It seems to me that Through The Lonely Nights is 100 times better than If You Really Want to be My Friend. So why wasn't it on the album instead?

mmmhhh i really love "iyrwtbmf", like "ttln" too but not better.

Because it was recorded for GHS, not IORR, and fit more with those songs. Agree it's better than "Friend", though, by a mile.

Plus it was on the single....Friend is great so it all worked out...They must like this little song as they released it on their raity album.
One of my all time fav Stones singles..Iorr & Lonely Nights!

It was a B side. I mean, why wasn't Who's Driving Your Plane? on an album? It was a B side.

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Carnaby
It was a B side. I mean, why wasn't Who's Driving Your Plane? on an album? It was a B side.

you've got it backwards. Tracks become "B-sides" when they're not put on albums.

It´s good for a couple of minutes. After that I start to lose interest. Only an ok song, imo. Same with Friend.

I don´t think this country-ish tune would have fitted GHS better than IORR.

BUT I believe what sjs12 is saying, and what I agree with, is that it is way too good to have been relegated to a B side. Those vocal harmonies between Mick and Keith are just amazing. As far as Who's Driving Your Plane...that song is a throwaway and belongs as a B side. There is no comparison.

But if in fact Through The Lonely Nights was a GHS outtake, that would explain it, as they probably did not want "old" tracks on the new album..but I really think the track is strong enough that they needed to find room for it on an LP.

Both GHS and IORR could have fit another track in.
Neither LP was bustin at the seams.

actually I think IORR is quite long... it wouldn't fit on one side of a 90-minute cass, back in the day.

But Who's Drivng Your Plane? is better. Love to see them do it on stage with Lisa Fisher shoutin' out Who's Driving Your Plane.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-09-03 19:41 by Carnaby.

Drift Away could have been included in any of the two, brilliant cover.

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stones78
Drift Away could have been included in any of the two, brilliant cover.

When I hear it on You Tube it sounds fully developed to my ears. Would make a nice addition to a rarities set or a deluxe IORR.

If it was, Jimmy Miller would have received a production credit. That's reason enough for the Glimmers.

Why wasn't Through The Lonely Nights on IORR?

Had to save room for "Short and Curlies".

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sjs12
It seems to me that Through The Lonely Nights is 100 times better than If You Really Want to be My Friend. So why wasn't it on the album instead?

i would go w/ If You Really Want ... as the better track - mick sings w/ much more emotion, i love his screams in it

Because TTLN is mediocre at best, and the recording has flaws. The acoustic is distorted, drums sound all over the place. Nice B-side, but nothing more.

Mathijs

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Mathijs
Because TTLN is mediocre at best, and the recording has flaws. The acoustic is distorted, drums sound all over the place. Nice B-side, but nothing more.

Mathijs

Alot more. Great feel compensates for a multitude of the kind of "recording flaws" you mentioned. Shall we go back to the first few LP's and analyze all the "recording flaws" in an effort to dismiss the quality and appeal of that material?

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LeonidP

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sjs12
It seems to me that Through The Lonely Nights is 100 times better than If You Really Want to be My Friend. So why wasn't it on the album instead?

i would go w/ If You Really Want ... as the better track - mick sings w/ much more emotion, i love his screams in it

Agree, I really like IYRWTBMF. Like someone else said, Through The Lonely Nights has a good couple of minutes and to me it kind of fizzles out after that. It almost feels like an unfinnished track to me.

I think I've bust a button on my trousers....

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skelly

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LeonidP

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sjs12
It seems to me that Through The Lonely Nights is 100 times better than If You Really Want to be My Friend. So why wasn't it on the album instead?

i would go w/ If You Really Want ... as the better track - mick sings w/ much more emotion, i love his screams in it

Agree, I really like IYRWTBMF. Like someone else said, Through The Lonely Nights has a good couple of minutes and to me it kind of fizzles out after that. It almost feels like an unfinnished track to me.

It is what it is, and it's great. It's not an epic, but it certainly doesn't "fizzle". It's a heartfelt very simple song that has many charms. The mood of longing and melancholy fit GHS songs like 100 Years Ago, Winter and Coming Down Again. It was precisely because GHS was already so rich with those type of ballads that TTLN did not make it onto the album. One of my favorite all time Stones tracks. It's enigmatic nature made it a perfect B-side. I probably spun it more than the A-side at the time...

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71Tele

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skelly

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LeonidP

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sjs12
It seems to me that Through The Lonely Nights is 100 times better than If You Really Want to be My Friend. So why wasn't it on the album instead?

i would go w/ If You Really Want ... as the better track - mick sings w/ much more emotion, i love his screams in it

Agree, I really like IYRWTBMF. Like someone else said, Through The Lonely Nights has a good couple of minutes and to me it kind of fizzles out after that. It almost feels like an unfinnished track to me.

