WHAT A DRAG IT IS GETTING POLLED – ILM Artist Poll #16 – The Rolling Stones (Extended deadline: April 1st)

http://i39.tinypic.com/35ivul0.jpg

"92 singles, 29 studio albums, 10 live albums and more songs than you can count" sez www.rollingstones.com/music. What sez ILM?

DEAL IS THUS:
1. RANK YER TOP 20 ROLLING STONES TRACKS, 1-20.
2. Get yer ballot in by the afternoon of Friday, March 30 PST (details below)
3. OPTIONAL: Make it interesting and include yer ranking of Their Satanic Majesties’ 5 BEST ALBUMS and 3 MOST HATED tracks. I’ll report these separately to kick things off.

DETAILS:
• Submit ballots to: pollingstones @ gmail.com
• Normal scoring in effect (1:40, 2:36, 3:33, 4:30, 5:28, 6:26 dropping 1 point per spot from here down to 12 for number 20)
• In addition to the ranking, please state clearly which track is your number one to avoid any potential confusion about whether you ranked 1-20 or 20-1
• Stones releases only. No solo joints, no guest spots, no “Evening Gown,” no “Wicked As It Seems.”
• For albums, assume that UK and US versions are equivalent. Live albums count; comps do not.
• Most hated is a separate category and will not be subtracted from Top 20 totals.
• Deadline: Sunday, April 1st. 11PM in Knightsbridge = 6PM on 7th Avenue = 3PM out in Stone Canyon

Tracks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Rolling_Stones_songs
Albums: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Rolling_Stones_albums

can't wait

btw this is going to be quite difficult imo

"Good Luck Everyone!"

11PM in Knightsbridge = 6PM on 7th Avenue = 3PM out in Stone Canyon

lol

A more complete list of songs: http://www.keno.org/Songlistnlyrics.htm

was gonna vote memo from turner but otherwise agree with no solo stuff

i almost mentioned "memo from turner" specifically -- technically mick but was released on stones comps so fair game as far as i'm concerned

JoeStork thanks for that link. On review, that wikipedia list is balls.

ok, memo is back in!

yeah, do not go by that wikipedia list

I feel like I'm having a brain freeze but unreleased songs like CS Blues count, right?

Also, "In another land" is always credited to Bill Wyman solo, but that qualifies as well, right?

unreleased: probably won't chart high but go for it imo

"in another land" appears on Their Satanic Majesties Request and therefor qualifies despite also having been released as a bill wyman single

seriously i trust the collective's best judgment on this stuff -- if it's worth a spot on yr ballot it'll get counted

If any of their unreleased tracks have a chance at making the results, Cocksucker Blues is the one I'd think.

CS Blues is pretty great, but narrowing it to 20 will be hard enough

yeah, 20 is particularly brutal in this case

my first cut = nearly 70 songs...

Ballots will undoubtedly fall into categories of when-did-it-end? Three most common: nothing after Exile (me), nothing after Some Girls, nothing after Tattoo You. If Nick Cohn were voting, it'd be nothing after Aftermath or thereabouts. If the rules were different and Rob Sheffield were voting, it'd be Mick Jagger solo hits very much in play.

That might make a good minipoll some day.

How are votes for live versions being calculated (I'd pick "Sympathy" from Ya-Yas over the studio version)?

(I'm also curious because I'm trying to figure out how to tackle this issue when I do the Who poll)

When I did the Beatles one (ah, only one "Live" record, nobody voted a pref in that way), I noted 'alt: versions' votes but compiled them as one.

yeah that's the standard practice I think

Many thanks to rogermexico for running this one. It should break all existing response records.

yup - votes for alt versions count as votes for the track but will be noted

Many thanks to rogermexico for running this one. It should break all existing response records.

― kornrulez6969, Thursday, March 22, 2012 6:55 AM

aw... y'all are vv welcome. about time i gave something back to this board. thanks to everyone here for a lot of years of good times and good company.

yup - votes for alt versions count as votes for the track but will be noted

Cool, yeah, I was sort of thinking along those lines for the Who poll.

Thanks for doing this! Been looking forward to this one.

Excited for this one! I'll probably put together a ballot over the weekend and let it sit and stew for a couple of days to see if any changes demand to be made before I send it in. I would love for this one to break the Bowie record, but with a 9-day voting period, a lot of people in the "yeah I'll get around to it...ooops I forgot" camp are going to have to pull their thumb out and just make the time.

this ballot is going to break my mind tbh

Won't someone post a comprehensive list of songs that voters (or potential voters) can c/p and sift through idly/agonize about (your choice)?

There's one upthread already. (see links)

Anyways, sented..

Oh ok, thanks. I did skim a bit.

voted. much easier than I anticipated.

eeek yeah this is gonna be tough

I put together a provisional ballot w/o thinking about it toooo much, but then I have to strategize a bit since I could easily vote for 40 songs off the top of my head. Do I cut singles, or most singles, knowing they'll be fine w/o me? I guess! Do I lean heavily on the "twee Stones" era I love so much, knowing that it'll likely be in vain? I think so! Do I care that my ballot is 60s heavy? I guess not!

anyway Flowers is pretty much the best

I wanna see the Dirty Work contingent up in here.

Do I lean heavily on the "twee Stones" era I love so much, knowing that it'll likely be in vain?

Hard to tell when your love's in vain iirc

great thread title btw

what a drag it is cutting "Live With Me"

xpost it was that or "i rate tracks for the troubadours"

a little ILM Classic grist for the mill...

The Rolling Stones OP10 (or, that would be, only pick ten)
Greatest Unheralded Rolling Stones Song(s)
what is sexist exactly about the rolling stones' under my thumb?

done!

I know what my number 1 is. after that... uh

I'm gonna play too!

this is gonna suuuuuuuuuuuuuck

Shit's impossible. I thought I knew what my #1 would be, then about seven other songs decided THEY wanted to be #1...it's gonna take forever to clean up this mess.

I want to thank this poll for getting me to finally "get" Emotional Rescue....that album slams!

and on that note: Rolling Stones' "Emotional Rescue" - C or D?

iiiiii am your knight
in shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiining aaaaaarmour

"Where The Boys Go" is terrific; I may have to make space for it on my ballot.

voted

I've been listening to the Stones since Hot Rocks, age 8, and only now will I be hearing any record of theirs from Undercover to the present. Any last bits of advice?

hearing "all" the records from 1982 to the present, I mean--kind of daunted by it and hope they're not awful!

Go boldly. See you on the other side...

For some reason Voodoo Lounge I imagine as the worst...we'll see

It's been a long time since I revisted that time period but a lot of it resembles varying cirlces of hell, iirc

There's at least a couple of good tracks on voodoo lounge and one on bridges to babylon.

I hadn't ever listened to anything since Dirty Work until tonight -- really kind of surprised to enjoy A Bigger Bang as much as I did.

Bigger Bang is pretty listenable. It's not great, but it's better for the lame-Stones era, lol

Totally forgot how epic Can't You Hear Me Knocking is. It's like they morph into Santana halfway through

Speaking of Mick Taylor-dominated Stones songs, I gotta remember to put (the Keefless) "Sway" on my ballot.

Keef sings backing vox so there

I got/get the impression "Bigger Bang" was a final "look let's end on a great album" as far as the discography is concerned. Whereas they may well keep doing five-yearly tours forever.

The only embarrassing Stones albums post-Tattoo You are Undercover (I'll save "She Was Hot" and "Too Much Blood" adn damn the test) and about half of Bridges to Babylon. At worst the other albums are perfunctory.

wow "Moonlight Mile' sounds like something off of Merriweather Post Pavilion in the verses...!

Moonlight Mile is one of my faves, but I'm pretty sure She Smiled Sweetly will be my #1. My ballot will probably have a lot of singles/familiar tracks, though.

Ballot sent. Waffled on my #1, but after listening to it three times in a row this morning, yeah, it's definitely my favorite Stones song.

I'm thinking about ranking a top 40, then chopping off 1-20 and sending in 21-40 as my ballot. Just for perversity's sake.

ha! Moonlight Mile is probably going to make my top 10 but not top 5, certainly not #1!

Just wanna rep for this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydHupXGnzPU

Ideally I'd do a top forty, then strip out the singles and submit the rest, but too many of those standards are undeniable. The thought of not voting for Saint Of Me is giving me a cold sweat.

"Try A Little Harder" is a jam, love that echo at the end when the song sounds like it's falling apart.

