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DoxaQuote
AquamarineQuote
MILKYWAY
Clear similarity between Stray Cat Blues and the Velvet Underground's Heroin.
Y'know, although I know it by heart anyway I listened to Heroin again last night and then SCB, and I still can't see the similarity--different melody, different song construction, different theme/lyrics . . What am I supposed to be hearing?
I suppose the similarity is more to do with the whole raw, almost cacophonic atmosphere, with some striking sounds and noises. That was Velvet Underground's contribution at the time. The Stones really took the bite and took it further - "Stray Cat Blues" must be their dirtiest, rawest moment ever in record (a masterpiece indeed). Some lesser similarities is how the chorus - or whatever that "oh yeeeah, you are strange stray cat!!!...!" is - builds up the tension, and to an extent, the very guitar intro, which - if we listen the very first chord and how it is introduced - is a rather straight reference to "Heroin" (in which the whole song is build upon that guitar motif).
A striking example how the band kept their ears open at the time and could easily adapt some hot current things and write their original take on it.
- Doxa
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Doxa
Fond memories of "Stray Cat Blues". When as a kid I got BEGGARS BANQUET and listened it very first time, that was the track that made me the biggest impression. It was really "what the hell is that?? Couldn't understand anything of the lyrics, but it was the music - so wild, raw, bad, dirty - that did the talking to me.
Probably since the impression was so huge - really kick my balls - it took me years to appreciate the YA-YA'S version, which was fine tuned but more cleaner. But it is a wonderful version, and like giving altogether different clothing to the song: different mood - more melancholical and contemplative than the aggressive 'straight between to the eyes' original.
Like Dandie said, a masterpiece in both clothings.
- Doxa
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crholmstromQuote
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Mathijs
There's even a remark from Jimmy Miller: after he and Richards recorded the bass overdub they played it for Anita Pallenberg, who reportedly stated something like 'you've spoiled the song, the bass is way too loud'.
Mathijs
Funny and strange, that they played it for her and that remark by Pallenberg. Almost as if she had the final decision. But it's all from hearsay, and like so many others, those quotes aren't reliable.
During his years in London in the early 90's Jimmy Miller was quite an alcoholic who prefered taking the bands he was producing to the pub instead of to the studio. There's quite some accounts of Miller telling stories about his years with the Stones, and he gave tapes of outtakes to friends (several of which where released as bootlegs). Miller might have embelished some stories, but I do believe there's truth in most of his stories.
Mathijs
He did some fine work with Primal Scream. I think those guys were feeling quite at home in the pub!
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Doxa
They played it regularly all the way from 1969 to 1971, then kicked it out almost for good. I wonder why. Hmm.... I wonder how a speeded up 1973 version might have sounded like, with Taylor going totally crazy, or even better a decadent version from red and hot 1975 tour.... Missed oppurtunities...
- Doxa
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GetYerAngieQuote
Doxa
Fond memories of "Stray Cat Blues". When as a kid I got BEGGARS BANQUET and listened it very first time, that was the track that made me the biggest impression. It was really "what the hell is that?? Couldn't understand anything of the lyrics, but it was the music - so wild, raw, bad, dirty - that did the talking to me.
Probably since the impression was so huge - really kick my balls - it took me years to appreciate the YA-YA'S version, which was fine tuned but more cleaner. But it is a wonderful version, and like giving altogether different clothing to the song: different mood - more melancholical and contemplative than the aggressive 'straight between to the eyes' original.
Like Dandie said, a masterpiece in both clothings.
- Doxa
I had a similar experience when I heard it as a twelwe year old kid - or almost that is, because I heard the GYYYO-version first - which I loved but the BB-version really blew me away.
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Rockman
always went along with it being fierce....
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LieBQuote
GetYerAngieQuote
Doxa
Fond memories of "Stray Cat Blues". When as a kid I got BEGGARS BANQUET and listened it very first time, that was the track that made me the biggest impression. It was really "what the hell is that?? Couldn't understand anything of the lyrics, but it was the music - so wild, raw, bad, dirty - that did the talking to me.
Probably since the impression was so huge - really kick my balls - it took me years to appreciate the YA-YA'S version, which was fine tuned but more cleaner. But it is a wonderful version, and like giving altogether different clothing to the song: different mood - more melancholical and contemplative than the aggressive 'straight between to the eyes' original.
Like Dandie said, a masterpiece in both clothings.
- Doxa
I had a similar experience when I heard it as a twelwe year old kid - or almost that is, because I heard the GYYYO-version first - which I loved but the BB-version really blew me away.
I have a similar experience with this song. As a 13 year old, I thought much of Beggars Banquet was a little hard to digest, if intriguing, because it had so much acoustic hillbillyish stuff on it. But Stray Cat Blues, towards the end of the album, really blew me away too.
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MileHigh
Can you imagine trying to release a song like Stray Cat Blues?
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Aquamarine
Dunno about stupid, how about realistic.
A lot of bands of this era had songs in a similar vein.
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pinkfloydthebarber
'realistic'? please. if jagger (or any rock star) banged a 13 year old, he's an @#$%&. if i were her dad, i'd of gleefully wrung his scrawny neck
jagger put in in there for hype and effect, not 'reality'
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His Majesty
A reflection of the reality of rock stars banging 13 - 15 year olds all the same.
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His Majesty
A reflection of the reality of rock stars banging 13 - 15 year olds all the same.
He's being salacious. And he does it to perfection with an equally perfect musical backing to support the tone.
The reality he is reflecting is not simply the behavior of his colleagues, but the behavior/character of some of the women they have encountered. Just like Stupid Girl, Under My Thumb etc.
I'll agree that dropping it to 13 was done more for shock value. But not necessarily an exaggeration.
It was only a few years later that Kim Fowley toured a band of 15-18 year-old girls unchaperoned around the world, with rock mags touting "Jailbait Rock."
And exactly how old was the fictional Penny Lane supposed to be in "Almost Famous"?
In the U.S., with a drinking age at 18, there were a lot more young girls accessing the party scene. And there were a lot fewer people paying any real attention to it.
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pinkfloydthebarber
when jagger wrote this, back in the 60's, it was common that teen girls left home in droves, many of them runaways leaving behind disfunctional family lives of sexual abuse, drunkenness, physical abuse, etc. who fell into the ranks of the "hippies", and there were many adults quite willing to exploit them by whatever means possible
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Title5Take1
13-year-old unrealistic? Mandy Smith anyone?
When the Stones did STRAY CAT on the Forty Licks tour, Mick said it went over well, although he wasn't crazy about doing it—having teen daughters can do that—and I noticed on FOUR FLICKS (the DVD) he upped the age to 16.
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pinkfloydthebarber
gosh
and at a certain point in time, it was OK to own slaves and beat them up