Goats Head Soup was the first Stones album I bought when it first came out. It's my third favorite Stones album overall, behind Sticky Fingers and Exile. Here's my song by song review:

Goats Head Soup – 1973 (US #1; UK#1)
Dancing With Mr. D • 100 Years Ago • Coming Down Again • Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) • Angie • Silver Train • Hide Your Love • Winter • Can You Hear The Music • Star Star (@#$%&)

Stones Fan – *****
Casual Listener - ****

Goats Head Soup is in many ways, the most interesting Stones album. Without a doubt, it is the most underrated album in their canon, even by The Stones themselves. Yet, it is a perfect distillation of Exile On Main Street. Take Exile’s sprawling landscapes and styles and make it more concise and you have Goats Head Soup. If Exile was a triple album, this would slide in perfectly without the slightest dip in quality. Plus this album has something that Exile didn’t, a blockbuster single that was also a tremendous piece of art. Goats Head Soup peaked at #1 on both sides of the pond topping the US chart for 4 weeks. It also included a very cool, yet creepy “Goats Head Soup” poster insert that characterized the music perfectly.

Unlike Sticky Fingers and Exile, which opened with blistering rock tracks, the mysterious vibe of this album starts off with the opening guitar notes. Jagger starts singing about being down at the graveyard and one can picture oneself with him in some Louisiana swamp. Dancing With Mr. D picks up a nice steady groove, with Charlie slightly behind the beat as only had can. The song absolutely oozes with a loose and muddy feel, slightly speeding up as it moves along – something fairly unique with the Stones. Jagger’s vocals are buried in the mix (like Exile), and it works perfectly along with the occasional background howls. One has to struggle to understand the lyrics, and that makes it even more effective. I wish the Stones mixed the vocals like this nowadays. I’ve heard people compare this song to Sympathy For The Devil, but that’s just plain silly. If you want to hear some true Stones’ Jamaican “Voodoo Lounge”, jump right in here. Dancing With Mr. D was only played live on their 1973 tour, but they did use it to promote the album on Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert on US TV.

100 Years Ago opens with a tasteful Billy Preston clavinet introduction and Mick takes us on a journey through the woods the other day. Again the vocals are down and the mix is muddy but it creates a warm encompassing mood. After the intro, the band kicks in with a buoyant upbeat feel. After two versus, Taylor comes in with a wah wah solo but again its buried in the background. Then the song comes to a stop and Jagger starts singing about “lazy bones ain’t got no time to waste away”. This is a downright strange interlude – almost tagged on from another song. It’s brief and the band kicks back in with a truly vicious jam led by keyboards and the wah wah guitar wailing in the background till it fades out.

Coming Down Again is a magnificent ballad led by Keith on vocals and supported by Nicky Hopkins’ beautiful piano and heavy wah wah guitar. Keith’s voice is clear and upfront and absolutely magnificent, with Jagger helping on background vocals perfectly. Keith confesses about slipping his tongue in someone else’s pie, but being hungry it ain’t no crime. After a couple of versus, the song reaches even higher when Hopkin’s piano leads into a phenomenal solo break shared by organ and saxophone. It’s relatively short and segues back into the Coming Down Again verse, but it’s so effective. The Stones have an amazing amount of these phenomenal tracks that should be played, but are long lost, just waiting to be re-discovered.
Another exciting keyboard intro, Charlie’s drums kick in and Jagger sings about a tale of police mistaken identity and the death of a lone junkie in an alleyway. Heady stuff but backed by intoxicating upbeat music highlighted with horn accents, wah wah guitar and an infectious “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo” chorus. This is hit material and a classic in my book. Heartbreaker is still performed in concert on occasion, it’s always a highlight for me. This was the 2nd US single (none for the UK) and it peaked at #15.

Angie comes next. It’s simply amongst the most well crafted ballads the bands ever done. It’s simply perfect. Jagger’s vocals have never been better (even when he tastefully whispers “Angie”), the lyrics are beautiful and the music is magnificent. The strings tastefully weave in and out along with the beautiful guitar fills and licks. Charlie’s high hat accents throughout are also a trademark of the song. The song is shorter and tighter than Wild Horses and consequently became a well deserved #1 US single (only #5 in the UK). Angie is a classic in every way.

Silver Train starts off side two. Compared to the rest of the album, it comes off a bit pedestrian and the muddy mix takes away from what could have been a truly powerful rocker. This time Jagger uses harmonica to highlight the verses to nice effect and slide guitar running throughout. When it’s time to solo, we get a nice slide guitar solo with Charlie fully riding the cymbal. Jagger raises his voice now, howling about the Silver Train and the song picks up considerable speed. But again the muddy mix distracts from its power. I still prefer the Stones version over the better-known Johnny Winter cover and surprisingly the Stones used this on Kirschner’s to promote the album as well.

Mick Jagger starts bopping on piano singing about sometimes being up and sometimes being down. Again the vocals are down in the mix and one gets the feeling of being in a room with The Stones doing a spontaneous jam on this song. A nice guitar solo starts to kick in and Hide Your Love builds in its power. What at first seems like a loose jam starts to coalesce into a fun loose song. Exile has a few of these type of jam songs, and Hide Your Love is just as good as them.

Next comes one of the all-time lost classic Stones tracks, Winter. I can listen to this song anytime, anywhere. It’s one of the all time great Stones ballads and it should be a regular on classic radio. The song starts with un-accompanied strummed electric guitar and Jagger this time sings clear and up in the mix about a cold hard Winter. At the end of the 2nd verse, one can quickly hear someone yell “yeah” deep in the background, and you feel it too. Jagger wishes he were out in California but instead he’ll wrap his coat around you. Nicky Hopkins piano comes in, as do the strings to bring you ever higher, but the electric guitar and slide licks really bring it home. As you think the songs ending, in comes a tasteful electric guitar solo, string highlights come in and you’re truly lifting higher and higher. At 5:30 it’s too long and not crafted enough for a single, but album ballads don’t come any better.

Suddenly we hear some odd middle-eastern sounds, joined by an infectious heavy wah wah guitar lick. Jagger sings over this tribal beat “Can You Hear The Music / Magic” and at the minute mark the song transforms with Jagger singing about “love is a mystery” with a beautiful melody. Throughout we have wonderful backdrops of sound: wah wahs, drums, eastern drones and strange horn sounds. It’s very effective and haunting. The song stops and in starts the great wah wah guitar lick that started it. By now we can feel the music and magic as Jagger goes back into the “love is a mystery” verse. The song does not feel forced at all, it’s very organic and natural – as if were in a great tribal jam with The Stones and some Arabian musicians. Open up and this music will really grab you.

Next up is Star Star (@#$%&), the only “classic sounding Chuck Berryish” Stones tune on the album. It’s a great way to end the album. We all know the controversy regarding the various lyrics (giving head to Steve McQueen etc), and because of that the vocal lyrics are seriously buried in the mix and in some points nearly impossible to decipher. When Virgin remastered the album, they cleaned it up in the mix and you were able to more clearly hear about “keeping pussy’s clean and getting John Wayne before he dies”. The new Universal mix seems to be closer to the original muddy mix. The song is a classic Stones rocker regardless and is still a highlight when they play it (especially with the blow-up penis on the ’75 / ’76 tour).