Might have to sit this one out, feeling like my list would be particularly useless for the Stones (unless I spend hours relistening to albums). Will be really excited to see the results though.

re. standards, right now I feel like I gotta vote for "Gimme Shelter", "Paint It, Black", & "Sympathy", but I'm relistening & those'll be the ones to fall should I rate anything higher. Or else I'll cut "Lady Jane", which is a standard too I guess.

not gonna cut "Brown Sugar" though

will definitely vote "saint of me" over "brown sugar," though I have no idea if either will make my final cut

Out of curiosity, what is the logic behind not voting standards? Is it so the results are more varied?

in my case I'm seeing the PS poll with a bunch of standards, & it's not so interesting to me to know which of those are highly rated & which aren't; when I've found these polls interesting it's b/c of less prominent songs that have been rated highly (the Pavement poll was useful to me this way; so was the Blur poll). Since I know the Stones pretty well I want to do my part to make this happen; it'll probably end with unsatisfaction but w/e.

goddam that was brutal. maybe the most time and effort i've ever put into a single-artist poll vote? wound up stacking my top 10 with personal favorites i hope to nudge into the bottom of the countdown, saved the bigger singles for the lower half of my ballot. early 70s heavily represented, w three from exile and four from goat's head soup. also a bunch of stuff from '67, between the buttons and satanic majesties. only two songs post '73, one from emotional rescue, one from tattoo you. nothing from sticky fingers.

suspect that few of my votes will make the cut :(

could have voted for the last 20 songs i cut from my ballot almost as happily

haw, this is going to be hard. might just pick 10 from the 60s, 10 fro the 70s? don't think i'd vote for anything past that.

i'd like to put in a good word for this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LNmR5Ja1sc

^ good one!

I could happily put the whole disc 3 of the Singles Collection for half my ballot.

lemme know if you don't get my ballot(s), rogermexico (sent my album votes as a separate message).

while we're boosterizing, i'd like to put in a word for:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt37Fj1U5iM

^ their "venus in furs" moment

I'm not sure yet, but this might be somewhere near the end of my list:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlsudiYhn4

Twee Stones Poll

a fav Stones thread of mine

Out of curiosity, what is the logic behind not voting standards? Is it so the results are more varied?

Yeah a bit, not that one ballot will make much difference. Also it's that I love a lot of things pretty much equally, and if I don't vote for Satisfaction it'll still make it, but if I don't vote for Ventilator Blues it probably won't.

^ yeah, that was my thinking. pushed hard for the things i'd love to see make the countdown, but suspect won't. figure "you can't always get what you want" will do fine without my help.

listening to Dirty Work right now & think what's hard for me is Mick's voice; he's more shouty than I'd like. The songs are fast & direct, Keith's playing sounds great, the melodies are sharp, but Mick sounds almost hoarse. It's the voice he has on "Start Me Up" too, but it seems worse here.

I can imagine their equivalent of "Hey Jude" failing to make it, like in the Beatles Poll...

I didn't think I would vote for stuff like Satisfaction or Jumpin Jack Flash, but as I listen to them in amongst the things I think I *will* vote for, I've been surprised by how hard it is to say 'eh I could live without it'. Satisfaction came on while I was driving home last night and after I really took the time to listen and not just tune it out, I was saying to myself, 'you know, I've heard this song a thousand times but it's really fucking great."

I'm probably just being insecute. But like with the Paul Simon poll ppl are like "ugh these are the worst results ever" when popular songs rank more highly than the deep cuts. And it's kind of nuts to me. Paul Simon was a GREAT songwriter. He had a TON of popular songs.

The Stones are prolific. They're not a band that noodled around with only a couple of recognizable hits and left all their best stuff on 5 albums no-one heard. Half their material was popular, ubiquitous stuff. That's a GOOD thing! That's why we're still talking about them after what, 40 or 50 years. I guess I just get intimidated by all the deep cuts, like I'm going to be the rube voter who ruins it for everyone, lol.

I dunno. I'm tired, I need more coffee. I like the process and I love participating in the polls I've joined in on after years of lurking. I'll try not to get intimidated :)

fuuuuuuuuck talk about tl;dr

sorry!

"insecute"?

new word

Hey, don't worry - those should be the meat of the poll! I love it when the odd deep cut turns up unexpectedly high, but only when it's one I like. I guess I'm hoping that one day mine will chime with the ILM collective unconscious.

It has to be random though - worst thing ever was on the metal poll, where the #1 was this lurked block vote thing that a lot of folk had never heard of.

like with the Paul Simon poll ppl are like "ugh these are the worst results ever" when popular songs rank more highly than the deep cuts. And it's kind of nuts to me...

OTM imo. Like, "American Tune" is deeply personally important to me, but "Graceland" absolutely transcends and there's nothing wrong with that.

The Stones are prolific. They're not a band that noodled around with only a couple of recognizable hits and left all their best stuff on 5 albums no-one heard. Half their material was popular, ubiquitous stuff.

I'm not sure about this. I'm still amazed by how many people in the general population base their entire notion of the Stones on HOT ROCKS. And you, like, give them a copy of STICKY FINGERS or LET IT BLEED and they're like "whoa, i had no idea."

ps and thank you for the tl;dr -- kinda hearkens back to the old days. ou sont les kogans d'antan?

I'm still amazed by how many people in the general population base their entire notion of the Stones on HOT ROCKS.

I have a feeling none of those people will be voting in this poll, LOL

haha. on which note:

Taking Sides: Let It Bleed VS. Sticky Fingers

tbf hot rocks is one of the best greatest hits comps ever. xp

xxxpost that is a good point rog, re HOT ROCKS; Exile was the first Stones album I heard in full and it completely changed the way I felt about them after only really knowing their hits. So I take that part back :D

yeah, i love reading long, thoughtful posts, so no worries, VG.

I didn't think I would vote for stuff like Satisfaction or Jumpin Jack Flash, but as I listen to them in amongst the things I think I *will* vote for, I've been surprised by how hard it is to say 'eh I could live without it'. Satisfaction came on while I was driving home last night and after I really took the time to listen and not just tune it out, I was saying to myself, 'you know, I've heard this song a thousand times but it's really fucking great."

oh yeah, i never even considered cutting "satisfaction". for a while, i thought it might be my #1. emphasizing beloved deep cuts is one thing, but i'm not crazy.

and "insecute" is a great word :)

tbf hot rocks is one of the best greatest hits comps ever. xp

― tylerw, Friday, March 23, 2012 10:23 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

eh, there were people on the beach boys poll that pretty much stuck to the early stripey shirt hits because that's all they know. it's totally fine if people want to do that but i favor the "true heads only" approach

re hot rocks: it's 21 tracks, and i love every song on it. cut any one song at random and you'd have a perfectly respectable ballot. only five of those tracks made my final cut, but i'm rooting hard for the underdogs.

based on early balloting i think it's safe to say this is going to be a high-beta poll. might even be possible, when it's all over, to find at least two ballots with zero overlap. so go ahead and vote yr hearts and let the chips fall where they may.

but what the hell, let's talk deep cuts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oExTf5jIVoM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih5dbyZoIF0

i think the rolling stones are my favorite rock band. no one else really comes close in terms of quality, variety + quantity.

yeah, i tried for ages to find a way to cut "star star", mostly so i wouldn't have such a ridiculously goats head heavy ballot, but i just couldn't do it. love that song to death.

soundgarden not doing that song any favors

semi-deep cut under consideration for me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwu0MQrk_ec
one of my fave stones ballads. kinda autopilot stones, but great nonetheless. lovvvvve the "wish i was out in california" lyric.

^^ disagree on autopilot stones and expect it on my ballot. mick and mick really worked well together (cf. "Sway")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5lMad5NEB0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRt3jJAT-NQ

damn youtube previews -- that's Lindsey Buckingham on "I Am Waiting" and it's quite lovely

xp well, by autopilot i mean it sorta seems like the band was like "wot, we need another ballad? alrightee." and then they knock it out of the park. seems effortless.

oh SHIT I left "Sway" off my ballot! ARrrgg!

winter's good, but it's the one goats head track i had under consideration that i did eventually cut. lot of stones ballads i like better.

i mean, sway's better, and i cut that too, no regrets

"Star Star" in contention for my ballot; "Stray Cat Blues" vying for my top spot with "I Am Waiting" (which I didn't realize had been featured in a popular film until a clip was posted recently; the song's been one of my favorites for a long time but I'm not much for films)

"Sway" will be high on mine too

we are in the groove now!

deep cuts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXLELdezjuE

okay, not a deep cut but come AWN:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inqCrGnNXDI

I can play this game too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FhkS2r2dP4

going through the London years comp. man this band made a lot of shit. I mean there's tons of great stuff too but 50 years of shameless careerism results in a fair amount of detritus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M84FaMn6J9I

btw i'm not posting the KISS cover of 2000 man because it's a bit dire imo but if anyone can find the comsat angels cover of "citadel" plz post

are we really posting stones covers on you tube on the poll thread? people, please!

rogermexico must be reading my ballot by telepathy or else has tremendous taste

Am going to do proper homework for this one. Queued up Aftermath, Between The Buttons and Goat's Head for re-listen. I don't think I've heard Aftermath before. Treats abound!

i do congratulate cibbo matto for finding the song "why don't we sing this song all together" always wanted to be. only stones cover i can think of that significantly improves on the original.

except with one less bee

sort of bummed by all these cover versions, because "2000 light years from home" is COMPLETELY GREAT, and while that monster magnet cover is cool in its way, it's not really doing the song any favors

"why don't we sing this song all together"

lol brain damage

[it's not really all that funny]

Sleeper off of GHS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrciVFFw3iQ

i do congratulate cibbo matto for finding the song "why don't we sing this song all together" always wanted to be

pretty much. the original isn't bad at all, but CM's version is an improvement/refinement

Aftermath and Between the Buttons are my favorite albums (like, ever) but I just couldn't choose between all of those deep cuts. so only 2 songs from each made it (not even that since Ruby Tuesday is not on my favorite version of BTB).

