Rolling Stones: Classic or Dud

Are they still playing the instruments or is this a “concept” of some sort

YouTube clip shows them in a studio (Mick’s house?) recording it, so it seems they did.

Reminds me of this (solid) forgotten throwaway:

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

i loved highwire

the live album that accompanied it mixed in crowd sounds from get yer yayas out

Tunes where Mick plays harp usually work out well.

that's true

‘Almost Hear You Sigh’ is my lockdown tune of choice

mmmmmmmmmmm silky smooth
as wine

You guys watched this clip? Holy shit, it's good

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

Not until just now. Thanks!

I think you shared that one time on a Some Girls thread or somewhere, which eventually led me to buying that '78 Texas DVD/CD from which it came.

The whole show is pretty hot, but that clip might be the peak.

They have some tour memorabilia in the booklet. The band played a handful of smaller theatre shows under aliases in between stadium/arena dates. The DFW one was filmed for an aborted theatrical release.

amazing clip - does Bill have a broken finger on his fretting hand?!?

Chet Flippo's tour report (which includes some behind the scenes stuff on that show) is something else: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-rolling-stones-the-road-aint-what-it-used-to-be-202953/

78 era stuff is better than that new Ghost Town video/song

The best part of that clip is that I am sure the tour budget included private jets, entire floors of hotels, clothes, food, booze, drugs, stage props, security, limousines, all the things you would expect the Stones would require in order to function on the road but:

Stones account, with a green visor, arm garters, hunched over a rolltop desk calls out through the smoke:

"Mick, I've crunched the numbers and we just can't afford another mic stand & mic for backing vox, how about Woody & Keef just share one?"

McLaughlin is close but he can’t really stretch out; we can’t.

Outside that Live in Texas 78 show, the Stones have put out quite a few live recordings worth checking out.

'Ladies and Gentlemen the Rolling Stones' - soundtrack w/ Exile era live show with Nicky Hopkins playing madcap on piano.

'Brussels Affair'- a bit rougher on the sound quality, but at least as good as most Dead shows also from 73. Released as a download, but also out there as a long time bootleg.

'LA Friday Live 1975'- This is a live at the Forum set with Billy Preston on keys. Plays up some funk including a real sleazy version of
"Fingerprint File"

This one is notable as the cover looks like a Pavement album.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/24/LA-Friday-1975.jpg

The Marquee Club 1971 is pretty subdued and not quite as good as these but worth hearing if you a big Stones fan. It's pretty much cut right after Sticky Fingers, so it's got some of those tunes in the set.

Mick with guitar will never not look awkward as all hell.

the Stones gave it everything they had: these old pros, crippled by age and by dissipation, but still holding the flag high

That hoary old journalistic chestnut from '78!

This one is notable as the cover looks like a Pavement album.

Wow! Yeah it does

The funny thing is that all of the Stones--bar Wyman--were in their mid-30s at the time!

yeah he specifically cites Jagger as 34 in the same para

There's some Lester Bangs pieces declaring the Stones were past it that ran as early as '73.

From that article:

The Stones hit the stage at Will Rogers Auditorium at 10:58 p.m. to a sustained ovation.

Fuuuuuck that. What, did each opener get a full hour to play?

It was Doug Kershaw and Peter Tosh, so...maybe?

Fwiw, it was a summer night in the central time zone, and if you scored a ticket at face value, it was like $5 for the Stones in a 2500 seater.

Mick with guitar will never not look awkward as all hell.

― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee),

tbf he plays and holds it much better now

I'm not the first to argue that Mick playing guitar in part made Some Girls so damn good, and I can hear it on the studio and live "When the Whip Comes Down."

Isn’t Mick playing guitar on Heaven? Cos that sounds great.

Yup.

A second rhythm guitar on most Stones singles and album tracks after 1978. He's essential to "Respectable," "Lies," "Miss You," "Hang Fire," "Mixed Emotions," and those are just the agreed-on classics, I guess.

Earlier than that period, he plays electric rhythm on "Sway" when Keith wasn't around, and no one will argue with THAT part

I love Mixed Emotions, it's got such an idiosyncratic, perfectly Stonesy momentum.

Isn't also playing acoustic on "Moonlight Mile"?

Yep!

I’m not sure Taylor remembers the sway session that well. That rhythm part sounds a lot like Keith to me, down to the sus4 flourishes and the open G tuning. I guess mick was playing as much inna “Keith” style as he could.

If Keith teaches you guitar things like that are gonna happen.

Jagger gave Taylor credit for writing "Sway" in that '95 RS interview without calling his lawyer about it.

He still looks goofy holding it.

I mean in that concert footage. Haven't paid much attention to his contemporary guitar use.

(Y)ou... need two guitars (to play that song) , 'cause you need one guitar in open tuning to play the dah-dum-dah-da. In fact it was Mick Jagger that played rhythm guitar on that track.

- Mick Taylor, 1995

I added my solo to Sway, but it's very much Mick's song. I don't think Keith's on it. It had a great, loose feel. Mick played rhythm guitar on that. He's a great rhythm player. My theory is he has a natural feel and that's also why he's such a great dancer.

- Mick Taylor, 2011

is it actually a nasty habit to take tea at three?

depends what you mean by "tea" (rolls a dovetail joint)

either way, healthy calming rituals of self care and not at all nasty

Can’t be too careful, lot of tea leaves about

hanging up meat for a week is also a good idea if you want your steaks to be tender

You know what's an overlooked and great Stones song? High Wire

Almost

Some prime Mick Taylor slide guitar work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryRDcE2sB2A