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Silver Dagger
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 guess the song is much more connected to "The Third Man" and "A Foreign Affair" (or at least some post WW II scenario) than to "Apocaplypse Now", as references like "American zone", "bumming for Nylons", "your black market cigarettes" etc. suggest. Maybe Jagger's singing about some Harry Lime/Marlene Dietrich hybrid here, inspired by watching some of these movies.

the best track of the album:
did they ever played it live? I don't think so..

Rough 7 min. DOWN IN THE HOLE demo:

there is nothing special about this song, but it is well played and well performed.

it used to be that a song being competently written and executed was not enough for a track to make it on to a stones album, back when the boys were cranking out classics like "let it bleed".

in the late 70s however, a track like "down in the hole" is a great example of why ER is a much better album than say GHS, IORR or B&B.

ROCKMAN

Smokin' good tune.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I'd say that the musical "blues noir"-feeling on this track is pretty special, Turner?

I've been playing harmonica in pretty much all my life, but have not yet find the sound appearing on this recording ... even Little Walter was wondering ...

2 1 2 0

Brilliant song but better suited to a horror movie soundtrack than Emotional Rescue.

Rather mediocre Blues, but one of the good tracks on a rather weak album.

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RobertJohnson
Rather mediocre Blues, but one of the good tracks on a rather weak album.

I really think this is one of the Stones best blues tracks. I think the music is incredible on this one. Amazing guitars & ha

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RobertJohnson
Rather mediocre Blues, but one of the good tracks on a rather weak album.

I really think this is one of the Stones best blues tracks. I think the music is incredible on this one.

My enthusiasm for the set list would soar if they included this and a few others like it.

Among several strong blues songs that the Stones have had, "Down in the Hole" to me stands forth in the special capacity of more personally felt than most of their blues songs. That aspect contributes to make this song to me belong to more obvious ones of their greatest tracks all time, measured over their whole career.

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DandelionPowderman
I'd say that the musical "blues noir"-feeling on this track is pretty special, Turner?

Special for the stones yes but not super special for the blues fan IMO
I try to always make an effort to compare the stones with their peers rather than themselves and I don't feel that this is particularly bad or good.
I do feel that "blues noir" (great term by the way I've never heard it before) is an interesting category but certainly one that's received a decent amount of attention
Here is an example from a good 7-8 years prior:







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-09-07 20:22 by Turner68.

Yeah, I've always loved that track, Turner. But don't you think that's a bit more traditional blues than DITH? They have a few twists, though, which makes it a bit more, but...

What I like about DITH is that the chord structure isn't blues at all, more like spanish-esque, or something. That might be why I added the "noir"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-09-09 17:35 by DandelionPowderman.

Great tune. It ages better and better every year.

the first time I listened to the ER LP, I though "that's the main track of the album!" and I repeated 10 times
for me it's one of the real hidden gems.

A great blues
the atmosphere and the voice of Jagger are incredible
one of my favorite subjects

Everything's good with this track. What they got out of those four chords is nothing but impressive.

In addition to the fantastic playing and singing, the track also has a blue mood sonically that hits you right in the heart.

I recomment the long version, and of course the IORR Band version

Another point i would like to make about down in the hole is the late seventies early eighties when Emotional Rescue hit the shelves in stores is that disco and punk were all over the place and here come the Stones with a fercious BLUES track that just made everything else pale in comparison .

I recomment the IORR Band version smiling too

Down In The Hole is so great, that I am completely lost for words. Besides One Hit To The Body their greatest song-release in the 80s.

It's an OK song made better by Keith's playing and the contrast between the other songs on ER. A chance for the guitarists to stretch out a bit with some blues noodling. Great drum sound from Charlie. Too bad MT wan't around to contribute some of his magic here, this would have been a good platform for him.

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HMS
Down In The Hole is so great, that I am completely lost for words. Besides One Hit To The Body their greatest song-release in the 80s.

Surely you are overlooking Rock and a Hard Place?

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Turner68

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HMS
Down In The Hole is so great, that I am completely lost for words. Besides One Hit To The Body their greatest song-release in the 80s.

Surely you are overlooking Rock and a Hard Place?

I would have thought there was way too much guitar noodling on Down In The Hole for your tastes HMS. Guess it's more a matter of who's doing the noodling.

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GasLightStreet
Great tune. It ages better and better every year.

+1

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Naturalust

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Turner68

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HMS
Down In The Hole is so great, that I am completely lost for words. Besides One Hit To The Body their greatest song-release in the 80s.

Surely you are overlooking Rock and a Hard Place?

I would have thought there was way too much guitar noodling on Down In The Hole for your tastes HMS. Guess it's more a matter of who's doing the noodling.

I´d rather call this "beautiful weaving". Haughty MT would have tried to turn this blues in a one-man-show by soloing endlessly and wrecking the song this way.

Great slow grinding smoky blues. Love it.

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Turner68
in the late 70s however, a track like "down in the hole" is a great example of why ER is a much better album than say GHS, IORR or B&B.

I know what you're saying about the song, but I don't agree that the ER album is much better than GHS, IORR, or B&B.

Though the ER album is not as bad as I'd originally thought years ago, I'd say it is still a weak follow up to Some Girls album and a failed attempt to keep up with the sounds of the time.

Oh well, they recovered a bit with the Tattoo You album.