I think these two tracks are the best things they've done since 1983.

I love'em both...which do you think is better and why?

PMS.

Because of Mick Taylor, but mostly because it brought back in a new song a certain Stones vibe we had almost lost hope we would ever hear again.

I put a little effort in this evening, and was FINALLY able to successfully rip UNDER THE RADAR off the DVD from the Special ABB set.

It took some doing because it was copyright protected, and on the initial rips, the sound quality was distorted.

I had to create a new dvd, that somehow 'lost' the video part of the DVD, and as well, the copyright protection.

Then, using that DVD, I ripped the songs into WAV format.

NOW, I can configure A BETTER BANG!

Here is my setlist...only 11 tracks:

Rough Justice
ONNYA
Dangerous Beauty
Under The Radar
Back Of My Hand
It Won't Take Long
SSMC
Rain Fall Down
LIND
This Place Is Empty
Don't Wanna Go Home

Quote
71Tele
PMS.

Because of Mick Taylor, but mostly because it brought back in a new song a certain Stones vibe we had almost lost hope we would ever hear again.

I so totally appreciate what they did with that number.

For me, it's a very hard choice, for as much as I like PMS, both for just as a song, and how they were able to pull it together 40 years later and make it sound great, I also very much like Under the Radar particularly because they didn't have to go back 40 years.

Quote
treaclefingers

Quote
71Tele
PMS.

Because of Mick Taylor, but mostly because it brought back in a new song a certain Stones vibe we had almost lost hope we would ever hear again.

I so totally appreciate what they did with that number.

For me, it's a very hard choice, for as much as I like PMS, both for just as a song, and how they were able to pull it together 40 years later and make it sound great, I also very much like Under the Radar particularly because they didn't have to go back 40 years.

If going back 40 years produces a Plundered My Soul, I hope they do it more often. It was a "new" great Stones song.

Quote
treaclefingers

Quote
71Tele
PMS.

Because of Mick Taylor, but mostly because it brought back in a new song a certain Stones vibe we had almost lost hope we would ever hear again.

I so totally appreciate what they did with that number.

For me, it's a very hard choice, for as much as I like PMS, both for just as a song, and how they were able to pull it together 40 years later and make it sound great, I also very much like Under the Radar particularly because they didn't have to go back 40 years.

Well, actually with "Under The Radar" they went musically even more back - to 1967/68...

I don't quite get the fascination people have with it. Yeah, its melody has some reminiscants of "Child of The Moon" - or that era - but I find it quite formulaic and cliche-like - no inspiration - and Jagger's lyrical content is typical late-day "couldn't care less" but the backing track is just Keith and Charlie by numbers. No swing, no musical interaction, no breathing.... The track is seemingly half-baked, a filler, and that's it.

It is a typical A BIGGER BANG track in the sense that there perhaps could be some idea in it, but obviously there was no any will to develop it any further, to really start the hard work.

"Plundered My Soul" is opposition. It's natural way to swing, to breathe is a pleasure to ear - and it gets just more hypnotic by each listening, in contrast to UTR that loses its catchy- but cheap - melodic appael very soon and gets annoying. It is question of nuances but with PMS those little nuances make the HUGE difference, and I suppose finding the right nuances is a question of dedication and hard work. The backing track - Charlie, Bill & Keith - is simply classical Stones with its over-nuanced backbeat with Taylor's melodic lead icing the cake. Each intrument, in fact, is so tastly included to the cake. Jagger surprisinlgy surpasses his late-day limited singing cliches, and sounds actually edgy, inspired and not-formulaic. The melody of the song is nothing special - but neither is "Satisfaction" or "Jumpin' Jack Flash" or "Tumblin' Dice" - it is the question of finding the right lines and notes ways of expression. Each line matters, and each nuance is thought out.

That's my two cents. To me "Plundered My Soul" is their best track since TATTOO YOU, and "Under The Radar" one more retro by-numbers cut that could have made A BIGGER BANG - or VOODOO LOUNGE - or not as well as any song actually did it.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-03-05 10:56 by Doxa.

Even though I think UTR is a great track and played great (Keith's guitar), I'd have to go with PMS.

JumpingKentFlash

Nothing since Tattoo You comes close to Plundered, I'm still obsessed with the track. The iTunes singles version has a totally different mix that the album and vinyl version, Taylor's so high in the mix, check it out it'll be the best £1.79 you've ever spent.

Quote
flairville
Nothing since Tattoo You comes close to Plundered, I'm still obsessed with the track. The iTunes singles version has a totally different mix that the album and vinyl version, Taylor's so high in the mix, check it out it'll be the best £1.79 you've ever spent.

Now that I don't agree on. PMS is, to me, not the best since TY. I could name many others that I like better.

JumpingKentFlash

I´m all the way with Doxa,Under the radar is an unfinished song,it has a nice
cathcy melody,decent groove,but it just hangs on cliff.
PMS,is a perfect reminder how great,classic songs they wrote.

