have the Stones ever gotten into drastic live reworking of songs?

I know Sympathy on the 69 (and other) tours is pretty far from the studio version, and a lot of songs were speeded up a lot on stage in the late 70s-early 80s (principally due to cocaine). But I mean more like really re-working them - like the Who's 'My Generation Blues' for example...

Any Stones examples?

They reworked 19th Nervous Breakdown for the Phoenix Theatre show preceding the ABB tour,
and It's All Over Now was arranged quite differently for the 1967 Palladium show.

Under My Thumb and Shattered also come to mind, albeit in a different way -
the most prominent riff in each is played on a different instrument in concert.

Gimmir Shelter and JJF at the 1972 tour were rather re worked and taken far from the original. Under My Thumb already mentioned: even though this could have been due to the lack of ability to play it live in the studio version.

Satisfaction has been completely different from the original, for most of its live lifetime.

Legend has it that they heard Otis Redding's version, and decided they liked his way of doing it better. But what they've played from '69 on has been radically different from the original record. In '69 to '71 it was more like a boogie thing, but it's basically been the same "new" arrangement ever since they returned to live playing in '69.

Midnight Rambler has a different edge live then the studio. Harder driven guitars. Twice as long.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-29 20:50 by More Hot Rocks.

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Wroclaw
... even though this could have been due to the lack of ability to play it live in the studio version.

Well, that's usually the case (even though the the Stones aren't as subject to that problem as many bands);
it's just more obvious with some numbers than others. Like Under My Thumb.

Midnight Rambler is very different from the studio version in every version I have heard. I have never heard a version of Satisfaction that satisfies my hope that it will sound remotely like, or as powerful, as the original.

I have zero problem with bands re-arranging songs, looking to improvise, freshen or keep improving it. Some songs are recorded before they are at their best, or over-produced in the studio by a lot of bands. But I hav eyer to hear a version of Satisfaction that feels like any sort of improvement or is taking it to a new place. For me, it vies with Miss You and their weakest warhorse, live.

Stray Cat Blues

Sweet Black Angel in 1972 sounded almost like a different song.

LSTNT in 81/82 was also very different from the original. Same with TIOMS, as well as a few others. She's So Cold also comes to mind.

The blues version of Breakdown at the Phoenix in 2005 was really something, though

I heard the blues version of 19th Nervous Breakdown at the Garden -- it was good but I knew he would never play it again. I respected him for trying to rework it.

I wish they would change, or do away with, Sympathy. The crowd is the best part to the song now.

2000 Light years from home.
Its more that they dropped some of the words.
It hurt the live version as it took away the drama and build up to
the track.

If you want a live replica of the studio version on stage you better stay home listening to the record. It will never disappoint you!

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fahthree
I heard the blues version of 19th Nervous Breakdown at the Garden -- it was good but I knew he would never play it again. I respected him for trying to rework it.

I wish they would change, or do away with, Sympathy. The crowd is the best part to the song now.

How many times did they do that version?

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DandelionPowderman

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fahthree
I heard the blues version of 19th Nervous Breakdown at the Garden -- it was good but I knew he would never play it again. I respected him for trying to rework it.

I wish they would change, or do away with, Sympathy. The crowd is the best part to the song now.

How many times did they do that version?

I believe twice - the Phoenix and MSG

I Just Want To Make Love To You - 1990
Glastonbury Girl - not rearranged but reworked lyrics
Not Fade Away - 94/95



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-29 23:03 by franzk.

The Ya-Yas versions of Live With Me and Street Fighting Man sound different from the studio versions. The intros to both are simplified and Street Fighting Man is in a different key.

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll is completely different from the studio version onstage.

Conversely, Fortune Teller and I've Been Loving You off of Got Live which are just the studio tracks with cheering overdubbed.

Doesn't have iorr got a new key for the live shows since 1975? First open G then To B in the later years

Thought the whole point of the live shows these days was to recreate the recorded versions?
Yawn!

