One thing that impresses me about IORR is the wide disparity of opinion within a group of people who all love the same band. I am surprised at the popularity of the BAB album, as it's never been a favorite of mine. Here are my points against it:

1. It's a transitional album due to MT's departure. I am not sure the plethora of guitarists serves the album that well.

2. Maudlin ballads that border on self-parody: There is a difference between deep emotion ("Coming Down Again", "100 Years Ago", "Wild Horses", etc) and mere sentimentality. "Fool To Cry" is the latter. Even the much-loved "Memory Motel" is cheesy lyrically and Jagger's delivery doesn't help (love the Keith vocal part though).

3. Too Much Billy! Just too much Billy Preston. I love the guy as a supporting player, but he became too dominant in the band, as Keith later asserted.

4. Only eight songs!! And one of them an uninspired cover. It seemed the writers were short of inspiration.

All in all, a weak effort from a tired-sounding band. "Some Girls" sounded amazingly fresh and vital in contrast two years later.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-11-27 00:35 by 71Tele.

my opinion has a wide disparity from yours
Hand of Fate and Crazy Mama are worth the price alone...

Really fun 70's style Stones.

Agree with Munichhilton.
Heavy stuff, interesting era between reggae, glam and punk rock yet to come.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-11-27 00:46 by Back Of My Palm.

Keith Richards said that they only did this album to test guitarplayers.

Also reckon Jimmy Page made the 12-string guitar arrangements to Stairway to Heaven in order to test strings too.

<< Keith Richards said that they only did this album to test guitarplayers. >>

And it sounds like it! I do love "Hand of Fate". I thought the Allman Bros. style guitar break in "Crazy Mama" was very un-Stones sounding.

One of the best guitar solos on any Rolling Stones effort is that of Harvey Mandell's on "Hand of Fate". It is IMO, the last great guitar solo on any Stones CD in 33 years. As close to a Mick Taylor solo as you are going to get as Mandell is a master of ascending and descending a guitars fretboard as anyone.

wayne perkins played the solo on hand of fate.it's great!

microvibe- You are correct! It is Wayne Perkins indeed. Thank you. My mistake.Mandell is on" Black and Blue", but not on this song.

Opinions of the Stones on their albums is one thing
but I ignored the album for a much too long time.

What a mistake.

Memory Motel is a song...beyond desrciption.

Beside Cherry Oh Baby and Fool To Cry the six songs lift me up regularly.

And the sound - superb !!!

I agree that one could close one's eyes on Hand of fate and hear Mick Taylor. Sublime solo. But I didn't say the album was a total loss, or had no good moments - just that it wasn't a favorite of mine.

I wonder if they didn't pick Perkins in part because he sounded TOO MUCH like MT.

black and blue could have been a really good album, but its too short and half the songs dont impress.

pity really because it has a great sound quality to it.

weakest album in 70 th

under the boardwalk---down by the sea

I totally love Black and Blue!

As I suspected, this is an album that really divides the fans...

Your not listening hard enough.
Get in the pocket of the guitar sound and grooove!

Here's a nice review of the album by a fellow called
George Starostin

[starling.rinet.ru]

Easy solution 71 ...... Ya don't dig then don't play it ....



ROCKMAN

<< Your not listening hard enough. Get in the pocket of the guitar sound and grooove! >>

No, Who'sDriving, I have listened as hard as the hardest-core Stones fan. It sounds strangely antiseptic to me. As for guitar, there are at least ten Stones albums with a better "groove" as far as guitar goes.

And by the way, what's the deal with the "inspiration by" credit for Melody and Hey Negrita? I always thought this was a lame way of avoiding giving co-writing credit to Billy Preston and Ronnie for those songs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-11-27 02:53 by 71Tele.

<< Easy solution 71 ...... Ya don't dig then don't play it ....>>

I'm playing it now. Not something that needs a "solution", just expressing a viewpoint.

Quote
71Tele
And by the way, what's the deal with the "inspiration by" credit for Melody and Hey Negrita? I always thought this was a lame way of avoiding giving co-writing credit to Billy Preston and Ronnie for those songs.

..and you would be correct

I'm playing it now.

Careful it might get ya and you'll end up groooovin' & movin' right on out inta da streets ...



ROCKMAN

<< Careful it might get ya and you'll end up groooovin' & movin' right on out inta da streets .. >>

It might! It's still the Stones... I was almost there with Hand of Fate, but the silly rendition of Cherry Oh Baby kept me inside.

Love the Cherry-Oh ....
Purest bare-bones reggae the Stones
have laid down.........Along with Feel On Baby 12" .......



ROCKMAN

I was so-so on it for many years but I really like it now. I am in the minority for both of the following but I absolutely love "Melody" and I think "Hand of fate" is a lemon.

first bought the album on cassette in 1988 heard the first notes of hot stuff and was hooked hand of fate is one of the most underrated rockers the stones ever did cherry og baby i'm not much of a reggae person but this song is ok. could of been shorter . memory moteltook me a few yrs to really like this song, keith's vocal part has more honesty to it than mick's hey negrita god i love this song , whenever i get it in my head that ronnie wood is replaceable in the stones all i have to do is play this song and i'm in awe of his talent once again. melody weakest song on the album, it's ok but about 2 minutes longer than it needs to be. fool to cry great slow song crazy mama an awesome rocker, derserved to be on side one



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-11-27 05:39 by ghostryder13.

Never been able to make it to the end of the album without falling asleep.

I think more here than meets the eye. I think they should have had a few more songs as it too brief. I really love Wayne Perkins and think he would have been a technically better choice to replace Taylor, but I think the band needed the personality (energy) the Ronnie gave them at the time. Not sure if the band would have survived without him.

It's so very lonely, you're 2,000 Light Years from home

71 tele & Saturn- Perkins did a great job on HOF indeed. It is nice to listen to
the lead guitar and a great guitar solo on any Stones recording. Wonder why Perkins never did any follow up work with them.
I learned to play this solo many years ago. It is one of the most creative solos of any artist, that I have ever learned to play, note for note.
Got me to thinking, since MT left, what has been the best guitar solo/lead guitar work in a Stones song?

<< I learned to play this solo many years ago. It is one of the most creative solos of any artist, that I have ever learned to play, note for note. >>

The rhythm part is fun to play too. Minor chord in open G.