To begin with, this song is an absolute gem to me. I guess this can be a 'track talk' thread but my main point of discussion re the song is the piano.

Now I know the great Mr Hopkins played ebony and ivory on this but I have no idea as to who actually wrote what he plays. It intros the song so could it be that Keith wrote this part or did Nicky create this part and tack it onto the start of the song and then later write that superb piano solo in the song that was enhanced with John Paul Zep's strings?

Anyone know or have a theory?

The only thing that bugs me about the song (and this is being very, very picky) is Mick's tautology of "like the sunset going down". What else do sunsets do Mick?

Bad Mick!

Its a very neat song, wish they would do it live.

I think it was probably Nicky himself who came up with the part. None of the Stones were classically accomplished and they didn't have a George Martin figure to write such a part.

i reckon it was the Glimmer Twins who came up with the sketch of it -
Keith had composed a few numbers on piano by then, although he didn't play piano on the official tracks.

and squando, leave the songwriters their poetic license, please -
there are layers of idiomatic meaning there as well! [passing popcorn]

I would think Mick wrote that piano line.

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Silver Dagger
I think it was probably Nicky himself who came up with the part. None of the Stones were classically accomplished and they didn't have a George Martin figure to write such a part.

no doubt - nicky had all kinds of similar parts he's composed

Sunsets also change colors, and change the color of the earth and sky. Nice use of the word "tautology" though.

Can someone please tell me where I can find a live recording of She's a Rainbow?

I listen to that song quite a lot of times during the day : my mobile ring bell since quite a few years.

I have always thought Brian Jones plays the intro 'child's piano'.
Then Nicky plays the actual song.

Thanks for setting me straight

The live version posted above is far superior than the studio recording.

Is the Bridges tour the only time this was played live?

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

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sweetcharmedlife
Is the Bridges tour the only time this was played live?

I don't know, just the only version I could find on YT.

I thought they played this as well as Memory Motel and Fool To Cry on the Voodoo tour in a couple of places.

Edith Grove,what show is that?I need a new B2B concert,Thats not Chicago I see,thanks 4 the clip.

Coming Down Again

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curtisdavis
Edith Grove,what show is that?

Argentina '98, according to YouTube.

I can only imagine what they would have turned this song into had they played it with regularity for a tour. Stones are great with that; to this day. Sounds very tentative here, to say the least.
I just can't believe that they had no idea which song it was going to be until the final vote on stage, LOL

Did Jagger say "let's get this over with" just before they started?

You can hear Mick suggesting things to Nicky in the Satanic Sessions box set. If I remember right it's to do with the phrasing of the piano line.

The piano part is basically playing the vocal melody with the addition of those fantastic Nicky Hopkins touches. What a fantastic pianist he was!!!

Yeah good point His Majesty re the piano following the melody but I do not think that's the case in the middle of the song. Nicky goes off on a tangent there. Don't have my guit or piano about but I don't think the piano solo plays to an already existing chord structure in the song does it? That would really deem Nicky as a cowriter of the song (not that I can be bothered getting into J/R never giving credit re this in those times). I think it's simply too complex an arrangement to have been written by Keith or Mick.

I think either way it is a wonderful song but Nicky's work as always made a very good song into a great one.

With sssoul re "and squando, leave the songwriters their poetic license, please -
there are layers of idiomatic meaning there as well! [passing popcorn]" - fair point me lad although I feel it was the Mickster tumbling over the tautology line and not poetic license. Well at least he hasn't done a "past history" on us.

Hello Munichhilton. Yeah I'm not sure what Brian ever laid down piano wise on any recordings. I thought that he'd played piano on "Ruby Tuesday" only to read recently that Jack Nitzche had played on it (a thread started by Mathijs a not so long back).

A shame it stalled @ #25 on the US charts. Thought it would have 'faired' better.

Like the sun shimmering through a cloudy day. Full of light and color. Truly a rainbow of classic psychedelia. One of my favorite Stones 60's songs. Nicky Hopkins is sublime.

>> me lad <<

i'm a she-sssoul

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squando
I think it's simply too complex an arrangement to have been written by Keith or Mick.

I think either way it is a wonderful song but Nicky's work as always made a very good song into a great one.

Agreed!

I think it's another case of a stones session player having a basic melody/chord structure to work from and then adding in their own style and ideas to the part. Possibly with some further suggestions from the song writers once Nicky had added his own ideas. Ie, Mick suggesting he phrases a certain part just so.

For sure A different pianist would have produced a very different part.

right you are me lass...

Whitem8 I agree Nicky is sublime on this track as he is with so many others. He takes Lennon's "Jealous guy" to another height as well with his 10 lovely digits. Sad he died as young as he did. He wasn't a kid but was still too young to go.

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Palace Revolution 2000
I just can't believe that they had no idea which song it was going to be until the final vote on stage, LOL

You can bet your last buck they knew what they would be playing.

Mick go into something unprepared? No way!
You can see the crew setting up the band as usual between songs, so there is no extra delay except for the "viewing of the vote."

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squando
right you are me lass...

Whitem8 I agree Nicky is sublime on this track as he is with so many others. He takes Lennon's "Jealous guy" to another height as well with his 10 lovely digits. Sad he died as young as he did. He wasn't a kid but was still too young to go.

Right on Squando! Jealous Guy is amazing. I love the version on the Lennon Anthology, Nicky is even more up in the mix and it is faster... but yeah, beautiful playing on that and how about No Expectations...whew that is like tears falling on ivory.

Bullshit. Mick could have very easily come up with such a "complex arrangement". That's probably the biggest load of shit I've read in quite a while.

"Bullshit. Mick could have very easily come up with such a "complex arrangement". That's probably the biggest load of shit I've read in quite a while." hahahaha. Skip you can get that jellybean surgically removed from your bottom you know. Given Jagger is a plonker on the piano and the arrangement is clearly played and therefore probably written by someone that was a master of the instrument, I think your little spat reads rather as the biggest load I've read on here for a bit.

"Right on Squando! Jealous Guy is amazing. I love the version on the Lennon Anthology, Nicky is even more up in the mix and it is faster... but yeah, beautiful playing on that and how about No Expectations...whew that is like tears falling on ivory."

Yeah you'll get no argument here Whitem8. I know it's all just opinion but he really made some songs into masterpieces. Even the beautiful playing on "Waiting on a friend". This song is already lovely (as is "No expectations") but Nicky brought a real sense of beautiful sadness to NE and a peaceful and gentle overtone to WOAF. And his work on the aforementioned SAR and JG are simply the work of and exceptional talent.

"I think it's another case of a stones session player having a basic melody/chord structure to work from and then adding in their own style and ideas to the part. Possibly with some further suggestions from the song writers once Nicky had added his own ideas. Ie, Mick suggesting he phrases a certain part just so.

For sure A different pianist would have produced a very different part."

For sure. I'll have to dig out my Satanics Sessions and have a listen out for Mick directing traffic.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-11 06:16 by squando.

Hey squan - why do you find it so difficult to believe that Mick very well could have written it? If Nicky wrote it, then he'd get a songwriting credit. Afterall, Mick did come up with Brown Sugar - but surely he can't play it, as some people love to say. That's the point - he can play it - because if he wrote it, he played it, because he had to be able to play to have written it.

I totally believe Mick could have wrote it as well! He was hanging a lot at that time with The Beatles (circa All You Need is Love), and getting the psych pop inspirations from his crew. His buddies...sounds very Mick to me. Yet, I am sure that Nicky refined it more and added the last eighth...