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Rik
Doesn't have iorr got a new key for the live shows since 1975? First open G then To B in the later years

I think that Peoplewitheyes referred more to songs that were completely redone - not just played in different key/tempo. The example of "The Who" was a good one as their stage presence pre the reunion tours was mostly based on the basic structure of aggressive Drums&Bass + Tonswhend playing his combined Rythem and leading guitar + Daltry on vocals. They completely re done "My Generation" so it would fit their post mid. 60's sound (but still not dropping it off the setlist like the Stones did, in the 70's, to much of their mid. 60's hits). A much better The Who example would be the live "Tommy" of 1969-70 - they hardly dropped any segment of the Rock Opera (maybe excluding "Underture" which is really a pisser as it could have been a great jam!) despite many of them being impossible to duplicate on stage, BY THE WHO, in their original spirit. YET: bits like "The Overture" were actually fun (with the usual Keith Moon fooling around during Townshends introduction) and "Listening to you"... well... No need to add on the live version 1969-70 of that legendary number.

With Quarprophenia (live 1970's tour) Townshend aimed very high - he wanted the live act to be close to the studio product. It didn't work (also due to technical problems) and as far as I recall they just dropped song after song from the live act and Townshend actually - during one concert - just left the stage frustrated in the middle of the show.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-30 10:41 by Wroclaw.

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Rik
Doesn't have iorr got a new key for the live shows since 1975? First open G then To B in the later years

They even alternated between keys in 1975/76. The version on LYL is in G!

The version on LYL is in B.

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z
The version on LYL is in B.

Yeah, I mistook it for the other version in G from the same tour

B works so much better, I don't know why they switched to G.

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More Hot Rocks
Midnight Rambler has a different edge live then the studio. Harder driven guitars. Twice as long.

Yes, MR has a evolving history from an one guitar track (studio, Keith), two guitar track (live, Keith, MT or Ronnie) and last but not least a three guitar track, (live, Keith, Ronnie and Mick Taylor)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-30 13:51 by RobertJohnson.

Come on - it´s not HARD to recognize SFTD, JJF,UMT and so on - live...NO BIG changes...apart from speed and power...and it was EASIER to play The Last time and Breakdown in the usaual 4/4 in the late nineties...NEVER heard any REALLY new, strange and interesting arrangements..."They added HORNS on SFTD!!!"...oh, come on...But then again...I dont know if I´d like the first half of Satisfacton played as a ballad...with a flute...and then...BANG!!!...the riff played backwards...haha...

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RobertJohnson

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More Hot Rocks
Midnight Rambler has a different edge live then the studio. Harder driven guitars. Twice as long.

Yes, MR has a evolving history from an one guitar track (studio, Keith), two guitar track (live, Keith, MT or Ronnie) and last but not least a three guitar track, (live, Keith, Ronnie and Mick Taylor)

There are two guitar tracks by Keith on the studio version of MR.

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Bjorn
Come on - it´s not HARD to recognize SFTD, JJF,UMT and so on - live...NO BIG changes...apart from speed and power...and it was EASIER to play The Last time and Breakdown in the usaual 4/4 in the late nineties...NEVER heard any REALLY new, strange and interesting arrangements..."They added HORNS on SFTD!!!"...oh, come on...But then again...I dont know if I´d like the first half of Satisfacton played as a ballad...with a flute...and then...BANG!!!...the riff played backwards...haha...

SFTD had a totally different arrangement in 1969, where the guitars carried the rhythm.

Breakdown had radically different 12 bar blues-tempo arrangement in 2005.

I suspect you haven't heard the latter?

"Let me go" during the '81/82 tour is very different from the record version.
Jagger is not realy singing it, but just shouts the lyrics if you compare it to the original version. I think it's also most of the time only the chorus he is singing. The song is a lot faster played. When I first heard this song on record I almost didn't recognise it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-30 15:06 by GJV.

YCAGWYW in the 70's and early 80's was a lot different than on the album.