Our Stones tribute band were asked by a bride and groom to play this at their wedding a few weeks ago (together with an Exile-heavy list of requests). It's a song we've never included in our regular repertoire, since our usual club shows and corporate events cater for people expecting all the mainstream material and hits - but what a fabulous and enjoyable song for us to play. The build up from piano through organ to the whole band kicking in has a stellar vibe.

There is the interesting documentary about Exile, there is a woman that recoded all the songs on Exile and released her own album. She relates her own experience and how she interprets the album. I am sure some of you know what I am talking about but I am too lazy to look it up. She makes this great point about not wanting to know all the lyrics that she can't make out because she fills in the blanks with what she thinks they are singing and creates her own vision. She doesn't want that within her psyche to be tarnished by finally finding out what the real lyrics are.

The point about "making a song your own" is great.

For me this song is not about Brian, it's about a fallen woman. She is defeated by the whole partying scene and the decadence and the superficiality of it all and finds herself hitting bottom, drunk and on the street, down and disheveled. She is the one that casts here eyes away from other women walking by because she is ashamed. The whole "gotta look good" pressure is there between women and it's another competition, another drain on her psyche. She has to cast her eyes away.

So that's my feeling and vision about the song, a beautiful woman that has hit bottom. It's a sad lament and and expression of hope and caring and from the singer, wishing and hoping that things will change and she gets back up on her feet and gets out of this dark moment in her life.

The symbolism is there and then you can put your own life experience into it and get it "channeled" through the song. I view the song an a song that can be about anyone, and the sense that there is always someone out there that wants to care for a lost soul, perhaps someone that you once knew. An anthem for a fallen person. The theme of desperation is there in the background in another way. It's the desperation of the person singing the song, a sense that they are too far removed from the situation such that they can't really help, they can only only watch and lament.

That's the vision that will always be with me, Brian Jones is a whole other story.

I bet you most of us can feel being in that position of the singer. By the time you are in your thirties, there are already stories around about people that you and your friends knew that died tragically, or people that became lost souls, and so on.

Great song in many ways, but I really tune into the emotional experience of the song. Something that we know is lacking in most, but not all, new music.

MileHigh



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-05-27 04:55 by MileHigh.

<<There is the interesting documentary about Exile, there is a woman that recoded all the songs on Exile and released her own album. She relates her own experience and how she interprets the album.>>

Not sure if this is the one you are referring to, but Liz Phair's debut Exile in Guyville was intended by the artist as a song-by-song interpretation and response to each of the songs from the Stones' Exile album.

Yeah I am pretty sure it is. I stand corrected, I did not remember the "response" angle and thought she did covers, in a very interesting way, etc. I listened to the first 10 minutes and didn't sense any covers at all!

Phair's record was rather interesting, but the whole "song-by song response to Exile on Main Street" was total BS by Phair and media nonsense. I don't even know what the hell that means "a song-by-song respnse." How is the first song a reponse to Rocks Off? Any takers?

Speaking of Shine A Light, thumbs up to Billy Preston for his playing.

Hearing this live last May 31st in Chicago brought this 55 year to tears...don't know why...such a great song and delivered to perfection!

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tomk
Phair's record was rather interesting, but the whole "song-by song response to Exile on Main Street" was total BS by Phair and media nonsense. I don't even know what the hell that means "a song-by-song respnse." How is the first song a reponse to Rocks Off? Any takers?

Well, in terms of guitar tone, riffing, and general song tempo and pacing, the first track does bear a faint resemblance to the EOMS opening track Rocks Off. So, maybe copping musical ideas is her idea of a "response".

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tomk
Phair's record was rather interesting, but the whole "song-by song response to Exile on Main Street" was total BS by Phair and media nonsense. I don't even know what the hell that means "a song-by-song respnse." How is the first song a reponse to Rocks Off? Any takers?

I would call it a brilliant record. But other than having the same number of songs and sone Stonesy guitar (and the title) there is no relationship with Exile On Main Street. It did make clever marketing at the time, however.

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71Tele

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tomk
Phair's record was rather interesting, but the whole "song-by song response to Exile on Main Street" was total BS by Phair and media nonsense. I don't even know what the hell that means "a song-by-song respnse." How is the first song a reponse to Rocks Off? Any takers?

I would call it a brilliant record. But other than having the same number of songs and sone Stonesy guitar (and the title) there is no relationship with Exile On Main Street. It did make clever marketing at the time, however.

Like I said, it's a good record, very over-rated, but nothing to do with Exile. I've got a bunch of original tunes, and one is a country tune. So if I position that the sixth song out of ten, then I have a song-by-song response to Some Girls. Even Robert Hilburn would buy that nonsense, so would the Village Voice.

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Silver Dagger
One of the defining songs off Exile On Main Street. Looking at Rene's line up of musicians I'm staggered that the two Micks are the only Rolling Stones on this track. I never knew that. Does that make it the Stones' song with the least members ever on it? I guess so.

Yeah, and it still sounds like the Rolling Stones. It's a funny world.

