Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
________________________________________________________________________________

I’m Going Down
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, April 17 - July 2, 1969,
Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US,
October 17 - October 26, 1969 and Elektra Studios, Hollywood,
Los Angeles, California, US, October 28 - November 2, 1969

Mick Jagger - vocals
Keith Richards - electric guitar
Charlie Watts - drums
Mick Taylor - bass
Ian Stewart - piano
Bobby Keys - saxophone
Rocky Dijon - percussion

Hey babe, what more can you tell, the good Lord ring your front door bell
Though our love go down, don't cry, thought I saw a man, yes, I fell in the ground

Here we go down now, yeah, when you're down
There's nothing, but the powers that be
I know you’re fine, I know you're right, I know I
'Cos, you're going down, oh, you're going down

Oh baby, what's your fairy tale, the good Lord's gonna ring your front door bell
Ah, shake your face, lose your place, shoot your mother in law, yeah
I think I saw her goin' down to Paraiso Mexico

Here we go down now, yeah, when you're down
There's just nothing, but the powers that be
I know you’re fine, I know you're right, I know
You're going down, you're going down
You're going down, yes sir, yes sir, you're going down

All right it's war, bite your leg, shoot your mother in law
You got a center floor, tell your kids to do your bizz
Keep you problem at your iron fist
Spit on the ground, never look around, keep on movin' on up, to be pushed around
Yeah, everybody slow down…

Produced by Jimmy Miller

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Metamorphosis” LP
(Decca SKL 5212) UK, June 6, 1975



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-18 16:22 by René.

Great track with 'strange' lyrics. Should have been played live.

A nice ending of the album Metamorphosis. Sounds a bit like an early version of Soul Survivor.

Are there no notes of how many takes that exists of this song ... and where is Bill? Taylor bass playing is brilliant if it's him ...very much sounding like an unfinished demo though...

2 1 2 0

Love this song,would have been great played live if only they had spent more time on it and worked on it some more. I certainly think the riff would have sounded great in concert.

Great track with a lot of tension...........although I understand that it was not released back then didn't fit on Let it Bleed....may be on Exile if they give it a Exile swing to it.

__________________________

This was actually one of the first songs I heard which REALLY got me interested in Rolling Stones. Used to listen to the "Metamorphosis" and the "Goats Head Soup" vinyls at local library.....when being very young.
There was a skip in the album, during the intro of Family.....so I assumed that the intro was REALLY a long one, when listening to it for the first time......afte 5 minutes, I learned about the needles skipping thingy

I'm going down has a terrific riff, great groove.....great drums - is it really Charlie doing those additional drums......?
But I understand why they didn't realise it. Somewhere I read that Jagger wasn't satisfied with the vocals.....and I can understand that. The vocals are great - but they're merely a "rehearsal"....he doesn't seem to know where to head. The soloution should've been to write new lyrics - and do a re-take, but instead they left it on the shelves.

This track, together with I Don't Know Why are the 2 BIG highlights on Metamorphosis......followed by Jiving Sister Fanny (IMO)

Love it, especially with the false start...

GREAT GREAT TUNE!!!!!!
ONE OF THE BEST KR?S RIFFS; ONE OF THE BEST GUITAR RIFFS EVER

always loved this tune. It's too bad it isn't a little more finished - throw some backing vox on the chorus and you would have another Soul Survivor. Still, terrific, simple yet strong open G riff. Wish they'd have played it live, especially as a opener!

I love it. Great open G riff. Really fun to play on guitar. It was a bit unfinished. A near-classic Stones track.

[youtu.be]

Here it is if you've never heard it. Never was aware of this song. I agree that it sounds like an early Soul Survivor workup. The bass isn't bad. If it's Mick Taylor playing bass, he plays it in a Wyman style.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-11 18:49 by 24FPS.

Wonderful riff and hook...but obviously not quite finished.

This song is also kind of a "missing link" between the LIB-era sound and the classic Open G era that would start with Sticky Fingers.

Always loved this one, and with a little more work it could've been crafted into a real winner. Speaks to the quantity and quality of their output circa '69 when something this good was left unfinished. Maybe the Black Crowes can resurrect it live. Would be fun to hear them attempt it anyway.

Quote
24FPS
[youtu.be]

Here it is if you've never heard it. Never was aware of this song. I agree that it sounds like an early Soul Survivor workup. The bass isn't bad. If it's Mick Taylor playing bass, he plays it in a Wyman style.

?!

It fits the Wood era;the chord change at 0:46: What shell we do now ?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-11 19:53 by Amsterdamned.

love it!..........great riff and guitar tone....agree that it needed some more work

I've read that Keith isn't on the record at all.

Quote
Bärs
I've read that Keith isn't on the record at all.

Where did you read that? What crap. Maybe in The Sun ?

The main riff.....which makes the song - is a strikingly Keith-early-attempt-on-open-g-structure - even the non-guitar-playing-people can hear at once

This always sounds to me as if it comes from a later Stones era than it does - maybe because later on there are many more unfinished songs rather like this. I like it, but I can see why it didn't make it onto a more distinguished release than Metamorphosis: it's a good outtake and that's all.

Quote
Erik_Snow

Quote
Bärs
I've read that Keith isn't on the record at all.

Where did you read that? What crap. Maybe in The Sun ?

The main riff.....which makes the song - is a strikingly Keith-early-attempt-on-open-g-structure - even the non-guitar-playing-people can hear at once

Keno has the following info:

"Recorded in mid and late 1969, written by Mick Taylor, he wasn't credited. Released on the album Metamorphosis in 1975.
Vocals: Mick Jagger Guitars: Mick Taylor, Stephen Stills Drums: Charlie Watts Bass: Bill Plummer Bongos: Rocky Dijon Sax: Bobby Keys"

According to this Web Site. Richards is on Guitar and Taylor on Base.

[www.timeisonourside.com]

Wiki has it that Stills is on an "unknown instrument" and that it was credited Jagger/Richards/Taylor on the first pressing, which of course implies that it is a Taylor song/riff.

What's the story about this confusion?

At first blush this riff has Keith's stamp all over it. In fact, it almost seems like archetypal Keith. But. I've been fooled before. (whoda thunk MJ is responsible for the BS riff, etc.) Using the timestamp of the youtube version posted above (which doesn't include the false start...) there's a slight little subtle guitar move at :49 to :52 that, well, seems perhaps too clean for Keith. Or maybe not. I don't think this is Jagger on the main riff, so that would leave Taylor...or of course Keith. I hear only one guitar on this track, too, which is the main riffing one. Maybe there's another buried in there if I really dissected it. Anyway, interesting discussion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-11 22:14 by rocker1.

There is something in the smoothness and timing which isn't exactly like Keith.

Agreed, Keith is more heavy handed, or very Stoned.
Might be Jagger.

Quote
Amsterdamned
Agreed, Keith is more heavy handed, or very Stoned.
Might be Jagger.

who wan't stoned in 1969 ?

Quote
Erik_Snow

Quote
Amsterdamned
Agreed, Keith is more heavy handed, or very Stoned.
Might be Jagger.

who wan't stoned in 1969 ?

John mc'Laughlin 1969, clean as a whistle. Thank God! He sounded like Hendrix on acid.

Quote
Amsterdamned

Quote
Erik_Snow

Quote
Amsterdamned
Agreed, Keith is more heavy handed, or very Stoned.
Might be Jagger.

who wan't stoned in 1969 ?

John mc'Laughlin 1969, clean as a whistle. Thank God! He sounded like Hendrix on acid.

O man.... I REALLY LOVE the TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME!!!! :-D