filler on the album, but even though it's my least favorite on the record (and apparently the hard rock version of the song is superior) I still absolutely love it, as it's a perfect example of a laid-back number that sounds as if the band recorded it while relaxing on the porch with cars going by without a care in the world, and the mood conveys those sentiments perfectly. Catchy too.

Then of course, there's "Live With Me", a more straightforward number whose main feature is a bassline (played by Keith Richard, no less) that just grooves, really pushing the song forward to its' irresistible chorus - an extremely fun tune. The side then ends with the title track, which along with being an awesome acoustic/piano shuffle, has not only an extremely catchy hook but also really eye-opening lyrics ('she knifed me in my dirty filthy basement', 'we all need someone we can cream on...') to set the stage for the nearly 7 minute psycho tale "Midnight Rambler", a chilling serial killer epic that starts off as a threatening slow blues before the tempo gradually gets faster and it builds up to the gripping end, all with phenomenal vocals. The overall tone of the song just floors me, and it strikes a perfect balance between timeless mood and great playing. Wow.

The next tune that again eases the mood wonderfully is perhaps my dark horse favorite on here in the absolutely gorgeous Keith Richard-sung "You Got The Silver", an extraordinarily pretty ballad which has vocals that are a totally pleasant contrast from Jagger's howls in this context, and it has a first class melody too, which separates it from boring and rambling stuff like "Coming Down Again" of later. Then it's back to the haunting mood again in "Monkey Man", which starts off with a few chilling piano notes before turning into a powerful rocker (man is the riff ever great on this one) in a perfect song construction to die for. The instrumental break in the middle is simply breathtaking, with the perfect choice of notes throughout, and the lyrics are a welcome burst of wonderfully psychedelic sillyness. It rules.

Finally, to close things out we get the most optimistic piece here, the lengthy "You Can't Always Get What You Want", a somewhat huge standout. As a powerful 7-1/2 minute ballad, it's simply perfect in its' construction, what with the opening choir chanting leading into the beautiful verse melody and unforgettable chorus ('but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need...'). The middle of the song with the harmonies and simple repeated piano line in particular produces a stunning effect. Maybe it's a bit out of place moodwise, but it's yet another in a long line of phenomenal classic tunes to close out the album. Whether or not it's the Stones finest is up to debate, but this is undeniably one of the greatest and most defining rock album ever made, certainly a fixture in my own top 10 right now.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

(Seth Edwards' review)

This album, released the day after former guitarist Brian Jones' death, would simply be the seminal release of the Stones' career. The classic opener "Gimme Shelter" features a great introduction where the guitars build up the main melody of the song, climaxing with the bombastic main riff. From the first notes, Keith Richards is in top form, perhaps because Mick Taylor was not fully integrated with the band yet and Brian Jones had left after Beggars Banquet. Keith picks up the slack nicely, however. The album opener also features a haunting guest vocal by Mary Clayton, her voice contrasts nicely with Jagger's. "Gimme Shelter" sets the tone for the rest of the album: rich, moody, and distinctively dark.

The other hard-rockers manage to hold their own with "Gimme Shelter" which is a complement and of itself. "Live With Me" is probably the most generic Stones song on here, but that's definately not a bad thing. It combines raunchy lyrics with the boogie-woogie piano of Nicky Hopkins, Keef's playing and of course the group's always solid rhythm section. On here, the piano, bass and drums stand out, while fans of distorted guitar will probably prefer the version on Get Yer Ya Ya's Out!. "Monkey Man" is a bit slower in tempo than "Gimme Shelter" or "Live With Me". However, its got a solid groove (Wyman/Watts again!) that will get under your skin, and features a unique middle 8 as well with sweeping guitars and piano. Also, Ronnie Wood has been quoted as saying that "Monkey Man" is his favorite Richards riff!

The ballads here are just as good as the rockers, "Love In Vain" is one from the Robert Johnson archives. To be technical, the lyrics belong to Johnson but the music is Jagger/Richards. It's a slow blues number, with a beautiful melody combined with slide playing and even a mandolin (played by Ry Cooder)! "You Got the Silver" features the first full-fledged Keith Richards lead vocal, and he does a good enough job with it. He hasn't developed the more nasal tone which can be heard on almost all his songs since this one, beginning with "Happy" from the Exile On Main Street album.

The last ballad, and last song on the album might also be the most well known song from it as well. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" features an intro sung by the London Bach Choir which used to irritate me, but I've heard it so many times now I can't help but enjoy it. The instrumentation on this song is some of the most complex on the album, featuring the forementioned choir, Keith's acoustic and overdubbed lead guitar, piano, organ, bass/drums, and various percussion. What puzzles me is why Jimmy Miller's on drums instead of Charlie Watts! The song features some of Jagger's best lyrics to date which should strike a chord with anyone who takes time to read them. It is also one of the few epic ballads to be released by Stones, as well. I wouldn't say its the best song on the album, because everything here is so great. I would say that its the best song to close out this album - it's the only one which has a hint of optimism about it!

There's a strong country influence here, starting with "Country Honk", which would later be turned into a rock'n'roller by the name of "Honky Tonk Woman". The album's one fault (and its a very small one) is that the hard rock version isn't on here! No disrespect to this version, but the fiddle on here isn't a substitute for the fantastic Richards/Taylor riffing found on the single version. To hear it, you've either got to have the single itself, or any one of their various hit-packages. Blame ABKCO records for this, they're also the guys who are keeping "Jumping Jack Flash", "Mother's Little Helper", and "19th Nervous Breakdown" off cd-reissues. They should take a hint from MCA and add bonus tracks onto albums when they are remastered (like has been done for the Who and Jimi Hendrix).

The title track is a nice mid-tempo shuffle, featuring among other things a great chorus melody! Jagger uses excellent imagery here as well (...She knifed me in my dirty, filthy basement...) as he does throughout of the album. The darkest, most atmospheric song on the entire album is definitely "Midnight Rambler". The lyrics about a serial killer combined with Mick Jagger's wailing on the blues harp and the song's main riff create a musical atmosphere unlike any other. Check out how the song speeds up and slows down between parts, even coming to an almost stand-still during the midsection! It could be meant to symbolize the change of pace between the killer stalking and then chasing down his victim, especially because of Jagger's repeating "Oh don't do that". The version on Get Yer Ya Ya's Out may be superior to this one, but that doesn't make the one here bad, oh no. Like every other song on here, it has its own identity and is not overshadowed by any of the other material. Like Beggars Banquet, this album shows off the Stones' greatest talents and is my vote for not only the group's best album but perhaps one of the best rock and roll albums ever made.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

WOOHOO!!! How do you follow up the best album of your career? Why, you go out and make the 2nd best one of your career! Heck, it may even be the best! It does have my favorite Stones song on here...that'd be the opening Gimme Shelter. Wow. Talk about atmosphere. The song is a real frightfest....and an immaculately played one at that! Mick's in top form, as is special guest vocalist Barney Frank. No, seriously, the guys invited some chick named Mary Clayton to come in and sing with Mick, and does she ever do a perfect job. It's a thunderstorm of a song, a real nightmarish epic. Great song.

