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Come On
I listened to 'Bridges To Babylon' at home yesterday (original CD) and thought it is fantastic when it comes to how it sounds...everything is perfect..guitar, bass, drums and vocal...Perfect!

Gunface

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DandelionPowderman

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Come On
I listened to 'Bridges To Babylon' at home yesterday (original CD) and thought it is fantastic when it comes to how it sounds...everything is perfect..guitar, bass, drums and vocal...Perfect!

Gunface

Of course! Everything rocks on this album...

2 1 2 0

It's the sweet music that is the best on B2B, imo.

How Can I Stop, You Don't Have To Mean It

The more I listen to BTB, the less I like it. I just can't stand this one.

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DandelionPowderman

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gotdablouse

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DandelionPowderman
I can't stand Gunface. The only funny thing about it is Mick's guitar sound, which sounds like scraping an empty barrel with echo added and no tone...

I like Keith and Ronnie's guitar playing on Already Over Me, and the song starts promising, but can't deliver anything with its lame choruses.

Keith's playing on Always Suffering is fine (A bit Sleep Tonite-ish), but the chorus is (if possible) even lamer than that of AOM.

Juiced is a joke, and Out Of Control is poorly produced (compare it with the live versions).

Anybody Seen My Baby is the Stones playing high quality pop music.

Flip The Switch and LowDown are good. How Can I Stop is great, and I like Thief as well.

Too Tight is good for 15 seconds, and then Mick comes in with a horrible stolen melody, which makes it impossible for me to listen to. It has a good drive for a while, though.

Stolen from where? As a side note, your posts are generally more balanced ;-)

I know, gotdablouse. Thing is, I've tried so hard to like B2B, and I have listened to it a lot, mind you

The verse lines in Too Tight is taken from one of the biggest hits of the band Live. Can't remember the name of the song here and now - sorry.

As a side note: There are lots of good stuff in all the songs on B2B (with the exceptions of Gunface and Juiced, imo). I think Keith's playing on this album is fantastic, and Ronnie's dobro playing on AOM is really colourful. It's just that I feel some of these songs are falling apart, and I don't get the "Stones-feeling" of Saint Of Me (even though I like it) - more of a Waddy and Mick-feel - with Chuck backing them up...

Haven't looked up the credits but I remember reading that Chuck was "crushed" for being uninvited to the B2B sessions so I'm pretty sure he's not playing on it. On the other hand they got Benmont Tench to play some sweet keyboards on AOM!

My view of B2B might be colored by the fact that 1997 was a great year for me for many reasons, but also because I remember it as the last time a Stones tour really counted...before the Licks "oldies" (which was good live but broke the pattern of new music, new tour) and man, the 80,000 people in the Oakland Coliseum on November 19th 1997 was a sight to behold!

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

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gotdablouse

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DandelionPowderman

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gotdablouse

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DandelionPowderman
I can't stand Gunface. The only funny thing about it is Mick's guitar sound, which sounds like scraping an empty barrel with echo added and no tone...

I like Keith and Ronnie's guitar playing on Already Over Me, and the song starts promising, but can't deliver anything with its lame choruses.

Keith's playing on Always Suffering is fine (A bit Sleep Tonite-ish), but the chorus is (if possible) even lamer than that of AOM.

Juiced is a joke, and Out Of Control is poorly produced (compare it with the live versions).

Anybody Seen My Baby is the Stones playing high quality pop music.

Flip The Switch and LowDown are good. How Can I Stop is great, and I like Thief as well.

Too Tight is good for 15 seconds, and then Mick comes in with a horrible stolen melody, which makes it impossible for me to listen to. It has a good drive for a while, though.

Stolen from where? As a side note, your posts are generally more balanced ;-)

I know, gotdablouse. Thing is, I've tried so hard to like B2B, and I have listened to it a lot, mind you

The verse lines in Too Tight is taken from one of the biggest hits of the band Live. Can't remember the name of the song here and now - sorry.

As a side note: There are lots of good stuff in all the songs on B2B (with the exceptions of Gunface and Juiced, imo). I think Keith's playing on this album is fantastic, and Ronnie's dobro playing on AOM is really colourful. It's just that I feel some of these songs are falling apart, and I don't get the "Stones-feeling" of Saint Of Me (even though I like it) - more of a Waddy and Mick-feel - with Chuck backing them up...