IAW Doxa and marko. "Radar" belongs right in there with all the ABB tracks. It almost doesn't matter what I think of any of these tracks because they are all still should have/could have tracks. Demos. That have not been fleshed out, tossed around - finished yet. They all have the potential of going way up or way down still.
PMS on the other hand is a demo that feels "finished".

Doxa - I totally disagree with you on UTR this is a really good latter day Stones track. That said I'd still go with PMS as the better song. I really like that song and somone above said if it takes going back 40 years for that sound then keep going back because there are unearthed treasures back there.

Doxa - you crack me up. You correctly spell Jumpin' Jack Flash but incorrectly spell Tumbling Dice as Tumblin' Dice. Why do you do that!?

Quote
JumpingKentFlash
Even though I think UTR is a great track and played great (Keith's guitar), I'd have to go with PMS.

I'd go the other way. UTR is the better one for me

When it comes to Plundered My Soul......there's something about that track which makes it absolutely excellent....but also something that ruins it. Think Jagger is somehow responsible for my wishy-woshy view on the song



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-03-05 18:42 by Erik_Snow.

Plundered is easily the best song of these two - yet alone the best song in quite some time.

Of its kind. I love some other tracks as well. Laugh I Nearly Died is as good if not better than Plundered. I think Plundered is handicapped by many people because of Mick Taylor. It's good alright, it's outstanding, but is it actually better than some of the songs they've written in the past, er 3 albums? That's difficult to discern.

Hope that makes sense.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-03-05 18:44 by skipstone.

"Plundered My Soul" and it's not even close. The best Stones song in quite a long time.

"Under the Radar" is a pretty good filler/B-side. I don't understand the fascination with this song.

I would go for PMS with UTR as a B side (which is what it is).

PLUNDERED for me is proof that MJ still cares about what they put out. Taylor was the icing on the cake.

sc uk

PMS over anything since 1981

To accomplish anything significant in life - it will simply not happen if there is no sense of urgency or pride or heart. Half ass produced songs make me sick.

Quote
James Kirk
"Plundered My Soul" and it's not even close. The best Stones song in quite a long time.

"Under the Radar" is a pretty good filler/B-side. I don't understand the fascination with this song.

Disagree...UTR should have been THE lead single off ABB.

I like it as it is, although I wouldn't mind hearing it with a bit more tinkering if that's where they went.

That and the reconfigged, "A Better Bang" that I mentioned earlier, ane I think we would have had a hot album.

I don't understand what the big deal is about UTR. It's ok, but I think it acquired a mystique simply because it was left off ABB.

I agree 71; for example, the sudden stop in drumbeat leaves nothing to be desired. The song sounds like a cross of 2000 LYFH and ....yeah you know what i mean

Quote
71Tele
I don't understand what the big deal is about UTR. It's ok, but I think it acquired a mystique simply because it was left off ABB.

I think the big deal about Under The Radar is that it sounds so "real".....like the band really enjoy playing the tune - unlike most songs on ABB which sounds so forced (in my opinion, that is). So it's breeze of fresh air during a most forced session.


....or maybe it's just because of it reminding us of Child Of The Moon...

"Plundered my soul" is really great. I don't think Keith harmonizes on it, it sounds like Mick does the not synchronized, high-pitched backing vocal that follows his lead (rolling stones trademark right there).That is my only complaint about that fantastic track.
Rock and Roll,
Mops

Keith does not harmonise on it, it's Mick.

Quote
Erik_Snow

Quote
71Tele
I don't understand what the big deal is about UTR. It's ok, but I think it acquired a mystique simply because it was left off ABB.

I think the big deal about Under The Radar is that it sounds so "real".....like the band really enjoy playing the tune - unlike most songs on ABB which sounds so forced (in my opinion, that is). So it's breeze of fresh air during a most forced session.


....or maybe it's just because of it reminding us of Child Of The Moon...

Well, JJF reminds me of Satisfaction, so I'm for one not going to get my knickers in a twist about that.

Jagger's vocal is excellent on UTR and while I do enjoy the harmonies on PMS, I recall that a lot of people had a problem with the 'older sound' of his voice on that one. I think on UTR that is far less an issue.

PMS - easy....

Does anyone know where you can get the itunes version/single version everyone is talking about?
In the US - the itunes single version sounds the same as the cd version

I like them both.
I've been listening to PMS recently (again) and it keeps impressing me. It's a great tune.
UTR is also very good and, as others stated, it has that laid back flavor, specially the "cough".

nice! i thought i was going mad on some of the other threads where some are calling UTR a classic. it's very average at best. Doxa sums it up perfectly, imo, as i also find it uninspiring.

to me, PMS is a classic tune - i love it from beginning to end. musically great topped of with classic mick vocals.

UTR is the best song they've done in decades....PMS is the also the best song they've done in decades.