Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
________________________________________________________________________________

Gomper
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, August 10 - September 7, 1967

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, backing vocals, percussion
Keith Richards - electric guitar, backing vocals
Charlie Watts - tabla
Bill Wyman - bass
Brian Jones - electric dulcimer, recorder
Nicky Hopkins - organ

By the lake with lily flowers
While away the evening hours

To and fro she's gently gliding
On the glassy lake she's riding

She swims to the side
The sun sees her dried

The birds hover high
I stifle a cry

The birds hover high
She moans with a sigh

Produced by The Rolling Stones

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Their Satanic Majesties Request” LP
(Decca TXS 103) UK, December 8, 1967



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-12-06 17:51 by René.

a very good-melodic-psychedelic 2.34 minutes song - after that the revival of "sing this all together (see what happens)".
great bass-line. smart harmonies.

Always loved this one - at least the first half before it wigs out. It's a very beautiful melody and kinda reminds me of The Inner Light by George Harrison/The Beatles.

The lyrics, as are a few on Satanic, are from The Secret Of The Golden Flower - a Tao classic that Jagger was reading after being told about it by Marianne.

Here's some info about the book.

[en.wikipedia.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-09-13 13:50 by Silver Dagger.

Great song.
TSMR is one of the most underrated Stones albums imo.

No sitar or mellotron on this one. Brian played his Vox Bijou electric dulcimer with a slide. He also played flute but no recorder AFAIK.

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Silver Dagger
It's a very beautiful melody and kinda reminds me of The Inner Light by George Harrison/The Beatles.

I tend to look at Gomper as a greeting card to Marocco. I guess the folk music of Marocco can be seen as more rock n roll than the folk music of India so it suited the Stones well. Love the lyrics, Brian Jones flute and dulcimer and of course Nicky's organ drills.

Underrated song on an underrated album IMHO. I love it musically and it says a lot about the Stones at that time. Some people find it over produced and I agree with that but it's still listenable and interesting.

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tonterapi
No sitar or mellotron on this one. Brian played his Vox Bijou electric dulcimer with a slide. He also played flute but no recorder AFAIK.

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Silver Dagger
It's a very beautiful melody and kinda reminds me of The Inner Light by George Harrison/The Beatles.

I tend to look at Gomper as a greeting card to Marocco. I guess the folk music of Marocco can be seen as more rock n roll than the folk music of India so it suited the Stones well. Love the lyrics, Brian Jones flute and dulcimer and of course Nicky's organ drills.

Underrated song on an underrated album IMHO. I love it musically and it says a lot about the Stones at that time. Some people find it over produced and I agree with that but it's still listenable and interesting.

Is it an actual flute or the Mellotron up to its tricks again? In a recent thread, which I can't find now that I want to quote it, somebody was talking about the particularly shrill sound of the Mellotron's flute impersonation - is this it?

I'm surprised that nobody so far has got a bad word to say for a track that regularly gets mentioned as one of the Ten Worst Ever - a kind of awful warning of what the Stones can get up to if they stray too far into the psychedelic jungle! That includes me - I like it very much.

tonterapi is right about Morocco - listen to this bit of the Jajouka album...

Gomper is one of the more interesting Stones tracks as, like tonterapi said, there's a touch of Morocco here thanks to the dulcimer and flute of Mr. Jones. Those who think this is one of the worst Stones efforts don't really have an appreciation or understanding for what good music is.

I've always liked the song - at least until it gets into the long and sonorous jam. Satanic is a great album, long under-rated.

As wonderful and mysterious and far-out and exotic as the Stones ever got. I love this track and the rest of TSMR. Definitely an under-rated classic.

Drew

>> the first half before it wigs out <<

smile: so i'll take the wigged-out half. something for everybody! i love the Rolling Stones :E

Quote
René
Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
________________________________________________________________________________

Gomper
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, August 10 - September 7, 1967

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, backing vocals
Keith Richards - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Charlie Watts - tabla
Bill Wyman - bass
Brian Jones - flute, mellotron, sitar, dulcimer, recorder
Nicky Hopkins - organ

I think the credits should read:

Tabla and/or other percussion: Mick Jagger
Bass: Bill Wyman
Electric six- and twelve-string guitars: Keith Richards
Lead vocal: Mick Jagger
Background vocals: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Organ: Nicky Hopkins
Electric dulcimer, recorder: Brian Jones
Mellotron: Brian Jones or Nicky Hopkins

Mathijs

Quote
with sssoul
>> the first half before it wigs out <<

smile: so i'll take the wigged-out half. something for everybody! i love the Rolling Stones :E

Just cos it's the Rolling Stones doesn't mean that everything they do is good. Anyway, it always sounded good tripping but not so great in the cold light of day!

Where is the mellotron on Gomper? The flute/recorder is the real deal.

Quote
Mathijs

Quote
René
Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
________________________________________________________________________________

Gomper
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, August 10 - September 7, 1967

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, backing vocals
Keith Richards - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Charlie Watts - tabla
Bill Wyman - bass
Brian Jones - flute, mellotron, sitar, dulcimer, recorder
Nicky Hopkins - organ

I think the credits should read:

Tabla and/or other percussion: Mick Jagger
Bass: Bill Wyman
Electric six- and twelve-string guitars: Keith Richards
Lead vocal: Mick Jagger
Background vocals: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Organ: Nicky Hopkins
Electric dulcimer, recorder: Brian Jones
Mellotron: Brian Jones or Nicky Hopkins

Mathijs

OK, thanks Mathijs. But doesn't the flute sound like a real one to you?