So, how do you chase that down? By sticking a gorgeous blues ballad behind it! That's right, Love In Vain is one of the loveliest blues ditties I've hoid. This is living proof that the Stones really were successful at doing the blues....in their own way. You know, the Robert Johnson version is fine, but the Stones add so much richness to it with their arrangement. The mandolins and slides are perfect for the song. It's vurry purty. OK, enough seriousness. Our next tune is Country Honk, the redneck version of Honky Tonk Women. This song cracks me up! Mick Jagger honest to goodness sounds like he could be from Dothan, Alabama. That's right, Dothan, where Elvis isn't dead---he owns a convenience store next to Bubba's Snack 'n' Bowl! But Country Honk does sound nice. Gotta love the fiddle. We keep on rollin' with the light-hearted stuff with Live With Me, a FANFRIGGINTASTIC rawker with some insane lyrics! I LOVE the part about all the servants!

Going out of sequence, the closing You Can't Always Get What You Want is yet ANOTHER great song, this one an acoustic ballad about all sorts of things. It wouldn't be the same without the Bach choir throughout the song. To me, the Stones had such a knack for arranging their songs. Lesser bands would have ditched the choir, and would have sacrificed something of true greatness for something that's only mildly spectacular. To get back in order, the title track is very...gross. I have no desire to "cream" on Mick, and if I need a little coke and sympathy, he'll not be my first choice for that either. But the song is decent. Yet another acoustic gem.

Now we have another creepy classic, Midnight Rambler. Eeerie. Murder. Death. Brainbell janglers. Cool song. good arranging (yet again!). They follow this with Keith's solo vocal ballad, You Got The Silver. It's a good song. However, I saved my almost-favorite for last. While I still say Gimme Shelter is the best song the Stones did, I have to say that Monkey Man is easily the number 2 song here. The riff is incredible, and the song just flows. I LOVE IT! It also has a line about a "lemon squeezer", which reminds me of a story. I was eating out on a school trip, and this FINE girl named Rachel was sitting next to me. She likes to make lemonade out of her water, so she had all these lemons and was squeezing them with her perfect hands into her water. I looked across the table to my friend Ed (who is a big Stones and Zep fan) and silently mouthed something about squeezing my lemon till the juice ran down my leg. He looked puzzled for a second, then saw Rachel's citrus-fresh hands and nearly choked on his gumbo. Rachel never did figure out what was so funny.... Anyways, Let It Bleed is a fantasmo listen. Not as dark as Beggar's Banquet, but definitely better arranged.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

COMMENTS

HAR! Funny review, Kevin Baker. But I say again, you are all very strange people. Why am I the only one who thinks the Rolling Stones had only ONE classic album of their entire career? (Exile) THIS one. . . well, it's got its moments, and the good songs are REALLY good, but the fact remains--"Country Honk", "Midnight Rambler", and "You Got the Silver" all bore me significantly. The rest of the songs are decent, and "Let it Bleed" and "You Can't Always get What You Etc." are positively transcendant, but that don't make no classic album by itself in my book. Bigger is better! Buy Exile!

GET YER YA-YA'S OUT! (1970)

(Seth Edwards' review)

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Greatest Rock and Roll band in the World, Welcome the Rolling Stones!" declares the announcer at the start of this concert album, documenting the Rolling Stones 1969 US Tour. From that moment on, the boys step in and back up their introduction fully. The group kicks off with the classic "Jumpin Jack Flash", which says it all right there. Its shorter than the normal version, but is played with such intensity that you might not notice. The rest of the album maintains the intensity level, even the ballads swing! In fact, most of the songs here stick to the current albums (Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed), but there's not much to complain about there.

Many songs are given superior readings here than on their studio counterparts, which only speaks to the strength of the Stones as a live group. First, "Midnight Rambler" is played much differently from its counterpart on Let It Bleed. They play it faster and Mick sings different lyrics, perhaps accidentally, but Keith Richards ferocious riffing should do enough to compensate for any Jagger mistakes. He doesn't make many at all, and blows a mean harmonica here as well. Check out the guitar tone during the slow midsection, right after the line "Did you hear about the Boston…", Keith slams a chord that sounds so good it still gives me chills even though I've heard this album over 50 times.

"Sympathy for the Devil" is turned into a guitar-driven powerhouse, complete with a guitar solo to die for. Its probably the best solo any guitar player for the Stones ever did. There's some debate as to who played it, though. I've read that it was Mick Taylor but on the Gimme Shelter movie (the concert movie from the same tour), Keith Richards plays it. Its still amazing either way. Check out the obviously drunk woman yelling out for "Paint It Black" before they start, it's hilarious stuff. There are two Chuck Berry covers, "Carol" and "Little Queenie" which seem out of place next to such classic Stones material. Why didn't they put other songs from the shows, like "Satisfaction" or "Under My Thumb" on instead? The cover tunes aren't bad, but they are a far cry from this album's high points.

"Stray Cat Blues" features more potent guitar interplay between Mick Taylor and Keith Richards. When combined with the group's consistently excellent rhythm section, you've got another winner. "Love In Vain" might not have been meant to be played electric, but Keith does make some interesting train noises during the line "When a train…left the station". There's no way the song could be done badly, though, it's much too beautiful for that. Another highlight is "Live With Me", which rocks and rolls with absolutely no apologies. It fits in with the rest of the album nicely, a raunchy, distorted riff combined with pounding drums, a fiery bass and a larger than life frontman with the audience in his back pocket.

They close with "Honky Tonk Women" followed by "Street Fighting Man". Both songs are solid enough that Bill Wyman could do them solo and they'd still be better than anything on the radio today. The former stays true to its recorded version, introduced by the famous Jagger quote "Charlie sure sounds good tonight". The latter, sounds completely different from its standard version. Like "Love in Vain", its played on Electric Guitars rather than acoustically. There's really no superiority between the two, they're just different. Fans of hard rock will probably like the one on here more because its played faster and with much more distortion than on Beggar's Banquet.

Many people talk about The Who's Live At Leeds as being the essential portrait of a rock band reaching live perfection, and for the most part they're right. Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out is right up there with it, though. This album is quite a bit shorter than that one, it's not even half as long as the concerts were. As stated before, the cover songs here are bland when compared to Stones singles from the same era, but they are by no means horrible. The Stones saved the bad performances for Love You Live. On the other hand, there are several strong performances and a few amazing ones (especially "Midnight Rambler") which make this album a true essential for any fan of live Rock N Roll played at its best.

OVERALL RATING: 9

OK, I'll defend this baby till I die. I don't give a rip about the hordes of people who say this is sloppy or inferior to Live At Leeds. Well, duh. The Rolling Stones and The Who simply don't do the same type of rock and roll, so how can you really draw correlations here? Alright, I'll say the The Who were a superior live band to Mick, Keith and the boys. However, does that mean that live Stones is bad? Heck no! Sheesh, that was awfully serious for an intro. However, this one is a real source of controversy, even among Stones fans. Some people say its awesome, but so many others say its badly mixed or sloppy or what have you. I'm one of the former; they kick butt on this 10 song live extraganza! However, to say there aren't a few slumps would be dishonest.

First up...Stray Cat Blues. WHY DID THEY SLOW IT DOWN???? It loses all of its energy and power. Sheesh, this isn't a friggin' love ballad; its about something just a WEE BIT scummier than true love. Try true sleaziness. It works better when it's fast and raunchy. It's really the only big disapointment, though. Now, I would have preferred, say, Monkey Man and maybe Satisfaction or Paint It Black (to shut the drunk woman in the crowd up) to the Chuck Berry covers, but they're not bad at all. Quite good really, though once again, a little more speed would've been nice. Dang it, I'm not being droll or rednecky. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME??????? Hot dang......wait, that's rednecky sounding. I've found myself again! Woohoo!

