"It's Only Rock'n'Roll" - the one Stones album from the first 20 years I listened to less than others; even though at times I felt it was wonderful, for some reason it seemed a little more inconsequential when compared to the golden records that surrounded it from 60s and 70s.

The last few weeks I've really had a growing love of it, and some reviews I read have mentioned what I thought also, "two masterpieces" (okay,'masterpieces' a bit strong^) but 'Time Waits for No One' and 'Fingerprint File' are two of the greatest Stones tracks of the 70s in my opinion. Just so damn good!

Two wonderful ballads, I know some hate both, some love, "Til the Next Goodbye' and 'If you really want to be my friend'.

'Luxury' is one of my top favourites, since first hearing, a fantastic riff, the Mick/Keef duet on the vocals, the rhythm, it's got it all really.

The album though is considered least of the Stones 70s opus'. Even with such strong songs, the few filler tracks do bring it down slightly, for some bring it down a lot. Perhaps with some of the better tracks from the GHS sessions or the IORR sessions, it would be far more respected. As it is, I would see it as a very good Stones album, always had some of their strongest if FF and TWFNO, recently have come around to really enjoying it more than ever.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-21 14:12 by IrelandCalling4.

Yes, IORR is a great album - but I think Goats Head Soup is even better (think of songs like Heartbreaker, Angie, Winter, 100 Years Ago and Silver Train). Yes, I would say GHS is as good as Let It Bleed, for example. But of course Exile on Main Street, Beggars Banquet and Sticky Fingers are my all time favorites.

I love IORR with the possible exception of "Short & Curlies".

An uninspired album without a keeper on it. The title track sounds like crap in E. It only came to life when played it live in B.

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ab
An uninspired album without a keeper on it. The title track sounds like crap in E. It only came to life when played it live in B.

Agreed, in reverse. To me the live 1975-2014 renditions are lame compared to the gritty guitar driven studio or outtake that featured on the official vid.

Foo Fighters with Jagger finally gave IORR a shot of live salvation in 2012.





Keeper? I quite enjoy If You Can't Rock Me , IORR, Till the Next Goodbye, Dance Little Sister and Fingerprint File. IORR and GHS having a more modern sound that the previous "Big 4/5".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-21 15:58 by muffie.

Yeah, IORR is probably the most disappointing song for me live vs studio. The live version just miss the little extra from the original.

I've come to really love the album, even ....My Friend I can kind of dig now. Fingerprint File is nasty stuff, the time-corrected, slowed down outtake even more so.

I'm sure IORR (the album) prompted MT to leave.
He probaly thought "hey the Stones are creatively dry, they're rotten from the inside with drug abuse, Keith will be dead within 18 months, the best track on the lp is mine (TWFNO) I'd better leave the ship before it sinks".

I've always thought this was an excellent album.

If they'd have replaced Short and Curlies with Save Me it would be bullet proof.

The album certainly has a charm to it. I just wish the drum sound was a bit more careful. I remember reading a review where Andy Johns said that the album was very 'mid-heavy'. I agree. Andy, it is too dang mid-heavy! If You Can't Rock Me, for example, has a loud mid-heavy snare sound, but the kick drum is weak! Snare should not be twice as loud as the kick. Just not very balanced and very 'muddy' mix which some find charming.

IORR as a track suffers from the drumming!!! Jimmy Miller is decent, but he doesn't have the feel of Charlie. As a kid I remember thinking that it sounded like someone else, but my copy did not have the credits so I assumed it was Charlie playing with a different style. I wish they had brought Charlie in and done it right!

Not as good as GHS. Better than Black and Blue.

Best Album between Exile and Some girls

Far better than Black and Blue and any RS albums after Some Girls.

GHS, IORR and B&BLUE left some great never used outtakes known from bootlegs. Wouldn't an official release of 73-76 leftovers like Save Me, Fast Talking Slow Walking, Living in The Heart Of Love, Drift Away, Act Together to name a few be cool?
They could call it It's Only Black and Blue Soup or something.

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doubledoor
Best Album between Exile and Some girls

best album between Exile and Voodoo Lounge

Jimmy Miller is not the drummer on the song IORR. It is Kenny Jones from The Faces.

