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Gazza

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uhbuhgullayew
Always liked this tune and it is one of the very few where I prefer the live version.

I'm the opposite.

I think the studio version swings absolutely beautifully. Very underrated song and a really fine lead vocal too. One of the best two or three songs on the entire album.

Was very disappointed when I heard the way they tunelessly thrashed their way through it (and 'She's So Cold') on the 81-82 tour. The live versions do neither of the songs any justice at all.

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Doxa
To my ears "Let Me Go" represent exactly is what the band during making EMOTIONAL RESCUE was. The "push harder and hardrer, faster and faster" idealogy of SOME GIRLS is gone, and the band sounds more relaxed and loose. Simply phenomanal groove the song has - and no any band nor singer ever could match with that result. The Stones totally in their own territory the others don't dare even to dream of visiting.

Besides, it has melodically a nice, catchy hook.

I also belong to the school who thinks that the speeded-up live version, manifesed of course in STILL LIFE, don't do a justice to the song, even though I like the idea that the band rearranged it to a live form.

- Doxa

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StonesTod
loved it live. took a great studio track and transformed for a mass stage audience. this is what great bands do. please be respectful of this process.

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Doxa

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StonesTod
loved it live. took a great studio track and transformed for a mass stage audience. this is what great bands do. please be respectful of this process.

Yes I am, Sir, I most certainly am!

- Doxa

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Doxa
To my ears "Let Me Go" represent exactly is what the band during making EMOTIONAL RESCUE was. The "push harder and hardrer, faster and faster" idealogy of SOME GIRLS is gone, and the band sounds more relaxed and loose. Simply phenomanal groove the song has - and no any band nor singer ever could match with that result. The Stones totally in their own territory the others don't dare even to dream of visiting.

Besides, it has melodically a nice, catchy hook.

I also belong to the school who thinks that the speeded-up live version, manifesed of course in STILL LIFE, don't do a justice to the song, even though I like the idea that the band rearranged it to a live form.

- Doxa

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Green Lady
Yes I do like it. A lot. But enough is ENOUGH. Go AWAY!

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with sssoul

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Green Lady
Yes I do like it. A lot. But enough is ENOUGH. Go AWAY!

i believe you mean let me GO!, Green Lady my dear :E - self-reference, baby!

a few years ago i posted a request for help learning to love ER (the album)
and a handful of gallant posters [waving] held this beauty up to the light for me
so i could experience for myself how luxuriously glorious it is at this tempo -
thank you iorr and thank you Rolling Stones!

i still dig the live version a lot too, though ... and that thing the Mick did in concert,
traipsing through the crowd letting people put their hands on him while he sang "let me go" - self-reference, baby! x2

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Gazza

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uhbuhgullayew
Always liked this tune and it is one of the very few where I prefer the live version.

I'm the opposite.

I think the studio version swings absolutely beautifully. Very underrated song and a really fine lead vocal too. One of the best two or three songs on the entire album.

Was very disappointed when I heard the way they tunelessly thrashed their way through it (and 'She's So Cold') on the 81-82 tour. The live versions do neither of the songs any justice at all.

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Edward Twining
'Let Me Go' is a very mediocre Stones track in my opinion. True, Jagger's vocals were still pretty good at this point, where he hadn't quite lost his sense of perspective, which would happen towards the mid eighties. The Stones were still young enough and vital enough in terms of potential, but somewhere along the line their inspiration had started to wane considerably. 'Emotional Rescue' the title track was an inspiring departure, but 'Let Me Go' reminds me of the tracks on IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL where the Stones were just going through the motions of sounding like their former selves but with none of their former inspiration! 'Let Me Go' is one of the Stones most hollow sounding numbers up to that point. However, comparing it with what has come in the years that have followed, 'Let Me Go' does sound that much more appealing, if not truly convincing.

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Edward Twining
'Let Me Go' is a very mediocre Stones track in my opinion. True, Jagger's vocals were still pretty good at this point, where he hadn't quite lost his sense of perspective, which would happen towards the mid eighties. The Stones were still young enough and vital enough in terms of potential, but somewhere along the line their inspiration had started to wane considerably. 'Emotional Rescue' the title track was an inspiring departure, but 'Let Me Go' reminds me of the tracks on IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL where the Stones were just going through the motions of sounding like their former selves but with none of their former inspiration! 'Let Me Go' is one of the Stones most hollow sounding numbers up to that point. However, comparing it with what has come in the years that have followed, 'Let Me Go' does sound that much more appealing, if not truly convincing.

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mandrax1972
real nice guitar solo on the studio version

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Doxa

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Edward Twining
'Let Me Go' is a very mediocre Stones track in my opinion. True, Jagger's vocals were still pretty good at this point, where he hadn't quite lost his sense of perspective, which would happen towards the mid eighties. The Stones were still young enough and vital enough in terms of potential, but somewhere along the line their inspiration had started to wane considerably. 'Emotional Rescue' the title track was an inspiring departure, but 'Let Me Go' reminds me of the tracks on IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL where the Stones were just going through the motions of sounding like their former selves but with none of their former inspiration! 'Let Me Go' is one of the Stones most hollow sounding numbers up to that point. However, comparing it with what has come in the years that have followed, 'Let Me Go' does sound that much more appealing, if not truly convincing.