Bizzaro tangents aside, everything else is primo, and I MEAN primo. Now, the main highlight is Midnight Rambler of course. My sweet lawd, does that honey cook. It's not as....creepy as the Let It Bleed version, but it has so much aggression and power that you don't miss the creepfest factor at all. Plus, the rednecks in the audience are amusing at times. This has to be their best live song, period. But what about Jumpin' Jack Flash, ye Stones fans say? It kicks butt, too! So does Live With Me! So does Street Fighting Man! So does Honky Tonk Women! Butt kick after butt kick! No wonder mine is so sore!

Then we have Sympathy For The Devil, which is reinvented into to something different. Different and with an awesome solo. However, I still say the studio version is better. The guys also do a greta job on Love In Vain; they don't sacrifice beauty, they just change the manner of the beauty. Like going from a doe-eyed gorgeous brunette with a great tan to a fair-skinned blonde, blue-eyed sweetheart. Those are two of my favorite things right there..... Well anways, Ya-Yas kicks some butt. Pure "tight-but-loose" playing, high octane rock and ROLL! Heck, even the little lows are totally smoothed out by the sheer greatness of the high points.

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

STICKY FINGERS (1971)

(Nick Karn's review)

HIGH POINTS: Wild Horses, Brown Sugar, Sister Morphine, Dead Flowers, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Moonlight Mile. LOW POINTS: You Gotta Move.

Hmm.... it seems that the band was really trying to cement their reputation as the 'bad boys of rock and roll' with their first studio album of the seventies. The first thing you'll notice about it, of course, is the 'crotch shot' cover artwork here (designed by Andy Warhol, and included with a zipper on the original vinyl), easily their most risque to date. Not only that, but the lyrics themselves are veering away from using clever metaphors and into much more overly sleazy and dirty territory. Now, this aspect of the sound could actually be a bad thing if it weren't for the fact that the actual song quality here certainly doesn't wallow in a tasteless, raunchy state as a whole. The strength of the album, in fact, lies in the somewhat weary, mellow ballads, but that certainly doesn't mean there isn't some prime rock and roll here.

The side openers are surely the absolute best examples of this, particularly the killer startoff song "Brown Sugar" - built on one of the absolute finest riffs Keith Richards ever came up with, it's certainly a classic showcase of a straightforward, but oh so powerful Stones rocker, with awesome two guitar interplay, exceptional energy, not to mention those lyrics that deal with interracial sex and slave rape that are among their sleaziest. There's also "Bitch", whose lyrics and vocal performance are just about as over the top, and it's really neat how the main riff to the song is complemented by horns. To a lesser extent, "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" also rocks out a bit, though not in a way you would expect - sure, there's some absolutely incredible guitar/vocal interplay in the chorus, but the bulk of the tune is actually a lengthy and entertaining Santana-like jam led by Mick Taylor and saxophone accompaniment.

The remainder of the songs, however, are not really built on energy, but that only contributes to the special mood of the album as a whole. Despite the presence of "Brown Sugar", the main focus here is undoubtedly in the ballads, which really have an almost drug-fueled, despairing atmosphere about them, and that really helps them to become timeless. "Wild Horses" in particular just has to be one of their all-time classics in this department, with ultra-memorable slow, country-ish acoustic guitar parts that really elevate this sincere and emotional song to truly awesome heights (I love the refrain 'wiiiiiiiiild horsesssss... couldn't take me awayyyyyyy'). By a slim margin, it's probably my favorite on the album, but boy, does "Sister Morphine" ever come close.

Basically, this one's a rather frightening commentary on substance abuse (heroin in particular), and the point is just driven home so well by the despairing, scary atmosphere, the extremely haunting acoustic playing, the bass-heavy crescendo, and that very first chilling line 'here I lie in my hospital bed'. The closing "Moonlight Mile", in contrast, is actually quite an anthemic epic number, as it utilizes strings in a simply gorgeous night-time fashion, with a really powerful vocal job, and a simply classic coda to end the entire album on. The minor gem "Sway" also uses a string arrangement to a dramatic effect in creating an uneasy atmosphere, a foreboding chorus ('it's just that evil eye that got me in its' sway') and a great screaming bridge. "Dead Flowers" is another huge highlight here as a wonderfully catchy acoustic shuffle with a cool singalong chorus amongst rather sick lyrics. It's also strange how the vocals have this really weird, almost stoned, quality about them that work very well with the backing music, which is definitely at its' most countryish.

As much as Sticky Fingers is a fantastic hard rock record that continues the Stones' run of magnificent works, though, it isn't quite perfect, as two of the other songs let the album down just a bit. The cover version on here, "You Gotta Move", is a very dull slide guitar blues that doesn't have much in the way of distinguishing playing or melody (though it is the shortest song on the album at under 3 minutes), and "I Got The Blues" also suffers from lack of convincing melody, and to my ears, it does sound a little generic. Other than those two misfires and the overlong 7 minute arrangement of the aforementioned "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" (which is still damn captivating otherwise), though, I really can't complain that much about this record. And another epic was just around the corner.

OVERALL RATING: 9.5

(Seth Edwards' review)

This album, complete with its famous Warhol cover, is yet another in what would come to be known as the Stones' golden period. There are more ballads here than on either Let It Bleed or even Beggars Banquet, which makes the album's mood slightly schitzophrenic. In the opening song (Brown Sugar, for those who don't know), Jagger lets the raunch flow over the gruff tone of Keith Richards' guitar. Later, they launch into such beautiful material as 'Wild Horses' which is unquestionably one of their finest ballads. It's got a slight country vibe and is far more sincere than other Jagger ballads. This is also an album where Mick Jagger's lyrics are more personal. He weaves tales of drug addiction, like the haunting 'Sister Morphine' into the same pattern with romantic songs like the majestic 'Moonlight Mile'.

Although the songs can be divided onto a 'hard' and 'soft' side, they're all still unique in their own way. 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking' builds to a Latin flavored climax not unlike a song by Santana, and 'Dead Flowers' is one of their greatest country songs. However, this album falters slightly in that several of the songs just don't have anything they didn't do as good or better on Let It Bleed. There's more songs here, but on their previous releases the innuendo was much more clever. This album was recorded in the throes of drug addiction, nearly every track on it reflects that lifestyle lyrically. Still, its a powerful document that solidified the Stones as not only 60s giants, but also a 70s supergroup as well.

OVERALL RATING: 9

Yes, more Thanksgiving Stones reviews! It's a friggin Mick Jagger feast! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah WOOOOO!!! I gotta holler 'bout it! I also feel the urge to holler about something else....how come nobody except Mark Prindle has ever given this one a 10? It's not QUITE as strong as Beggar's Banquet and Let It Bleed, but I still say it's worthy of the mark of perfection. It seems that the two major bones of contention are You Gotta Move and I Got The Blues. Alright, they ARE the two weakest links here. However, You Gotta Move earns some points back for authenticity---they really do sound like a bunch of ole bluesmen sittin' on a storefront porch in Rosedale. They also do us a favor and keep it short. Meanwhile, I Got The Blues is at least entertaining---Mick Jagger trying to be Otis Redding? How neat! Like I said, neither of these songs are close to being highlights, but they're harmless and do not detract from the greatness of the other 8.

