This has to be the best ever. The first live version:

1.



2.



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4. (Any live version from 1972 and 1973)




5.



6. (1976)

one of those perfect studio songs that can't be topped on the stage no matter how hard they try....

It was damn good in 72/73 and 78.
Jagger sang Brown Sugar very well in 1971, but Keith's guitar-sound wasn't good that year.

I agree with StonesTod 100%.
Just like Jumpin' Jack Flash, Honkey Tonk Women, Paint It Black and Gimme Shelter, the studio track reigns supreme over any and all versions.

To say that first live version of Brown Sugar is the best... um, if you would rather here someone in the audience clapping off-time instead of Charlie... to each their own I guess.

[thepowergoats.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-01-10 20:14 by jamesfdouglas.

I always like the Live at Leeds version, 1971.

Double Door 97 if we are including Vegas years.

sc uk

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straycatuk
Double Door 97 if we are including Vegas years.

sc uk

we can do that with the understanding that what happened in the vegas years stays in the vegas years

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jamesfdouglas
I agree with StonesTod 100%.
Just like Jumpin' Jack Flash, Honkey Tonk Women, Paint It Black and Gimme Shelter, the studio track reigns supreme over any and all versions.

To say that first live version of Brown Sugar is the best... um, if you would rather here someone in the audience clapping off-time instead of Charlie... to each their own I guess.

Yeah but listen to Keiths guitar. It's like some creation by Da Vinci coming to life. Science meets art. His timing, touch and choice of what to play is proof of genius at work.

Never met a "Brown Sugar" I didn't like.

The hotel room version from GIMME SHELTER...too bad it is incomplete

the '75 version is really interesting - jagger sings his ASS off -the james at the end are great - but i don't like preston's background vox on the chorus

Honestly, my absolute favorite live version is the Shine A Light soundtrack. Sue me, but Brown Sugar is one of my top 5 Stones songs, I've heard nearly every live version, and although I prefer Mick Taylor to be there, Shine A Light is easily the one I come back to most often.

Please please PLEASE take that Top Of The Pops miming crap off this thread. Its not a performance, its Jagger doing karaoke. Everything else is great. My all time favorite track!

The officially released studio version has never been topped. In the last twenty years I have not heard a good live version. Keith has messed up the intro countless times and Woody has been sleep walking through it. The song must have the second guitar to be effective. Finally on these last five shows they nailed it. Keith got it right and Ronnie played well. Still can not come close to the 72-73 versions but nothing has come even remotely close to the studio version. Keith's intro and rhe rythym he plays while Bobby is doing that great sax solo just takes this song to another level. In fact I don't know if they've ever played a better rythym than Brown Sugar its a fantastic song and like someone said above they try hard but they never duplicate what they did in the studio.

@slew I am actually very partial to the version from Altamont where it was performed for the first time. Very very very raw, prior to the album's release. Very close to the studio version.. heard here at the 44 minute marker..

video: [www.youtube.com]

Flac - I'll give it a listen.

It is the perfect rock and roll song.

And the Sticky Fingers version cannot be topped.

the studio version with slide guitar, either clapton or taylor. whoever plays that slide part

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StonesTod
one of those perfect studio songs that can't be topped on the stage no matter how hard they try....

I agree! There are quite a few of those perfect and unsurpassable studio recordings:

Brown Sugar
Tumbling Dice
Jumping Jack Flash
Honky Tonk Women
Moonlight Mile
Sympathy For The Devil
Street Fighting Man (the Stripped version was close, though)
Rocks Off
If You Can't Rock Me (could use a decent mix, though)
Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Love In Vain

+ Tell Me

The version at Altamont is pretty good, it sounds like the studio version and Keith plays the opening chug chug riff properly.

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Come On
+ Tell Me

Yeah, the 1978 Woodstock rehearsal version was crap compared with the original. Never performed live, though.

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DandelionPowderman

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Come On
+ Tell Me

Yeah, the 1978 Woodstock rehearsal version was crap compared with the original. Never performed live, though.

So you haven't heard about 'The Stones Shangri-La concert took place in Kingston Jamaica 1977 where they played a reggae-version of 'Tell Me'...

2 1 2 0

Nope, only this one

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flacnvinyl
Please please PLEASE take that Top Of The Pops miming crap off this thread. Its not a performance, its Jagger doing karaoke. Everything else is great. My all time favorite track!

Yes but the thing is Mick's vocals! Not a live version but the vocals are really cool. "Mmmmm, Brown Sugaaah!"

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hbwriter
the '75 version is really interesting - jagger sings his ASS off -the james at the end are great - but i don't like preston's background vox on the chorus

First time I heard Billy's voice on Brown Sugar (LYL version) I thought that was Keith doing the background (the "yeah, yeah, yeah"). And maybe he is on some overdub (LYL)

Keith's vocal overdubs are quite prominent on LYL:

JJF
Brown Sugar
Tumbling Dice
IORR

among others.

And on Happy he sings a duet with himself.

You can't beat the studio version but I really like the Top of the Pops version. It sounds like an early mix of the studio version with a live main vocal. The backing vocals are missing so I'm guessing they went on in the studio version after the main vocal. It's very difficult to tell if Mick is miming to a previously recorded vocal.

It's one of Micks definitive performances.

Does anyone know why the BBC seem to do this? I seem to recall reading somewhere it was to do with the UK Musicians Union regulations on TV broadcast performances. I think the band had to provide a backing track for the singer to perform live over or record a vocal earlier in the day to mime over later.