Sleeper off of GHS

hell yes, highest-placing GHS track on my ballot

listen to "100 years ago" if you haven't yet

^^ after "Star Star" it's the only GHS track worth a damn imo.

listening to Dirty Work right now & think what's hard for me is Mick's voice; he's more shouty than I'd like.

This is why I love the record: a pissed-off, impatient Mick feeding off the aggression in the riffs and rhythms. I don't think he's ever sung a lyric like "I've been caught in this tree of promises for over forty years."

Angie

yes, and i love etc etc "heartbreaker" though ymmv

huh gonna have to listen to Dirty Work with that in mind, then.

dunno if I can bear to subject myself to anything post-Emotional Rescue

Tattoo You Jam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5VtlCDnD9E

^ hell yeah it is. only TY track to make my ballot, though i really had to agonize over cutting "no use in crying".

Townshend and Rollins, together at last!

xpost so slinky

"little t&a" hurt too

ripping version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr0yOcTVs88

ragh it's not on youtube but Australian band The Beasts of Bourbon has a great cover of "Dead Flowers" on their Live & Rare compilation.

goddamn I love "Summer Romance"

I've been noticing with their late 60's-early 70's songs that do a lot of interesting things with their songs in the outros...like they're not a 'repeat refrain/repeat chorus/fade out', it'll turn into a whole new jam and just as it fades out you're like 'hey whoa stop that was cool'

No need to rep for the song, but any excuse to post a Who clip...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVkiW4_JyuM

What are ilxors feelings abt the really early stuff, covers and whatnot?

I really love stuff like "Not Fade Away", "Oh Carol", "I Wanna Be Your Man", even their "Route 66".

Without giving too much away, at least two of those are on my list.

What are ilxors feelings abt the really early stuff....?

xpost: Around and Around beats Chuck Berry; "I wanna be your man" betters the beatles, and i like the others you mentioned. only a couple times did they miss, imo (talkin' about "under the boardwalk" for example)

yeah Under the Boardwalk was not a good fit for them.

a lot of their early stuff is clumsy and or outright offensive in its brazen ripoff-ness but "Not Fade Away", you can't fuck with stuff like that. Phil Spector on maracas iirc.

says the guy who just listened to the entirety of the London Years box

it's also readily apparent that Keith was a startlingly good guitar player right from the get-go. he's often the best thing about those early singles.

Lennon seemed kinda pissy when he tried to play off "I Wanna Be Your Man" later on, like 'meh it wasn't a very good song anyway so who cares, we made Ringo sing it" but Stones played the HELL out of it. That opening guitar is just like WHOA undeniable

xpost lol Shakey I'm ploughing through London Years this afternoon :)

the early stuff is definitely best when it's in Keith's rock n roll wheelhouse, which sorta seems like Mick's wheelhouse too.
and Mick's harmonica in some of those early rockers is really good. makes me want to punch John Popper so hard, lol

xcept maybe not just rock but blues, because Heart of Stone is kinda slow tempo but it really works. But some of the really ballady songs early are just, ick, no.

Lennon seemed kinda pissy when he tried to play off "I Wanna Be Your Man" later on, like 'meh it wasn't a very good song anyway so who cares, we made Ringo sing it" but Stones played the HELL out of it. That opening guitar is just like WHOA undeniable

Plus you have Brian Jones playing the hottest white guy slide guitar in the world circa '63 in the solo.

Jagger's an amazing harmonica player, one of my top three (Keef's said many times that Mick playing represents one of his few unguarded moments).

I saw Keef said that about Jagger's harmonica in his book, and I started paying attention to it more, and to other harmonica from other artists...Jagger really does blow lovely, long clear notes. Like the equivalent of hearing a really great sax player vs a mediocre one.

http://oi42.tinypic.com/2145r7p.jpg

"Sweet Virginia"!

The early covers are incredible, but the live version of Little Queenie from Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out is my absolute favorite and will make my top 20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4WDmfmGHI8

What are ilxors feelings abt the really early stuff....?

i only heard the UK version of the self-titled album (the one that kicks off with 'route 66') for the first time a couple of years ago. it's absolutely killer from start to finish, easily my favorite stones album along with 'let it bleed.'

I have now listened to my mono vinyl copies of the 1st LP and 12x5, thanks ILX

their early discography is SO confusing. I'm still totally mixed up about UK vs US editions.

Sweet Virginia...oh the harmonica in that KILLS me

What are ilxors feelings abt the really early stuff, covers and whatnot?

I can think of one that will probably make my ballot -- one that hasn't been mentioned yet.

I wonder if anyone will vote for Goin' Home? I never can get with that one, don't know why....

It's irritating that Spotify blocks that track (I guess because it's longer than 10 minutes?). But I think I still have my copy of Aftermath around here somewhere.

this is insane

if i submit a top 20 i'll regret it two minutes later

this seems harder than the beatles poll...or any poll i can remember.

mookie otm. my tentative top 20 yesterday went almost completely out the window today.

Y'all wanna hear something totally nuts? Okay.

I used to think Mick Jagger was a weak vocalist.

the cool thing is that this will no doubt uncover some gems i don't know -- in most of these polls i've already heard everything, it's just a matter of order

xpost that is nuts

not the finest instrument but an exceptional player

Yeah, that was the distinction it took me a few years to figure out.

I can understand how he looks tacky and silly but the guy invented singing in a rock and roll band.

he also helped invent Bowie.

Just because

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juEeau5nHVU

Just realized that I kind of can't stand Ruby Tuesday

one for the "most hated" sub-poll -- I hope that one gets enough ballots to run the results

This interview is a mother load of material; it's his equivalent to Lennon's Playboy interviews.

So is this: http://www.timeisonourside.com/track67-72.html

oooh thanks Alfred!

side story about Ruby Tuesday.

I already didn't much like RT bc of the recorder-playing - I had to learn the recorder in primary school and haaated it, and I still get a bit of a twitch if I have to hear too much of it, lol.
But then my friend in college had this whole ritual she went through every year - when she was 16 her best friend committed suicide, and so on the anniversary of her death my friend would wear this girl's favorite color (yellow), buy a bunch of her favorite flowers (daffodils), and listen to her favorite song (Ruby Tuesday). She would play that song ALL day. ALL DAY.
And it drove me crazy because by then I had found out about Exile On Main STreet, and Let It Bleed; she had bought the Hot Rocks cd soley for RT, and it was the ONLY song she ever listened to on it bc of this bloody ritual.

it was all just kind of weird and annoying. We're still friends, she stopped with the ritual after a few years (at least publicly, for all I know she still does it).

But ugh everytime I hear it I just remember the piercing recorder notes bleeding through my dormitory wall and being very unhappy.

listen to "100 years ago" if you haven't yet

― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Friday, March 23, 2012

it's a van morrison song, i'n'it? until it isn't.

stones party http://outloud.fm/ILXORS

Things are not going well for me, pollwise. I've added 20 more songs to my list just today alone. Ffffffuuuuuuuuuu

Re-listening to "Let It Bleed" tonight. Fuckin good times here in my headphones.

And loving the Rolling Stone Jagger interview.

The stuff about Brian is sad/amusing. "I've never known a guy with less talent for songwriting." For someone so talented with so many instruments, the more I read about Brian the more he sounds like a total fucking nightmare to be around.

i voted ruby tuesday in my top 20

http://gifsoup.com/view6/1990889/mick-wink-o.gif

I still love you

YOU PASSED SO BAD GAS!

i thought that was a flute in ruby tuesday. it sounds like flowers flowering in fast motion

minus all that cinematic chitnzy stuff

i know what #1 is tho

I've got #1 and #2 at least in a nice waltz together. Possibly my 5 in a melty sort of way.

But listening to Let It Bleed was a bad idea, I want to add nearly the whole album to my 20.

xxpost there's flute in RT but I always heard some recorders or something in there too. Could be wrong, I've never actually looked at the instrument list.

