I have been listening to a lot of Bridges to Babylon lately, and was shocked at the singing and musicianship of Already Over Me. I would rank it right up there with Angie or Backstreet Girl.

So the task now is to recommend some great slow Stones ballads from the latter day half of their career. This could be a country ballad with a lot of soul, or any great ballad with merit.

Already Over Me is certainly one of my favorites.

I've always loved that song too and Ronnie does a great job on it.

Actually the whole band does a great job w/ that one.

I like the weave solo for Always Suffering too.

laugh i nearly died. from day one, knocked me out and still does.

Infamy

Don't know about killer. But Already over me comes to mind as one of the best from the later stuff. Laugh i nearly died is good too if we take it as a ballad.
Thru and thru was nice too.

Slipping away is a masterpiece! Especially Twickenham 2003 melts my heart every time <3

Losing my touch and How can I stop are nice ones too.

How Could I Stop ...is a killer..
Thru and Thru is a good one too.

Almost Hear You Sigh - killer
Out Of Tears - killer
Already Over me - Mick is over the top, otherwise it's a good song
Always Suffering - only the guitar work in this is worth listening to; CRAP
Laugh I Nearly Died - pretty damn good actually

That's it for their latter day ballads.

How Can I Stop
Almost Hear You Sigh (acoustic solo is brilliant)
Slipping Away
Laugh I Nearly Died

Slipping Away
Almost Hear You Sigh
Out of Tears*
The Worst
Sweethearts Together
Already Over Me*
Theif In The Night
How Can I Stop

Hmmm....notice how a lot of my favorite ballads are Keith tunes.
*my 2 personal favorites

I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-01-21 19:12 by Erik_Snow.

many great ones have been mentioned above, I would add This Place Is Empty. I wouldn't call it killer, but I like it a lot.

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Happy24
many great ones have been mentioned above, I would add This Place Is Empty. I wouldn't call it killer, but I like it a lot.

Yeah - I meant to put that on my list.

"Already Over Me" is good, a blast from the past,
although Mick over-emotes there. Still great.

LOVE "Always Suffering" and "Sweethearts Together".

For me though, the pinnacle wasn't theirs. It was
Arthur Alexander's, "You Better Move On". Another
gem is "That's How Strong My Love Is".

Of course, The Stones themselves are no slouches
in '64 ... "Tell Me" about it!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-01-22 20:41 by TheDailyBuzzherd.

Not only can he write good ballads but sing them so beautifully with heart and soul.
I would love to hear Keith sing lead vocals for Wild horses on next tour.

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MRambler
Not only can he write good ballads but sing them so beautifully with heart and soul.
I would love to hear Keith sing lead vocals for Wild horses on next tour.

I've heard so many people say that Keith's got a horrendous voice and when he does his tunes it's time to hit the bathroom, etc. Arrg...I LOVE his voice! As you say, it may be rough, but it's got heart, soul and feeling, which is what I look for in any artist. Maybe it's an aquired taste, like Dylan, whom I also love.

I thought the title of this thread was an oxymoron.

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treaclefingers
I thought the title of this thread was an oxymoron.

calling a defenseless thread a moron is a cheap, stupid insult.

I wouldn't go s far as to say any "latter-day" Stones music is 'killer', but slower songs seem to be what the Stones can still, at least, have a better chance of being able to pull off.

This is evident more so when comparing them beside their "latter-day" 'faster, up-tempo rockers' which we all know fizzle into obscurity (funny how stuff from 1989 or 1994 to be considered 'modern'; kind of ridiculous but I digress).
Here's one fact that any songwriter worth their salt would agree with though; ballads (or simply 'slower-songs' to be on-topic here) are much easier to successfully pull of than rockers. It's much easier to pull at heartstrings than get people moving.

THere's a charm when Keith sings, not because he's a great singer, or even a good singer, because he simply isn't. He does, however portray what he has become when performing; he's not an artist, he's a character. His voice is familiar and no one else sounds like him. Kind of like watching your favourite cartoons. People love cartoons, just like they love their "boys" - no matter what they're croaking on the mic.

[thepowergoats.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-01-23 00:21 by jamesfdouglas.

