Of course, the lead on the studio take was Keith, but did Keith ever play the solo live in the Taylor years?
I think the studio version has to be one of his best solos.
Love the atmosphere of it.

Yep 1969 and early 1970 tour..then the Taylor magic came along.

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Poetry
Of course, the lead on the studio take was Keith, but did Keith ever play the solo live in the Taylor years?
I think the studio version has to be one of his best solos.
Love the atmosphere of it.

I don't think they ever did a decent live version until 1989..I can't believe anyone can listen to earlier ones and think it actually sounds good. Its awful

What!!! Very funny. 1969 was how it should have sounded.

1989-1990 had worst rendition of gimme shelter(its OK,but not GREAT),also SFM and JJF was worst in 1990

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stanlove

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Poetry
Of course, the lead on the studio take was Keith, but did Keith ever play the solo live in the Taylor years?
I think the studio version has to be one of his best solos.
Love the atmosphere of it.

I don't think they ever did a decent live version until 1989..I can't believe anyone can listen to earlier ones and think it actually sounds good. Its awful

Yep agreed.
And jagger never cheated on L'wren.

The first one is a Keith version which sounds like a work in progress, but is still hauntingly effective. The latter three are Taylor and the band's tour de force performances. I would not mind hearing a rearrangement of the song, but there is no denying the power of these performances. Latter day performances of this song make me shudder. My thanks to the posters.





Taylor displays some rare flamboyance in a DC audience recording:





These two are generally regarded as masterpieces. Flip a coin for your favorite:

1972 and 1973 are the best live versions. 1975 is underrrated. 1989- are safe cocktail versions.

I like all the versions, but the Licks-version with the pre-recorded music was the worst, imo.

1969 (and presumably the one 1970 example – which I never hear and would appreciate if some one can send me a link for it to be downloaded…) were great live interpretations of the original song and its “dark” sound that was so relevant to 1969/70.

In 1972/63 they totally re invented it. It was a completely different song. Like with the Overture (Tommy) of The Who done live vs. studio. Reborn. LOVE the 1972/3 versions, and especially the 2 Forth Wort. Versions!. HOWEVER – these are 2 different songs.

1975 – a continuation of the 1973 versions with more wa-wa guitar tunes, and generally very good but nothing of what we know from Taylor era.

1989 and on are the best examples of why we call it the “Vegas era” – and not necessarily in a bad way. I guess they are trying to take the original and put it on the stage. I think that all odds are against a success in this case. But they are doing their best. The whole Lisa bit is great at the first time you see it – boring after the 1st time. Makes you feel as if you are in a “Stones the musical”. Occasionally RW saves the song (Like in Tel Aviv and maybe Paris (I didn’t have a good spot in Paris so not sure) when he is high on the mix and low of the booze. The crowd always do most of the saving, though.. I wouldn’t pay much to hear the current version played in a rehearsal studio. Still – am waiting for it each show. Just love that song. Love even 90% of the covers I heard.

There are lots different versions from 89 till today. The 89 version and the 2002 version are almost two different songs.

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pmk251
The first one is a Keith version which sounds like a work in progress, but is still hauntingly effective. The latter three are Taylor and the band's tour de force performances. I would not mind hearing a rearrangement of the song, but there is no denying the power of these performances. Latter day performances of this song make me shudder. My thanks to the posters.

[www.youtube.com]

Taylor displays some rare flamboyance in a DC audience recording:

[www.youtube.com]

These two are generally regarded as masterpieces. Flip a coin for your favorite:

[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]

I agree with you Paul, though I think the 1969 versions stand on their own. In 1970 we see a real work in progress, a transition from the 'Keith-version' to the 'Taylor-version' so to speak, which is very well audible in the Gimme Shelter from the Malmö show, 1970 August 30, on which Taylor is soloing for the first time on this song.