Nope. Not flute. Recorder. Played by Cock Robin himself, Jonesy.

well that's depressing

my ballot is going to be boringly 67-70 heavy

Not boring! Those are the good ones!

well obviously but it still feels less than authentic

I feel like the more time I spend listening to albums the more depressed I get about ever being able to narrow down to 20.

And have I ever thrown myself into anything with as much verve and dedication? doubtful.

For some reason, nothing from my favorite Stones album made my top 20. I wish I understood why I did that, but I think it's because I hear the album as a whole, and it seems weird hearing something from it in isolation.

xp Haha, yeah, I made a list of all possible ballot-worthy songs, thinking I wouldn't have 20, and I had 60. My ballot could easily change day-to-day...or hour-to-hour...but the more I listen to my #1, the more I'm convinced I did the right thing. And it's not one that immediately sprung to mind as a #1 (or even a top 10).

xpost I think that's what I'm wrestling with with a few of the Exile songs. I think of them with the songs around them so much that listening to them in isolation is kind of dissatisfying. Which doesn't bode well for them.

themthemthemthem ugh

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kD8c7xNEX8U/TZZ_LCC3JfI/AAAAAAAAN5M/VcONbl5zGF4/s1600/Gloria.jpg

Yeah, wrt Exile, some of my favorite moments are things like "Just Wanna See His Face" or "Hip Shake," but they lose a lot out of context. Still, managed to get about 3 or 4 Exile songs on my ballot.

Rocks Off is such a KICKASS opener but I don't know how I feel about it just as a song song...and Tumbling Dice fucking rules but why does it feel so plodding away from the rest of the album.

I need a xanax.

i feel totally the same way about Exile!

i mean, it's hard seperating the individual tracks from the overall album experience

It's not as hard with Sticky Fingers or Beggars or Let It Bleed, but then it's that thing of how MANY to pick, and are ALL these songs off this album really THAT awesome? Then you start playing lifeboat with your best friends, 'sorry, you can't build anything, you'll be useless on the island, bye I love you"

I threw "Sway" a life preserver.

i appreciate that because i think i had to scrap it :/

^^^u MAD

i'm gay (i'm happy)

WHY WOULD YOU SCRAP SWAY

In the early-'70s, my grade-school friend Pat Hutchinson's family had a boarder named Heather living with them. She was a total hippychick, and I still remember seeing the words "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday" painted on the wall of her room in very elaborate and colourful script. I knew next to nothing about the Rolling Stones at the time, and while I may have heard "Ruby Tuesday" on the radio, I didn't associate the song with them or the words on the wall with the song.

where is heather now and does she know you loved her

She does now (pitter-patter)...probably Communications Director for Michelle Bachmann or something.

I don't think I fully appreciated Exile til I was in my post-grad year of uni doing my teaching degree, hanging out with jaded 30 year olds who smoked and drank with an abandon I'd never known (I was about 21). This particular night the whole group of us hung out at this one guy's apartment listening to Exile on his record player, chain smoking and drinking red wine out of coffee mugs. everyone was singing and getting wasted and it was fucking brilliant.

It's a good drinking album.

^^ yeah, i've drunk a lot of red to Exile.

really dig some of the gems tucked away right at the end of the album. "all down the line" is a totally unhinged good-time killer track and "soul survivor" just has perfect flow, despite being made up of seemingly disparate parts. they are both going to get some love from me in this poll.

dang those are both songs i wish i had voted for. exile is the stones album i enjoy listening to the most, but my favorite songs of theirs cluster around the late 60's period.

i wound up with something like exile 10 tracks on my short list, far more than any other single album, but wound up "only" including three in my top 20. two begin with the word "sweet" and the other involves what can be accomplished only while asleep. struggled bitterly with "soul survivor", "ventilator blues" and "turd on the run", but eventually let them go. flirts with being my favorite record of any kind, ever.

listen to "100 years ago" if you haven't yet

― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Friday, March 23, 2012

it's a van morrison song, i'n'it? until it isn't.

― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Friday, March 23, 2012 7:48 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

idgi. it's credited to jagger/richards. you saying it sounds like a van morrison song? i guess i don't know VM well enough...

That Jagger/RS interview was really interesting.

Never really took the time to appreciate Jagger's, um, economy of words. Like, he doesn't want to say a lot but he's very good at succinctly drilling to the heart of something when he wants to. His thoughts about the cross-dressing/male-female appeal was really interesting, and his thoughts about him as a 'rock star' now vs when he was starting out, the whole thrill of forging a new road in still very new style of music vs doing it now where it's pretty much the standard.

And I admire his early rebellion, given the environment he grew up in, it must have taken some balls to just put his foot down and forge ahead.

I dunno, I came away with a slightly better view of him than I've had in a while. I like him as a performer, I just never always liked him, but I guess he never really wants anyone to know him so..

My top-rankIng Exile track is Rip This Joint. Not sure they ever rocked that hard before or since.

Left all sorts of insanely great things off, including Satisfaction and Sway. And I guess I can understand hating Ruby Tuesday, but it was the first Stones song I ever loved, when I was about 9 and got into my dad's copy of Flowers, so is a sentimental #1. Love the pummeling snare drum lead-in to the chorus. (also have Lady Jane on the ballot -- soft spot for baroque Stones)

I don't dislike "Ruby Tuesday," but I love other songs on Between the Buttons so much more that I sometimes forget "Ruby Tuesday" is even on that record. So if you're out tonight, don't forget, if you're on your bike, wear white.

It's no surprise Jagger's smart as a whip but it was also refreshing to read that interview in '95 or whatever and realize he remains the least sentimental major rock and roller ever.

I put together a playlist of 61 songs, all the way up to Little T&A and She Was Hot, heh. The first 19 were pretty easy, but #20 is a showdown between 19th Nervous Breakdown, Moonlight Mile, Happy and Ventilator Blues.

Ventilator Blues! It's the most fun to strut & pout to. Whatcha gonna *do* 'bout it?

Such a wide range of recording/engineering quality in the earliest material... "Come On" is crystalline, "I Wanna Be Your Man" is overdriven mud.

Listening to Dirty Work for the first time just to make sure I didn't leave anything important off my ballot. "One Hit" was a contender, but ended up getting cut. This being the first time I've heard "Winning Ugly" in 20+ years, I'm shocked at how not-horribly it's aged. I kinda dig it.

you saying it sounds like a van morrison song?

― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Friday, March 23, 2012

Yes. But then it goes somewhere Van wouldn't.

Oh! The other thing I liked about the Jagger interview was the little quip about Altamont: he said something like, oh you journalists talked about the death of innocence, I was just upset that a person had died, for her family. YEAH JANN.

WENNER: What about the contribution of Mick Taylor to the band in these years?

JAGGER: I think he had a big contribution. He made it very musical. He was a very fluent, melodic player, which we never had, and we don’t have now. Neither Keith nor [Ronnie Wood] plays that kind of style. It was very good for me working with him. Charlie and I were talking about this the other day, because we could sit down – I could sit down – with Mick Taylor, and he would play very fluid lines against my vocals. He was exciting, and he was very pretty, and it gave me something to follow, to bang off. Some people think that’s the best version of the band that existed.

WENNER: What do you think?

JAGGER: They’re all interesting periods. They’re all different. I obviously can’t say if I think Mick Taylor was the best, because it sort of trashes the period the band is in now.

WENNER: Why did Mick Taylor leave?

JAGGER: I still don’t really know.

WENNER: He never explained?

JAGGER: Not really. He wanted to have a solo career. I think he found it difficult to get on with Keith.

WENNER: On musical issues?

JAGGER: Everything. I’m guessing.

Volumes here, when you think about Jagger/Taylor tracks like "Sway," "Moonlight Mile," "Winter" etc.

Reading that interview in 199-whatever confirmed my suspicions about where Keith wasn't (i.e. "Sway" and "Moonlight Mile").

that inteview was great. thanks Alfred!

Part of me wonders if Jagger says that stuff about Taylor knowing that Keef is reading...

Not that Taylor isn't great, but Keef is your guy whether you want him or not, dude.

my friend in college had this whole ritual she went through every year - when she was 16 her best friend committed suicide, and so on the anniversary of her death my friend would wear this girl's favorite color (yellow), buy a bunch of her favorite flowers (daffodils), and listen to her favorite song (Ruby Tuesday). She would play that song ALL day. ALL DAY.
And it drove me crazy because by then I had found out about Exile On Main STreet, and Let It Bleed; she had bought the Hot Rocks cd soley for RT, and it was the ONLY song she ever listened to on it bc of this bloody ritual.

it was all just kind of weird and annoying

Loved this btw - I guess it's maybe not something to be especially proud of, but I can totally relate to hating on someone's memorial for spoiling this shiny new album you just bought.

Part of me wonders if Jagger says that stuff about Taylor knowing that Keef is reading...