Haven't looked up the credits but I remember reading that Chuck was "crushed" for being uninvited to the B2B sessions so I'm pretty sure he's not playing on it. On the other hand they got Benmont Tench to play some sweet keyboards on AOM!

My view of B2B might be colored by the fact that 1997 was a great year for me for many reasons, but also because I remember it as the last time a Stones tour really counted...before the Licks "oldies" (which was good live but broke the pattern of new music, new tour) and man, the 80,000 people in the Oakland Coliseum on November 19th 1997 was a sight to behold!

You're right about Chuck, of course. After he took that "musical director" role of his to the press, he was grounded for a while, LOL!

Come to think of it, 1997 was a pretty good year for me, too

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Powerage
The more I listen to BTB, the less I like it. I just can't stand this one.

Consider a new stereo system ... it will help ... the disc is unbeatable good ...

2 1 2 0

My stereo system is fine, thanks

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jamesfdouglas
This supports my personal opinion that in the last 50 years, the 90s have been the worst decade over-all for music. Far more enjoyable stuff in the 80s and 2000s (and whatever we call this decade).

Well, technically, 2001-2010 is, as a decade, the Twenty Hundreds. As is the century. The second decade, 2011-2020, is the Twenty Teens.

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GasLightStreet

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jamesfdouglas
This supports my personal opinion that in the last 50 years, the 90s have been the worst decade over-all for music. Far more enjoyable stuff in the 80s and 2000s (and whatever we call this decade).

Well, technically, 2001-2010 is, as a decade, the Twenty Hundreds. As is the century. The second decade, 2011-2020, is the Twenty Teens.

...and technically, tomatoes are fruits.

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treaclefingers

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Torres
This only shows how weak the 90's were in terms of music output. Better than what came after, though.

yeah I have to agree...I mean I did buy music in the 90s...I just wouldn't choose to listen to any of it now.

Nirvana and Pearl Jam are just so dreary...I've no nostalgia to go back and listen to that again. What else?...the Spin Doctors, Hootie and the Blowfish, even Jakob Dylan just isn't interesting enough to go back to.

Interesting, I probably like the noughties better than the nineties.

Gin Blossoms were the 90s best band, IMHO. But just one good album.

"No Anchovies, Please"

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Elmo Lewis

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treaclefingers

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Torres
This only shows how weak the 90's were in terms of music output. Better than what came after, though.

yeah I have to agree...I mean I did buy music in the 90s...I just wouldn't choose to listen to any of it now.

Nirvana and Pearl Jam are just so dreary...I've no nostalgia to go back and listen to that again. What else?...the Spin Doctors, Hootie and the Blowfish, even Jakob Dylan just isn't interesting enough to go back to.

Interesting, I probably like the noughties better than the nineties.

Gin Blossoms were the 90s best band, IMHO. But just one good album.

...and I remember buying a Space Hog album because the single sounded Bowie-ish to me.

I have always felt that this album is underrated. B2B is not as bad as undercover or as good as exile on main street it falls somewhere in the middle. this album has some really good songs the only album with 3 keith songs and we have keith taking on a reggae track you don't have to mean it and then we have a ballad how can i stop good track but the best song for keith on this album is theif in the night i think it works best for him. micks best tracks are saint of me out of control and flip the switch all of these a great i think the best track off of the album is saint of me it a great track and was great live. out of control worked out best live and so did flip the switch. there is nothing else to say about the album other than its the best album of the 90's by them.

i give it 8 out of 10













Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-01 15:56 by Godxofxrock9.

Out Of Control and Saint Of Me are one of thier best IMHO.

I don't think it's been too badly underated.

Most of the folks around here seem to quite like it these days...or much of it.

[Keep in mind that it's compulsory around here to have threads bashing every album that isn't BB, LIB, SF or Exile ]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-01 15:59 by Spud.

The album is underrated indeed. It is overproduced at times, but it was the last time the Stones put effort and ambition into a new album.