So there you have Goats Head Soup, the Stones all-time underrated album, even though it was a US #1 for 4 weeks and has Angie, a perfect #1 single. This album literally takes you on a musical journey, ala Exile On Main Street, but in a more concise way. This album has as many highs as Exile and no real lows and is just ripe for discovery for any Stones fan or casual listener who’s willing to let music envelop their senses. This album is in no way a let down from what came before. The Stones have only regularly played Angie, Heartbreaker and @#$%& live. Dancing With Mr. D, 100 Years Ago and Silver Train made in some cases rare live debuts only on the 1973 tour and the others have never been played live. But it’s not because of the quality, they just aren’t really live type songs.

A very good album, especially the last track...


2 1 2 0

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Come On
A very good album, especially the last track...

You know Come On, you have a passing resemblance to the pope.

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treaclefingers

Quote
Come On
A very good album, especially the last track...

You know Come On, you have a passing resemblance to the pope.

So, it was you I saw shiteing in the woods! What is the sound of one man crapping? Why, it's the pope of course, wiping himself with his rope-a-dope.

Little know fact about Goat's Head Soup - the original cover was going to be Mick as a centaur - half Mick and half goat and some photographs were officially taken. That idea was later brought to reality by Roger Daltry for his album Ride A Rock Horse.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-07-06 12:42 by Silver Dagger.

Quote
Come On
A very good album, especially the last track...

I didn't know mister Ratzinger was the subject of the last song on Goat's head soup?
I knew about little boys not being safe in the hands of the church, but Steve McQueen???
Or is he wearing a cowboy-hat to impersonate John Wayne?

But anyway, I'd rather see your usual pictures of BB instead of this old man.

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

On request...

Aaah. Much better. Thank you.
She's had a fair share of stars, hasn't she? Don't know about Steve McQueen though.

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

Quote
Silver Dagger
Little know fact about Goat's Head Soup - the original cover was going to be Mick as a centaur - half Mick and half goat and some photographs were officially taken. That idea was later brought to reality by Roger Daltry for his album Ride A Rock Horse.

Man I've ALWAYS wanted to see the photos from that session...in the Hipgnosis book "Walk Away Rene'" they talk about what a pain in the neck it was to work with Keith at first during that shoot...I always wondered where the bandshot that Mickboy had on the sleeve of his GHS Remaster came from...anyone know???

Well, since Johnnythunders took the link down we know what will be on the app.

Oh well.

great album

This album was the beginning of unsutisfied fans waiting for another EOMS, and they are still waiting in 2012.
The album is an absolute masterpiece from the first song to the last one. Is not EOMS, it is not SF, LIB----- it is a very different aproach and is glorious

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KeithNacho
This album was the beginning of unsutisfied fans waiting for another EOMS, and they are still waiting in 2012.
The album is an absolute masterpiece from the first song to the last one. Is not EOMS, it is not SF, LIB----- it is a very different aproach and is glorious

Are you part of the 'they' that are unsutisfied? They had best stopped waiting eons ago, unsutisfied, slightly sutisfied, etc...

If this album were released now, I think there would be a mutiny on IORR.

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treaclefingers
If this album were released now, I think there would be a mutiny on IORR.

A good or bad one?

Quote
WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

Quote
treaclefingers
If this album were released now, I think there would be a mutiny on IORR.

A good or bad one?

There would be many casualties on both sides...I guess it depends on your definition of good or bad.

Well, i am very satisfied since i thought it was over in 1986. I have enjoyed the lats releases and the last tours since 1989.....obviously it was not the same group than in the 1969-73 era. What the hell!!! i am not the same person than i used to be 30 years ago

Quote
treaclefingers

Quote
WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

Quote
treaclefingers
If this album were released now, I think there would be a mutiny on IORR.

A good or bad one?

There would be many casualties on both sides...I guess it depends on your definition of good or bad.

What if it was a really good bad mutiny? For example, thinking Star Star is the best track? A bad good mutiny would be thinking Angie is the best track.

Quote
WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

Quote
treaclefingers

Quote
WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

Quote
treaclefingers
If this album were released now, I think there would be a mutiny on IORR.

A good or bad one?

There would be many casualties on both sides...I guess it depends on your definition of good or bad.

What if it was a really good bad mutiny? For example, thinking Star Star is the best track? A bad good mutiny would be thinking Angie is the best track.

I think the analysts couldn't get past Dancing With Mr. D.

That would have torpedoed the album almost immediately.

Quote
KeithNacho
Well, i am very satisfied since i thought it was over in 1986. I have enjoyed the lats releases and the last tours since 1989.....obviously it was not the same group than in the 1969-73 era. What the hell!!! i am not the same person than i used to be 30 years ago

I am still the same person as I used to be 30 years ago. Even longer.

An absolute masterpiece!!!!! Let's hope for a special edition with bonus tracks, outtakes........

Quote
treaclefingers

Quote
WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

Quote
treaclefingers

Quote
WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

Quote
treaclefingers
If this album were released now, I think there would be a mutiny on IORR.

A good or bad one?

There would be many casualties on both sides...I guess it depends on your definition of good or bad.

What if it was a really good bad mutiny? For example, thinking Star Star is the best track? A bad good mutiny would be thinking Angie is the best track.

I think the analysts couldn't get past Dancing With Mr. D.

That would have torpedoed the album almost immediately.

But unlike anything of recent, errrr, quite some time, it does have a nice lick and groove to it. And the backing vox are cool. And the lead guitar is nice. It's a bit swampy...

Quote
kammpberg
Goats Head Soup was the first Stones album I bought when it first came out. It's my third favorite Stones album overall, behind Sticky Fingers and Exile. Here's my song by song review:

Goats Head Soup – 1973 (US #1; UK#1)
Dancing With Mr. D • 100 Years Ago • Coming Down Again • Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) • Angie • Silver Train • Hide Your Love • Winter • Can You Hear The Music • Star Star (@#$%&)

Stones Fan – *****
Casual Listener - ****

Goats Head Soup is in many ways, the most interesting Stones album. Without a doubt, it is the most underrated album in their canon, even by The Stones themselves. Yet, it is a perfect distillation of Exile On Main Street. Take Exile’s sprawling landscapes and styles and make it more concise and you have Goats Head Soup. If Exile was a triple album, this would slide in perfectly without the slightest dip in quality. Plus this album has something that Exile didn’t, a blockbuster single that was also a tremendous piece of art. Goats Head Soup peaked at #1 on both sides of the pond topping the US chart for 4 weeks. It also included a very cool, yet creepy “Goats Head Soup” poster insert that characterized the music perfectly.

