The best Stones blues, for me.
Sici

Great song on a perfect Stones record. Along with All About You it's a real, "sunday nite alone with the meal and footy on telly" song."..

Simple but magical

Pardon me MadMax, I thought I was pretty up on my British slang, but can you tell me what "footy on telly" means? I realize telly is television - but footy? Either way I imagine I have already experienced it.

Great song, to stay on topic. Too bad they never gave it a go at any of the theater or club shows from the last 15 years.

football on the television?

Aaahhhh. Didn't think about that ineedadrink.

Quote
Title5Take1
Great track. But what and WHERE is it about?? Mick's political songs in this period were usually about Central or South America, so I initially assumed it was about Latin America and the American "advisors" down there. But then "American Zone" sounds more like an American army base in Europe or Japan....

Anyone know the "back story" of this song?

I don't know any particular back story to the song or have any insight into Jagger's thoughts, but Berlin was divided into military districts by the Soviets and the Allied powers at the close of the Second World War. As the Cold War divisions hardened, the Soviet sector simply became part of the East German client state, while the Allied sections (of Britain, the U.S. and France) guaranteed the free West Berlin. "The American Zone" refers to the area in which American forces continued to be stationed into the 1980's.

One would think the setting appealed to Jagger simply as dark and atmospheric--a la John le Carre. But what's really interesting is that he uses "Indian Girl" to go off on the 1975 Cuban ("fighting for Mr. Castro...") invasion of Angola.

Amid all the all the sex and humor ("ER," "Summer Romance," "Send It To Me," "Where The Boys Go") Jagger and the Stones develop a strange little dark'n'dirty counter-theme of...the Cold War?!

It's a cool twist to what I think of as their most underrated album.

Quote
Rev. Robert W.

One would think the setting appealed to Jagger simply as dark and atmospheric--a la John le Carre. But what's really interesting is that he uses "Indian Girl" to go off on the 1975 Cuban ("fighting for Mr. Castro...") invasion of Angola.

And I think Bianca got him interested in Nicaragua, that is also the subject of INDIAN GIRL ("Masaya" is a Nicaraguan town that was a battle zone in the late 70's). The Indian girl at the end of the song becomes rather a generic—multiple—Indian girl(s): one whose father is in Angola, and one who is fighting in the Nicaraguan civil war—part of which took place "in Masaya"—between the American supported Somoza regime and the communist Sandinistas. I looked up the Masaya battle and it was little covered (journalists were discouraged) so it's interesting Mick wrote much of the song about a somewhat obscure event. Here's a 1978 TIME article that Mick likely read (on top of what he heard from his Nicaraguan in-laws) that possibly informed INDIAN GIRL >>> [www.time.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-05-05 09:15 by Title5Take1.

Probably my favourite track on Emotional Rescue. The song has a real menacing air to it - was it possibly inspired by Apocalypse Now or Vietnam in general....those lyrics about bumming for cigarettes in the American zone always make me think of that film.

I also hear a line right back to the beginning of the Stones flirtation with danger, evil, the dark side...especially songs like Gimme Shelter, Stray Cat Blues, Ventilator Blues, Dancing With Mr D...that kind of stuff. Killer song.

A fantastic song. Stands out just as good today as when it was released.

Superb singing and playing, fantastic sound. Really dark lyric-wise and sound-wise.

A true gem. Always one of the first songs I put on when I wanna teach my friends about the Stones.

Quote
Title5Take1

Quote
Rev. Robert W.

One would think the setting appealed to Jagger simply as dark and atmospheric--a la John le Carre. But what's really interesting is that he uses "Indian Girl" to go off on the 1975 Cuban ("fighting for Mr. Castro...") invasion of Angola.

And I think Bianca got him interested in Nicaragua, that is also the subject of INDIAN GIRL ("Masaya" is a Nicaraguan town that was a battle zone in the late 70's). The Indian girl at the end of the song becomes rather a generic—multiple—Indian girl(s): one whose father is in Angola, and one who is fighting in the Nicaraguan civil war—part of which took place "in Masaya"—between the American supported Somoza regime and the communist Sandinistas. I looked up the Masaya battle and it was little covered (journalists were discouraged) so it's interesting Mick wrote much of the song about a somewhat obscure event. Here's a 1978 TIME article that Mick likely read (on top of what he heard from his Nicaraguan in-laws) that possibly informed INDIAN GIRL

Thanks for that--it's really interesting. I guess I'm in the minority that loves "Indian Girl" as well as the much more highly praised "Down In The Hole."