It is what it is, and it's great. It's not an epic, but it certainly doesn't "fizzle". It's a heartfelt very simple song that has many charms. The mood of longing and melancholy fit GHS songs like 100 Years Ago, Winter and Coming Down Again. It was precisely because GHS was already so rich with those type of ballads that TTLN did not make it onto the album. One of my favorite all time Stones tracks. It's enigmatic nature made it a perfect B-side. I probably spun it more than the A-side at the time...

I'm listening to it now and maybe "fizzle" was a bit unfair. But out of the two songs we were talking about I still prefer IYRWTBMF. Through The Lonely Nights is still a top tune though and probably should have made it on to an album somewhere.

I think I've bust a button on my trousers....

I dont think it was an outrageous choice to relegate it to b-side status. Its omission and subsequent status as a hard to find rarity for three decades has elevated it to a level that isn't really warranted.

Its nothing special, although that criticism could certainly be directed at a couple of songs that DID make both GHS and IORR. I just dont think theres that much between them, quality wise.

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Gazza
I dont think it was an outrageous choice to relegate it to b-side status. Its omission and subsequent status as a hard to find rarity for three decades has elevated it to a level that isn't really warranted.

Its nothing special, although that criticism could certainly be directed at a couple of songs that DID make both GHS and IORR. I just dont think theres that much between them, quality wise.

If you want to talk "nothing special" for those two records, I would humbly put forward "Short & Curlies" at the top of the list.

Because it's more of a mediocre song!

Better than If you really want to be my friend? Well, I don't think so.
At the time of the original release nobody thought it to be such a great piece of music. Just a quite short little song with a short Page solo -
which is not that great as well.

But its always the same. Those tracks that somehow don't go on the records get a mystical touch by some fans over the years.

I think most of the time the Stones'decisions were right - although I admit that in this case there is something about Lonely Nights that touched me too.
But imo it is still not really better than the official songs.

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71Tele

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Gazza
I dont think it was an outrageous choice to relegate it to b-side status. Its omission and subsequent status as a hard to find rarity for three decades has elevated it to a level that isn't really warranted.

Its nothing special, although that criticism could certainly be directed at a couple of songs that DID make both GHS and IORR. I just dont think theres that much between them, quality wise.

If you want to talk "nothing special" for those two records, I would humbly put forward "Short & Curlies" at the top of the list.

Yep. Thats one of the ones I was referring to.

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Gazza

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71Tele

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Gazza
I dont think it was an outrageous choice to relegate it to b-side status. Its omission and subsequent status as a hard to find rarity for three decades has elevated it to a level that isn't really warranted.

Its nothing special, although that criticism could certainly be directed at a couple of songs that DID make both GHS and IORR. I just dont think theres that much between them, quality wise.

If you want to talk "nothing special" for those two records, I would humbly put forward "Short & Curlies" at the top of the list.

Yep. Thats one of the ones I was referring to.

In fact this could be the only one to be considered.
But - with already similar songs like "If you really" on the album list they probably decided for the little shuffle rocker.

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CousinC
Because it's more of a mediocre song!

Better than If you really want to be my friend? Well, I don't think so.
At the time of the original release nobody thought it to be such a great piece of music. Just a quite short little song with a short Page solo -
which is not that great as well.

But its always the same. Those tracks that somehow don't go on the records get a mystical touch by some fans over the years.

I think most of the time the Stones'decisions were right - although I admit that in this case there is something about Lonely Nights that touched me too.
But imo it is still not really better than the official songs.

Page did not play the solo on TTLN. It was Taylor, and it sounds like Taylor. The Page thing is an urban myth. Taylor confirmed it was him a few years ago.

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Gazza

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71Tele

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Gazza
I dont think it was an outrageous choice to relegate it to b-side status. Its omission and subsequent status as a hard to find rarity for three decades has elevated it to a level that isn't really warranted.

Its nothing special, although that criticism could certainly be directed at a couple of songs that DID make both GHS and IORR. I just dont think theres that much between them, quality wise.

If you want to talk "nothing special" for those two records, I would humbly put forward "Short & Curlies" at the top of the list.

Yep. Thats one of the ones I was referring to.

Yep, S&C sounds like it took about three minutes to write. The recording took even longer (to paraphrase The Rutles).

I guess the simple answer is that with both GHS and IORR already had a couple of ballads on them, and they felt that that was enough and that TTLN was inferior to what they had.

Keith's song on GHS was a ballad, and if they're limiting the number of ballads to one side per album, then we're talking about a choice of either 'Through The Lonely Nights' or 'Winter' for the other slot.

No contest, quite frankly. 'Winter' is not only the highlight of GHS, but one of their greatest ever recordings.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-09-04 00:44 by Gazza.

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71Tele

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Mathijs
Because TTLN is mediocre at best, and the recording has flaws. The acoustic is distorted, drums sound all over the place. Nice B-side, but nothing more.

Mathijs

Alot more. Great feel compensates for a multitude of the kind of "recording flaws" you mentioned. Shall we go back to the first few LP's and analyze all the "recording flaws" in an effort to dismiss the quality and appeal of that material?

Well, anyone who has ever been at a recording session knows that certain flaws can elevate a recording, others can thrash it.

Mathijs