Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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Hold On To Your Hat
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Air Studios, Montserrat, West Indies, March 29 - May 5, 1989 and
Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, May 15 - June 29, 1989

Mick Jagger - vocals, electric guitar
Keith Richards - electric guitar
Charlie Watts - drums
Ron Wood - bass

Hold on to your head, hold on to your hat
You're screaming down the alley and never coming back, oh yeah
Get out of my bed, get out of the sack
Don't give me no lip, don't you give me no crap, no way

Get out of the madhouse, tear it all down
Get out of the madhouse, burn it to the ground, got to, got to get out, yeah

Get out of my face, get out of my shack
Now you've had a fair share, now you had a fair whack, yeah
Hold on to your butt, hold on to your hat
You're heading out of here and never coming back, no

Get out of the madhouse, tear it all down
Get out of the madhouse, burn it to the ground
We'll never make it, don't you fake it
You're getting loaded, I'm getting goaded, got to, got to get out, come on baby

Hold on to your heart, hold on to your hat
Don't give me no shit, don't you give me no crap
Hold on to your head, don't give me no rap
I've had it up to here with your yackety-yak

You're getting loaded, I'm getting goaded
We'll never make, don't you fake it
Get out of the madhouse, tear it all down
Get out of the madhouse, burn it to the ground
Got to, got to get out, don’t you get out
Come on baby, come on baby, burn it all down, yeah
I'm over with ya baby, I'm over with ya baby
Get up, get out, get up, get out, get up

Produced by Chris Kimsey & The Glimmer Twins

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Steel Wheels” LP
(CBS 465752-1) UK, August 28, 1989

I love this track.Energy! But i`m sure many hate this because of Jagger`s vocals.

Stones by numbers, imo. Jagger's open G-playing is a bit too "on the beat" here as well.

It could have been great if they'd worked more on it, though.

Maybe the hardest rock tune of the band. Great shouting voice of MJ. Perfect and astonishing fast solo work of KR. Interesting bass lines of RW. Unfortunately the track ends abruptly. I'd like to hear the complete track once.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-09-21 13:37 by RobertJohnson.

To me it sounds like The Stones are said to be at work but with no inspiration. It's all copied attitude - a bit like "Lies" - it does just come up right convincingly or naturally. They are not one with their music. No touch. Yeah, Keith's work is extraordinary - like pointing out that he is the guitar hero after all - but I don't think there is much to be remembered in that department either. If it wasn't Keith Richards, we wouldn't give it another listen.

Jagger is totally lost - no sense in his shouting nor in lyrics. Probably is an anti-thesis to his PRIMTIVE COOL experiments, but I can hear him thinking 'jesus, this is stupid but let's do it since we are supposed to rock hard, right?'.

- Doxa

One of those tracks ideally suited for the confines of a sweaty club, a type of 'Garage-rock'. Pity they didn't try it on the 89/90 tour tho'.

Solid Rock-trade with a little to fast guitar from Mr Jagger which confuses Ronnie the bass-man...Keith and Charlie is good as usual...

2 1 2 0

The outtakes were far superior to the final released version

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Doxa
To me it sounds like The Stones are said to be at work but with no inspiration. It's all copied attitude - a bit like "Lies" - it does just come up right convincingly or naturally. They are not one with their music. No touch. Yeah, Keith's work is extraordinary - like pointing out that he is the guitar hero after all - but I don't think there is much to be remembered in that department either. If it wasn't Keith Richards, we wouldn't give it another listen.

Jagger is totally lost - no sense in his shouting nor in lyrics. Probably is an anti-thesis to his PRIMTIVE COOL experiments, but I can hear him thinking 'jesus, this is stupid but let's do it since we are supposed to rock hard, right?'.

- Doxa

Don't agree about Lies, but on this track I think you're spot on, Doxa.

I consider this a solid effort that doesn't quite gel. All the elements are there.... lots of energy, a cool guitar riff, a driving beat, nice 'n' dirty lyrics, Jagger singing like he means it. But somewhere towards the middle the guitar-work just becomes too jumbled and the song loses some of its appeal.

Still, the abrupt ending helps to give it that garage-rock feel. I like this track more than its cousins "Flip the Switch" and (I know I'm going to be skewered for saying this) "Rip This Joint".

Drew

I love it! It's my favorite track on the album, in fact. They should do more tracks like this one...

utter shite. doesn't even sound like the stones. sounds like a bad rock act recording a very bad track. the worst song on one of the worst records.

Loved the track when Steel Wheels came out, but it has lost some of it's appeal as the years have gone on. Steel Wheels was one of the reasons I got into the Stones back in '89, so it still holds a special place in my heart.

Who's playing the guitar fills?

I dig the track, but I agree with ablett; the outtakes were even better.

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Amsterdamned
Who's playing the guitar fills?

It's Keith.

[www.reverbnation.com]

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audun-eg

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Amsterdamned
Who's playing the guitar fills?

It's Keith.

Keith?... Amazing.

The best lead guitar since Bl&Bl imo.

Keith's guitar soloing is his most virtuoso one........anyway it seems to be that the original take is slower, and that post-production made it faster......IMHO
Never KR has played so fast, and it does'nt sound as a fast guitar playing, it sounds like an original tape run faster

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StonesTod
utter shite. doesn't even sound like the stones. sounds like a bad rock act recording a very bad track. the worst song on one of the worst records.

I must agree.

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Amsterdamned

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audun-eg

Quote
Amsterdamned
Who's playing the guitar fills?

It's Keith.

Keith?... Amazing.

The best lead guitar since Bl&Bl imo.

I also find that it's one of Keith finest moments on lead. It seems he was really trying to do something different in addition to his "favorite licks".

[www.reverbnation.com]

i'm always charmed when the Glimmer Twins sing love songs to one another :E
and the frenziedness of it really is amusing

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KeithNacho
it does'nt sound as a fast guitar playing, it sounds like an original tape run faster

It sounds perfectly normal to me.

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Amsterdamned

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audun-eg

Quote
Amsterdamned
Who's playing the guitar fills?

It's Keith.

Keith?... Amazing.

The best lead guitar since Bl&Bl imo.

That´s how Keith played lead guitar in 1989/90, as you probably have heard on your numerous boots from the SW/UJ tour

i would remind you that good guitar in the service of a crappy song is no virtue....or something...

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DandelionPowderman

Quote
Amsterdamned

Quote
audun-eg

Quote
Amsterdamned
Who's playing the guitar fills?

It's Keith.

Keith?... Amazing.

The best lead guitar since Bl&Bl imo.

That´s how Keith played lead guitar in 1989/90, as you probably have heard on your numerous boots from the SW/UJ tour

Yep,I always liked Keith when he's in shape.
On the other hand...

applies to duff jokes n all....

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StonesTod
i would remind you that good guitar in the service of a crappy song is no virtue....or something...

It doesn´t make the songs worse, now does it?

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ablett
applies to duff jokes n all....

Not at all:

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DandelionPowderman

Quote
StonesTod
i would remind you that good guitar in the service of a crappy song is no virtue....or something...

It doesn´t make the songs worse, now does it?

perhaps not; however, good guitar is a terrible thing to waste

(insert ablett laugh here)

I just listened to it for the first time in years. it still sucks, so that hasn't changed.