The topical/political thing that Jagger was doing in the Stones' first twenty years was so ambiguous and ironic and so interesting. "Sympathy," "Street Fighting Man," "Sweet Black Angel," "Indian Girl," "Down In The Hole," even "Shattered" and "Hang Fire," actually--all fun and sexy and dark and a little unsettling and thought-provoking.

I understand "growing up" and taking life more seriously, but the much more earnest, preachy and one-dimensional "Rock And A Hard Place," "Highwire," "Blinded By Rainbows" and "Sweet Neo Con" are all so depressing to me.

Hi Imposter! Late answer I know, didn't see it until today, yeah, Ineedadrink got it for you I see! Rock N Roll On! Cheers!

Quote
cc
so did ron write the chord progression for this tune? It's not really like any of their other blues. Great performance all around, though.

I remember reading in an interview a while ago where he said this was his song. This is one of Ron Wood's finest ever moments.

Quote
Green Lady
Beautiful, atmospheric, haunting blues. Next time the inevitable thread about Mick's most committed and passionate vocal comes around, I'm going to nominate this one. For once he really sounds as if he cares.

Compare (to compare is a bad thing!) this to the nu days Jagger output
this is pain....this is pure blues and...reminds one that jagger has soul



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-05-05 21:45 by rooster.

Very good blues song, and something they need to get back to...this is where their roots are, they started on the blues, let them finish with a great blues cd - fully stripped down band. Chuck Leavell limited to Nicky Hopkins style playing only.

Quote
The Wick

Quote
cc
so did ron write the chord progression for this tune? It's not really like any of their other blues. Great performance all around, though.

I remember reading in an interview a while ago where he said this was his song. This is one of Ron Wood's finest ever moments.

thanks -- it's not really a standard 12-bar progression, and it's in a minor key, so it's not something Jagger/Richards would necessarily ever come up with.

I guess I've heard some Chicago blues tracks with a similar progression, but I can't think of a specific reference? I know ron says for "Black Limousine" he basically copied another artist--what about this one?

Quote
cc

Quote
The Wick

Quote
cc
so did ron write the chord progression for this tune? It's not really like any of their other blues. Great performance all around, though.

I remember reading in an interview a while ago where he said this was his song. This is one of Ron Wood's finest ever moments.

thanks -- it's not really a standard 12-bar progression, and it's in a minor key, so it's not something Jagger/Richards would necessarily ever come up with.

I guess I've heard some Chicago blues tracks with a similar progression, but I can't think of a specific reference? I know ron says for "Black Limousine" he basically copied another artist--what about this one?

it's in the 8-bar minor blues framework - think house of the rising sun or st. james infirmary for similarly crafted blooze toons

Quote
with sssoul
>> can anyone start a track-talk thread <<

Rene uses the "track talk" title for a series of threads going through the tracks in alphabetical order,
but of course anyone can start a thread about any track whenever we feel like it. i wouldn't call it "track talk", though.

Quote
CharliesSinger

Quote
René
Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!

Why dont you correct them then?

i second that question!

What d'you think of the song though?

Quote
StonesTod

Quote
cc

Quote
The Wick

Quote
cc
so did ron write the chord progression for this tune? It's not really like any of their other blues. Great performance all around, though.

I remember reading in an interview a while ago where he said this was his song. This is one of Ron Wood's finest ever moments.

thanks -- it's not really a standard 12-bar progression, and it's in a minor key, so it's not something Jagger/Richards would necessarily ever come up with.

I guess I've heard some Chicago blues tracks with a similar progression, but I can't think of a specific reference? I know ron says for "Black Limousine" he basically copied another artist--what about this one?

it's in the 8-bar minor blues framework - think house of the rising sun or st. james infirmary for similarly crafted blooze toons

right, thanks! Yeah, I don't think I've ever heard keith, for all his folk stylings, come up with one of those progressions.

you must have read Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-05-05 22:51 by cc.

Quote
theimposter
Pardon me MadMax, I thought I was pretty up on my British slang, but can you tell me what "footy on telly" means? I realize telly is television - but footy? Either way I imagine I have already experienced it.

Great song, to stay on topic. Too bad they never gave it a go at any of the theater or club shows from the last 15 years.

"I'm getting bored when there's nothing on the telly"

[www.youtube.com]

Pretty run of the mill. Listened to it just now for the first time in a long, long time. Usually they add something extra or new to a song, well, they used to, and my opinion hasn't changed that this really isn't special.

Quote
24FPS
[www.youtube.com]

Pretty run of the mill. Listened to it just now for the first time in a long, long time. Usually they add something extra or new to a song, well, they used to, and my opinion hasn't changed that this really isn't special.

so the evocative lyrics and the fact that it's an 8-bar, minor-key blues written by ron, rather than a 12-bar, major-key blues written by j/r, mean nothing to you?