I comment a bit to Edward's point here since it made wonder that there is something I can not agree with. I am not that happy with the comparison to IT's ONLY ROCK'N'ROLL because I know that connotation but can't really put "Let Me Go" referring there. I think The 'Pathe Marconi' Stones did not get there until UNDERCOVER which, I think, is a sort of IT'S ONLY ROCK'N*ROLL to Woodie's (Pathe Marconi) era and sounding "like their former selves but with none of their former inspiration".

By contrast. I think "Let me Go" is a cousin to "Hand of Fate" or "Crazy Mama" in BLACK&BLUE: sounding in that context like 'safe home ground', enough familiar in the middle of more experimental or challenging stuff. I can't think there 'by numbers' effect there, but more like: "let's play old time stuff for a change, and see how it goes". In each case the band sound very relaxed, and kind of self-secure of their own sound, and I think all the numbers I mentioned are good efforts. The point is: the bulk of the albums was not based on this kind of 'familiar' material, but they were like expections (this was not the case with their latter day albums). That's why I think they actually sound inspired.

I make another comparison, and I am sure quite many of you might send me to madhouse now... I think the band is so red and hot in EMOTIONAL RESCUE that there is only one album in their history which can be compared to it in this sense: EXILE ON MAIN STREET. I think EMOTIONAL RESCUE is to SOME GIRLS what EXILE is to STICKY FINGERS. Both STICKY FINGERS and SOME GIRLS were albums with which the band showed its current competence; they were strong and succesful efforts in showing their new rivals that they are very much in the game in the rules of the day. But both EXILE and EMOTIONAL RESCUE are more relaxed; they don't need to show anymore their competence, or dying to sound current, but just trust to their own instincts. Both albums lack the awesome songs and hits, but just rely on their own sound (of course, EXILE has way better songs than ER but that's not the point; there is no "Brown Sugar" or "Wild Horses" there, like there is no "Miss You" or "Beast of Burden" in ER.) But it is the band that smokes, and that's the whole secret. I think "Let Me Go" is a very great example of the incredible groove the band had at the time. Unfortunately the song-writing was not so strong over-all to make EMOTIONAL RESCUE a masterpiece (and it is probably the first Stones album that lacks a profilic song - no way any "Emotional Rescue" is that even though it was a rather inspired experiment).

- Doxa

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stupidguy2

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Edward Twining
'Let Me Go' is a very mediocre Stones track in my opinion. True, Jagger's vocals were still pretty good at this point, where he hadn't quite lost his sense of perspective, which would happen towards the mid eighties. The Stones were still young enough and vital enough in terms of potential, but somewhere along the line their inspiration had started to wane considerably. 'Emotional Rescue' the title track was an inspiring departure, but 'Let Me Go' reminds me of the tracks on IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL where the Stones were just going through the motions of sounding like their former selves but with none of their former inspiration! 'Let Me Go' is one of the Stones most hollow sounding numbers up to that point. However, comparing it with what has come in the years that have followed, 'Let Me Go' does sound that much more appealing, if not truly convincing.

To me, the song has that lazy, wasted, who-gives-a-the-@#$%& vibe of the whole period. Mick sounds like he's just going though the motions but that's the point - like "Think Im Going Mad", the title track, "Send It To Me".....there is a sense of romantic resignation in all these songs and "Let Me Go" captures it perfectly. Like he's hopeless and tired.

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wanderingspirit66

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Doxa

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Edward Twining
'Let Me Go' is a very mediocre Stones track in my opinion. True, Jagger's vocals were still pretty good at this point, where he hadn't quite lost his sense of perspective, which would happen towards the mid eighties. The Stones were still young enough and vital enough in terms of potential, but somewhere along the line their inspiration had started to wane considerably. 'Emotional Rescue' the title track was an inspiring departure, but 'Let Me Go' reminds me of the tracks on IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL where the Stones were just going through the motions of sounding like their former selves but with none of their former inspiration! 'Let Me Go' is one of the Stones most hollow sounding numbers up to that point. However, comparing it with what has come in the years that have followed, 'Let Me Go' does sound that much more appealing, if not truly convincing.

I comment a bit to Edward's point here since it made wonder that there is something I can not agree with. I am not that happy with the comparison to IT's ONLY ROCK'N'ROLL because I know that connotation but can't really put "Let Me Go" referring there. I think The 'Pathe Marconi' Stones did not get there until UNDERCOVER which, I think, is a sort of IT'S ONLY ROCK'N*ROLL to Woodie's (Pathe Marconi) era and sounding "like their former selves but with none of their former inspiration".

By contrast. I think "Let me Go" is a cousin to "Hand of Fate" or "Crazy Mama" in BLACK&BLUE: sounding in that context like 'safe home ground', enough familiar in the middle of more experimental or challenging stuff. I can't think there 'by numbers' effect there, but more like: "let's play old time stuff for a change, and see how it goes". In each case the band sound very relaxed, and kind of self-secure of their own sound, and I think all the numbers I mentioned are good efforts. The point is: the bulk of the albums was not based on this kind of 'familiar' material, but they were like expections (this was not the case with their latter day albums). That's why I think they actually sound inspired.