Not that Taylor isn't great, but Keef is your guy whether you want him or not, dude.

according to an interview Keef gave last fall, there's no hard feelings. He invited Taylor and Wyman to join him, Ronnie, and Charlie to jam.

Vegemite Grrl otm abt the catty subtext of Jagger on Taylor, esp "I obviously can’t say if I think Mick Taylor was the best, because it sort of trashes the period the band is in now." Uh, except you just said exactly that, dude.

And I wouldn't expect there to be any hard feelings between KR and Taylor. It's more that Jagger's statements suggest tensions between Richards and himself.

Interesting to note that songs we like to think of as classic Jagger-Richards compositions like "Brown Sugar," "Sympathy...," and "Miss You" are Jagger-only songs.

Ruby Tuesday is gonna be waaaay up near the top of my ballot--it's a bit tainted by all the boomer love, I suppose, but that melody, my god, so beautiful

What Jagger rather artfully elides in the interview -- artfully because he does suggest it -- is that Taylor left in large part b/ he was fed up with not getting songwriting credit on stuff like "Sway" and "Moonlight Mile" -- for all those "dreamy" lovely lead lines Jagger raves about.

Legend has it that Wood was their first choice before Taylor. The story goes that someone from the Stones' camp called during a Faces rehearsal. Ronnie Lane (or Ian MacLagan, depending on the account) answered the phone and said, "Nope, he doesn't want to join the Stones; he's happy with the Faces." Wood didn't find out about this until years later.

convenient legend that. agreed with alfred that mick is quite forthcoming when you read between the lines.

a bit torn on "memo from turner"... like, ry cooder's stuff is just filthy and maybe that alone warrants a place on the ol' ballot but... hm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbyrm9q_bvM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2wttYva1AQ

another thing I really liked about that Jagger interview was how candidly he broke down the 'what it's like on stage' question. AI really respect how much of a student of his own craft he is, and that it's no accident that he became "Mick Jagger". I mean, as Alfred said he pretty much invented the rock n roll frontman, and from that interview there's little doubt that he pretty much knew from the beginning what he was doing up there.

Also, when he talks about music, it's 100% clear to me why he and Keith work together so well. If they dabble in a certain style Keith knows how to play it, how to arrange it, Mick knows already how it's supposed to sound, and lyrically how to write it...might sound a bit soppy/misty eyed but I like to think that maybe when they write together that that's how they manifest their friendship now. They maybe can't BE friends the way they were in the old days, but those times might be like their own time-machine, where things are easy and they can communicate in a more familiar way.
McCartney said something similar about the few times he was able to write with John later on when things were not so great between them, that in those moments it was like nothing had changed.

another thing I really liked about that Jagger interview was how candidly he broke down the 'what it's like on stage' question.

That was a great part of the interview, and not one that I expected Jagger to seriously tackle. It's amazing to me that he can be something of a micromanager while simultaneously setting the pace for, and being the focal point of, the stage show.

I'd like to thank whomever posted that clip of "I Am Waiting"--I never really paid attention to that song. My new favorite deep cut from the "twee" period

Obv I need to read that interview. That timeisonourside.com site is pretty sweet too, once you get past the horrible design and navigation. All the Tracktalk sections are in Section 1, Database.

yeah the layout is awful, but the content is pretty interesting

VOTED

*collapses in heap*

I'm gonna need the rest of the week, listening to mono vinyl Out Of Our Heads right now, "The Last Time" sounds MASSIVE.

it was driving me mental, I had to just do it and be done with it, another week would have had me with another 50 more songs on the shortlist.

I ginned up an excuse to go out driving tonight so I could take Exile with me and howl along at top volume. I sound like Tallulah Bankhead now. Greatest karaoke album ever, especially "Sweet Virginia" -- "got to scrape the shit right off your SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooees"

also, "judge and jury walk out hand in hand" would be a funny title for the results thread, but I'll bet roger m already has titles in mind that have that beat

especially "Sweet Virginia" -- "got to scrape the shit right off your SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooees"

this line is why SV made my ballot

The latest round of remasters shifted my focus to their first three years...if I did this three years ago, my ballot would've been all of Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers...now It's gonna be 1/2 pre-68. Feels weird...

The Rolling Stones Now! is serious heat.

That timeisonourside.com site is pretty sweet too, once you get past the horrible design and navigation.

It's still in a 2001-era design.

I ended up with a lot of Sticky Fingers, and only a couple of Exile...but it's more because Exile's such a, I dunno, tapestry or something it feels weird picking out individual threads.

But this thread was crucial for me to revisit Let It Bleed, Beggars Banquet, and Goat's Head in particular, as well as stuff I'd never really looked at like Between the Buttons. I think my poll is a lot more well rounded with all the homework listening I've been doing, compared to my first, fairly myopic list of 20.

Poor Ian Stewart--didn't cut a good enough profile to get in, right? He's all over those early records and adds a lot.

I love the credits for "Heaven":

http://www.timeisonourside.com/SOHeaven.html

Stewart appears on 3 of my picks, according to wikipedia

or about "Respectable"

It's important to be somewhat influenced by what's going on around you and on the Some Girls album, I think we definitely became more aggressive because of the punk thing. On this track, I was banging out three chords incredibly loud on the electric guitar, wich isn't always a wonderful idea but was great fun here. This is a punk meets Chuck Berry number. The lyric carries no fantastically deep message, but I think it might have had something to do with Bianca.
- Mick Jagger, 1993

Mick had this one already to go. This was one of the first times we allowed him to join in on guitar. He's a really good rhythm player, man; but then, he's had a good teacher.

- Keith Richards, 1993

voted

Time capsule ...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lNP-x94-SE

^ well that links to footage Robert Frank shot in NYC & LA to go along with Exile cover

man... i dunno if "worried about you" is gonna make my ballot, but I forgot how much it can grab me when it catches me right. A+ backing vox from keef; enjoy the lol Early Days of Video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MMgPbt9jhw

I may lose sleep tonight over leaving You Got The Silver and/or Happy off my ballot. I was so torn about a Keef song...and yet they both felt like songs for a longer ballot. 20 requires such mercenary decision making! :(

Sorry Keef.

I've always loved this quote about Stray Cat Blues being influenced by the Velvets. I feel like there is another quote about the Stones nicking something else from the VU & Nico but I can't find it...

I mean, even WE'VE been influenced by the Velvet Underground... I'll tell you exactly what we pinched from (Lou Reed) too. You know Stray Cat Blues? The whole sound and the way it's paced, we pinched from the very first Velvet Underground album. You know, the sound on Heroin. Honest to God, we did!
- Mick Jagger, 1977

I'm having a run through It's Only Rock & Roll at the moment. Thoughts on this one? It seems to be regarded as a bit of a dud, if it gets regarded at all, but there're some nice cuts on here - title track, Time Waits For No-One and Luxury are all my kind of Stones, to varying degrees.

One of their worst.

B&B is my favorite of the Stones' mid seventies Anomie Trilogy but not by much.

I like If You Want To Be My Friend and Fingerprint File too. The album as a whole seems vaguely lifeless - I'd need to live with it a bit to be sure - but those are good songs.

Yeah It's Only Rock N Roll is not good, I have a hard time hanging with it. It always sounded like they didn't even want me to *listen* to it, let alone play on it themselves.

I feel like there is another quote about the Stones nicking something else from the VU & Nico but I can't find it...

i mentioned upthread that "child of the moon" reminds me strongly of the first-album velvets (GREAT SONG, VOTE FOR IT NOW), but i don't know that there's any stones-on-record commentary supporting the connection

Black and Blue at least has Fool To Cry, so not a total waste.

It always sounded like they didn't even want me to *listen* to it, let alone play on it themselves.

Hahaha, that's so perfect.

re IORnR: i half like both "time waits for no one" and "fingerprint file", but they're both a bit dismal and overlong

"fool to cry" is the only really great song on black and blue, i shed a few tears over cutting it, but "hand of fate" and "memory motel" are at least worth a listen

I think Dance Little Sister is my favorite off that album, but even that didn't go on my ballot. Title track is pretty good for a meathead rawk anthem, but is still a meathead rawk anthem.

No one's mentioned this yet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIt-nQ_qp1s

Probably not as good as Vashti Bunyan's hit, but it's on my ballot.

i am a huge fan of "hand of fate" fwiw tho i recognize it's a minor work

Mick Taylor told Jim Lea of Slade that the title track of IORnR was Jagger/Richards attempt at the "Slade formula".

Needs more handclaps imo

xps Hand of Fate is a wonderful track. Don't know if I'd put it in my 20, but it'd be somewhere in my 40.