Unlike Sticky Fingers and Exile, which opened with blistering rock tracks, the mysterious vibe of this album starts off with the opening guitar notes. Jagger starts singing about being down at the graveyard and one can picture oneself with him in some Louisiana swamp. Dancing With Mr. D picks up a nice steady groove, with Charlie slightly behind the beat as only had can. The song absolutely oozes with a loose and muddy feel, slightly speeding up as it moves along – something fairly unique with the Stones. Jagger’s vocals are buried in the mix (like Exile), and it works perfectly along with the occasional background howls. One has to struggle to understand the lyrics, and that makes it even more effective. I wish the Stones mixed the vocals like this nowadays. I’ve heard people compare this song to Sympathy For The Devil, but that’s just plain silly. If you want to hear some true Stones’ Jamaican “Voodoo Lounge”, jump right in here. Dancing With Mr. D was only played live on their 1973 tour, but they did use it to promote the album on Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert on US TV.

100 Years Ago opens with a tasteful Billy Preston clavinet introduction and Mick takes us on a journey through the woods the other day. Again the vocals are down and the mix is muddy but it creates a warm encompassing mood. After the intro, the band kicks in with a buoyant upbeat feel. After two versus, Taylor comes in with a wah wah solo but again its buried in the background. Then the song comes to a stop and Jagger starts singing about “lazy bones ain’t got no time to waste away”. This is a downright strange interlude – almost tagged on from another song. It’s brief and the band kicks back in with a truly vicious jam led by keyboards and the wah wah guitar wailing in the background till it fades out.

Coming Down Again is a magnificent ballad led by Keith on vocals and supported by Nicky Hopkins’ beautiful piano and heavy wah wah guitar. Keith’s voice is clear and upfront and absolutely magnificent, with Jagger helping on background vocals perfectly. Keith confesses about slipping his tongue in someone else’s pie, but being hungry it ain’t no crime. After a couple of versus, the song reaches even higher when Hopkin’s piano leads into a phenomenal solo break shared by organ and saxophone. It’s relatively short and segues back into the Coming Down Again verse, but it’s so effective. The Stones have an amazing amount of these phenomenal tracks that should be played, but are long lost, just waiting to be re-discovered.
Another exciting keyboard intro, Charlie’s drums kick in and Jagger sings about a tale of police mistaken identity and the death of a lone junkie in an alleyway. Heady stuff but backed by intoxicating upbeat music highlighted with horn accents, wah wah guitar and an infectious “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo” chorus. This is hit material and a classic in my book. Heartbreaker is still performed in concert on occasion, it’s always a highlight for me. This was the 2nd US single (none for the UK) and it peaked at #15.

Angie comes next. It’s simply amongst the most well crafted ballads the bands ever done. It’s simply perfect. Jagger’s vocals have never been better (even when he tastefully whispers “Angie”), the lyrics are beautiful and the music is magnificent. The strings tastefully weave in and out along with the beautiful guitar fills and licks. Charlie’s high hat accents throughout are also a trademark of the song. The song is shorter and tighter than Wild Horses and consequently became a well deserved #1 US single (only #5 in the UK). Angie is a classic in every way.

Silver Train starts off side two. Compared to the rest of the album, it comes off a bit pedestrian and the muddy mix takes away from what could have been a truly powerful rocker. This time Jagger uses harmonica to highlight the verses to nice effect and slide guitar running throughout. When it’s time to solo, we get a nice slide guitar solo with Charlie fully riding the cymbal. Jagger raises his voice now, howling about the Silver Train and the song picks up considerable speed. But again the muddy mix distracts from its power. I still prefer the Stones version over the better-known Johnny Winter cover and surprisingly the Stones used this on Kirschner’s to promote the album as well.

Mick Jagger starts bopping on piano singing about sometimes being up and sometimes being down. Again the vocals are down in the mix and one gets the feeling of being in a room with The Stones doing a spontaneous jam on this song. A nice guitar solo starts to kick in and Hide Your Love builds in its power. What at first seems like a loose jam starts to coalesce into a fun loose song. Exile has a few of these type of jam songs, and Hide Your Love is just as good as them.

Next comes one of the all-time lost classic Stones tracks, Winter. I can listen to this song anytime, anywhere. It’s one of the all time great Stones ballads and it should be a regular on classic radio. The song starts with un-accompanied strummed electric guitar and Jagger this time sings clear and up in the mix about a cold hard Winter. At the end of the 2nd verse, one can quickly hear someone yell “yeah” deep in the background, and you feel it too. Jagger wishes he were out in California but instead he’ll wrap his coat around you. Nicky Hopkins piano comes in, as do the strings to bring you ever higher, but the electric guitar and slide licks really bring it home. As you think the songs ending, in comes a tasteful electric guitar solo, string highlights come in and you’re truly lifting higher and higher. At 5:30 it’s too long and not crafted enough for a single, but album ballads don’t come any better.

Suddenly we hear some odd middle-eastern sounds, joined by an infectious heavy wah wah guitar lick. Jagger sings over this tribal beat “Can You Hear The Music / Magic” and at the minute mark the song transforms with Jagger singing about “love is a mystery” with a beautiful melody. Throughout we have wonderful backdrops of sound: wah wahs, drums, eastern drones and strange horn sounds. It’s very effective and haunting. The song stops and in starts the great wah wah guitar lick that started it. By now we can feel the music and magic as Jagger goes back into the “love is a mystery” verse. The song does not feel forced at all, it’s very organic and natural – as if were in a great tribal jam with The Stones and some Arabian musicians. Open up and this music will really grab you.

Next up is Star Star (@#$%&), the only “classic sounding Chuck Berryish” Stones tune on the album. It’s a great way to end the album. We all know the controversy regarding the various lyrics (giving head to Steve McQueen etc), and because of that the vocal lyrics are seriously buried in the mix and in some points nearly impossible to decipher. When Virgin remastered the album, they cleaned it up in the mix and you were able to more clearly hear about “keeping pussy’s clean and getting John Wayne before he dies”. The new Universal mix seems to be closer to the original muddy mix. The song is a classic Stones rocker regardless and is still a highlight when they play it (especially with the blow-up penis on the ’75 / ’76 tour).

So there you have Goats Head Soup, the Stones all-time underrated album, even though it was a US #1 for 4 weeks and has Angie, a perfect #1 single. This album literally takes you on a musical journey, ala Exile On Main Street, but in a more concise way. This album has as many highs as Exile and no real lows and is just ripe for discovery for any Stones fan or casual listener who’s willing to let music envelop their senses. This album is in no way a let down from what came before. The Stones have only regularly played Angie, Heartbreaker and @#$%& live. Dancing With Mr. D, 100 Years Ago and Silver Train made in some cases rare live debuts only on the 1973 tour and the others have never been played live. But it’s not because of the quality, they just aren’t really live type songs.

Many interesting points here - thanks for posting.

However, GHS was a #1 album, and had a #1 single - hence it´s not under rated by the public.

If it is indeed under rated, it is under rated by a big part of the fans.

As far as I can tell, there is no slide on Winter. Taylor is also buried weirdly in the mix with his solos on Hide Your Love.

you gotta want it.

