Laugh I nearly died is the best song since 1980

Everything is turning to gould ... ... ...

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Keith on lead guitar.

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Erik_Snow
Which 1980 song was it that you thought surpassed Slave, treacle ?

I was picking a year that was after Some Girls, and 1979 sounded too specific.

So to answer the question, none in 1980, although She's So Cold is 'beautiful though'.

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Doxa
It is the thrill of the moment... listening some individual song and sensing that "this is it", it can't be any better... Same like comparing their recent bootlegs downloads to each other - is LA FRIDAY actually better than BRUSSELS AFFAIR or HAMPTON '81? Absurd. When listening through any of them, that's as great as rock music ever can be.

Besides, I think the real greatness of The Rolling Stones derives from their not so well-known, non upfront or "non-warhorses" material. That's where their unique charm and sound is best. Things like "Winter", "Slave", etc. Funny, some time I ago I was walking in some shopping centre, and from the speakers I could hear some very familar-sounding noise. I just heard somehow the sound but couldn't recognize the song. Then I needed to find a place I could hear it better, which I did. Of all songs, it was "One More Try" and it sounded simply awesome. So much pure joy and feel in that song. At that moment it felt like being the greatest Rolling Stones song ever...

- Doxa

How perceptive of you Doxa...it is this 'thrill of the moment' that I was actually trying to convey. For me, 'Slave' has always existed as the track located between Hang Fire and Little T&A. It was a fine track, but I didn't think much of it. Then yesterday I'm walking to work with my headphones on and opening riff just hits me. What a groove! The production is incredible, MJ's vocals are great. They are on fire.

Discovering something beautiful that has been there all along.

It would be inaccurate to say that Slave is the best stones song since 1980...but it certainly is amongst the best!

One of the best all time Stones riffs, and that of course is saying a lot.

Charlie Watts at his funky best.

My favourite tune off of Tattoo You.

Slave is a fookin' classic!

For anyone that hasn't grooved on the extended version...

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Doxa
Besides, I think the real greatness of The Rolling Stones derives from their not so well-known, non upfront or "non-warhorses" material. That's where their unique charm and sound is best. Things like "Winter", "Slave", etc. Funny, some time I ago I was walking in some shopping centre, and from the speakers I could hear some very familar-sounding noise. I just heard somehow the sound but couldn't recognize the song. Then I needed to find a place I could hear it better, which I did. Of all songs, it was "One More Try" and it sounded simply awesome. So much pure joy and feel in that song. At that moment it felt like being the greatest Rolling Stones song ever...

- Doxa

"One More Try" - always loved that one since first hearing it on "Stone Age" back in the early 70's. I also remember being immensly impressed by "Blue Turns To Grey", and when it was played as the "soundtrack" to Brian's funeral scenes in the 25x5 video, it sounded like the best Stones song ever written just because it fitted so perfectly.

Slave is a great tune, I like the break part in the middle (just before the sax solo)

A great song indeed, but Slave is not even the best song on Tattoo You.

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treaclefingers

I think there is a longer version of the song on boots, no?

Yup. Speaking of the length of this song, when Tattoo You came out in 1981 the song was 4:54 long. Then when the fantastic Virgin 1994 re-release came out they added over a minute and a half on it to 6:33.

Speaking of Tattoo You, cut and paste? Yeah. Who cares. I enjoy it FAR better than Some Girls. Hell, I enjoy it more than Beggars and Let It Bleed, and it's my thrid favourite Stones album after Exile and Goats.

[thepowergoats.com]

"Slave" is otherworldly in it's awesomeness.

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xke38
As far as I'm concerned, it's a great track which is sadly marred by the Bee Gees style vocals.

"Slave".... Bee Gees??




You must be thinking of "Heaven."

Not even the best song in Tattoo You.

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stones78
Not even the best song in Tattoo You.

Well at least tell us which the best song on Tattoo You is then!

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marcovandereijk
Slave is the boys at their peaks and I like 100 % of it.
Just like I like 100 % of a lot of other songs that came before or after it.

And it's got Pete Townshend on backing vocals too!

I like 89.7% of it.

I'm still a little confused by the title. Slave was released in 1981, and Erik_Snow is still waiting for an answer on what Treacle Fingers thought was a better Stones song in 1980.

So....Slave is better than Start Me Up? Or a half dozen other cuts on Tattoo You? Okay.

I think Start Me Up is the best

Marv Peck

Y'all remember that rubber legged boy

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24FPS
I'm still a little confused by the title. Slave was released in 1981, and Erik_Snow is still waiting for an answer on what Treacle Fingers thought was a better Stones song in 1980.

So....Slave is better than Start Me Up? Or a half dozen other cuts on Tattoo You? Okay.

you need to read the thread a little closer as I actually did reply to it already:


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Erik_Snow
Which 1980 song was it that you thought surpassed Slave, treacle ?

I was picking a year that was after Some Girls, and 1979 sounded too specific.

So to answer the question, none in 1980, although She's So Cold is 'beautiful though'.

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treaclefingers

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24FPS
I'm still a little confused by the title. Slave was released in 1981, and Erik_Snow is still waiting for an answer on what Treacle Fingers thought was a better Stones song in 1980.