"Hand of Fate" and "Crazy Mama" are two of my favorite Stones throwaways. The guitar sound on both is shit-hot.

toss in "Fool to Cry" and "Memory Motel" and you've got half a good album.

xps Hand of Fate is a wonderful track.

yeah, i slighted it by saying only that it's "worth a listen". has been bouncing around my head for hours after one listen this morning. catchy tune, great riff and tone, good lyrics. main problems are that it's at least a minute too long, and i don't like the solos. that and there's a weirdly empty quality to the sound, loose and airless at the same time, that's initially off putting, but the swagger manages to cut through anyway. always makes me want to hear what they'd have done with it circa exile.

I often wish Wayne Perkins had joined the band instead of Woody ("Worried About You"). What tone!

I can barely put into words how I feel about this song, but know that I love it more than any other Stones track (and probably more than most songs I've ever heard by anyone). Plz consider giving it points on your ballots!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKNSm8_CTOY

1st cut gets me down to 130 songs

damn, feel for u, WMC. mine was around 70s, then when up to 90 on a second pass. getting it down past 40 was a kind of hell, like using a knife to select your favorite fingers.

re "she smiled sweetly": it's not one of my favorites, but i think it'll do just fine, JF, what with the massive wes anderson boost and all. "ruby tuesday" seems like the perfected version, and i cut that, too.

I always forget it was in The Royal Tenenbaums (I've only seen that one time, back when it was in theaters).

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you all to vote early and often for Have You Seen Your Mother Baby

i'm with whoever said upthread that it's nearly impossible to pick tracks from BtB and Aftermath (my faves on most days, too) on account of the fact that the songs come off better in their natural environment. but "Back Street Girl" **cking slays me no matter where or when
and on the most hated note "my girl" is the worst thing they ever recorded

I'm leaning in the direction of obnoxiousness instead of bad songwriting on the most-hated ballot.

Fair, but I voted a poor cover version. Not saying which song, but UB40's version was better.

Ballot ready, but I'm going to ponder it for a couple of days before I send it.

This is the biggest discography by far for the single-artist polls, right? I wouldn't be surprised to see #1 votes as far down as the #150-200 range, if the ballot count goes over 50.

do you really think "Winning Ugly" will get that many #1 votes?

This is the biggest discography by far for the single-artist polls, right?

Naw, James Brown's was/is way huger. Problem was, said huge discography seemed to intimidate people into not voting.

I'm not convinced about JB vs RS! I'd bet a shiny dollar that more RS songs will get votes than JB songs did, but that would only work if the number of ballots were the same for both polls. The Stones song list is 450+.

There are something like 1200 songs listed here for Prince: http://www.princevault.com/index.php/A-Z_song_list

I don't know if it's possible to accurately calculate James Brown's song list, given live versions and multipart singles. But, at the very least, he matched the Stones year-for-year, album-for-album, and started a good 5+ years before them.

ok, I'm full of beans

I'd really like to see everyone's first draft lists after posting our 20, but that would probably get unwieldy real fast

Child of the Moon is another revelation to me...it would have made such a better album closer than Salt of the Earth, which is such a dud

Salt of the Earth is a wonderfully insincere closer, just what the album needs. If anything's wrong with it it's that it's too obvious in making things explicit.

It didn't feel insincere when they played it at the Concert for 9/11 or whatever...is it really tongue in cheek? sorry to sound naive!

Salt of the Earth is the fucking great.

(no the)

never heard "salt of the earth" as ironic.

Child of the Moon is another revelation to me

yes! love it so much & felt like i was the only one.

...but i guess i'm wrong abt "salt". i dunno if it's precisely insincere, but it's definitely quite cynical.

we love you is insincere

no irony...and it's got nothing to do with Jagger changing one key verse (guess which...?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZGPcRyyvc0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELoTflLRskQ

If you hear Salt of the Earth as insincere then to me it just means your jadedness is maybe getting out of hand, idk

in fact it sounds so strange

but that jaded faded junkie nurse, oh what pleasant company!

"salt of the earth" both is and is not insincere, and that's where it gets its power imo. it takes a lot of positions all at once, both occupying and eviscerating the "let them eat cake" position while also expressing both compassion and contempt for the masses. if it helps, bear in mind that e.g. many tea partiers are salt-of-the-earth types.

I think that's right, & that you can hear the Jagger / Keef songwriting dynamic at work in that (though I should read up to see if that's right)

OK, I can hear that, the both positions at once, but I still hate it!

"salt of the earth" both is and is not insincere, and that's where it gets its power imo. it takes a lot of positions all at once, both occupying and eviscerating the "let them eat cake" position while also expressing both compassion and contempt for the masses.

Yes. I'd argue that this has been Jagger's power from the beginning.

before Bowie and Ferry he was the first to conflate notions of "irony" and "sincerity"

I'll take that, roger

we love you is insincere

― Iago Galdston, Sunday, March 25, 2012 6:40 PM (23 minutes ago) Bookmark

maybe, but it is great and it is on my first draft of 20.

we love you is insincere
― Iago Galdston, Sunday, March 25, 2012 6:40 PM (23 minutes ago) Bookmark

maybe, but it is great and it is on my first draft of 20.
― Flat Of NAGLs (sleeve), Sunday, March 25, 2012 10:06 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I meant that as a compliment! It's one of the great FU songs, and is in my top 20 too

still working through my own ballot, somewhat surprised. going in i would have expected to rate "rocks off" over "tumbling dice" but it's not workin' out that way. and was certain that "let it loose," which I love dearly, would rate over "shine a light." still will i think but dear lord the leadwork in "shine a light" is really something else.

oic (xp)

I'm up to Beggar's Banquet now

"we love you" is almost certainly getting one of my satanic majesties-era slots. 9 year old me would go for "dandelion" or "she's a rainbow" or "2000 man" for the opening lick alone but damn. for your consideration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6D3jE4A24o

2000 Man is fab, 2nd best on the album after the mighty Citadel

both likely gonna be on mine

Vegas has installed Gimme Shelter as the favorite, at 5 to 1.

"salt of the earth" both is and is not insincere, and that's where it gets its power imo. it takes a lot of positions all at once, both occupying and eviscerating the "let them eat cake" position while also expressing both compassion and contempt for the masses. if it helps, bear in mind that e.g. many tea partiers are salt-of-the-earth types.

― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Sunday, March 25, 2012 6:56 PM (58 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

[...]

before Bowie and Ferry he was the first to conflate notions of "irony" and "sincerity"

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, March 25, 2012 7:05 PM (49 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, this read makes the most sense to me, because it doesn't come across anywhere near so black-hearted as it would if you figured the whole thing was a pisstake, but that "when i look into the faceless crowd" refrain does put a big kink in the apparent sincerity of the rest. like the compassion (or attempted compassion) is in earnest, but mick can't help admitting that he's looking down from above. i like the honesty of this.

dagmn, "we love you" is so fucking great! killed me to cut it, but i did. agree that it's one of their very best SM-era tracks. like "child of the moon", it's probably gonna get screwed due to not appearing on any of the studio albums or hot rocks.

also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6o2ZpHZWos

cut down to 25. have somehow managed to let "saint of me" hang around despite having already jettisoned "paint it, black." am i a disgusting savage y/n?

ps worth noting that keef does not appear on "saint of me" but me'shell ndegéocello does.

would probably vote for "love is strong" as well tbh if it weren't always bookended for me with "wicked as it seems"

TS: waddy wachtel's guitar vs mick jagger's harp

I can't, and couldn't, get down with Saint of Me

I dunno why, it just doesn't do it for me

me neither

riff rules, charlie rules, middle eight is balls

again, for your consideration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2h3TlHcLY0

"we love you" is almost certainly getting one of my satanic majesties-era slots. 9 year old me would go for "dandelion" or "she's a rainbow" or "2000 man" for the opening lick alone but damn.

It made my ballot easily. Love the piano riff, and especially love Jagger's angry vocal (and Charlie's angry drums) on the middle eight.

Everyone needs to vote for You Got The Silver!!!!!!

...so that I don't flagellate myself for having to cut it.

yeah, no, sorry roger - it's not even on my short list [ducks out]

there is too much stones, too much stones, yeah

[ducks out again]

I don't see how it's possible to have anything on this poll from after 1972.

I will have at least one track from 1973. Alfred will have no tracks before 1973.

ha!

I didn't think about timeline when I was working on my ballot (promise!), just looked at it afterwards and realized that the cutoff year was surprisingly early. Felt a little guilty, not guilty enough to make changes (yet).

My latest is 1978

I just couldn't can't do anything later, and I did try to devote a little bit of listening time to the later catalog stuff.

I was pretty conscious of the timeline, but still had a hard time coming up with something after 1973. "Shattered" and "One Hit" were late cuts, though.

i'm trying to fit in some guilty pleasure later singles. i think having only 20 spots on ballots makes the poll results consolidate more firmly on the peak period of long-running artists, though, for better or worse (for worse imo).

The whole "Some Girls" album is a huge weakness of mine, I had 2 picks off that album, very nearly 3.

I love "Waiting on a Friend" as much as any sixties ballad.