Keith's solo on the studio version is not only one of his best solos, but a classic per se. Simple as it is, it's an amazing example of a soloist playing to the song. Around that time, at least, the Stones as a studio band were masters of atmosphere: Gimme Shelter is the best case in point, but numerous examples - No Expectations, Love in Vain, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Sister Morphine, Moonlight Mile etc - spring to mind, studio cuts that have a totally unique feel to them, impossible to replicate on stage. That's why it made sense to let Taylor loose on Gimme Shelter when they played it live subsequently. Those performances were never going to sound as moody and downright terrifying as the studio version anyway, so why not turn it into a totally different song altogether?

As for what they do with it now, I think it's carnivalesque and boring, but, as Wroclaw said, that's about all they can hope for these days.

Well Vancouver 1972 wins. That's for sure.

edit: Holy f-in shit. Taylor is underrated. OMFG what an ace.

Seriously listen to Gimme Shelter Vancouver 1972. It has to be one of the best live versions of any song ever.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-15 17:58 by Redhotcarpet.

The 72 versions are to me what weaving is about. There's one from Philly that I had on a bootleg forever (Jagger says "thank you Philly" at the beginning) just flies out of the speakers. 72 - 73 Gimme Shelter.. To me that is the live Rolling Stones.

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Stoneburst
Keith's solo on the studio version is not only one of his best solos, but a classic per se. Simple as it is, it's an amazing example of a soloist playing to the song. Around that time, at least, the Stones as a studio band were masters of atmosphere: Gimme Shelter is the best case in point, but numerous examples - No Expectations, Love in Vain, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Sister Morphine, Moonlight Mile etc - spring to mind, studio cuts that have a totally unique feel to them, impossible to replicate on stage. That's why it made sense to let Taylor loose on Gimme Shelter when they played it live subsequently. Those performances were never going to sound as moody and downright terrifying as the studio version anyway, so why not turn it into a totally different song altogether?

As for what they do with it now, I think it's carnivalesque and boring, but, as Wroclaw said, that's about all they can hope for these days.

I've been thinking a lot lately about this "impossible to replicate on stage" aspect of some of the Stones' classics. Gimme Shelter, JJF, SFM, Tumbling Dice, CYHMK, Stray Cat Blues (among many others) all contain studio effects that make them haunting, irresistible, and unique, mainly in the way the guitars were recorded.

That's not to say that excellent live versions of those songs don't exist ... They do. But those versions are almost like different songs.

Was driving around recently listening to Sirius and heard, back-to-back, Gimme Shelter and Hotel California. The Eagles song was outstanding, but it was a collection of instruments whose combined collaboration could reasonably be duplicated (by extremely skilled musicians) on-stage. The Stones song, on the other hand could not. Humans could not produce those sounds live and thereby create the same effect in a concert setting.

All that said, the best live GS for me is the one played over the end credits of the Maysles film.

All wrong.
Closest to the studio version is the one with an excellent female vocalist: that's the one with Lisa from '95 at the Paradiso... Sorry for the grumpy old men that haven't been to a show in 30 years but some things do get better compared to the early seventies.

My favorite was on a bootleg I used to have called Tour De Force, turns out it's the same as Birmingham Remaster 1973

Nothing better than the 1972 versions IMO.

***
I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie

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Dreamer
All wrong.
Closest to the studio version is the one with an excellent female vocalist: that's the one with Lisa from '95 at the Paradiso... Sorry for the grumpy old men that haven't been to a show in 30 years but some things do get better compared to the early seventies.

I think what they really mean is better playing by Mick Taylor...

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DandelionPowderman


I think what they really mean is better playing by Mick Taylor...

Keith.

75 versions rocked also, but 72/73 can't be beat.

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DandelionPowderman

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Dreamer
All wrong.
Closest to the studio version is the one with an excellent female vocalist: that's the one with Lisa from '95 at the Paradiso... Sorry for the grumpy old men that haven't been to a show in 30 years but some things do get better compared to the early seventies.

I think what they really mean is better playing by Mick Taylor...