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
kammpberg
Goats Head Soup was the first Stones album I bought when it first came out. It's my third favorite Stones album overall, behind Sticky Fingers and Exile. Here's my song by song review:

Goats Head Soup – 1973 (US #1; UK#1)
Dancing With Mr. D • 100 Years Ago • Coming Down Again • Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) • Angie • Silver Train • Hide Your Love • Winter • Can You Hear The Music • Star Star (@#$%&)

Stones Fan – *****
Casual Listener - ****

Goats Head Soup is in many ways, the most interesting Stones album. Without a doubt, it is the most underrated album in their canon, even by The Stones themselves. Yet, it is a perfect distillation of Exile On Main Street. Take Exile’s sprawling landscapes and styles and make it more concise and you have Goats Head Soup. If Exile was a triple album, this would slide in perfectly without the slightest dip in quality. Plus this album has something that Exile didn’t, a blockbuster single that was also a tremendous piece of art. Goats Head Soup peaked at #1 on both sides of the pond topping the US chart for 4 weeks. It also included a very cool, yet creepy “Goats Head Soup” poster insert that characterized the music perfectly.

Unlike Sticky Fingers and Exile, which opened with blistering rock tracks, the mysterious vibe of this album starts off with the opening guitar notes. Jagger starts singing about being down at the graveyard and one can picture oneself with him in some Louisiana swamp. Dancing With Mr. D picks up a nice steady groove, with Charlie slightly behind the beat as only had can. The song absolutely oozes with a loose and muddy feel, slightly speeding up as it moves along – something fairly unique with the Stones. Jagger’s vocals are buried in the mix (like Exile), and it works perfectly along with the occasional background howls. One has to struggle to understand the lyrics, and that makes it even more effective. I wish the Stones mixed the vocals like this nowadays. I’ve heard people compare this song to Sympathy For The Devil, but that’s just plain silly. If you want to hear some true Stones’ Jamaican “Voodoo Lounge”, jump right in here. Dancing With Mr. D was only played live on their 1973 tour, but they did use it to promote the album on Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert on US TV.

100 Years Ago opens with a tasteful Billy Preston clavinet introduction and Mick takes us on a journey through the woods the other day. Again the vocals are down and the mix is muddy but it creates a warm encompassing mood. After the intro, the band kicks in with a buoyant upbeat feel. After two versus, Taylor comes in with a wah wah solo but again its buried in the background. Then the song comes to a stop and Jagger starts singing about “lazy bones ain’t got no time to waste away”. This is a downright strange interlude – almost tagged on from another song. It’s brief and the band kicks back in with a truly vicious jam led by keyboards and the wah wah guitar wailing in the background till it fades out.

Coming Down Again is a magnificent ballad led by Keith on vocals and supported by Nicky Hopkins’ beautiful piano and heavy wah wah guitar. Keith’s voice is clear and upfront and absolutely magnificent, with Jagger helping on background vocals perfectly. Keith confesses about slipping his tongue in someone else’s pie, but being hungry it ain’t no crime. After a couple of versus, the song reaches even higher when Hopkin’s piano leads into a phenomenal solo break shared by organ and saxophone. It’s relatively short and segues back into the Coming Down Again verse, but it’s so effective. The Stones have an amazing amount of these phenomenal tracks that should be played, but are long lost, just waiting to be re-discovered.
Another exciting keyboard intro, Charlie’s drums kick in and Jagger sings about a tale of police mistaken identity and the death of a lone junkie in an alleyway. Heady stuff but backed by intoxicating upbeat music highlighted with horn accents, wah wah guitar and an infectious “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo” chorus. This is hit material and a classic in my book. Heartbreaker is still performed in concert on occasion, it’s always a highlight for me. This was the 2nd US single (none for the UK) and it peaked at #15.

Angie comes next. It’s simply amongst the most well crafted ballads the bands ever done. It’s simply perfect. Jagger’s vocals have never been better (even when he tastefully whispers “Angie”), the lyrics are beautiful and the music is magnificent. The strings tastefully weave in and out along with the beautiful guitar fills and licks. Charlie’s high hat accents throughout are also a trademark of the song. The song is shorter and tighter than Wild Horses and consequently became a well deserved #1 US single (only #5 in the UK). Angie is a classic in every way.

Silver Train starts off side two. Compared to the rest of the album, it comes off a bit pedestrian and the muddy mix takes away from what could have been a truly powerful rocker. This time Jagger uses harmonica to highlight the verses to nice effect and slide guitar running throughout. When it’s time to solo, we get a nice slide guitar solo with Charlie fully riding the cymbal. Jagger raises his voice now, howling about the Silver Train and the song picks up considerable speed. But again the muddy mix distracts from its power. I still prefer the Stones version over the better-known Johnny Winter cover and surprisingly the Stones used this on Kirschner’s to promote the album as well.

Mick Jagger starts bopping on piano singing about sometimes being up and sometimes being down. Again the vocals are down in the mix and one gets the feeling of being in a room with The Stones doing a spontaneous jam on this song. A nice guitar solo starts to kick in and Hide Your Love builds in its power. What at first seems like a loose jam starts to coalesce into a fun loose song. Exile has a few of these type of jam songs, and Hide Your Love is just as good as them.

Next comes one of the all-time lost classic Stones tracks, Winter. I can listen to this song anytime, anywhere. It’s one of the all time great Stones ballads and it should be a regular on classic radio. The song starts with un-accompanied strummed electric guitar and Jagger this time sings clear and up in the mix about a cold hard Winter. At the end of the 2nd verse, one can quickly hear someone yell “yeah” deep in the background, and you feel it too. Jagger wishes he were out in California but instead he’ll wrap his coat around you. Nicky Hopkins piano comes in, as do the strings to bring you ever higher, but the electric guitar and slide licks really bring it home. As you think the songs ending, in comes a tasteful electric guitar solo, string highlights come in and you’re truly lifting higher and higher. At 5:30 it’s too long and not crafted enough for a single, but album ballads don’t come any better.

Suddenly we hear some odd middle-eastern sounds, joined by an infectious heavy wah wah guitar lick. Jagger sings over this tribal beat “Can You Hear The Music / Magic” and at the minute mark the song transforms with Jagger singing about “love is a mystery” with a beautiful melody. Throughout we have wonderful backdrops of sound: wah wahs, drums, eastern drones and strange horn sounds. It’s very effective and haunting. The song stops and in starts the great wah wah guitar lick that started it. By now we can feel the music and magic as Jagger goes back into the “love is a mystery” verse. The song does not feel forced at all, it’s very organic and natural – as if were in a great tribal jam with The Stones and some Arabian musicians. Open up and this music will really grab you.