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Spodlumt
Jimmy Miller is not the drummer on the song IORR. It is Kenny Jones from The Faces.

That's correct...I always heard the story that Kenny was doing his "Charlie" impersonation and when asked to dub his part instead, Charlie said something to the effect of "I couldn't do it any better anyway!"

If I can listen to a whole album without being tempted to skip over tracks and enjoy it straight through, as I can with IORR, then I know it is a solid album, unlike, say, Black and Blue and Undercover, which are both half and half.

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Spodlumt
Jimmy Miller is not the drummer on the song IORR. It is Kenny Jones from The Faces.

Right you are. I forgot. *bows way too low in order to compensate* I still say that the drumming is wrong for the track.

Oh, and Kenny Jones' best work is on The Who - It's Hard.

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StonesCat
Yeah, IORR is probably the most disappointing song for me live vs studio. The live version just miss the little extra from the original.

I don't know......

The live version from Love you Live is something else.....Absolutely smoking!

Exactly how the original should have sounded.......

IMHO of course!

What a drag it is gettin' old

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dcba
I'm sure IORR (the album) prompted MT to leave.
He probaly thought "hey the Stones are creatively dry, they're rotten from the inside with drug abuse, Keith will be dead within 18 months, the best track on the lp is mine (TWFNO) I'd better leave the ship before it sinks".

And he would have been wrong on all counts....TWFNO is an absolute stinker.

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flacnvinyl

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Spodlumt
Jimmy Miller is not the drummer on the song IORR. It is Kenny Jones from The Faces.

Right you are. I forgot. *bows way too low in order to compensate* I still say that the drumming is wrong for the track.

Oh, and Kenny Jones' best work is on The Who - It's Hard.

I like the drumming on it. Especially at the end where Keith is doing the chuck berry riffing. Kenny Jones does this fill between the riffs that's perfect. He's nailing it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-21 22:10 by ryanpow.

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More Hot Rocks

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doubledoor
Best Album between Exile and Some girls

best album between Exile and Voodoo Lounge

The best album between GHS and Black and Blue...and the worst.

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ryanpow

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More Hot Rocks

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doubledoor
Best Album between Exile and Some girls

best album between Exile and Voodoo Lounge

The best album between GHS and Black and Blue...and the worst.

Well, I for one prefer it to Metamorphosis.

Yeah...that's not really an album



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-21 22:29 by ryanpow.

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flacnvinyl
The album certainly has a charm to it. I just wish the drum sound was a bit more careful. I remember reading a review where Andy Johns said that the album was very 'mid-heavy'. I agree. Andy, it is too dang mid-heavy! If You Can't Rock Me, for example, has a loud mid-heavy snare sound, but the kick drum is weak! Snare should not be twice as loud as the kick. Just not very balanced and very 'muddy' mix which some find charming.

IORR as a track suffers from the drumming!!! Jimmy Miller is decent, but he doesn't have the feel of Charlie. As a kid I remember thinking that it sounded like someone else, but my copy did not have the credits so I assumed it was Charlie playing with a different style. I wish they had brought Charlie in and done it right!

I agree, Drake. But the guitar sound is a bit "wrapped in cotton-sounding" as well, imo. Muddy indeed.

Weirdly enough, FF and IYRWTBMF both sound great.

From the perspective of 2014 I can see where IORR has some weaknesses. However, when it first came out I was so star-struck by the Stones that pretty much anything they did sounded great to me. Hey - I was 14 at the time and it was the second LP I ever bought in my life, GHS being the first. Even today I do still like most of the songs, though I can now see where they might not measure up to Banquet thru Exile.

The only awful track on this album is 'Short & Curlies,' purely a space filler. The album has great drum beats and guitar solos. The outtakes did seem a bit better than the final product, in some cases (ex. Dance Little Sister, released versions VS. longer outtake).

I like the drumming sound on ATPTB and Dance Little Sister. Sounds pretty clean to me.

for me much better than black and blue ,plus mick taylor

It all depends what kind of mood you're in. For example, I heard "Aint to Proud to Beg" for the first time in years on an L.A. (100.3?) radio station and was shocked how damn good that version is.