Now, I'm inclined to say that the rawkers here are some of the BEST blooze rawkers recorded. You got yer Brown Sugar, you got yer Sway, you got yer Bitch (and I don't mean your tramp of a girlfriend)....woo! Brown Sugar is already a well-known classic...it has a great riff and...uh, entertaining lyrics about slaves, "relations," and suchforth. Welcome to the 70s; we be down and dirty now, baby! Bitch is also another fine riff rocker...they bring in some brass to bolster the guitar on the riff. Nifty touch, and a good move. The song goes off like an H-bomb---hot and wild! My favorite of the rockers is Sway. It tends to get overlooked since it's on between Brown Sugar and Wild Horses, but it's really a piy than people don't remember it like those two songs. Fascinating lyrics and great guitar playing. Then there's the hard to pin down Can't You Hear Me Knocking. It's definitely on the harder side of the album, but it's by no means a tight little riff rawker. The lyrics are amusing, but it's not the sung part that's the highlight. Mick Taylor goes Santana-ish, and they do this sur de la frontera jam that's really sweet. Me gusta mucho.

The ballads are also winners here. Heck, Wild Horses is the best ballad the guys ever did....you can FEEL the emotion in it. Mick wrote the song to ex-girlfriend Marianne Faithfull as she lay in a drug-induced coma. Speaking of drugs, you can about smell the coke on these guys when you listen to this bad boy. The Stones about single-handedly kept the Colombian economy afloat during this time period if you follow me here... Also speaking of drugs, a definite highlight is Sister Morphine. The words were supposedly written by Marianne Faithfull in the hospital about her drug experiences, and then Mick und Keith did the music. This is such a drugged-out, creepy song. You want to know about being a stoner? Give this one a listen. Not that I would know; my only drug experiences involve the pain pills from my recent wisdom teeth extractions. Codeine and Pink Floyd are a GOOOOOOOD mix, by the way. Especially See Emily Play (I LOVE that song!).

So, what else do we have? We've got Dead Flowers! It's a country song with Mick doing his hilarious redneck voice again, but this time he's talking about needles and spoons and stuff....stoner. Major stoner. Heck, the closing Moonlight Mile is about drugs, too. LOTS AND LOTS OF DRUGS. Notice a trend? Well, I think Moonlight Mile has something to do with da drugs, anyways. A headful of snow, anyone? It's a gorgeous song, though, no matter what it's about. Thus, since ALL the songs are good if not great, it gets a 10 that it DESERVES, dangit!

* OVERALL RATING: 10 *

COMMENTS

i dont understand why this isnt considered the best stones album. Yes "You gotta Move" is dull, but the other songs are so great it blows Let it Bleed and Beggar's Banquet out of the water. Not only are the hits, "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses" excellent, but every other song except for "You Gotta Move" is great as well. Well "I Got the Blues" is just good, not great. Even "Dead Flowers" blows away any country stuff on the previous two albums. "Cant You Hear Me Knocking" and "Bitch" are two excellent rockers. While "Sister Morphine" and "Moonlight Mile" are two classic epics. Oh, and "Sway" is a great rocker with excellent lead work by Mick Taylor and excellent drums by Charlie. Just compare a song like "Live with me" with any of the rockers on here, yes it's very good but doesn't compare with these rockers. Well, I guess people have different opinions, I think this album blows Exile out of the water to, and the general public doesn't think so either. Oh well, 10 for this album just like the previous two studio albums and the previous live album.

Sticky Fingers is a step in the right direction--it's got no less than seven classics on it, and two songs that are just throwaways ("You Gotta Move", and "Sway") are at least pleasant-sounding. As a matter of fact, this whole affair would deserve a ten. . .

. . were it not for the presence of the most anti-clamactic disaster I have ever heard on a Stones album, "Sister Morphine." Look, I don't CARE if he ODed on crack and wanted to write about it. Give me some MUSICAL substance, for the love of Cocaine!

Buy Exile. It's better.

Kevin Baker gets this record.

In response to ddickson's comments: Sister Morphine is harrowing. The drum kick and distorted piano are phenomenal, but Ry Cooder's nasty slide guitar work puts the icing on the cake.

As for the "throwaways" you speak of: "You Gotta Move" is the Stones Ultimate Outlaw Credo. Listen to Keith's high harmony backing vocals.And "Sway." The sluggish slop-riff intro, the drug lyrics tinged with sadness about "this demon life", and the fade out, one of Mick Taylor's studio high points, he plays his ass off trying to outrun Charlie.

As for the other songs, to be succinct, Brown Sugar is absolutely brilliant, a classic of classics, and the intro (listen to that guitar tone) is one of if not THE greatest rock/roll Riff of all time. Wild Horses is beautiful, Can't You Hear Me Knockin's riffs are downright ridiculous in their nastiness, Bitch cooks like a bitch. 'I Got The Blues' is, at the least, interesting, with Mick's wide eyed soul preaching saved at times by Nicky Hopkins' beautiful organ work, "Dead Flowers" is the best country song the stones ever did, and 'Moonlight Mile' ends the ride with majesty and bittersweet grace. What a band.

EXILE ON MAIN ST. (1972)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Rocks Off, Tumbling Dice, Shine A Light, Happy, Sweet Virginia, Torn And Frayed, Let It Loose, Shake Your Hips. LOW POINTS: I Just Want To See His Face, Turd On The Run.

Without a doubt, the Stones' followup to Sticky Fingers has to boast one of the most interesting atmospheres of any record in rock history. A really murky, decadent, and sleazy vibe is conveyed through just about all the tracks throughout Exile, and they run together in creating this spectacular panoramic double album tour-de-force of which the overall effect is quite something, though I must admit, the whole thing leaves me a bit torn in a way. It is spectacular the way the blend of blues, country, gospel, and hard rock manages to sound almost like one style, but the actual quality of the material varies throughout. On one hand, a good 40 or 45 minutes or so (much of it on record one) is stunningly awesome, with the atmosphere really working wonders, the performances top-notch and the melodies great, but the remaining 20 minutes or so really isn't anything more than good (with a couple borderline awful, though short, tracks).

It's possible the production of the album could be a distraction, too, as quite often, Mick Jagger's vox are buried in the mix (though he still manages to shine on several occasions) and the instruments run together, but more often than not, I actually find this aspect to be beneficial to the sound. There's certainly not much to complain about within side one here, though, as the material is perfectly executed. The opening "Rocks Off" is a really great driving piece of rock and roll with the sleazy vibe in effect to go along with an entertaining melody. But the real gem of the song is the hazy bridge ('could not describe the scene...') which to me so obviously screams that this is an exciting chapter in a gripping epic album. It's certainly one of those moments where you know a track is an undeniable classic. It's the most immediately striking number here with its' superior sound, but it still remains my favorite on the album.