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Erik_Snow
I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?

It's a ballad, more like a 'power ballad'. Out Of Control is not a ballad by any means.

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Erik_Snow
I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?

It's a ballad, more like a 'power ballad'. Out Of Control is not a ballad by any means.

L,IND isn't a ballad; it's just pallid....

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Erik_Snow
I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?

It's a ballad, more like a 'power ballad'. Out Of Control is not a ballad by any means.

I wrote "if you remove the chorus". And I don't think a chorus-less Out Of Control is a ballad either of course, but neither is Laugh I Nearly Died

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StonesTod

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Erik_Snow
I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?

It's a ballad, more like a 'power ballad'. Out Of Control is not a ballad by any means.

L,IND isn't a ballad; it's just pallid....

Yes that's a suitable word. If one think of a ballad as "a pallid song that basically has no shape or punch", then Laugh I Nearly Died would fit that category. But that would surely be a very incorrect definition of "ballad"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-01-22 14:39 by Erik_Snow.

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Erik_Snow

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StonesTod

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Erik_Snow
I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?

It's a ballad, more like a 'power ballad'. Out Of Control is not a ballad by any means.

L,IND isn't a ballad; it's just pallid....

Yes that's a suitable word. If one think of a ballad as "a pallid song that basically has no shape or punch", then Laugh I Nearly Died would fit that category. But that would surely be a very incorrect definition of "ballad"

you're way too intellectual for me...most ppl are just too intellectual...but you have a way about you...

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Erik_Snow

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StonesTod

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Erik_Snow
I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?

It's a ballad, more like a 'power ballad'. Out Of Control is not a ballad by any means.

L,IND isn't a ballad; it's just pallid....

Yes that's a suitable word. If one think of a ballad as "a pallid song that basically has no shape or punch", then Laugh I Nearly Died would fit that category. But that would surely be a very incorrect definition of "ballad"

Your rulings from on high that Laugh is not a ballad are a waste of space
unless you take the time to explain your reasoning.

Ballad is a musical term that has been around since at least the fifteenth
century and has meant many different things over the years. Its going to be
real interesting to hear how you can categorize Laugh as NOT being "a slow
sentimental song about love or love lost." Good luck.

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superrevvy

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Erik_Snow

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StonesTod

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Erik_Snow
I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?

It's a ballad, more like a 'power ballad'. Out Of Control is not a ballad by any means.

L,IND isn't a ballad; it's just pallid....

Yes that's a suitable word. If one think of a ballad as "a pallid song that basically has no shape or punch", then Laugh I Nearly Died would fit that category. But that would surely be a very incorrect definition of "ballad"

Your rulings from on high that Laugh is not a ballad are a waste of space
unless you take the time to explain your reasoning.

Ballad is a musical term that has been around since at least the fifteenth
century and has meant many different things over the years. Its going to be
real interesting to hear how you can categorize Laugh as NOT being "a slow
sentimental song about love or love lost." Good luck.

you underestimate erik...he's super smart....

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superrevvy

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Erik_Snow

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StonesTod

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Erik_Snow
I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?

It's a ballad, more like a 'power ballad'. Out Of Control is not a ballad by any means.

L,IND isn't a ballad; it's just pallid....

Yes that's a suitable word. If one think of a ballad as "a pallid song that basically has no shape or punch", then Laugh I Nearly Died would fit that category. But that would surely be a very incorrect definition of "ballad"

Your rulings from on high that Laugh is not a ballad are a waste of space
unless you take the time to explain your reasoning.

Ballad is a musical term that has been around since at least the fifteenth
century and has meant many different things over the years. Its going to be
real interesting to hear how you can categorize Laugh as NOT being "a slow
sentimental song about love or love lost." Good luck.

For a starter, Laugh I Nearly Died is NOT sentimental but cynical

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Erik_Snow

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superrevvy

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Erik_Snow

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StonesTod

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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Erik_Snow
I find it strange it strange that people here classify Laugh I Nearly Died as a ballad
Would you call Out Of Control a ballad as well, if you just removed the chorus ?

It's a ballad, more like a 'power ballad'. Out Of Control is not a ballad by any means.