So....Slave is better than Start Me Up? Or a half dozen other cuts on Tattoo You? Okay.

you need to read the thread a little closer as I actually did reply to it already:


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Erik_Snow
Which 1980 song was it that you thought surpassed Slave, treacle ?

I was picking a year that was after Some Girls, and 1979 sounded too specific.

So to answer the question, none in 1980, although She's So Cold is 'beautiful though'.

All right. I like Slave but it could have swung a little more. I'm not wild about the 1st side of Tattoo You, after Start Me Up. There's a harshness. I really dug hearing Black Limousine on Hampton. Bill's bass takes it way out there. Kind of like Dancing With Mr. D. on the REAL bootleg version of Brussels adds new dimensions to the studio cut from GHS. It's too late now to hear Bill & the Boys take Slave to the stage, but it would have been nice.

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treaclefingers

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stones78
Not even the best song in Tattoo You.

Well at least tell us which the best song on Tattoo You is then!

Start Me Up, Waiting on a Friend and Worried About You are all great songs. I enjoy the whole album.

No one seems bothered about the fact that the only thing added to Slave after 1980 is the sax.

Mathijs

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Mathijs
No one seems bothered about the fact that the only thing added to Slave after 1980 is the sax.

Mathijs

No new vocals after 1980?

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DandelionPowderman

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Mathijs
No one seems bothered about the fact that the only thing added to Slave after 1980 is the sax.

Mathijs

No new vocals after 1980?

According to Chris Kimsey, Slave was revisted in '79 when all the vocals and guitar dubs by Ron Wood where done. This is the long outtake that is available, running a tad slow. They took this version in '81, wiped Wood's guitar, and added Rollin's sax.

Mathijs

Wow Matthijs, where did you get all that great info from?
On which boot is the long outtake available?

I would rank Black Limousine, Worried About You, Heaven, No Use in Crying, and Waiting on a Friend above Slave.

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Mathijs
No one seems bothered about the fact that the only thing added to Slave after 1980 is the sax.

Mathijs

Yes, quite right Mathijs...has kept me awake many a night.

I don't consider 'Slave' to be a great Stones song in a more conventional sense, because really it is much more of a groove type song, and not really existing so much in a more traditional melodic sense. However, it does work well within the context of the TATTOO YOU album, and just like pretty much all the other tracks from the album, the song is remarkably well conceived in terms of its arrangement, and production etc. The TATTOO YOU album would be the very last time the Stones music would have that meticulous eye for detail, and sophistication, the meticulous eye especially, is a reason the Stones sixties and seventies songs stand up so well over repeated listens, and their later output tends to fall rather flat pretty quickly. 'Slave' does have depth.

In terms of classic status, as in the songs working most strongly on their own terms, i would put 'Start Me Up', 'Worried About You', and 'Waiting On A Friend' on a higher level than the other tracks on TATTOO YOU, although the Stones still seem to be be able to achieve optimum effectiveness on all of those songs, in terms of arrangement, whatever the songs may be in terms of quality. Maybe, perhaps, 'Neighbours' may prove the exception, where the over reliance on an eighties style drum beat, becomes irritating fairly quickly (for me).

TATTOO YOU has grown incredibly in stature since its release, simply because the Stones haven't come anywhere near close to matching it, and are certainly unlikely to ever do now. In a sense, it is the classic Stones last breath.

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Edward Twining
I don't consider 'Slave' to be a great Stones song in a more conventional sense, because really it is much more of a groove type song, and not really existing so much in a more traditional melodic sense. However, it does work well within the context of the TATTOO YOU album, and just like pretty much all the other tracks from the album, the song is remarkably well conceived in terms of its arrangement, and production etc. The TATTOO YOU album would be the very last time the Stones music would have that meticulous eye for detail, and sophistication, the meticulous eye especially, is a reason the Stones sixties and seventies songs stand up so well over repeated listens, and their later output tends to fall rather flat pretty quickly. 'Slave' does have depth.

In terms of classic status, as in the songs working most strongly on their own terms, i would put 'Start Me Up', 'Worried About You', and 'Waiting On A Friend' on a higher level than the other tracks on TATTOO YOU, although the Stones still seem to be be able to achieve optimum effectiveness on all of those songs, in terms of arrangement, whatever the songs may be in terms of quality. Maybe, perhaps, 'Neighbours' may prove the exception, where the over reliance on an eighties style drum beat, becomes irritating fairly quickly (for me).

TATTOO YOU has grown incredibly in stature since its release, simply because the Stones haven't come anywhere near close to matching it, and are certainly unlikely to ever do now. In a sense, it is the classic Stones last breath.

Lovely, thanks for that Edward...although I will continue to disagree with you when it comes to their followup album. I will agree this is probably the last breath for 'classic' stones, Undercover being an interesting and artistically if not commmercially successful foray into new territory.

Unfortunately, they didn't continue on that path and after the pathetic Dirty Work, we get more of a formulaic approach on latter day albums.

Everything off Babylon is better than anything on Tattoo Poo. Babylon is the sound of Mick masturbating - which is so much better than listening to the Stones.

Right?

Nope. It's a great groove though, with some added lyrics. What makes "Tattoo You" is a super duper hit like SMU and a great sound and production.
Add one or two slow songs on that (WOAF, Tops) and you got a great album. The last great Stones album really. After that they were done.