Next up is Star Star (@#$%&), the only “classic sounding Chuck Berryish” Stones tune on the album. It’s a great way to end the album. We all know the controversy regarding the various lyrics (giving head to Steve McQueen etc), and because of that the vocal lyrics are seriously buried in the mix and in some points nearly impossible to decipher. When Virgin remastered the album, they cleaned it up in the mix and you were able to more clearly hear about “keeping pussy’s clean and getting John Wayne before he dies”. The new Universal mix seems to be closer to the original muddy mix. The song is a classic Stones rocker regardless and is still a highlight when they play it (especially with the blow-up penis on the ’75 / ’76 tour).

So there you have Goats Head Soup, the Stones all-time underrated album, even though it was a US #1 for 4 weeks and has Angie, a perfect #1 single. This album literally takes you on a musical journey, ala Exile On Main Street, but in a more concise way. This album has as many highs as Exile and no real lows and is just ripe for discovery for any Stones fan or casual listener who’s willing to let music envelop their senses. This album is in no way a let down from what came before. The Stones have only regularly played Angie, Heartbreaker and @#$%& live. Dancing With Mr. D, 100 Years Ago and Silver Train made in some cases rare live debuts only on the 1973 tour and the others have never been played live. But it’s not because of the quality, they just aren’t really live type songs.

Many interesting points here - thanks for posting.

However, GHS was a #1 album, and had a #1 single - hence it´s not under rated by the public.

If it is indeed under rated, it is under rated by a big part of the fans.

As far as I can tell, there is no slide on Winter. Taylor is also buried weirdly in the mix with his solos on Hide Your Love.

No slide on Winter, but great guitar playing. Taylor's solos not buried in the mix on Hide Your Love, except that he's missed at the end of the song.

Quote
kleermaker

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
kammpberg
Goats Head Soup was the first Stones album I bought when it first came out. It's my third favorite Stones album overall, behind Sticky Fingers and Exile. Here's my song by song review:

Goats Head Soup – 1973 (US #1; UK#1)
Dancing With Mr. D • 100 Years Ago • Coming Down Again • Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) • Angie • Silver Train • Hide Your Love • Winter • Can You Hear The Music • Star Star (@#$%&)

Stones Fan – *****
Casual Listener - ****

Goats Head Soup is in many ways, the most interesting Stones album. Without a doubt, it is the most underrated album in their canon, even by The Stones themselves. Yet, it is a perfect distillation of Exile On Main Street. Take Exile’s sprawling landscapes and styles and make it more concise and you have Goats Head Soup. If Exile was a triple album, this would slide in perfectly without the slightest dip in quality. Plus this album has something that Exile didn’t, a blockbuster single that was also a tremendous piece of art. Goats Head Soup peaked at #1 on both sides of the pond topping the US chart for 4 weeks. It also included a very cool, yet creepy “Goats Head Soup” poster insert that characterized the music perfectly.

Unlike Sticky Fingers and Exile, which opened with blistering rock tracks, the mysterious vibe of this album starts off with the opening guitar notes. Jagger starts singing about being down at the graveyard and one can picture oneself with him in some Louisiana swamp. Dancing With Mr. D picks up a nice steady groove, with Charlie slightly behind the beat as only had can. The song absolutely oozes with a loose and muddy feel, slightly speeding up as it moves along – something fairly unique with the Stones. Jagger’s vocals are buried in the mix (like Exile), and it works perfectly along with the occasional background howls. One has to struggle to understand the lyrics, and that makes it even more effective. I wish the Stones mixed the vocals like this nowadays. I’ve heard people compare this song to Sympathy For The Devil, but that’s just plain silly. If you want to hear some true Stones’ Jamaican “Voodoo Lounge”, jump right in here. Dancing With Mr. D was only played live on their 1973 tour, but they did use it to promote the album on Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert on US TV.

100 Years Ago opens with a tasteful Billy Preston clavinet introduction and Mick takes us on a journey through the woods the other day. Again the vocals are down and the mix is muddy but it creates a warm encompassing mood. After the intro, the band kicks in with a buoyant upbeat feel. After two versus, Taylor comes in with a wah wah solo but again its buried in the background. Then the song comes to a stop and Jagger starts singing about “lazy bones ain’t got no time to waste away”. This is a downright strange interlude – almost tagged on from another song. It’s brief and the band kicks back in with a truly vicious jam led by keyboards and the wah wah guitar wailing in the background till it fades out.

Coming Down Again is a magnificent ballad led by Keith on vocals and supported by Nicky Hopkins’ beautiful piano and heavy wah wah guitar. Keith’s voice is clear and upfront and absolutely magnificent, with Jagger helping on background vocals perfectly. Keith confesses about slipping his tongue in someone else’s pie, but being hungry it ain’t no crime. After a couple of versus, the song reaches even higher when Hopkin’s piano leads into a phenomenal solo break shared by organ and saxophone. It’s relatively short and segues back into the Coming Down Again verse, but it’s so effective. The Stones have an amazing amount of these phenomenal tracks that should be played, but are long lost, just waiting to be re-discovered.
Another exciting keyboard intro, Charlie’s drums kick in and Jagger sings about a tale of police mistaken identity and the death of a lone junkie in an alleyway. Heady stuff but backed by intoxicating upbeat music highlighted with horn accents, wah wah guitar and an infectious “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo” chorus. This is hit material and a classic in my book. Heartbreaker is still performed in concert on occasion, it’s always a highlight for me. This was the 2nd US single (none for the UK) and it peaked at #15.

Angie comes next. It’s simply amongst the most well crafted ballads the bands ever done. It’s simply perfect. Jagger’s vocals have never been better (even when he tastefully whispers “Angie”), the lyrics are beautiful and the music is magnificent. The strings tastefully weave in and out along with the beautiful guitar fills and licks. Charlie’s high hat accents throughout are also a trademark of the song. The song is shorter and tighter than Wild Horses and consequently became a well deserved #1 US single (only #5 in the UK). Angie is a classic in every way.

Silver Train starts off side two. Compared to the rest of the album, it comes off a bit pedestrian and the muddy mix takes away from what could have been a truly powerful rocker. This time Jagger uses harmonica to highlight the verses to nice effect and slide guitar running throughout. When it’s time to solo, we get a nice slide guitar solo with Charlie fully riding the cymbal. Jagger raises his voice now, howling about the Silver Train and the song picks up considerable speed. But again the muddy mix distracts from its power. I still prefer the Stones version over the better-known Johnny Winter cover and surprisingly the Stones used this on Kirschner’s to promote the album as well.

Mick Jagger starts bopping on piano singing about sometimes being up and sometimes being down. Again the vocals are down in the mix and one gets the feeling of being in a room with The Stones doing a spontaneous jam on this song. A nice guitar solo starts to kick in and Hide Your Love builds in its power. What at first seems like a loose jam starts to coalesce into a fun loose song. Exile has a few of these type of jam songs, and Hide Your Love is just as good as them.