Although I experienced the Stones later than what Rob Sheffied has called the Mall Rat Years (1978-1983), that's how I most fondly remember them.

I included "One Hit," but nothing later than that.

Waiting on a Friend is pretty great.

my real intro to the stones was my parents' copy of hot rocks, which i became seriously obsessed with around age 12, followed by my mom's purchase of tattoo you when i was 14. i did then and still love do that album. also have a lot of affection for the funky slinky side of the late 70s/early 80s stones: "miss you", "shattered", "emotional rescue", "slave". all of those songs probably should have made my ballot, but most didn't.

Some Girls isn't as good as I'd hoped. It's like they tried to remake Exile, only this time commercial, and missed what was good in the first place.

god i will be so pissed if "Miss You" gets a raw deal in the final results because of the nothing-after-Exile crowd

tattoo you tracks that made my first cut:

Hang Fire
Little T & A
Neighbors
No Use In Crying
Slave
Start Me Up
Waiting On A Friend
Worried About You

"no use in crying" and "little t&a" were the hardest for me to deny

no "Heaven"!

I've always been a baby duckling with music, imprinting on whatever's first. In this case, Hot Rocks and More Hot Rocks at 14, then Now! and Beggar's Banquet a year later.

Miss You is amazing, but it's the exception here.

I guess I do need to vote if anything after 72 is in danger? wtf people?!

I had a couple of compilation cassettes when I was in early high school. One was Through The Past Darkly, and I think I had England's Newest Hit Makers, and I listen to those two alot. Especially ENHM, I loved the super-old garagey sound of those early covers. I think that kind of informed the sound I wanted from them, so I have a hard time with the cleanness of the later stuff. And stuff like Start Me Up, it just sounds like Superbowls and stadiums to me. There's sort of a, I dunno, smaller feel to the old stuff. That's not the right word, but it'll do.

Bigger Bang was as close as I've come to 'enjoying' their newer stuff.

you were thinking about not voting? wtf at u!
xp

Miss You is outstanding.

WASSAMATTAWITCHOOBOY

Lurkers might be stuffing out on Bridges to Babylon for all we know

There was a strong lurker demographic for Bowie -- I hope they're out in strength for this one!

I don't have the energy to get all ~involved~ but I will submit a ballot because clearly "She's So Cold" needs me.

I love "Hang Fire", thinking of voting for it. For the longest time I didn't know the name of the song, only knew it from the radio, & had convinced myself that it was "Angie", so when I sang the song around the house I sang the chorus as a series of howled "Angieeeeeeee"s, which I think I still prefer to the real song.

I don't have the energy to get all ~involved~ but I will submit a ballot because clearly "She's So Cold" needs me.

srsly

That song is SO FUN to dance to.

"She's So Cold" was one of my very last cuts!

the guy singing with his lady friend at 2:00 exactly looks like alfred!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rf7Z-TBeTI&feature=related

She's So Cold is fun, I wouldn't be sad if it made it. I didn't vote for it, but vote away lurkers!

It's not that the stuff after Exile is bad, lots of it is great. But for me at least, the Rolling Stones from 68 to 72 is the best music ever made by anyone. So naturally my top 20 is going to focus heavily on that period.

Here's a question (apologies if this has been covered upthread. What is the super immortal megaclassic Stones song that you're most sick of, and won't be on your ballot? For me it's Honky Tonk Women.

Possibly Brown Sugar. Certainly Satisfaction.

Honky Tonk Women, Ruby Tuesday.

I can't quit on Brown Sugar, Keyes' sax has its hooks in me.

*Keys

sick of: Honky Tonk Women, Satisfaction, Street Fighting Man, Wild Horses, Get Off of My Cloud

super immortal megaclassic Stones songs I can't believe I didn't vote for: The Last Time, Let's Spend the Night Together, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Have You Seen Your Mother Baby...

I just came her to say that this title has had me singing Mother's Little Helper over and over again in my head since late last week. It's driving me nuts. Thanks a lot, RM! ;)

HERE

dammit

the guy singing with his lady friend at 2:00 exactly looks like alfred!!

lol a bit! You've got a good eye.

I thought about that too, the song you're most sick of. Ten at least, led by "Satisfaction" and "Paint It Black." I'm pretty sure I loved every one of them when I was younger.

My favorite thing about Wild Horses, aside from straight up loving the song, is imitiating Mick's delivery of the title line

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiild Hawwwwwwsssseeeesssssss

He's very sibilant, it makes me laugh

;_; that everyone is sick of Satisfaction.

I've tried to get sick of it! I can't!

i'm actually finding it really hard to think of songs for my most hated ballot. there are tons of big hits i'm a little blase about but only in relation to other Stones hits, and of course a lot of treading water, but very little i outright dislike, even of the fallow periods.

I'm pretty sick of "Mixed Emotions."

oh i love that one

I kind of hate Emotional Rescue. And Under My Thumb.

Nono, Under My Thumb will be getting voted for, even if I end up leaving off all the other classics

lol I was kidding – I don't hear "Mixed Emotions" enough

I'm definitely tired of "Satisfaction," but I was never all that nutso about the song in the first place. I used to think I was sick of "Miss You," but then some friends of mine came around at twelve with some Puerto Rican girls that, evidently, were just dying to meet me. They brought a case of wine and we messed and fooled around, you know, like we used to.

"Emotional Rescue" is my least favorite single for sure, despite loving the album to bits. "Undercover of the Night" is pretty damn cynical and makes a good case for the post-'72 naysayers.

i will probably be the only voter for "love is strong," won't i

I haven't revisited Undercover of the Night on my listen-through yet, but I'll be amazed if it doesn't sail way up my ballot.

And stuff like Start Me Up, it just sounds like Superbowls and stadiums to me. There's sort of a, I dunno, smaller feel to the old stuff. That's not the right word, but it'll do.

it does sound that way at this point, yeah. it didn't then, at least not to me, and so i still dig it, despite the yucky associations. did cut it early and without regret tho.

have never grown tired of "satisfaction" or "paint it black". "you can't always get what you want", however, has wilted considerably.

and, yeah, "she's so cold" is great. the best stuff off black and blue, some girls, emotional rescue, tattoo you and undercover would make a hell of a compilation.

The totally bazonkers International Harvester version of "Satisfaction" saved it for me -- otherwise, that.

listened to aftermath this morning. might vote for every song on there.

Eight post-'72 tracks on my ballot and only three pre-Beggars Banquet. Not that I don't love early Stones too!

The one Tattoo You track i did keep was "Slave", as I think I mentioned earlier. I also kept "Summer Romance" off Emotional Rescue, mostly cuz i love the fucked-up punk rock outtake version I posted upthread, easily the silliest and most perverse choice on my ballot. Together those two songs suggest something to me...

Duderock Essentials #19: The "I'm Gonna Leave You, Woman" / "You Don't Own Me, Woman" Song.

The children of "Milkcow Blues", I suppose. A lot of bands hit this note occasionally (see every emo and frat rock band ever to exist), but the Stones are kind of unique in having devoted seemingly half their career to it. I think of these as permission-granting songs, as they seem constructed to draw out and validate male sexual angst, feelings of wrath and/or powerlessness. Such songs encourage fantasies of straying, even the corresponding action only extends to getting drunk with the boys and talking shit. They also give guys in relationships a bonding point with the recently dumped and the perpetually unhitched. At their worst, they're "that bitch" songs. At their best, well, they're still "that bitch" songs, but, uh, good ones.

make that "Such songs encourage fantasies of straying, even if the corresponding action only extends to..."

Tired of, easily cut: "Honky Tonk Women" and especially "Sympathy for the Devil"

Hohoho, 'Petrol Blues' - what the hell is this track?!

I'll never tire of Honky Tonk Women, Brown Sugar, or Jumpin' Jack Flash...on the other hand, I can't listen to Sympathy for the Devil, just too played out.

Sent it in. My oldest song was from 1966 (and the last song I cut from my top 20 was 1964); the newest was finished in 2010 (so you can guess what that was). There's more godawful crap after Mick Taylor quit, but the highlights are still very damn high. Looking forward to the results.

Not that anyone cared, but I had the wrong band, same family -- it's this one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SOBAaVmjtU&feature=related

I thought it was going to be easy to make an initial list, and it was until I started listening to the albums again. Now I have 76 tracks to whittle down, 43 from the 60s, the rest from 1970-78. I'm sure I could add a few post-Some Girls tracks but there's no way they'll make my top 20.

listened to aftermath this morning. might vote for every song on there.

― tylerw, Monday, March 26, 2012 10:51 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark

haha, I listened to it yesterday and had almost the exact opposite reaction, I know it's considered an unfuckwithable classic but it seemed weak to me and the misogyny is unbearable.

that said OF COURSE I'm voting "Paint It, Black", and I think "I Am Waiting" might make the cut as well.

btw what's the record for ballots anyway?