The next few songs are almost as excellent. "Rip This Joint" is a fantastic fast-paced 50's style rocker with a raucous, non-stop burst of energy and Jagger's vocals at their very best, and the cover "Shake Your Hips" is, in my humble opinion, a real sleeper track here. The way the vocals are muffled to go along with the 'generic' bluesy groove and horns produces a hilarious and incredibly addictive effect. Speaking of 'groove', "Casino Boogie" is a song that certainly lives up to its' title - I can easily picture myself on the boardwalk in Las Vegas or Atlantic City listening to the raw-sounding music, lyrics and vocals play off the atmosphere seamlessly. The significant hit "Tumbling Dice" actually doesn't seem like much at first (like several of the tracks), but it slowly reveals itself as a classic anthemic, gospel-tinged song. Excellent riff, and it's certainly a shining example of the mood of the album as a whole.

Side two is a tad weaker, but still for the most part impressive. The most country-tinged "Sweet Virginia" is an emotional, heart-tugging masterpiece, and the way it serves as a great stripped down singalong ala "Country Honk" is enough for me to call it a highlight. The most attractive feature of "Torn And Frayed", meanwhile, is definitely the weary quality of the vocals (particularly on the chorus, where it produces a great effect) to go along with the fabulous guitar playing. Then there's the politicized "Sweet Black Angel", which might have the potential to grate, but the melody is moving, and more importantly, it has a neat vibe to it, almost like they recorded it in a bathroom or somewhere to get that cool tone on the acoustic guitars. Finally, "Loving Cup" is probably my least favorite of this stretch, but it's still an entertaining piano-laden song (especially during the really memorable chorus - 'gimme little drink from your loving cup').

The third side (and beginning of record two), unfortunately, is a bit of a mixed bag. As far as the solid moments, Keith Richard lead vocal showcase "Happy" (with Jagger on backing vox) is a really catchy tune that's perhaps the album's poppiest and lyrically most revealing moment, "Ventilator Blues" has one hell of an intense bluesy groove that takes its' rudimentary melody to another level (great energy there), and "Let It Loose" is an at first unnoticeable but eventually powerful gospel ballad (great use of backing singers and yearing vocals to go along with a fine, fine melody). But "Turd On The Run" is very iffy, with the 'buried vocals' problem being most problematic, and the annoying repeating riff creating a really ugly sound, and the tossoff "I Just Want To See His Face" may work as an interlude, but that doesn't mean it isn't really stupid-sounding on its' own.

Side four kicks off with "All Down The Line" and "Stop Breaking Down", which sound a bit ordinary to these ears, but are effective enough rocking tracks, with both of them featuring striking verse melodies and good grooves. They're followed by arguably the highest quality ballad on the album, though, in "Shine A Light", which has majestic use of organ and a very timeless melody, and by the time the line 'make every song you sing your favorite tune' hits, it's made a very definite impression.

Finally, to close the whole opus comes the protypical rocker "Soul Survivor", which could possibly disappoint, as it's hardly a dramatic way to end an album like this, but this album isn't really about 'drama', it's about a decadent mood, and in that way, a catchy song like this succeeds. Not a bad way to bring an end to the journey that is Exile - even though the individual tracks may not all be top-of-the-line, the awesome flow and intriguing sound between all of them makes me almost want to give this a 10 anyway. But somewheres around side three and four, the experience makes feel kind of tired, so a 9.5 is probably more accurate assessment. It's a really high one, though, and still mighty recommendable.

OVERALL RATING: 9.5

COMMENTS

Hello. I'm here to give my review of Exile on Main Street. And I just finished my final Western European Democracies paper, you cretins! Mwa ha HA, ha ha!! Bow DOWN before my boast about trivial accomplishments!!!! YEAAAH!! (Howard Dean intonation)

. . . So ANYWAY, I'd just like to let everyone know what a phenomenal, incredible, masterpiece of an album this is. If you've listened to Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Aftermath, Voodoo Lounge, Emotional Fescue and Dirty Work and were not that frickin' impressed, listen to this. It will change your opinion of the Stones for good. They may be generally overrated, and sometimes not be able to find a good melody with two hands and a flashlight, but. . . damn it, this album RULES. And it's the longest studio album they ever released. That just goes to show you what a roots rock band can do if you just let them STRETCH OUT. Some of the songs may be individually sub-par, but the whole thing just blends into one big sloppy juicy continuous work that, for my money, stands as the pinnacle of bar-band music. Don't be looking for Beatles-esque hooks in here, or individual pop gems. Let the drunken booziness of it all run you over like the behemoth that hooked up with the Russian girl I liked last weekend. It is indeed a behemoth, and just as brainless. Who needs brains when you're listening to music like this? This is the STONES, dawg! FEEL their fat guitar tones, their accompanying brass session musicians, and their bad-ass pianos! And hook up with THEIR groupies! To the EXTREME!!

YEAAAH!!! (Rick Flair intonation)

Ah. . .

So, how about them Russians--*hic*--I mean Red Sox?

GOATS HEAD SOUP (1973)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Angie, Winter, 100 Years Ago, Star Star. LOW POINTS: Coming Down Again.

After the huge panoramic double album journey that was Exile, it was inevitable that there would be a decline from their peak period. Surprisingly, though, judging from some of the reviews I've seen of this effort, you'd think Goats Head Soup has a pathetically forced overblown mystical atmosphere with embarassing attempts at experimentation, really banal and unlistenable ballads and dumb straightforward, dirty rock songs that have no redeeming value in pushing the obscenity over the edge. But classic bands simply don't lose all their genius overnight, and the songs throughout this album are proof - the quality of the melodies, arrangements and overall professional drive are still here, just not as much in abundance as before. Plus, the mystical sound that shows up throughout these songs is quite captivating.

Maybe some of the impression has to do with the fact "Dancing With Mr. D" is one of the rare cases up to this point where a Stones album opener can't really be called 'classic', as the overall premise of the song, with its' horror movie, swampy atmosphere and gross lyrics, is somewhat gimmicky, but even so, the main riff is very good, the bass groove holds interest, and the hook is just fine. It's at least certainly better than the nearly 6 minute problem of "Coming Down Again", a Keith Richard sung ballad. It actually does have a decent melody and some conviction, but the overall tone to it is just bland, plus lyrics like 'stuck my tongue in someone else's pie' and the bothersome vocal intonations he uses here just completely ruins it. To a lesser extent, the piano led groove of "Hide Your Love" isn't very good either, mainly because whatever decent hook it might have is repeated over and over again ad nauseum quite ineffectively.

The rest of the tracks, however, are where I break away from the haters of this album (and even the weaker ones I mentioned aren't horrible or anything). In my mind, the well-known radio standard "Angie" and the lesser known gem "Winter" are two of the best ballads the Stones ever wrote. The first of these boasts an extremely gorgeous melody over breakup lyrics and a passionate vocal delivery, and the music is just as sorrowful, being enhanced by fine acoustic and piano work, plus the strings in the middle are so haunting. The second of these, meanwhile, just works amazingly well in its' huge, bombastic, sweeping arrangement, featuring ultra serious sounding vocals and another effectively sweeping string arrangement that features a brilliant guitar solo from Mick Taylor. Yeah!

Really contributing to the odd sound here is another gem in "100 Years Ago", which is built on a mysterious, clavinet-led groove and one of the best vocal melodies here. It's also very noteworthy and cool how it shifts into this slow waltzy section I unofficially call 'Lazybones', and then it keeps building up from there with great soloing near the end as it fades out. "Can You Hear The Music" also has neat Caribbean overtones implemented, and although the verse melody is a little forgettable, the refrain is first class, and the instrumentation here is rich - oh, how I love that drum sound in particular. In addition, "Silver Train" is also a minor gem with its' 'buccaneer' lyrics and very interesting melody.