Next comes one of the all-time lost classic Stones tracks, Winter. I can listen to this song anytime, anywhere. It’s one of the all time great Stones ballads and it should be a regular on classic radio. The song starts with un-accompanied strummed electric guitar and Jagger this time sings clear and up in the mix about a cold hard Winter. At the end of the 2nd verse, one can quickly hear someone yell “yeah” deep in the background, and you feel it too. Jagger wishes he were out in California but instead he’ll wrap his coat around you. Nicky Hopkins piano comes in, as do the strings to bring you ever higher, but the electric guitar and slide licks really bring it home. As you think the songs ending, in comes a tasteful electric guitar solo, string highlights come in and you’re truly lifting higher and higher. At 5:30 it’s too long and not crafted enough for a single, but album ballads don’t come any better.

Suddenly we hear some odd middle-eastern sounds, joined by an infectious heavy wah wah guitar lick. Jagger sings over this tribal beat “Can You Hear The Music / Magic” and at the minute mark the song transforms with Jagger singing about “love is a mystery” with a beautiful melody. Throughout we have wonderful backdrops of sound: wah wahs, drums, eastern drones and strange horn sounds. It’s very effective and haunting. The song stops and in starts the great wah wah guitar lick that started it. By now we can feel the music and magic as Jagger goes back into the “love is a mystery” verse. The song does not feel forced at all, it’s very organic and natural – as if were in a great tribal jam with The Stones and some Arabian musicians. Open up and this music will really grab you.

Next up is Star Star (@#$%&), the only “classic sounding Chuck Berryish” Stones tune on the album. It’s a great way to end the album. We all know the controversy regarding the various lyrics (giving head to Steve McQueen etc), and because of that the vocal lyrics are seriously buried in the mix and in some points nearly impossible to decipher. When Virgin remastered the album, they cleaned it up in the mix and you were able to more clearly hear about “keeping pussy’s clean and getting John Wayne before he dies”. The new Universal mix seems to be closer to the original muddy mix. The song is a classic Stones rocker regardless and is still a highlight when they play it (especially with the blow-up penis on the ’75 / ’76 tour).

So there you have Goats Head Soup, the Stones all-time underrated album, even though it was a US #1 for 4 weeks and has Angie, a perfect #1 single. This album literally takes you on a musical journey, ala Exile On Main Street, but in a more concise way. This album has as many highs as Exile and no real lows and is just ripe for discovery for any Stones fan or casual listener who’s willing to let music envelop their senses. This album is in no way a let down from what came before. The Stones have only regularly played Angie, Heartbreaker and @#$%& live. Dancing With Mr. D, 100 Years Ago and Silver Train made in some cases rare live debuts only on the 1973 tour and the others have never been played live. But it’s not because of the quality, they just aren’t really live type songs.

Many interesting points here - thanks for posting.

However, GHS was a #1 album, and had a #1 single - hence it´s not under rated by the public.

If it is indeed under rated, it is under rated by a big part of the fans.

As far as I can tell, there is no slide on Winter. Taylor is also buried weirdly in the mix with his solos on Hide Your Love.

No slide on Winter, but great guitar playing. Taylor's solos not buried in the mix on Hide Your Love, except that he's missed at the end of the song.

Have another listen. Then compare with 100 years ago, which was mentioned as buried in the mix in kampberg´s post.

One of the ultimate Stones masterpieces. In the Top three of the last 50 years of official output. Close behind SF and LIB
Winter being my favorite tune on this vinyl. Gave it a spin on the turntable last night again

Did ya know, there are actually two vinyl versions existing, a censored and non censored vinyl

Jan Richards

[www.stonesondecca.com]

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
kleermaker

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
kammpberg
Goats Head Soup was the first Stones album I bought when it first came out. It's my third favorite Stones album overall, behind Sticky Fingers and Exile. Here's my song by song review:

Goats Head Soup – 1973 (US #1; UK#1)
Dancing With Mr. D • 100 Years Ago • Coming Down Again • Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) • Angie • Silver Train • Hide Your Love • Winter • Can You Hear The Music • Star Star (@#$%&)

Stones Fan – *****
Casual Listener - ****

Goats Head Soup is in many ways, the most interesting Stones album. Without a doubt, it is the most underrated album in their canon, even by The Stones themselves. Yet, it is a perfect distillation of Exile On Main Street. Take Exile’s sprawling landscapes and styles and make it more concise and you have Goats Head Soup. If Exile was a triple album, this would slide in perfectly without the slightest dip in quality. Plus this album has something that Exile didn’t, a blockbuster single that was also a tremendous piece of art. Goats Head Soup peaked at #1 on both sides of the pond topping the US chart for 4 weeks. It also included a very cool, yet creepy “Goats Head Soup” poster insert that characterized the music perfectly.

Unlike Sticky Fingers and Exile, which opened with blistering rock tracks, the mysterious vibe of this album starts off with the opening guitar notes. Jagger starts singing about being down at the graveyard and one can picture oneself with him in some Louisiana swamp. Dancing With Mr. D picks up a nice steady groove, with Charlie slightly behind the beat as only had can. The song absolutely oozes with a loose and muddy feel, slightly speeding up as it moves along – something fairly unique with the Stones. Jagger’s vocals are buried in the mix (like Exile), and it works perfectly along with the occasional background howls. One has to struggle to understand the lyrics, and that makes it even more effective. I wish the Stones mixed the vocals like this nowadays. I’ve heard people compare this song to Sympathy For The Devil, but that’s just plain silly. If you want to hear some true Stones’ Jamaican “Voodoo Lounge”, jump right in here. Dancing With Mr. D was only played live on their 1973 tour, but they did use it to promote the album on Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert on US TV.

100 Years Ago opens with a tasteful Billy Preston clavinet introduction and Mick takes us on a journey through the woods the other day. Again the vocals are down and the mix is muddy but it creates a warm encompassing mood. After the intro, the band kicks in with a buoyant upbeat feel. After two versus, Taylor comes in with a wah wah solo but again its buried in the background. Then the song comes to a stop and Jagger starts singing about “lazy bones ain’t got no time to waste away”. This is a downright strange interlude – almost tagged on from another song. It’s brief and the band kicks back in with a truly vicious jam led by keyboards and the wah wah guitar wailing in the background till it fades out.

Coming Down Again is a magnificent ballad led by Keith on vocals and supported by Nicky Hopkins’ beautiful piano and heavy wah wah guitar. Keith’s voice is clear and upfront and absolutely magnificent, with Jagger helping on background vocals perfectly. Keith confesses about slipping his tongue in someone else’s pie, but being hungry it ain’t no crime. After a couple of versus, the song reaches even higher when Hopkin’s piano leads into a phenomenal solo break shared by organ and saxophone. It’s relatively short and segues back into the Coming Down Again verse, but it’s so effective. The Stones have an amazing amount of these phenomenal tracks that should be played, but are long lost, just waiting to be re-discovered.
Another exciting keyboard intro, Charlie’s drums kick in and Jagger sings about a tale of police mistaken identity and the death of a lone junkie in an alleyway. Heady stuff but backed by intoxicating upbeat music highlighted with horn accents, wah wah guitar and an infectious “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo” chorus. This is hit material and a classic in my book. Heartbreaker is still performed in concert on occasion, it’s always a highlight for me. This was the 2nd US single (none for the UK) and it peaked at #15.

