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dead.flowers
Beautiful place, I must say. Looks much nicer than in the Dominique Tarle pics. Is it possible that this place was a rather rotten one, maintenancewise I mean, in the Exile days?

i think it looked 1000 times cooler and had more athmosphere and patina back then.

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Rolling Hansie
Now that's what I call a nice place to spend a vacation

Royal Hansie

Great pictures - thanks for posting!

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SwayStones

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Mathijs
While I am no expert at all on luxury property in the South of France,....

Mathijs

Mathjis ,no offense meant but you can't be the best at everything -I can't play guitar but I am an expert on luxury (& on the South of France as well

But if you see what 3 to 8 million can buy you these days in the Cap Ferrat area, I still think 100 mil for Nellcote is, well, steep. As beautiful as it is!

[www.agencebristol.com]

Mathijs

The area/surrending is beautiful,I used to stay there -on that part of the French Riviera at least twice a year during summer.
But you know what ? The people there (owner od the restaurants,cafés,hotels etc ) killed it because they are so unpleasant .everything is so expensive there ,it's robbery .

Many thanks for posting these beautiful photos !
I love it !



I am a Frenchie ,as Mick affectionately called them in the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977 .

The outdoor furniture looks like it's from Pottery Barn - seems out of place for such an elegant house.

It's stunningly beautiful though.

Wasn't looking too good, but I was feeling real well.

I always felt that through the years, some of the legendary albums that were made were the ones recorded in places with haunted pasts. Like some of the early to mid seventies Zeppelin albums, the Alice Cooper album from the 7O's recorded at Gracie mansion in Connecticut. The infamous 1978 Ace Frehley solo album that he recorded with Eddie Kramer at the Mansion in Sharon Connecticut.

I think Exile is the epitome of that. The original Nellcote owner committed suicide at Nellcote. The Nazis supposedly tortured and killed people in the basement. Anita was supposedley summoning spirits there.(if u believe what Sanchez claimed) Many of the stones cronies - Johns, Stash, Tommy Weber, the German housekeeper - all claimed it was haunted.

I really think those types of things permeate Exile. The vibes of Nellcote somehow made it onto the tape. There really is a desperation about that album. The only one who really hints at it was Don Was in that bonus section of the stones in exile DVD. He kinda of hints at some type of negative energy running through the album. It's hard to put into words, but it seems that exile has this weird effect on so many people.

Then again, others might say - "bullshit, it's just an album."
But regardless, Nellcote has taken on this mythic representation of a time and a place. Or it's effect on the band and the engineers while they recorded and overdubbed there. Who knows...

It's defineley my all time favorite album. Oddly enough, I stole my first copy of it from someone when I was in college (not proud of that). But someone it felt appropriate lol

Regardless, thank God Tarle was there to document the Stone's time there. And cheers to the owner who blogged these new pics...

ROCKS OFF!!!

Looks a lot like my place, only not as big

If you compare with Tarlé's pictures you can see that new windows and black iron-work has been built in at the back of the house. The area with the columns used to be quite open. Now it's filled in with the windows, perhaps to create a conservatory space. With the cold in the winter it means you still can sit at the back and enjoy the view but have the windows and doors all shut.

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theanchorman

I really think those types of things permeate Exile. The vibes of Nellcote somehow made it onto the tape. There really is a desperation about that album. The only one who really hints at it was Don Was in that bonus section of the stones in exile DVD. He kinda of hints at some type of negative energy running through the album. It's hard to put into words, but it seems that exile has this weird effect on so many people.

Then again, others might say - "bullshit, it's just an album."
But regardless, Nellcote has taken on this mythic representation of a time and a place. Or it's effect on the band and the engineers while they recorded and overdubbed there. Who knows...

You got to keep in mind that the story of recording at Nellcote is largely a myth, as most songs where recorded in London and LA...And the songs which where recorded at Nellcote only the very basic frame of some drums and a guitar actually come from Nellcote.

Some of the songs that really define Exile wheren't even played at Nellcote: Shake Your Hips, Sweet Virginia and Stop Breaking Down are from London, Just Wanna See His Face, Loving Cup, Shine a Light are all form LA. All Down the Line started in London, and was finsihed in LA, as was Tumbling Dice. The list continues.

The Exile DVD scene of Charlie and Mick in Olympic studio is clear: they just completely debunk the myth. I guess Jagger just isn't too happy that critics and fans consider Exile Keith's album.

Mathijs

Very nice pictures. Nellcote is a dream of house. I am sure Keith enjoyed those days.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-02-12 15:02 by carlostones10.

Mathijs,
I'm aware of your opinions regarding this album and will continue to politely disagree. There are tons of references by Nellcote inhabitants that many of the songs that were begun at Olympic and finished at Sunset Sound were worked on while at Nellcote.

Jagger says he didn't write the lyrics to Tumbling Dice till he was in LA, but then Andy Johns remembers Gram Parsons singing along to the chorus of Tumbling Dice into a foot pedal in the kitchen at Nellcote. Plus Tommy Weber's nickname was Tommy "tumbling dice." TD may have been finished in LA, but it was perfected at Nellcote. It's been documented they overdubbed guitars for Sweet Virginia while at Nellcote. Parsons has been rumored to sing on Sweet Virginia, so they obviously overdubbed vocals there as well.

What I feel is that many of those songs that were started at Olympic and completed in LA were in fact worked on while in France...

Plus, you can't just say Jagger debunks exile when Keith says the opposite and was in fact around more during the Nellcote sessions.