Finally, to round out the album, there are also a couple of fine uptempo numbers. The minor hit "Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" is quite a catchy pop tune with a great organ riff and chant of its' title in the chorus to go along with more eye-opening lyrics. And speaking of 'eye opening', the dirty closing Berry-esque rocker "Star Star" is literally so, not because of its' gritty hard rock riff, but that it keeps repeating the song's original title "Starfucker" in the chorus, which is certainly a turning point in terms of nastiness. I really, really dig the song, though, in spite of its' obvious line-crossing, simply because of the awesome entertaining drive it has, and it's a nice job of closing this strange effort on a very atypical song for its' style (though certainly not for the band). Other than a couple misfires, this is an excellent effort - I can't guarantee you'll love the album as a whole, but if you've had your fill of the classic period, you might as well give it a try.

OVERALL RATING: 8.5

IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL (1974)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Fingerprint File, It's Only Rock 'N' Roll. LOW POINTS: Short And Curlies.

If there's any album in the Stones catalog that would be the worst possible choice for convincing a skeptic that they're something much more than a generic rock and roll band who took that and a lame ballad style and beat it to death, well, this one is probably it. Apparently, people didn't really appreciate the weird sound and experimental Goat's Head Soup too much, as it's still regarded as one of their most disappointing albums, and the band must have realized this backlash against them, so for their next record they made the attempt to convince the public that they were the 'greatest rock and roll band in the world'. But unfortunately, by attempting to be a straight ahead rocking band, this album (and not the last one) proved to be a huge disappointment for them coming after a string of several truly great or classic efforts (at least in my opinion, anyway).

There's actually very little that's bad about this album despite the huge falloff, though. What really gets me is that, with with only a couple exceptions, these are just a bunch of 'generically good' Stones songs that might be enjoyable, but there's not much that powerful or substantial about them at all. The opener "If You Can't Rock Me", despite some fine rhythm work, sounds downright laughable and second-rate in the company of other fantastic classics like "Rocks Off", and it's really only mildly enjoyable. Same goes with stuff like "Dance Little Sister", which is also kinda fun, catchy and rocking, with more good guitar work (and stupid lyrics), but what else is there to say beyond that? Nothing much. Even when they try to incorporate straightforward rocking with a bit of a reggae tinge in "Luxury", the results are still good (especially since the vocal melody is one of the better ones here), but kinda repetitive and simplistic.

What's really curious, though, is how ballad-heavy this record is in spite of its' title. And the results are a little mixed here, too. "Till The Next Goodbye" practically sounds like it came off an assembly line - nice, but kinda effortless, and really lacking in terms of melody and actual emotion, and "If You Really Want To Be My Friend" is reminiscent of the gospel style Exile explored in parts, only without as much of a striking atmosphere, and an overlong song structure that gets tiring after awhile. On the other hand, though, "Time Waits For No One" has a great Mick Taylor solo at the end which saves the remainder of the song from being a more boring version of "Winter" (it is nice, though). Don't get me wrong - all this stuff I mentioned is either decent or good (the only song here that comes close to awful is the 'raunchy for being raunchy's sake' novelty number "Short And Curlies"), but I expect a lot more than that from this band.

But fortunately, there are two songs here that can count as something more than just 'good'. Maybe they're not as phenomenal as the best stuff from their peak period, but still, it's hard to deny the place of the title track and the closing "Fingerprint File" as Stones classics. The former's excellent use of acoustic and electric interplay is well worth noting, and the 'I know it's only rock and roll but I like it...' chorus is one of the most famous and instantly singable hooks in their catalog. It's tight and great! The latter song, though, has to be the easy highlight of the album - it's an absolutely fantastic excursion into funk, with an excellent bassline (though unfortunately, it isn't Wyman as I once thought), awesome use of wah-wah guitar, and that showstopping 'whispering' portion by Jagger as it ends. Too bad they couldn't make most of the other stuff half as interesting and addictive as that song, but even the greats make very mortal albums sometimes. And the Stones never looked more mortal in the 70's than on here.

OVERALL RATING: 7

BLACK AND BLUE (1976)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Memory Motel, Hey Negrita, Cherry Oh Baby. LOW POINTS: None.

If there's any album out there that can be considered the very definition of absolute entertainment in rock, this might as well be a candidate for it. After It's Only Rock And Roll showed the Stones attempting to live up to public perception of them, they suddenly went out and knocked out this thing. Also, around this time, Mick Taylor quit the band, and the new album's recording sessions were almost an audition for the new lead guitarist spot. As a result, several of them actually play on the album, including Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins and the eventual replacement, Ron Wood (the Faces and Rod Stewart), who's only featured on a couple of songs, but he really makes his mark. That particular change in the band, however, isn't so much as noticeable as the overall sound here. Basically, Black And Blue just features the band throwing out songs in a carefree manner in whatever style they felt like, from disco to reggae to funk to pop ballads to blues, and the result is a highly diverse and interesting album.

Of course, the first impression it makes on the listener isn't exactly an overwhelming one, since most of the songs at first seem like rather pointless grooves, which leads many to dismiss the album. Well, they are certainly grooves, but damn do they ever grab the listener in such a breathtaking fashion. For one thing, the opening "Hot Stuff" is basically one simple riff over a disco rhythm for over 5 minutes with an occasional piano part and very little in the way of lyrics (just a lot of chanting and spoken rapping and stuff like that), but is it ever addictive as hell. The reggae cover "Cherry Oh Baby" sounds similarly underdeveloped, but I love it to death. It's just so silly, over the top, and infectious, with all those 'yeaaaaaaaah' chants and great organ part from the ultimate session man Nicky Hopkins that helps it rise from novelty status to near genius.

The powerful funk number "Hey Negrita", meanwhile, is the source for the biggest mark Ron Wood makes on the album. Not only is the main melody incredibly catchy and fun (that's the key word here, really), but the main guitar part just rules, and the interplay between Wood and Richard, plus Jagger's vocal energy, just floors me. There's even a lounge jazz number in "Melody", and while its' overall pace seems slightly overlong, the refrain here ('melody... it was her second name') is very memorable, and the guest piano work from Billy Preston gives it a nice touch. Even the dangerously close to cheesy adult pop tune "Fool To Cry" has a whole lot of fun points to it, as the delivery of the lyrics sounds so enjoyably exaggerated that it's hard not to like it, and the chorus seems almost sarcastically beautiful, which is cool.

Not that the album isn't completely different from what you'd expect from the Stones, though. Two songs on here in the form of "Hand Of Fate" and "Crazy Mama" aren't really all that far off from the rock and roll paradise everyone's come to know and (sometimes) love from these guys. The first of these in particular is a very convincing workout, with a nice bluesy main riff and a slightly dark feeling to it, but it's still quite uptempo and entertaining just like most of the other tracks here. The second of them, the closing track, may not be that spectacular, as it is a little more generic than anything else on the album, but hey, it still has fine rocking energy, and I really, really love Richards' tone in the guitar breaks, so it works.