Angie comes next. It’s simply amongst the most well crafted ballads the bands ever done. It’s simply perfect. Jagger’s vocals have never been better (even when he tastefully whispers “Angie”), the lyrics are beautiful and the music is magnificent. The strings tastefully weave in and out along with the beautiful guitar fills and licks. Charlie’s high hat accents throughout are also a trademark of the song. The song is shorter and tighter than Wild Horses and consequently became a well deserved #1 US single (only #5 in the UK). Angie is a classic in every way.

Silver Train starts off side two. Compared to the rest of the album, it comes off a bit pedestrian and the muddy mix takes away from what could have been a truly powerful rocker. This time Jagger uses harmonica to highlight the verses to nice effect and slide guitar running throughout. When it’s time to solo, we get a nice slide guitar solo with Charlie fully riding the cymbal. Jagger raises his voice now, howling about the Silver Train and the song picks up considerable speed. But again the muddy mix distracts from its power. I still prefer the Stones version over the better-known Johnny Winter cover and surprisingly the Stones used this on Kirschner’s to promote the album as well.

Mick Jagger starts bopping on piano singing about sometimes being up and sometimes being down. Again the vocals are down in the mix and one gets the feeling of being in a room with The Stones doing a spontaneous jam on this song. A nice guitar solo starts to kick in and Hide Your Love builds in its power. What at first seems like a loose jam starts to coalesce into a fun loose song. Exile has a few of these type of jam songs, and Hide Your Love is just as good as them.

Next comes one of the all-time lost classic Stones tracks, Winter. I can listen to this song anytime, anywhere. It’s one of the all time great Stones ballads and it should be a regular on classic radio. The song starts with un-accompanied strummed electric guitar and Jagger this time sings clear and up in the mix about a cold hard Winter. At the end of the 2nd verse, one can quickly hear someone yell “yeah” deep in the background, and you feel it too. Jagger wishes he were out in California but instead he’ll wrap his coat around you. Nicky Hopkins piano comes in, as do the strings to bring you ever higher, but the electric guitar and slide licks really bring it home. As you think the songs ending, in comes a tasteful electric guitar solo, string highlights come in and you’re truly lifting higher and higher. At 5:30 it’s too long and not crafted enough for a single, but album ballads don’t come any better.

Suddenly we hear some odd middle-eastern sounds, joined by an infectious heavy wah wah guitar lick. Jagger sings over this tribal beat “Can You Hear The Music / Magic” and at the minute mark the song transforms with Jagger singing about “love is a mystery” with a beautiful melody. Throughout we have wonderful backdrops of sound: wah wahs, drums, eastern drones and strange horn sounds. It’s very effective and haunting. The song stops and in starts the great wah wah guitar lick that started it. By now we can feel the music and magic as Jagger goes back into the “love is a mystery” verse. The song does not feel forced at all, it’s very organic and natural – as if were in a great tribal jam with The Stones and some Arabian musicians. Open up and this music will really grab you.

Next up is Star Star (@#$%&), the only “classic sounding Chuck Berryish” Stones tune on the album. It’s a great way to end the album. We all know the controversy regarding the various lyrics (giving head to Steve McQueen etc), and because of that the vocal lyrics are seriously buried in the mix and in some points nearly impossible to decipher. When Virgin remastered the album, they cleaned it up in the mix and you were able to more clearly hear about “keeping pussy’s clean and getting John Wayne before he dies”. The new Universal mix seems to be closer to the original muddy mix. The song is a classic Stones rocker regardless and is still a highlight when they play it (especially with the blow-up penis on the ’75 / ’76 tour).

So there you have Goats Head Soup, the Stones all-time underrated album, even though it was a US #1 for 4 weeks and has Angie, a perfect #1 single. This album literally takes you on a musical journey, ala Exile On Main Street, but in a more concise way. This album has as many highs as Exile and no real lows and is just ripe for discovery for any Stones fan or casual listener who’s willing to let music envelop their senses. This album is in no way a let down from what came before. The Stones have only regularly played Angie, Heartbreaker and @#$%& live. Dancing With Mr. D, 100 Years Ago and Silver Train made in some cases rare live debuts only on the 1973 tour and the others have never been played live. But it’s not because of the quality, they just aren’t really live type songs.

Many interesting points here - thanks for posting.

However, GHS was a #1 album, and had a #1 single - hence it´s not under rated by the public.

If it is indeed under rated, it is under rated by a big part of the fans.

As far as I can tell, there is no slide on Winter. Taylor is also buried weirdly in the mix with his solos on Hide Your Love.

No slide on Winter, but great guitar playing. Taylor's solos not buried in the mix on Hide Your Love, except that he's missed at the end of the song.

Have another listen. Then compare with 100 years ago, which was mentioned as buried in the mix in kampberg´s post.

Dandy, I listen to this album since 1973, that great Stones year. I know it like the back of my hand. I agree more with the remark about 100 years ago, but the first solos of HYL are clearly audible. But the song ends a bit 'empty' when the guitar is silent.

Quote
kleermaker

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
kleermaker

Quote
DandelionPowderman

Quote
kammpberg
Goats Head Soup was the first Stones album I bought when it first came out. It's my third favorite Stones album overall, behind Sticky Fingers and Exile. Here's my song by song review:

Goats Head Soup – 1973 (US #1; UK#1)
Dancing With Mr. D • 100 Years Ago • Coming Down Again • Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) • Angie • Silver Train • Hide Your Love • Winter • Can You Hear The Music • Star Star (@#$%&)

Stones Fan – *****
Casual Listener - ****

Goats Head Soup is in many ways, the most interesting Stones album. Without a doubt, it is the most underrated album in their canon, even by The Stones themselves. Yet, it is a perfect distillation of Exile On Main Street. Take Exile’s sprawling landscapes and styles and make it more concise and you have Goats Head Soup. If Exile was a triple album, this would slide in perfectly without the slightest dip in quality. Plus this album has something that Exile didn’t, a blockbuster single that was also a tremendous piece of art. Goats Head Soup peaked at #1 on both sides of the pond topping the US chart for 4 weeks. It also included a very cool, yet creepy “Goats Head Soup” poster insert that characterized the music perfectly.

Unlike Sticky Fingers and Exile, which opened with blistering rock tracks, the mysterious vibe of this album starts off with the opening guitar notes. Jagger starts singing about being down at the graveyard and one can picture oneself with him in some Louisiana swamp. Dancing With Mr. D picks up a nice steady groove, with Charlie slightly behind the beat as only had can. The song absolutely oozes with a loose and muddy feel, slightly speeding up as it moves along – something fairly unique with the Stones. Jagger’s vocals are buried in the mix (like Exile), and it works perfectly along with the occasional background howls. One has to struggle to understand the lyrics, and that makes it even more effective. I wish the Stones mixed the vocals like this nowadays. I’ve heard people compare this song to Sympathy For The Devil, but that’s just plain silly. If you want to hear some true Stones’ Jamaican “Voodoo Lounge”, jump right in here. Dancing With Mr. D was only played live on their 1973 tour, but they did use it to promote the album on Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert on US TV.