L,IND isn't a ballad; it's just pallid....

Yes that's a suitable word. If one think of a ballad as "a pallid song that basically has no shape or punch", then Laugh I Nearly Died would fit that category. But that would surely be a very incorrect definition of "ballad"

Your rulings from on high that Laugh is not a ballad are a waste of space
unless you take the time to explain your reasoning.

Ballad is a musical term that has been around since at least the fifteenth
century and has meant many different things over the years. Its going to be
real interesting to hear how you can categorize Laugh as NOT being "a slow
sentimental song about love or love lost." Good luck.

For a starter, Laugh I Nearly Died is NOT sentimental but cynical

..cynical and self-obsessed, that is

That the "latter day Stones" starts... hmmm 23 years ago... that speaks volumes of the issue we have here...

Hmm... I think the best stuff in that category - as over-all, too - is Keith's contribution. Jagger has done some good - sometimes even great - ballad singing live, but I think the studio songs are rather mediocre sounding. I used to like "Almost Hear You Sigh" very much, but it is way too 'sugarish' to my taste these days. From VOODOO LOUNGE on Jagger's attempts sounds too manouvre-like, forced. For some reason I can't stand "Out of Tears" - yeah, I guess he tries there something very hard, but I find the whole thing artifical. "New Faces" is nice little catchy song but sounds too much like poor man's version of a Sting song (and of AFTERMATH). The 'easy' melody goes to nerves finally. Those BRIDGES efforts - "Almost Suffering" and "Already Over Me" - sound exactly same and way too familar to what he had done in his solo albums. Leaves me cold. And I am really tired of the clich-like chorus meolody hook he repeats again and again. The 'soul' ballad in FORTY LICKS is something better to forget as quick as possible."Laugh I Nearly Died" is probably the best thing Jagger over-all has done since "Saint of Me" and "Out of Control". It is a far cry from TATTOO YOU masterpieces but still it is a good song and performance. But I think Jagger does rather good job in "Following the River". Lots of typical cliches and manouvres but with his almost broken voice he gives me quite effective impression, like really putting something of himself to the play, sounding almost vulnerable. A bit like Keith does. I am a little bit surprised why Mick gets so much bashing about "Following The River". Maybe it is the context. I rather think about it is as a 2010 effort, and nothing to do with EXILE.

Okay, Keith's "Slippin Away" sounds boring in STEEL WHEELS, but I felt love to the song when I heard it live. Then it made sense (still rememer the first concert and the moment of realizing it). "The Worst" is a joke-like little song. Like Jagger's "New Faces", it can't stand repeated listenings, and starts get annoying. "Thief In the Night" and "Thru and Thru" are atmopshere exercises. Maybe a bit boring in upfront but they have some depth that fascinates me. Good efforts. Mature music. Then "How Can I Stop" is one of the greatest and most memorable things they have done since 1989 reunion. "Losing My Touch" is Richards ballad by numbers, as is the song in A BIGGER BANG, that has the word "empty" in it, I can't recall it now - but Keith's delivery makes it worth listening/s. He moves me.

Did I forget something?

And what about any of them being a "killer"? I don't think any but "How Can I Stop" comes closest, with a special mentioning goes to "Laugh I Nearly Died", and "Following The River" as a joker. That's my two cents.

- Doxa



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2012-01-22 15:19 by Doxa.

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Doxa
That the "latter day Stones" starts... hmmm 23 years ago... that speaks volumes of the issue we have here...

Hmm... I think the best stuff in that category - as over-all, too - is Keith's contribution. Jagger has done some good - sometimes even great - ballad singing live, but I think the studio songs are rather mediocre sounding. I used to like "Almost Hear You Sigh" very much, but it is way too 'sugarish' to my taste these days.
-Boxa

I agree with you there. The best ballads for the last 23 years are all sung by Keith, IMO. My favourite "ballad" which Jagger is singing on, would actually be Sweethearts Together, a song which isn't too popular on this forum for some reason. Almost Hear You Sigh is also good, but it has faded for me too. I can't think of any other ballad after 1981 which Jagger sings that I actually like.