I know.
What I mean is this version without Taylor is better. Since he's not in it that's probably an important reason. Same for lot's of MR versions where RW is better when compared to Taylor - certainly how MT is playing it the last two years.

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Dreamer

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DandelionPowderman

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Dreamer
All wrong.
Closest to the studio version is the one with an excellent female vocalist: that's the one with Lisa from '95 at the Paradiso... Sorry for the grumpy old men that haven't been to a show in 30 years but some things do get better compared to the early seventies.

I think what they really mean is better playing by Mick Taylor...

I know.
What I mean is this version without Taylor is better. Since he's not in it that's probably an important reason. Same for lot's of MR versions where RW is better when compared to Taylor - certainly how MT is playing it the last two years.

I don't necessarily disagree, but good luck with that one

PS: I love that version

The versions with Fisher are not closer to the studio . The live versions with Taylor are because they were dangerous magical and wild. The vegasversions lack the chemestry and idea of the song.

The live versions with Taylor are not closer to the studio. And they are in most cases far from dangerous magical and wild. People make mistakes about that a lot just because its from the early seventies so "it has to be" dangerous magical and wild. MT isn't dangerous magical and wild. Taylor is gifted and artistic and fuzzy and freaky jazzy and tame and predictable and sometimes very fitting and mostly overrated.
If there really was an important form of chemistry they would really be sick of the fact he left but they weren't. It was dualism instead of chemistry but that only worked on selected songs and because it was new: but in reality they're not a solo guitar band... With RW a far better chemistry was created/took over.

I don't care what's closer to the studio or not, what's better, to me it's the Taylor versions. I get tired of people who try to tell us What kind of band the Stones are. It's a blues group, pop group, hard rock group, two guitar band, solo guitar band, rnb group, country group, etc etc etc. If you were a fan from day one maybe each evolution of the Stones hurt you, or you changed with them. For me, I wasn't born til 74, so by the time I was familiar with them, it was this incredible mixed bag of styles.

So, iust because the years have added up in the favor of some mystical weaving juggernaut as opposed to anything else doesn't mean that quantity equals quality or that the Stones weren't, and couldn't have been even better, moving in a diiferent direction after 1974. What I hear from the group during the 69-74 years live is two razor sharp knives. Eventually, the playing would retain the professionalism and alot of the excitement, but the blades were dulled qite a bit. The edge was gone.

My favourite is actually the version played on the Main Offender tour

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Dreamer
The live versions with Taylor are not closer to the studio. And they are in most cases far from dangerous magical and wild. People make mistakes about that a lot just because its from the early seventies so "it has to be" dangerous magical and wild. MT isn't dangerous magical and wild. Taylor is gifted and artistic and fuzzy and freaky jazzy and tame and predictable and sometimes very fitting and mostly overrated.
If there really was an important form of chemistry they would really be sick of the fact he left but they weren't. It was dualism instead of chemistry but that only worked on selected songs and because it was new: but in reality they're not a solo guitar band... With RW a far better chemistry was created/took over.

Aha, I see.

To echo comments on this website, "Gimme Shelter" now has about as much menace as a Celine Dion song. Lisa draping herself all over Ronnie and Keith totally goes against the spirit of the song, reducing it to some low-end cabaret number.

Review by Dean Goodman
Paris, June 2014

[www.iorr.org]



***
I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie

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powerage78
To echo comments on this website, "Gimme Shelter" now has about as much menace as a Celine Dion song. Lisa draping herself all over Ronnie and Keith totally goes against the spirit of the song, reducing it to some low-end cabaret number.

Review by Dean Goodman
Paris, June 2014

[www.iorr.org]

Yes I agree.
What was magical and dark or wild (and very very good) in '95 is now 19 years later totally gone. Cabaret indeedy. But KR is smiling so all the tough guys here will say it's the best show ever: they lean against each other. And the tougher guys will say 'no it was best in the MT era': they lean against each other.
Pff.. I feel much more for the enthusiastic casual fan that right now is excited because he's having a good time in Vienna...