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stonehearted
One thing that always begs the question about this is, Why isn't Keith playing on this? If they only needed one guitar, then surely Keith could have played bass, as he was often wont to do in those days. Perhaps it was out of guilt, since the song was obviously a tribute by Mick to Brian, the same reason Keith didn't attend Brian's funeral, that of a guilty conscience.

Come to think of it, where are the other Stones? No Bill or Charlie either? This is really, like the Performance soundtrack, one of Mick's earlier solo outings.

All these recording dates and Keith, Bill and Charlie are all missing? Or if they are present, what in the world are they doing? Wonder if Keith had any part in writing it?

Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, July 23, 1970, Sunset Sound Studios,
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, December 4 - 19, 1971 & January -
March 1972 and Wally Heider Studios, Los Angeles, California, US, March 24 & 25, 1972

Beautiful song.Ive always believed it was written about/for Brian.

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kowalski
Great live version from Stripped :

KOwalski - The one thing it's missing is Taylor's "classic" leads...

MLC

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tomk

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71Tele

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tomk
Phair's record was rather interesting, but the whole "song-by song response to Exile on Main Street" was total BS by Phair and media nonsense. I don't even know what the hell that means "a song-by-song respnse." How is the first song a reponse to Rocks Off? Any takers?

I would call it a brilliant record. But other than having the same number of songs and sone Stonesy guitar (and the title) there is no relationship with Exile On Main Street. It did make clever marketing at the time, however.

Like I said, it's a good record, very over-rated, but nothing to do with Exile. I've got a bunch of original tunes, and one is a country tune. So if I position that the sixth song out of ten, then I have a song-by-song response to Some Girls. Even Robert Hilburn would buy that nonsense, so would the Village Voice.

It has nothing to do with Exile, but it is not overrated (who rated it, anyway?), so you are half-right.

Do we know for sure that the final bass take was Taylor's? Some sources credit Bill on bass.

I know that Taylor said he played bass on it.

Hmmm....the few bass-tunes I can notice from the Exile-recording is very basic...have to be Bill...

2 1 2 0

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Come On
Hmmm....the few bass-tunes I can notice from the Exile-recording is very basic...have to be Bill...

Bill Plumber?

This, and Let it Loose, amongst the very VERY best EOMS songs. And certainly up there in the band's 'ballad' catalog.

Just beautifully, AND strangely (for the Stones) constructed songs IMHO. Love the acoustic guitar and Charlie's just brilliant drumming - his timing in this is simply incomparable.

fantastic guitar work here.

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DandelionPowderman
Do we know for sure that the final bass take was Taylor's? Some sources credit Bill on bass.

I know that Taylor said he played bass on it.

Of course it's Taylor. Easy to hear as well. Yeah, the credits of the last rerelease of EOMS are a joke, not the original ones on the album inner sleeve.

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bitusa2012
Charlie's just brilliant drumming - his timing in this is simply incomparable.

Sounds like Charlie but it's Jimmy Miller. He had me fooled on "Happy" ... I thought that was Charlie too!

Drew

Great song, one of my favorites (along with Sweet Virginia) since I listened to EOMS for the first time some 30 years ago.

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drewmaster

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bitusa2012
Charlie's just brilliant drumming - his timing in this is simply incomparable.

Sounds like Charlie but it's Jimmy Miller. He had me fooled on "Happy" ... I thought that was Charlie too!

Drew

Sorry, was referring to that live clip from Stripped

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kleermaker

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DandelionPowderman
Do we know for sure that the final bass take was Taylor's? Some sources credit Bill on bass.

I know that Taylor said he played bass on it.

Of course it's Taylor. Easy to hear as well. Yeah, the credits of the last rerelease of EOMS are a joke, not the original ones on the album inner sleeve.

I'm not thinking of that one.

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DandelionPowderman

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kleermaker

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DandelionPowderman
Do we know for sure that the final bass take was Taylor's? Some sources credit Bill on bass.

I know that Taylor said he played bass on it.

Of course it's Taylor. Easy to hear as well. Yeah, the credits of the last rerelease of EOMS are a joke, not the original ones on the album inner sleeve.

I'm not thinking of that one.

If your ears can't convince you (maybe they tell you it's Ronnie) in combination with the original credits you are not creditable to me anymore.

I'm kleerly aware of the latter.

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tomk
Phair's record was rather interesting, but the whole "song-by song response to Exile on Main Street" was total BS by Phair and media nonsense. I don't even know what the hell that means "a song-by-song respnse." How is the first song a reponse to Rocks Off? Any takers?

...Don't tell me she didn't come every time she pirouetted on him...!!??

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DandelionPowderman
I'm kleerly aware of the latter.

Maybe you have a little problem with the fact that only the two Micks play on this one as RS members and not your idol Keith, and that the younger Mick also plays great bass here, besides fantastic guitar.

Mick, Mick and Various Friends make a wonderful noise here.

I've always assumed this to be about/for Brian - and by the way, I think the line is "making bloodshot eyes at every woman" - a vivid image of somebody not quite too hungover to feel horny... Mick's a great lyricist.