From Roy Carr's "The Rolling Stones - An Illustrated Record" published in 1976:
"...Ahmet Ertegun reached for the smelling salts and the phone number of the company lawyer when he heard the test pressing of "Starf****r".
Straight away both he and Atlantic Records who distribute the Stones product were adamant - they didn't want that song on the album at any price.
Jagger insisted it stay. "It's our label!" he screamed.
Atlantic argued that they would get busted for selling pornography, offering first, the title, secondly, a rather explicit reference to vaginal freshness and thirdly, a line about this nameless groupie "giving head to Steve McQueen", adding that they were frightened in case McQ called "Cop!"
Jagger refused to budge and worked out a compromise. The title was amended to "Star Star", a sloppy over-dub (US copies only) still failed to erase the word "pussy" and an undertaking was secured from a somewhat bemused Steve McQueen that he wouldn't sue.
"I suppose we ask for it if we record things like that" Jagger said at the time.
After all that, it seems inconceivable that when it came to compiling a four track mini juke box LP (CO7-59101) to promote Goats Head Soup, Atlantic not only included the retitled "Star Star", but strategically placed it as the opening cut on side one."
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"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-09-27 01:44 by Deltics.