I like the music and riff well enough, but doesn't make me smile too much. I think the lyrics aren't very interesting and I really think mick could've worked harder with the meter of the lyrics vs the groove

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jjsteve
Ever since Voodoo Lounge, the studio recordings do not sound the same and does some or much of the blame go to Don Was and his production style and influence? As evidenced on Doom & Gloom, Mick is way too upfront and too loud (same can be said for plundered my soul and the list goes on). Stones sound more like a loud hard rock band as opposed to a soulful/bluesy rhythym & blues rock band.. Perhaps if bill were still here, maybe it would sound different.

He's not on the radio version!

Mick is still singin fine so ....turn him up...

For Charlies drums to be merged with a drum machine they must either...

1) Being playing with a click track
2) Playing with a prerecorded Mick track, programmed drums already there.

Everyone uses click tracks these days?

Even Charlie?

Makes editing a whole lot easier that's for sure.

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GravityBoy
For Charlies drums to be merged with a drum machine they must either...

1) Being playing with a click track
2) Playing with a prerecorded Mick track, programmed drums already there.

Everyone uses click tracks these days?

Even Charlie?

Makes editing a whole lot easier that's for sure.

All bands use a click track, unless you wanna record something that sounds live or like a jam, with tempo differences etc.

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GravityBoy
For Charlies drums to be merged with a drum machine they must either...

1) Being playing with a click track
2) Playing with a prerecorded Mick track, programmed drums already there.

Everyone uses click tracks these days?

Even Charlie?

Makes editing a whole lot easier that's for sure.

Nope, not anymore. With the modern digital recording and editing programs you can fix tempo fluctuations very easily. So fist record a band, fix the tempo, then program drum loops etc.

Mathijs

at the moment, i like it, but it's only rock 'n' roll

Mick's vocal is one of the few redeeming features of this song (almost impossible to believe that this is from the lungs of a 69-year-old), but yes he is mixed way too up-front and in-your-face. Not sure if Don Was or that other guy is responsible for this, but judging from Plundered My Soul, it was Was. Jimmy Miller would be rolling in his grave if he heard this.

Are those hand claps real or fake?

Drew

Vocals are perfect here:

[www.youtube.com]

I'm pleasantly surprised by this track but boy do those drums suck. Click tracks are among the things that have destroyed feel in rock. What the f do you need a click track for when you have Charlie Watts ? Coz you just cant be bothered spending the time to get a quality performance. This is the Stones ffs.
The drums sound like my one bar pass and loop in Abbey Road 60's drums.
Having said that having heard the song twice it's better than most of the rubbish this once great band has produced in the last 30 years. I know others will strongly disagree but the band has been a cliche for so long i despair.
I mean god almighty even Paul McCartney has made a couple of nearly halfway decent albums in that time and look at Neil Young and Dylan , even Brian Wilson and that's really saying something given his "problems".
Jagger's vocals are very impressive to my mind and its not the usual rubbish lyric about treating women badly or putting them down.
I doubt the handclaps are real. They probably can't stick around for that kind of thing for tax reasons!!
Anyway. I quite like it. If this was a current average Stones track i think we'd all be quite happy. Dont think Mick is mixed too high but the guitars should be louder and although i only really notice it on the intro they should drop the open G suspension riffs. Trademark i know but they've barely let it go since they discovered it 40 years ago. Like every Townsend song has to have an A G D style power chord sequence. Give it a rest fellas.
Well, sounds like a lot of criticism but i'm listening again as i write it and i like it which i did not expect to do. For a bunch of 70 year old has-beens this is near quality stuff. If they did an album like this with no clicks,no open G and hard loud guitars with songs of this standard i'd buy it rather than download it.
I am available for handclaps should i be needed.

oh and just to answer the question... you can blame Don Was all you like but i'm sure ultimately he obeys orders. That is unless the band don't really care what their ultimate finished "product" sounds like anymore.
His production of Brian Wilson showed great taste in song selection but ultimately sacrificed feel for sterility in terms of production. Still, anyone who can get BW to open his mouth and sing rather than stuff it full of drugs,steak and hamburgers is ok in my book. Plus he's a big Smile fan.
maybe it's time for him to encourage Mick and Keith to write a Gothic Dartford Trip song cycle.

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DandelionPowderman
Vocals are perfect here:

[www.youtube.com]

I agree, first listen of the day and it's good stuff.

Mick's vocals (and to a smaller extent's his rythm guitar and Charlie's drums) is pretty much all they have left of interest these days so they might as well get as much mileage as they can out of it. Keith's guitar lines are useless and have been for 30 years and Ronnie's "hard rock" fills even worse. That was the big problem on ABB. For a couple of songs they can get away with it.