René

>> Just cos it's the Rolling Stones doesn't mean that everything they do is good. <<

smile: of course it doesn't! i do enjoy the wigged-out half of Gomper, though
(the first half too, but that half had been spoken for by the time i got to this fine thread)
i simply added the unrelated observation that i love the Rolling Stones because it's true

Ain't 'gomper' slang for a Mars bar? Who's playing the whip? Sounds more like debut Velvets or Pink Floyd than anything on Pepper. Great cut segue into 2,000 Light Years. When finally finding a mono copy on my knees in the dollar bin I'll gobble the gomper.

During the extended jam towards the end, there's this weird sounding instrument that's neither a dulcimer, sitar, flute, recorder, nor tabla. It sounds like a North African or Indian wind instrument (?) that kind of blares away in the background, but maybe it's just some weird reverb effect. I cannot tell, but it definitley lends an Arabian feel to the track. Does anybody know what this possibly is?

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djuke
Ain't 'gomper' slang for a Mars bar?

is there slang for a Mars bar? "Mars bar" isn't slangy enough?

A stinker, but a funny one!

There is no mellotron, flute or sitar on Gomper!

Brian played Vox Bijou with a slide(people seem to mistake this for sitar) and recorder(it's definitely a recorder!).

Neptune, there's further oddness added via Bill's bass(probably his fretless bass)during the freakout section, I think this is the source of sound you mentioned above. A kind of freaked out twanging elastic band type sound.

The Satanic Sessions box sets show that Charlie played tablas during the session, thus.

Mick Jagger: Vocals, percussion
Keith Richard: Vocals, electric 12 & 6 string guitars
Brian Jones: Electric Dulcimer, recorder
Bill Wyman: Bass guitar
Charlie Watts: Tabla
Nicky Hopkins: Organ



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010-09-15 11:10 by His Majesty.

i love the part where they go into the second chorus, right after that killer dual lead guitar solo....

What if Mick had named this Chomper instead of Gomper? Or maybe How To Skin An Australian Rat? Or maybe Now I Bore Myself To Sleep? Think it would have changed anything?

Silly lyrics at best.

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skipstone
What if Mick had named this Chomper instead of Gomper? Or maybe How To Skin An Australian Rat? Or maybe Now I Bore Myself To Sleep? Think it would have changed anything?

Silly lyrics at best.

That kinda thinking applies to any song.

Brilliant song absolutely love it, and especially the second improvising part of it, so trippy and spot on.

There was a longer version of it on Youtube but unfortunatly it has been removed

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His Majesty
There is no mellotron, flute or sitar on Gomper!

Brian played Vox Bijou with a slide(people seem to mistake this for sitar) and recorder(it's definitely a recorder!).

Neptune, there's further oddness added via Bill's bass(probably his fretless bass)during the freakout section, I think this is the source of sound you mentioned above. A kind of freaked out twanging elastic band type sound.

The Satanic Sessions box sets show that Charlie played tablas during the session, thus.

Mick Jagger: Vocals, percussion
Keith Richard: Vocals, electric 12 & 6 string guitars
Brian Jones: Electric Dulcimer, recorder
Bill Wyman: Bass guitar
Charlie Watts: Tabla
Nicky Hopkins: Organ

Thanks, HM. Wow, a fretless bass? Interesting.

Quote
His Majesty
There is no mellotron, flute or sitar on Gomper!

Brian played Vox Bijou with a slide(people seem to mistake this for sitar) and recorder(it's definitely a recorder!).

Neptune, there's further oddness added via Bill's bass(probably his fretless bass)during the freakout section, I think this is the source of sound you mentioned above. A kind of freaked out twanging elastic band type sound.

The Satanic Sessions box sets show that Charlie played tablas during the session, thus.

Mick Jagger: Vocals, percussion
Keith Richard: Vocals, electric 12 & 6 string guitars
Brian Jones: Electric Dulcimer, recorder
Bill Wyman: Bass guitar
Charlie Watts: Tabla
Nicky Hopkins: Organ

Well that settles it then!

Mathijs

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neptune


Thanks, HM. Wow, a fretless bass? Interesting.

It might be, makes sense to me because the same sound is on the outtakes. Fretless as in his so called home made bass.

Quote
Mathijs


Well that settles it then!

Mathijs

Love the track. The lyrics are fine. Just trippy 1967, like everyone was doing at the time. Can't understand why this song gets such a bad rap when there are so many others more worthy of the disrespect.

Plus, I listened to this on my first acid trip, so it has a special place in my heart (though the fact that I was also subjected to "Sing This All Together, See What Happens" is cause for serious concern of the long-term effects).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-09-16 04:12 by 71Tele.

Quote
neptune
Thanks, HM. Wow, a fretless bass? Interesting.

neptune, if you're unaware of Bill's creation of what's often said to be the world's first fretless bass,
you can read some about it in this thread: [www.iorr.org]

Quote
His Majesty
There is no mellotron, flute or sitar on Gomper!

Brian played Vox Bijou with a slide(people seem to mistake this for sitar) and recorder(it's definitely a recorder!).

Neptune, there's further oddness added via Bill's bass(probably his fretless bass)during the freakout section, I think this is the source of sound you mentioned above. A kind of freaked out twanging elastic band type sound.

The Satanic Sessions box sets show that Charlie played tablas during the session, thus.

Mick Jagger: Vocals, percussion
Keith Richard: Vocals, electric 12 & 6 string guitars
Brian Jones: Electric Dulcimer, recorder
Bill Wyman: Bass guitar
Charlie Watts: Tabla
Nicky Hopkins: Organ

Aaah, thanks HM, great work as usual.

René