Quote
cc

Quote
24FPS
[www.youtube.com]

Pretty run of the mill. Listened to it just now for the first time in a long, long time. Usually they add something extra or new to a song, well, they used to, and my opinion hasn't changed that this really isn't special.

so the evocative lyrics and the fact that it's an 8-bar, minor-key blues written by ron, rather than a 12-bar, major-key blues written by j/r, mean nothing to you?

It don't move me, man. I'd like to show it the.........ah, forget it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-05-06 06:36 by 24FPS.

Quote
Rev. Robert W.

Amid all the all the sex and humor ("ER," "Summer Romance," "Send It To Me," "Where The Boys Go") Jagger and the Stones develop a strange little dark'n'dirty counter-theme of...the Cold War?!

It's a cool twist to what I think of as their most underrated album.

+1

Fantastic song, fantastic album.

Drew

It depends on what you mean by underrated. It's better than Undercover, Dirty Work, or the 3 post-Wyman studio albums. It has two higher tier songs in Emotional Rescue and She's So Cold. Indian Girl has grown in stature, and All About You is a good 'Keith ends the LP' song. The rest are kind of throwaway. It was a nice little summer album that's a little short on depth. There's a reason the next LP, Tattoo You was so well received. With some stunning archival Mick Taylor lead work on Tops, the last great Stones single Start Me Up, the ethereal Heaven, and the interesting blues of No Use In Crying, it showed the Stones to be back in top form. A lot of the lesser cuts on the Emotional Rescue album seem more in line with the more forgettable tunes on side one of Tattoo You.

Quote
24FPS

Quote
cc

Quote
24FPS
[www.youtube.com]

Pretty run of the mill. Listened to it just now for the first time in a long, long time. Usually they add something extra or new to a song, well, they used to, and my opinion hasn't changed that this really isn't special.

so the evocative lyrics and the fact that it's an 8-bar, minor-key blues written by ron, rather than a 12-bar, major-key blues written by j/r, mean nothing to you?

It don't move me, man. I'd like to show it the.........ah, forget it.

lol...


I'd say "Ain't No Use in Crying" is more country than blues.

Quote
24FPS
It depends on what you mean by underrated. It's better than Undercover, Dirty Work, or the 3 post-Wyman studio albums. It has two higher tier songs in Emotional Rescue and She's So Cold. Indian Girl has grown in stature, and All About You is a good 'Keith ends the LP' song. The rest are kind of throwaway. It was a nice little summer album that's a little short on depth.

Well, I certainly agree that Emotional Rescue is better than the latter-day records you cite.

What I meant by "underrated" is that it is probably also superior to Goat's Head Soup, Black and Blue and certainly to It's Only Rock'n'Roll. It matches up well with those records in terms of songwriting and far exceeds them in energy, wit and style.

"A nice little summer album lacking in depth" misses the strangeness, the creativity and the boldness of the record.

Quote
The Wick

Quote
cc
so did ron write the chord progression for this tune? It's not really like any of their other blues. Great performance all around, though.

I remember reading in an interview a while ago where he said this was his song. This is one of Ron Wood's finest ever moments.

Yeah, Ron is doing some nice things in there, but it really is one of Keith's finest moments as a lead player. After all, it's Keith we hear most of the time on this one.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-05-06 10:55 by DandelionPowderman.

Quote
Rev. Robert W.

Quote
24FPS
It depends on what you mean by underrated. It's better than Undercover, Dirty Work, or the 3 post-Wyman studio albums. It has two higher tier songs in Emotional Rescue and She's So Cold. Indian Girl has grown in stature, and All About You is a good 'Keith ends the LP' song. The rest are kind of throwaway. It was a nice little summer album that's a little short on depth.

Well, I certainly agree that Emotional Rescue is better than the latter-day records you cite.

What I meant by "underrated" is that it is probably also superior to Goat's Head Soup, Black and Blue and certainly to It's Only Rock'n'Roll. It matches up well with those records in terms of songwriting and far exceeds them in energy, wit and style.

"A nice little summer album lacking in depth" misses the strangeness, the creativity and the boldness of the record.

what it supposed to lack in depth it gives to you buckets full of pure energy in return( Down'the a hole,all about y, and ER and Indian g hidden deepness) this album does have a summer hard rock feel all over.....'''Dance 2'' is great to....and She is on this album!!! How cool can you get!

The ER album is one of the boys best man! SR and Let Me Go, that's how I feel almost everyday.