100 Years Ago opens with a tasteful Billy Preston clavinet introduction and Mick takes us on a journey through the woods the other day. Again the vocals are down and the mix is muddy but it creates a warm encompassing mood. After the intro, the band kicks in with a buoyant upbeat feel. After two versus, Taylor comes in with a wah wah solo but again its buried in the background. Then the song comes to a stop and Jagger starts singing about “lazy bones ain’t got no time to waste away”. This is a downright strange interlude – almost tagged on from another song. It’s brief and the band kicks back in with a truly vicious jam led by keyboards and the wah wah guitar wailing in the background till it fades out.

Coming Down Again is a magnificent ballad led by Keith on vocals and supported by Nicky Hopkins’ beautiful piano and heavy wah wah guitar. Keith’s voice is clear and upfront and absolutely magnificent, with Jagger helping on background vocals perfectly. Keith confesses about slipping his tongue in someone else’s pie, but being hungry it ain’t no crime. After a couple of versus, the song reaches even higher when Hopkin’s piano leads into a phenomenal solo break shared by organ and saxophone. It’s relatively short and segues back into the Coming Down Again verse, but it’s so effective. The Stones have an amazing amount of these phenomenal tracks that should be played, but are long lost, just waiting to be re-discovered.
Another exciting keyboard intro, Charlie’s drums kick in and Jagger sings about a tale of police mistaken identity and the death of a lone junkie in an alleyway. Heady stuff but backed by intoxicating upbeat music highlighted with horn accents, wah wah guitar and an infectious “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo” chorus. This is hit material and a classic in my book. Heartbreaker is still performed in concert on occasion, it’s always a highlight for me. This was the 2nd US single (none for the UK) and it peaked at #15.

Angie comes next. It’s simply amongst the most well crafted ballads the bands ever done. It’s simply perfect. Jagger’s vocals have never been better (even when he tastefully whispers “Angie”), the lyrics are beautiful and the music is magnificent. The strings tastefully weave in and out along with the beautiful guitar fills and licks. Charlie’s high hat accents throughout are also a trademark of the song. The song is shorter and tighter than Wild Horses and consequently became a well deserved #1 US single (only #5 in the UK). Angie is a classic in every way.

Silver Train starts off side two. Compared to the rest of the album, it comes off a bit pedestrian and the muddy mix takes away from what could have been a truly powerful rocker. This time Jagger uses harmonica to highlight the verses to nice effect and slide guitar running throughout. When it’s time to solo, we get a nice slide guitar solo with Charlie fully riding the cymbal. Jagger raises his voice now, howling about the Silver Train and the song picks up considerable speed. But again the muddy mix distracts from its power. I still prefer the Stones version over the better-known Johnny Winter cover and surprisingly the Stones used this on Kirschner’s to promote the album as well.

Mick Jagger starts bopping on piano singing about sometimes being up and sometimes being down. Again the vocals are down in the mix and one gets the feeling of being in a room with The Stones doing a spontaneous jam on this song. A nice guitar solo starts to kick in and Hide Your Love builds in its power. What at first seems like a loose jam starts to coalesce into a fun loose song. Exile has a few of these type of jam songs, and Hide Your Love is just as good as them.

Next comes one of the all-time lost classic Stones tracks, Winter. I can listen to this song anytime, anywhere. It’s one of the all time great Stones ballads and it should be a regular on classic radio. The song starts with un-accompanied strummed electric guitar and Jagger this time sings clear and up in the mix about a cold hard Winter. At the end of the 2nd verse, one can quickly hear someone yell “yeah” deep in the background, and you feel it too. Jagger wishes he were out in California but instead he’ll wrap his coat around you. Nicky Hopkins piano comes in, as do the strings to bring you ever higher, but the electric guitar and slide licks really bring it home. As you think the songs ending, in comes a tasteful electric guitar solo, string highlights come in and you’re truly lifting higher and higher. At 5:30 it’s too long and not crafted enough for a single, but album ballads don’t come any better.

Suddenly we hear some odd middle-eastern sounds, joined by an infectious heavy wah wah guitar lick. Jagger sings over this tribal beat “Can You Hear The Music / Magic” and at the minute mark the song transforms with Jagger singing about “love is a mystery” with a beautiful melody. Throughout we have wonderful backdrops of sound: wah wahs, drums, eastern drones and strange horn sounds. It’s very effective and haunting. The song stops and in starts the great wah wah guitar lick that started it. By now we can feel the music and magic as Jagger goes back into the “love is a mystery” verse. The song does not feel forced at all, it’s very organic and natural – as if were in a great tribal jam with The Stones and some Arabian musicians. Open up and this music will really grab you.

Next up is Star Star (@#$%&), the only “classic sounding Chuck Berryish” Stones tune on the album. It’s a great way to end the album. We all know the controversy regarding the various lyrics (giving head to Steve McQueen etc), and because of that the vocal lyrics are seriously buried in the mix and in some points nearly impossible to decipher. When Virgin remastered the album, they cleaned it up in the mix and you were able to more clearly hear about “keeping pussy’s clean and getting John Wayne before he dies”. The new Universal mix seems to be closer to the original muddy mix. The song is a classic Stones rocker regardless and is still a highlight when they play it (especially with the blow-up penis on the ’75 / ’76 tour).

So there you have Goats Head Soup, the Stones all-time underrated album, even though it was a US #1 for 4 weeks and has Angie, a perfect #1 single. This album literally takes you on a musical journey, ala Exile On Main Street, but in a more concise way. This album has as many highs as Exile and no real lows and is just ripe for discovery for any Stones fan or casual listener who’s willing to let music envelop their senses. This album is in no way a let down from what came before. The Stones have only regularly played Angie, Heartbreaker and @#$%& live. Dancing With Mr. D, 100 Years Ago and Silver Train made in some cases rare live debuts only on the 1973 tour and the others have never been played live. But it’s not because of the quality, they just aren’t really live type songs.

Many interesting points here - thanks for posting.

However, GHS was a #1 album, and had a #1 single - hence it´s not under rated by the public.

If it is indeed under rated, it is under rated by a big part of the fans.

As far as I can tell, there is no slide on Winter. Taylor is also buried weirdly in the mix with his solos on Hide Your Love.

No slide on Winter, but great guitar playing. Taylor's solos not buried in the mix on Hide Your Love, except that he's missed at the end of the song.

Have another listen. Then compare with 100 years ago, which was mentioned as buried in the mix in kampberg´s post.

Dandy, I listen to this album since 1973, that great Stones year. I know it like the back of my hand. I agree more with the remark about 100 years ago, but the first solos of HYL are clearly audible. But the song ends a bit 'empty' when the guitar is silent.

It´s audible, but not in the way you´d expect it to be. You hear what he´s playing, but not how, if you know what I mean?

Fanatically as I am, when it comes to the Stones, I´m almost willing to bet that I´ve heard this song as much as you, despite my age