And finally, I've saved the best on the album for last, the most enduring classic most know the album for. The first side closing "Memory Motel" has to rank up there with one of the most effective examples of the band really conjuring up some beautiful picture in the listener's head. The overall atmosphere, with the extremely gorgeous verse melody, electric piano part, moving lyrics, and Keith's awesome lead vocal portion ('she got a miiiiiiiiind of her own, and she use it well, yeaah') really help to bring together the image of the 'memory motel out on the ocean'. It's an absolutely fantastic classic, and the album itself? It's almost as great. It's just about as entertaining as anything else I own - get it if you really want to have a good time for about 40 minutes, but be sure to let it grow on you if it doesn't strike you as that good at first.

UPDATE: Okay, this doesn't hold up quite as well on repeated listens, as the last three songs aren't really that special (though still enjoyable), and "Hot Stuff" can get a bit grating. But still a very solid and often quite overlooked 8, though, just not an 8.5 or 9 since it's proved to be not as strong as albums of that rating to me over time.

OVERALL RATING: 8

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SOME GIRLS (1978)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Miss You, Shattered, Beast Of Burden, Respectable, Before They Make Me Run. LOW POINTS: None.

Unfortunately, the Stones' attempt at a diverse and entertaining style in Black And Blue wasn't really accepted as well by critics and fans (and really to this day, still generally isn't praised a lot). But fortunately, they got on the right track commercially with this one, and it's very easy to see exactly why. Basically, what Some Girls does is take the band's ultimate rock and roll sound and update it by incorporating popular trends at the time (disco and punk influences), with the same care for great melodies and riffs as before. As an album, it's probably more immaculately produced in terms of sound than anything they did before, and provided them with three huge hits that might actually be my favorite group of Stones singles to be contained on one album. What's not to like? Well, the songwriting might be slightly more excellent than Black And Blue, but it's actually less varied and emotionally powerful, so it's hard to see why people knock that effort but praise this one.

In my mind, however, there's no arguing the classic status of the opening "Miss You". Is it a disco song? Or a blues one? Who cares - the vocal hook and funky bassline alone makes it one of the most melodically incredible songs they ever wrote (which is saying a ton, of course). The added vocal enthusiasm and extremely effective harmonica work certainly doesn't hurt either, and both of these things contribute to making it probably the only classic on the first half here, and the most brilliant one on the entire album, in fact. Not that the other songs on the side are weak, they're just not classic - they kind of attempt to be an aggressive punk outfit on "When The Whip Comes Down" and "Lies", and while both of them have a good amount of energy, they sound more like fast rock and roll songs at heart than rebellious statements. They're very good, catchy and fun, though, especially the fabulous rhythm playing and enjoyable obnoxiousness of the former.

As are the remaining two songs on the side. "Just My Imagination" is another Temptations cover, but fortunately one that sounds somewhat closer to a more authentic Stones song than the previous "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", and it fits in very well with the somewhat thematic material here - it seems that almost every song has lyrical references to either girls or New York (or both, like this one does). To a lesser extent, the title track is probably the least worthwhile song, mostly because the lyrics attempt to be sleazy and shocking just for the sake of attention, but nevertheless, that slow groove always captures my attention, plus the nice hook and those acoustic breaks are features too enjoyable for me to ever dismiss the song as a weak one.

If the first half can be counted as highly enjoyable but not really classic, however, it's the second one that really brings Some Girls close to that excellent level. Curiously, it actually starts with the most atypical song of them all in the heavily country-tinged novelty tune "Far Away Eyes", which combines a hilarious spoken word narrative in the verses (with some sarcastically goofy vocal intonations thrown in) and a very, very infectious poppy chorus ('so if you're dowwwwwwn on your luck...'). Fabulous! And this is stuck in between two wannabe punk songs! The final one of these, "Respectable", is somewhat better than the aforementioned side-closing "Lies", though - the great hook it has is ear-catching enough (and the lyrics bring to mind the English putdowns of Between The Buttons), but the effective way they interplay the chainsaw riff in the background with the more 'Stonesy' approach is awesome!

Next up is a Keith-sung number "Before They Make Me Run", but fortunately, it's a really catchy midtempo rocker instead of a slow, melodyless ballad, like he's so 'famous' for. In particular, I love the way the melodic flow between the verses and chorus combines with the 'down to earth' approach of the vocals and determination of the spirit apparent in the lyrics. Plus the way it seamlessly flows into the next actual ballad "Beast Of Burden" (with that uplifting introductory guitar) is one of the best album transitions I can think of. As far as the actual song is concerned, the vocal intonations Jagger employs here are fantastic - why the heck couldn't he sing with that much power and emotion more often? The way these two features combine with three equally awesome melodies ('I'll never be your beast of burden', 'am I rough enough...' and the 'pretty pretty pretty girls' breakdown portion) makes it a classic.

The closing "Shattered" is equally as fascinating, and seriously challenges "Miss You" for the best song honors here. This is where the 'New York' faux concept of the record really comes through, as Jagger's insanely catchy rap about the Big Apple (with his priceless echoey '..and sex and SEX AND SEX AND SEX...' chants pushing things forward) is supported by what is one of the most awesome guitar tones ever. I really don't know what they did to get the thing to sound like that, but it's some incredibly cool-sounding echoey effect or some crap, and that alone makes for a totally brilliant ending. This album is probably the last for the band that's widely regarded as a 'classic', other than maybe the 'love it or hate it' Tattoo You, but what an album. The lack of great material on side one (other than "Miss You") doesn't allow me to give it a higher rating, but it's still close to a 9 anyway, and actually was at one point - maybe I was fooled a little by how great side two is.

OVERALL RATING: 8.5

TATTOO YOU (1981)

(reviewed by Nick Karn)

HIGH POINTS: Slave, Start Me Up, Heaven, Waiting On A Friend, Hang Fire. LOW POINTS: Black Limousine.

Alright, let's forget about the existence of Emotional Rescue for a minute (I followed this lead too, by putting off hearing it until after this album) and concentrate on its' 'followup' for what it really is. The great lost collection of unreleased gems. The ultimate excuse to tour. The album that most splits the fans (and critics). It's for the first reason that it should not be judged in the context of the Stones' discography, but as a sort of compilation of their best unreleased tracks dating as far back as 1973 - really, that's all it is, a glorified outtakes album with a couple of recent songs added on to it. And guess what - as is usual for me, I will neither praise this as their greatest album since Exile and one of the top 10 albums of the 80's, nor will I knock the album as one of their most substandard efforts either. It's really a typical Stones record - a few of their best rockers, some interesting experiments and grooves, and nice ballads are contained within. But I don't feel it's one of their best.

The most noticeable aspect of the album that everyone mentions, of course, is how it's sequenced - a 'hard' and 'soft' side, with the rock and roll songs on side one and ballads on side two, which doesn't always seem like the greatest of ideas to me in terms of actual flow of the album. Fortunately, although a very casual listen to the Stones in general may suggest otherwise, the material in these groups aren't interchangable. To name a couple examples on side one, "Hang Fire" is almost power-pop with that punky tempo, 'do do do do do...' refrain and really snappy, anthemic melody, and the rousing "Neighbors" has a booming arena rock tone to it, with that effective Jagger 'barking' delivery and engaging guitar pattern. Similarly, side two can boast "Heaven", which is very close to ambient music in the haunting synth-processed vocals and repeating guitar line that provides one of the most eerie and creative Stones songs ever. And "Tops" reminds me of their earlier Motown diversions, only better, with the catchy 'let's take it to the top...' falsetto chorus and (shamefully uncredited) Mick Taylor guitar work, though the verse melody isn't that good.