Saint of Me, Thief, Out of Control and Flip The Switch excellent to good in descending order.

Otherwise a little dull for my taste.

It suffers from the same thing as VL and ABB, it's to long. There is good stuff on it, but quality control was needed.

A bit overproduced but to me the best of their later albums.

They played a lot of it live. That alone shows.And some songs even were real crowd pleasers and highlites. When did this happen the last time?

Additionally I liked songs like Lowdown, Anybody seen my baby,Already over me and You don't have to mean it. Waddy Wachtel put some nice touches to Bridges.

In the minority here, but I like the ballads too.

"Juiced" is the only one I skip over.

This topic comes up every few weeks it seems; but I do agree with the point. I feel 'Babylon' isn't just the best of the post 1981 albums, but an excellent Stones album in it's own right.

It just has that spark; so many good tracks; some dark and decadent atmospherics; and some nice variety.

I too love the ballads; 'Suffering' I've always liked, some beautiful musical touches in it. But it's "Already Over Me" that's the real winner; sublime musically, very good vocal melodies, and a good lyric.

I also loved the B-Side and much-maligned "Anyway you Look at it"

The album came out with great praise. It got the credit it deserves.

When it comes to what is their worst record, BTB is underated. It is the worst collection of songs I have ever heard. It makes "Dirty Work" sound like "Exile." I listened to when I bought it on the day it was released and was astounded at how bad it was. Haven't listened to it since. Suffering through "Anybody Seen My Baby" is like having a root canal. "Saint of Me" and "Out of Control" sound like "Goddess in the Doorway" outtakes (and we all know how great that album was)

Don't get me wrong - I love the Stones. But when the emperor has no clothes, you gotta tell him. They've been naked since 1990.

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Spodlumt
When it comes to what is their worst record, BTB is underated. It is the worst collection of songs I have ever heard. It makes "Dirty Work" sound like "Exile." I listened to when I bought it on the day it was released and was astounded at how bad it was. Haven't listened to it since. Suffering through "Anybody Seen My Baby" is like having a root canal. "Saint of Me" and "Out of Control" sound like "Goddess in the Doorway" outtakes (and we all know how great that album was)

Don't get me wrong - I love the Stones. But when the emperor has no clothes, you gotta tell him. They've been naked since 1990.

Just one day's listening? Give it one (or two) more try!

This is not a Stones album so much as a Mick does his thing, Keith does his. And although I cared for some of it at the time, I never listen to it now. I liked Gunface and Might As Well Get Juiced, as well as ASMB, but now the thing that was supposed to make them stand out, their production, grew stale. My favorite of the whole group is Keith's cover of You Don't Have to Mean It.

Out of Control and Saint of Me weren't favorites of mine on the CD, but they worked in concert, especially Out of Control on the No Security Tour. And why did they put two back to back Keith slow songs at the end?

BTB is much better than Undercover or Dirty Work. It's almost an oddity among Stones albums. They used 8 bass players, including Darryl. Maybe they figured this was their chance to finally get the bass sound they wanted. But it's not memorable, excepting Jamie Muhoberec's on ASMB.

Obviously the most adventurous of the Post-Wyman albums. It worked in parts but I think they gave up on ambition after this one and returned to a retro style for A Bigger Bang.

I have always loved this album and the tour that followed. Besides Saint of Me and Out of Control I really enjoy Flip the Switch and Too Tight. And Keith's tracks are great. I have the version with the transparent slip cover for the CD. What's the story with that?

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IrelandCalling4

I also loved the B-Side and much-maligned "Anyway you Look at it"

Yep, me too.

"No Anchovies, Please"

i can never understand the love that a lot of folk have for saint of me.

i would never let on to anyone its a stones song, the stones have made some great and good latter day songs but saint of me isnt one of them.

i was really disapointed when they released it as a single back in 1997.

its basically crap, i know we all have different opinions but please can we stop this pretense about saint of me.

bridges to babylon isnt a very good album, it has some nice songs and mostly filler.

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MJRocksoff
Out Of Control and Saint Of Me are one of thier best IMHO.

Thats my opinion too

Saint of Me is similar to the Temptations' "Papa was a Rolling Stone." Both are good songs.