I make another comparison, and I am sure quite many of you might send me to madhouse now... I think the band is so red and hot in EMOTIONAL RESCUE that there is only one album in their history which can be compared to it in this sense: EXILE ON MAIN STREET. I think EMOTIONAL RESCUE is to SOME GIRLS what EXILE is to STICKY FINGERS. Both STICKY FINGERS and SOME GIRLS were albums with which the band showed its current competence; they were strong and succesful efforts in showing their new rivals that they are very much in the game in the rules of the day. But both EXILE and EMOTIONAL RESCUE are more relaxed; they don't need to show anymore their competence, or dying to sound current, but just trust to their own instincts. Both albums lack the awesome songs and hits, but just rely on their own sound (of course, EXILE has way better songs than ER but that's not the point; there is no "Brown Sugar" or "Wild Horses" there, like there is no "Miss You" or "Beast of Burden" in ER.) But it is the band that smokes, and that's the whole secret. I think "Let Me Go" is a very great example of the incredible groove the band had at the time. Unfortunately the song-writing was not so strong over-all to make EMOTIONAL RESCUE a masterpiece (and it is probably the first Stones album that lacks a profilic song - no way any "Emotional Rescue" is that even though it was a rather inspired experiment).

- Doxa

On ER, the band is almost too relaxed. It works on Let Me Go and on ~ half the album. But Summer Romance and Where The Boys Go are not relaxed - just unlistenable and boring - so relaxed that there is no effort to create a song. The band is "warm" for sure but compare these fillers to Jiving Sister Fanny or I'm Going Down or "Travelin man" or any of the others songs from the Sticky/Exile era that never made it to those records. For me, THAT was a hot band that could afford to relax. They had such great material that they had the luxury to leave these out.

Emotional Rescue, the album, is not an inspired experiment. Some people hear it as "relaxed"; I hear a lazy band going through the motions of having to put out an album. A band that is not so good anymore to relax. When ER works, at best, it is a pleasant distraction. Undercover - the album and the song, was the inspired experiment. It is musical, it is adventurous. It is complete. The first complete album since Exile. The band is working hard. Jagger is making an effort to create a new arc for the band. Undercover is focused - the first focused album since Beggars Banquet. Undercover is to Some Girls what Exile was to Sticky Fingers. If the eternal theme of art is that every great artist has to have an unrecognized masterpiece, then that honor belongs to Undercover. It seems to have suffered the opposite fate of Exile. UC was well received at first but now gets lumped with the 80’s era – a not so “fashionable” position anymore. At least for me, it is a latter day musical peak.

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Doxa

I comment a bit to Edward's point here since it made wonder that there is something I can not agree with. I am not that happy with the comparison to IT's ONLY ROCK'N'ROLL because I know that connotation but can't really put "Let Me Go" referring there. I think The 'Pathe Marconi' Stones did not get there until UNDERCOVER which, I think, is a sort of IT'S ONLY ROCK'N*ROLL to Woodie's (Pathe Marconi) era and sounding "like their former selves but with none of their former inspiration".

By contrast. I think "Let me Go" is a cousin to "Hand of Fate" or "Crazy Mama" in BLACK&BLUE: sounding in that context like 'safe home ground', enough familiar in the middle of more experimental or challenging stuff. I can't think there 'by numbers' effect there, but more like: "let's play old time stuff for a change, and see how it goes". In each case the band sound very relaxed, and kind of self-secure of their own sound, and I think all the numbers I mentioned are good efforts. The point is: the bulk of the albums was not based on this kind of 'familiar' material, but they were like expections (this was not the case with their latter day albums). That's why I think they actually sound inspired.

I make another comparison, and I am sure quite many of you might send me to madhouse now... I think the band is so red and hot in EMOTIONAL RESCUE that there is only one album in their history which can be compared to it in this sense: EXILE ON MAIN STREET. I think EMOTIONAL RESCUE is to SOME GIRLS what EXILE is to STICKY FINGERS. Both STICKY FINGERS and SOME GIRLS were albums with which the band showed its current competence; they were strong and succesful efforts in showing their new rivals that they are very much in the game in the rules of the day. But both EXILE and EMOTIONAL RESCUE are more relaxed; they don't need to show anymore their competence, or dying to sound current, but just trust to their own instincts. Both albums lack the awesome songs and hits, but just rely on their own sound (of course, EXILE has way better songs than ER but that's not the point; there is no "Brown Sugar" or "Wild Horses" there, like there is no "Miss You" or "Beast of Burden" in ER.) But it is the band that smokes, and that's the whole secret. I think "Let Me Go" is a very great example of the incredible groove the band had at the time. Unfortunately the song-writing was not so strong over-all to make EMOTIONAL RESCUE a masterpiece (and it is probably the first Stones album that lacks a profilic song - no way any "Emotional Rescue" is that even though it was a rather inspired experiment).

- Doxa