None of these songs are what the album is best known for, though - that would be the opener "Start Me Up", an exciting rocker in the vein of such glorious highs as "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Brown Sugar". Unlike some, I wouldn't quite say it's as great as earlier classics, but it's close - the riff is great enough, but listen to the way the rhythm section plays off of it... that's tremendous groove-based power that really makes the song in my opinion. Of course, the 'you make a grown man cry...' counterpart hook doesn't hurt either. I must confess, though, I like the Black And Blue-esque "Slave" even more, even if theoretically, there's not that much to it - the chants of 'do it! do it! do it! I wanna be your slave...' over and over are basically the only memorable lyrics, and they mostly jam on that for over 6 minutes. But I'm amazed how well repetitive grooves like this can work when there's such a killer riff and such an atmosphere of sleaze going for it (helped by the saxes and chorus, of course). It smokes.

Other than maybe the hit "Waiting On A Friend" that closes the ballad side and the album (what a gorgeous echoing guitar line, and the piano embellishments, sax soloing and outstanding vocal melody work well with it), the other songs don't really strike me as great. The only one I can say is a bore is the plodding blues "Black Limousine", which just never catches hold, with Ron Wood's soloing being the only slight saving grace, and the other three are good, if not exactly spectacular. Keith contributes another lead vocal to a rocker in the unsurprisingly lyrically ear-catching "Little T&A" (decent riff and 'she's my little rock and rollll ahhhhawww' chorus), and there's two other ballads - one quite good in "Worried About You" (with its' almost epic organ line, excellent middle solo, and more captivating falsetto) and one a bit forgettable and slow but still pretty in "No Use In Crying". In all, I'd still say this falls slightly short of the last couple albums' standards, but regardless, Tattoo You is excellent in its' own right. Not bad for an excuse to tour, eh?

OVERALL RATING: 8.5

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MICK JAGGER

REVIEWS:

Goddess In The Doorway

GODDESS IN THE DOORWAY (2001)

(reviewed by Oleg Sobolev)

HIGH POINTS: God Gave Me Everything, Visions Of Paradise. LOW POINTS: Hide Away, Brand New Set Of Rules, Everybody Getting High, Dancing In The Starlight, Goddess In The Doorway.

Long ago, grass was green, Mick Jagger was rude and obscene for every good, Chruch-goin’ family in the UK and in the US. Now, Mick Jagger is an old fart and everybody loves him and should call him now SIR Mick Jagger, with “SIR” standing for “Seriously Ignorant Rabbitfucker”, of course. Back in the old 60’s, he used to rock out and sung provocative lyrics like “Let me please introduce myself, I’m a Devil”. Now, he sells out and sings some generic shit like “GOD GAVE ME EVERYTHING I WANT, SO COME ON!!!” Then, he (read: The Stoning Rollins) released some of the best albums of all time: Let It Bleed, Beggar’s Banquet, Sticky Fingers (which I personally don’t like (“Wild Horses” sucks ass), but included here for all you ol’ fuckers in the WRC) and, of course, Dirty Work. Now, he releases asssucking crap like this particular album I’m reviewing at the moment. So, as you may see Mick Jagger is a VERY changing person who had changed through years to such extent that even the former fans boycott him. The only thing that still refuses to change is his vocal – it’s still as irritatingly familiar and familiarly irritating even now.

Speaking about Goddess In The Doorway, it is definitely one of the less interesting albums I’ve ever had an experience to listen to. The idea of such guy as Mick, who is almost near 60, doing some crap as generic late-90’s alternative rock, bland r’n’b and teenage pop doesn’t really appeal to me, you see. I tell ya more - it doesn’t really appeal to me to listen to the new Mick Jagger album. Lord knows the man haven’t done anything good since “Start Me Up”, and that was a long-long time ago, when you wasn’t even in The Main Plan Of Future Life. Here, he shows himself as completely untalented dork – Mick brings a total number of seven producers (including himself) to produce a collection of twelve, mostly sucky, songs. I’ve already described the sound of this Long-Play before, and I won’t bother again. The production on here is very clean, though. So clean, that I sometimes like to scream: “WHY DONCHA BRING THAT DIRT AGAIN AND SING SOME NASTY CRAP LIKE “BITCH” AGAIN, MICK?!”, but the sea of perfectly played guitars, big rhythm section, occasional “rootsy” Hammond organs, some late-60’s Hollywoodery strings and huge anthemic choruses don’t let me. The lyrics? Oh, man, forget about it. Just look at these titles: “Gun”, “Visions Of Paradise”, “Joy”, “Hide Away”. Do I need to explain you what the lyrics like?

As for the songs themselves, well, I can tolerate a Bono collaboration “Joy”. That, “OH JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY” or whatever crap moment is surely wonderful, isn’t it? Oh, sadly, it isn’t, but that song is still nothing offensive. There are some more non-offensive songs, but they all are unmemorable, so I’ll pass ‘em. Now, Goddess In The Doorway even has some GOOD songs. For example, “Visions Of Paradise”, as generic as it may be, is actually quite a catchy single for its’ own right. And “God Gave Me Everything”… Man, I should hate this song, but I LIKE it instead. I mean, look at it: Lenny Kravitz as a producer, irritating chorus with Mick screaming his penis off… And if that fuzzy HUSHUSHUSHSUHSUHSU classifies as a “guitar riff” in the modern world, I should buy today’s kids more Black Sabbath records. But, damn, for some reason, I LIKE this song – it has something in it. Probably energy, which the rest of the album painfully lacks.

Every other song on here sticks, though! Shitty sentimental nothing in “Dancing In The Starlight” manages to sound as cheesy as a Naomi Campbell song. Take off Mick’s voice from “Hide Away” and you’d get a perfect track for a Justin Timberlake/Sean Paul collaboration. The title track is some lazy boring balladry, while “Everybody Getting High” has one of the worst choruses ever, which goes “EVERYBODY GETTING’ HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH” over a big danceable beat and “rocking” guitars. Finally, a closing “Brand New Set Of Rules” is achingly uninteresting Britney ballad that is sung by Sir Jagger for some reason. And it leaves the album with some “atmospheric” piano pumpin’ as Mick sings some modern-day non-Swiss yodel, which sounds like “AaaargharagahaisdiahaajhlADJlHlaakfjakauhkhjkgbjhJGJYFJHVFhgaaaaaaaaaaJHIKUGISUGKJGAKFJAKFAJGHKaajjjjjjjjjjjjjjdajkfgaiaugaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAh”. Does ANYBODY in the world need something like that?

Ok, I see you are all tired of this dull review, so I leave you with a history lesson. You see, when Goddess In The Doorway was released, it was 2001. The same year as Mick’s long enemy friend Paul McCartney, which started at the same time with Mick (1963), released one of the best albums in his career – Driving Rain. The same year, the real American genius Brian Wilson (who started in 1961) released a damn fine live album. The next year, 2002, Johnny Cash (who started in some late 50’s and was cool enough to jam with The King and Carl Perkins) released American IV: The Man Comes Around that is a great example of how to draw new influences into your sound without ending being fake and boring.

You see? It all shows how really good Mick Jagger had aged.

OVERALL RATING: 3