So while you have Jagger saying much wasn't done there. Keith says the opposite. Plus we know Jagger wasn't THERE at Nellcote that often. It's quite obvious he didn't look back on that time fondly and has always downplayed the album.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-02-12 15:44 by theanchorman.

"some of the songs that really define Exile wheren't even played at Nellcote"

Isn't that part of the Stones genius? They record in tropical Jamaica and come up with an album cold and depressing beyond belief (GHS). Next they're in Munich (duh) and they come up with sunshine songs like Ain’t Too Proud To Beg or Cherry Oh Baby.

In the deserted suburb of Paris (Boulogne) they capture the spirit of NY in the 70's with Miss You Whip or Shattered.

I find all this amazing.

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theanchorman
Mathijs,
I'm aware of your opinions regarding this album and will continue to politely disagree. There are tons of references by Nellcote inhabitants that many of the songs that were begun at Olympic and finished at Sunset Sound were worked on while at Nellcote.

Jagger says he didn't write the lyrics to Tumbling Dice till he was in LA, but then Andy Johns remembers Gram Parsons singing along to the chorus of Tumbling Dice into a foot pedal in the kitchen at Nellcote. Plus Tommy Weber's nickname was Tommy "tumbling dice." TD may have been finished in LA, but it was perfected at Nellcote. It's been documented they overdubbed guitars for Sweet Virginia while at Nellcote. Parsons has been rumored to sing on Sweet Virginia, so they obviously overdubbed vocals there as well.

What I feel is that many of those songs that were started at Olympic and completed in LA were in fact worked on while in France...

Plus, you can't just say Jagger debunks exile when Keith says the opposite and was in fact around more during the Nellcote sessions.

So while you have Jagger saying much wasn't done there. Keith says the opposite. Plus we know Jagger wasn't THERE at Nellcote that often. It's quite obvious he didn't look back on that time fondly and has always downplayed the album.

There's a big difference in what people remember and what actually happened at Nellcote. For example, the story of Gram Parsons singing on SV is a story told in Stones books by people who wheren't there. Poeple who where there all remarked it wasn't him -Keith has stated he's not on Exile for sure, Taylor stated the high pitched voice is him, Anita states that Gram would never ever go down in the basement.

Strong sources are studio logs, mainly from 1970 Olympics, and 1971 and 1972 Sunset Sound, and Glyn Johns and Jimmy Miller, who was around for most of the recording sessions. If you combine these sources there are just a few songs that where partially recorded at Nellcote. Johns and Miller, but also Jagger, Richards and Taylor have all commented that most of the material recorded at Nellcote simply sounded too bad to be used, and where all re-recorded at LA.

Songs that have the basic (drums, some guitar or bass) recorded are only Rocks Off, Rip This Joint, Casino Boogie, Happy, Ventilator Blues, Let it Loose and Soul Survivor.

Sweet Virginia, Shake Your Hips, Tumbling Dice, All Down the Line, Stop Breaking Down and Shine a Light all came from Olympics, and overdubbed in LA.

Sweet Black Angel started at Stargroves, finished in LA.

Torn and Frayed, Loving Cup, Turd on the Run, Just Wanna See His face: recorded solely in LA.

Mathijs

Awesome pics. Did not remember the pool by The Stones times, neither such Luxury.

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Mathijs
There's a big difference in what people remember and what actually happened at Nellcote. For example, the story of Gram Parsons singing on SV is a story told in Stones books by people who wheren't there. Poeple who where there all remarked it wasn't him -Keith has stated he's not on Exile for sure, Taylor stated the high pitched voice is him, Anita states that Gram would never ever go down in the basement.
Mathijs

Perhaps - but the point I'm trying to make is they were playing and recording those songs at Nellcote as well...

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Mathijs
Strong sources are studio logs, mainly from 1970 Olympics, and 1971 and 1972 Sunset Sound, and Glyn Johns and Jimmy Miller, who was around for most of the recording sessions. If you combine these sources there are just a few songs that where partially recorded at Nellcote. Johns and Miller, but also Jagger, Richards and Taylor have all commented that most of the material recorded at Nellcote simply sounded too bad to be used, and where all re-recorded at LA.
Mathijs

Keith has never stated this. He's on record as saying the theory you're arguing is false. He said LA was mainly used for overdubbing vocals, additional instrumentation (Plummer, Perkins, gosphel singers & tons of mixing) I'm just saying...

Obviously the truth is somewhere inbetween what we are debating...

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Mathijs
Songs that have the basic (drums, some guitar or bass) recorded are only Rocks Off, Rip This Joint, Casino Boogie, Happy, Ventilator Blues, Let it Loose and Soul Survivor.
Mathijs

Many have gone on record saying Happy was cut in it's entirety at Nellcote

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Mathijs
Sweet Virginia, Shake Your Hips, Tumbling Dice, All Down the Line, Stop Breaking Down and Shine a Light all came from Olympics, and overdubbed in LA.
Sweet Black Angel started at Stargroves, finished in LA.
Mathijs

John says they have a gazillion hours of tape just on TD alone from Nellcote.
Anita has said they were downstairs playing SBA for days on end...

Maybe I'm different. I think challenges and rewards of accomplishment is what separates our thoughts of happiness and unhappiness. Nothing in this world, regardless of material gains, compares to a personal and team accolade. For example, a collegiate basketball championship is more valuable than one of the NBA. If you distinguish between money and achievement, both will follow in suit.