I think the Bowie poll beat the Pavement one, but I forget the numbers

Bowie got 80.

The hardest one to cut for me was "The Lantern", but I only love that song in the original stereo mix and I have to play with the stereo: right channel only, so it's just Mick and Keith, through the verses and full stereo only on the instrumental bridge. It turns from a bluesy honkytonk throwaway into something super creepy and awesome. Try it some time! (NB: I can't find that old stereo mix online.)

I think all the SatMaj tracks made my final ballot (yes, even that one)

i've finalised my top 20, but have not yet ordered them. i didn't really have much of a shortlist as i tried to be very particular and precise about which tracks made it so far as the drawing board, so just had to cull a couple in the end. pretty happy with the songs i came up with, though a couple of albums which i really enjoy either have very minimal representation or don't get a nod at all. hard to really strike a great deal of balance when the peaks of Beggar's through Exile are so incredibly high.

Sent!

i will probably be the only voter for "love is strong," won't i

― internet somebody (some dude), Monday, March 26, 2012 12:35 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

No.

so I'm getting the impression that I should own Satanic Majesties....

the misogyny is unbearable
ha, i did take note of this, and it is indeed filthy with woman-loathing, but i thought that aspect was, ummm, revealing in some interesting way? i'm sure someone has written a boring thesis on it.

i might vote for this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiydOyjFkPM
misogyny-free zone!

SO CONFUSING

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowers_%28The_Rolling_Stones_album%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones,_Now!

I think their US/UK track shufflings are even worse than the Beatles records.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones,_Now!

garg, wth?

anyway, there is a page for that album. you just can't link to it.

...

oh, it's the comma. this works:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones_Now!

FUCK THE WORLD

Rolling Stones early releases definitely as confusing/wtf as the AC/DC shuffles.

The vote splitting (if any) in the album poll will be interesting.

Many xposts, but in defense of Sympathy for the Devil it has one of their greatest-ever grooves. Which is saying something, since groove is pretty much their greatest weapon. Or at least their least appreciated/articulated.

wait are unranked ballots not an option? dear lord.

percussion on Sympathy is the thing that keeps me coming back

wait are unranked ballots not an option? dear lord.

yeah, fucking brutal

Plus, lyrics that they had taken time over and pointed towards an idea.

Didn't do much of that post 1974 or so..

what's the point of unranked ballots?

BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE, MOTHERFUCKERS.

you got to roll me the tumblin' 20-sided dice

i never for even a moment considered cutting sympathy for the devil. i may be many things, but i am not so crazy as hat.

lol "crazy as hat"

crazy asshat

:/

percussion on Sympathy is the thing that keeps me coming back

^ this...erm, even though I cut it. But I was completely flummoxed as to how Charlie did it until I saw this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H3QcpvcIrY

YOU CUT IT?

yeah don't think i'll be able to cut that one. the guitar solo! heard it a bajillion times and i still snap to attention when it kicks in.

xp Yeah, I couldn't decide between the studio version or the Ya-Yas version. In the end, I cut both, and now no one has any glue to glue with.

omg shirtless Mick

imma need a moment brb

I really love that RNRC version, how it's SO percussion, and Keef's guitar's a little more languid.

RULES

*chicken dances furiously*

xpost

they all look so blazed, lol

They didn't go on until 1 or 2 in the morning. To keep the audience entertained (and awake), the Who put seat covers on their heads and wackiness ensued.

I haven't watched it in forever, I might need to go get it.

The version of "street fighting man" on the London Singles collection is so brutal, so violent. I love jimmy miller; the percussion on his stuff is always dope.

otm I love that version

They didn't go on until 1 or 2 in the morning. To keep the audience entertained (and awake), the Who put seat covers on their heads and wackiness ensued.
― Dancing with Mr. T (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, March 27, 2012 7:16 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The Stones didn't want to go on at the RnR Circus after they witnessed this, and really, can you blame them?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ku7QNRudg

Hope "No Expectations" gets some votes. Loved how it was used in Wild Palms (split up over two clips--13:30 in the first one, then continues on in the second).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSZUT6g8TwY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZKXKdHuxJg

That's why the film stayed in the can for 27 years. The Stones were dissatisfied with their performance, plus, Brian was in awful shape. The Who had just come off a few months in the US but couldn't get arrested in the UK ("Dogs" and "Magic Bus" stiffed, and they were back to playing the Marquee). Their performance at the Circus was met with stunned disbelief; none of their contemporaries expected anything like it.

xp

Thanks Tarfumes, that's what I had heard.
Oh yes, Clemenza, No Expectations is my one vote from Beggars Banquet...one of my favorites of theirs and Brian Jones' final great performance in the group (?). Brian Jones was apparently a thoroughly evil person but I am in thrall of his musicianship always

"No Expectations" made my top 10, easy. Watching Brian play it on the Circus is heartbreaking, though; he's shaking like a leaf.

I don't know why I have such a soft spot for Jones. I find Keith's post-mortem trashing of him to this day really distasteful. (And I think the circumstances of his death are truly sketchy!)

which is why Jagger's small tribute is touching (especially the source):

JAGGER: Isn’t “No Expectations” on that record?

WENNER:It’s got that wonderful steel guitar part.

JAGGER: That’s Brian playing. We were sitting around in a circle on the floor, singing and playing, recording with open mikes. That was the last time I remember Brian really being totally involved in something that was really worth doing. He was there with everyone else. It’s funny how you remember – but that was the last moment I remember him doing that, because he had just lost interest in everything.

Sent -- what a relief.

"No Expectations" is in my top ten too.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Most Hated results...

yeah that's a nice quote

xp

There's a little bit of this in all Mount Rushmore-level rock stars, but Jagger especially: "Isn’t 'No Expectations' on that record?"

"That record"--Beggars Banquet.

I've often wondered if that's an act, like when one of the Beatles says, "what album was that on?" please.....

This is a story, a very special story.
It's about Brian Jones, one of the Rolling Stones.

Where were you when the stars went out?
Where were you when they started to shout?
I saw you alone by the pool,
and all your friends called you a fool.
Godstar, Godstar. Godstar, Godstar. Godstar, Godstar. God.......star.

And you were so beautiful, you were so very special,
I wish I was with you now, I wish I could save you somehow.

Godstar, Godstar. Godstar, Godstar. Godstar, Godstar. God.......star.
(Echoing chorus): Brian, Brian, Brian.
Brian, Brian, Brian.
Godstar, Godstar. Godstar, Godstar. Godstar, Godstar. God.......star.

Where were all your friends that night
as you switched off the final light?
I saw your body in the water
Like a lamb going to the slaughter

And where were all of your laughing friends?
Where were they at the very end?
They started to steal your glory
They never even told your story

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv2Taq1PSbg

Dylan also pulled off that art of pretend forgetfulness...until Chronicles, in which he proved he remembered everything.

I like that Psychic TV song, never heard of them--thanks NAGL

don't have my ballot at hand, but i think i voted for "no expectations". at least i hope i did...

it made my list, so great.

I keep thinking about Rolling Stones music used well in non-Scorsese films: opening credits of Coming Home (2:45).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOpwx-XIxWE

I was surprised by my inability to cut No Expectations, expect it'll make my final cull

the existence of "no expectations" is why i was so comfortable cutting stuff like "sway" and "winter", tbh

No Expectations got a vote

how can you even cut Sway AND Winter, christ you are the Genghis Khan of voting

i am the ghenghis khan of brussels sprouts, too, so so many discarded buds

they deserve it, jerks

btw since my ballot is going to make sick monkey love to Mick Taylor and slight the Woodie Years, let me just say that Ron Wood's pedal steel playing on "the worst" absolutely makes the track. takes a special kind of player to deliver the goods like that while never chafing in the role of Keef's Valet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5BQ3cBRfxw

ronnie is a good bloke

Don't get to see much of Taylor onstage, this vid's just an overdub but still, the footage is p cool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIpqiEK8wfw

I was so close to including this in my ballot. Fuckin love Dead Flowers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTjni_t3MgY

ooh and really good Taylor in that Dead Flowers vid

still p sure the live "stray cat blues" from this era (as captured on Ya-Ya's) is about the sleaziest thing ever.

fuuuuck that dead flowers vid. like i didn't love the taylorstones enough already.

One day I would like to do a poll of Mick Jagger's stage outfits.

omg I just found that whole Marquee Club show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gf-CXBCfhY

I can't think of a better way to kill half an hour

<3
<3

I'm so in love with them

this is not helping me get over my Mick Jagger crush at all

I thought I was cured!
But I'm not! I'm so not.

oh shit

I Got The Blues

*ahem*

don't mean to introod, but WOO YAH i didn't forget "no expectations"!!!

hooray me

you still cut Sway though

i did i did

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj242/donaldparsley/sadponysm.png