This is the best country song ever written...well, that and Ring of Fire.

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treaclefingers
This is the best country song ever written...well, that and Ring of Fire.

And Griveous Angel.

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DandelionPowderman

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treaclefingers
This is the best country song ever written...well, that and Ring of Fire.

And Griveous Angel.

What? Did you say Sweet Black Angel? That's more gospel I think.

I wouldn't trust what Keith says. Even Taylor states he dies tv recall being on the track. And it's a pretty specific and purposeful change to go from standard acoustic tuning to electric G tuning just because of something someone apparently did to turn it around. Keith may not be lying but I don't think his recollections stack up esp given he's the only one that recalls it that way.

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OzHeavyThrobber
I wouldn't trust what Keith says. Even Taylor states he dies tv recall being on the track. And it's a pretty specific and purposeful change to go from standard acoustic tuning to electric G tuning just because of something someone apparently did to turn it around. Keith may not be lying but I don't think his recollections stack up esp given he's the only one that recalls it that way.

He could also have meant that Taylor's slide on the country version made it more of a band song, than the folk-thing it was meant to be. More likely, imo.

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buttons67
honky tonk woman is so overrated

No, it isn't

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Keep On Rolling

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DandelionPowderman
It was the first single with fully developed open G-playing by Keith. The sound, and his playing alone makes it a classic. Add the production and a fantastic chorus. What's not to like with the studio version?

Understatement, Dandie. There is so much genious in this track. The personality of Charlie, Keith and Mick has never stated so clearly as it is done in the electrifying and capturing beginning of the song. The minimalism. They go through listener's skin. A real ground-breaker for all of them. Add then the others coming in, the fantastic chorus, getting into groove, a climax-like ending... mamma mia. Pure sex. Jimmy Miller's finest hour as a producer - actually the best produced Stones - or any rock - track ever. It hasn't dated one bit. Timeless.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-09-18 10:50 by Doxa.

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Doxa

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DandelionPowderman
It was the first single with fully developed open G-playing by Keith. The sound, and his playing alone makes it a classic. Add the production and a fantastic chorus. What's not to like with the studio version?

Understatement, Dandie. There is so much genious in this track. The personality of Charlie, Keith and Mick has never stated so clearly as it is done in the electrifying and capturing beginning of the song. They go through listener's skin. A real ground-breaker for all of them. Add then the others coming in, the fantastic chorus, a climax-like ending... mamma mia. Pure sex. Jimmy Miller's finest hour as a producer - actually the best produced Stones - or any rock - track ever. It hasn't dated one bit. Timeless.

- Doxa

Yes, in the same way as Satisfaction IMO.

Funny in that Satisfaction and HTW aren't near my favourite stones songs, but they are transitional...as in you didn't see them coming. Maybe hints of them, but there really wasn't precedence for them.

In a way, Miss You was another transitional track. I can't think of another one at the moment. Maybe Gimme Shelter or SFTD or SFM.

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treaclefingers

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DandelionPowderman

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treaclefingers
This is the best country song ever written...well, that and Ring of Fire.

And Griveous Angel.

What? Did you say Sweet Black Angel? That's more gospel I think.

Sweet Black Angel is hybrid of caribbean and gospel.

Return Of The Griveous Angel is one of my favourite country songs: Gram, Emmylou, James Burton, Al Perkins - what a song, what a band!







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-09-18 11:13 by DandelionPowderman.

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DandelionPowderman

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treaclefingers

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DandelionPowderman

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treaclefingers
This is the best country song ever written...well, that and Ring of Fire.

And Griveous Angel.

What? Did you say Sweet Black Angel? That's more gospel I think.

Sweet Black Angel is hybrid of caribbean and gospel.

Return Of The Griveous Angel is one of my favourite country songs: Gram, Emmylou, James Burton, Al Perkins - what a song, what a band!

I have 10 Johnny Cash songs and 6 Rolling Stones country songs that kick the ever-living crap out of that.

On the other hand, it beats Garth Brooks and Taylor Dane Swift!

He he, let's agree to disagree (nothing beats this...)

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Doxa

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DandelionPowderman
It was the first single with fully developed open G-playing by Keith. The sound, and his playing alone makes it a classic. Add the production and a fantastic chorus. What's not to like with the studio version?

Understatement, Dandie. There is so much genious in this track. The personality of Charlie, Keith and Mick has never stated so clearly as it is done in the electrifying and capturing beginning of the song. The minimalism. They go through listener's skin. A real ground-breaker for all of them. Add then the others coming in, the fantastic chorus, getting into groove, a climax-like ending... mamma mia. Pure sex. Jimmy Miller's finest hour as a producer - actually the best produced Stones - or any rock - track ever. It hasn't dated one bit. Timeless.

- Doxa

I can only agree. Add maybe, that is a fantastic blues but not in traditional sense. It has a very modern feel for blues. At least to me.

One of the all time great songs period. Incredible intro just sets it all up to cook. HTW was one of those songs that when you first heard it out of an AM radio you were just floored. Same with JJF. A song only the Stones could pull off. the various outtakes of this song and especially the mono cut are very cool.

Pure unadultered joy!

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open-g

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Tate
I was always under the impression CH was recorded prior to HTW, and was thus the true original version. johnh gives us a range, but does anyone know more precisely when CH was recorded?

Let's see what Nico Zentgraf has to say:
[www.nzentgraf.de]

- Honky Tonk Women I (MJ/KR) -STU on piano, Jimmy Miller on cowbell, Reparata and The Delrons, Nanette Workman & Doris Troy on backing vocals;
version with different 2nd (Paris-)verse (9th and/or 16th March)

17th April - 2nd July: London, Olympic Sound Studios.
With Mick Taylor (MT) from 24th May onwards.
- Country Honk I (MJ/KR) -early version without fiddle (12th May)
- Country Honk II (MJ/KR) -first version with Mick Taylor
- Honky Tonk Women II (MJ/KR) -STU on piano, Jimmy Miller on cowbell,
7" version, recordings begun 30th May - 5th June

There's no way they did it as a country song first. That's a load of crap, as the above information clearly points out.

Great song. But like some of their other songs the studio version has gotten boring, mainly because of hearing it so much. Live versions other than the one on LOVE YOU LIVE and from the TATTOO YOU tour are stinkers for the most part, certainly since the 1989 tour onward.

I like the version on LOVE YOU LIVE the best, followed by the Hampton or any boot from the 1981 tour with that excellent super extended intro of Keith messing with the placement of the riff.

Thanks you GasLightStreet, you Sir/Madam know your Stones. LYL version is fantastic and is the version where Keith doesn't play like Ry Cooder, same licks yes, but with the heavy slow brutal and volcanic style of Keith 1976. Only Keith can sound like that. LYL version of HTW is perhaps the most underrated Stones song.

Charlie's rolling rhythm in the LOVE YOU LIVE version is just insane. His drumming on that is so fluid yet clean, simple AND heavy.

Best solo Keith has ever done. And the little licks he throws in throughout the song are great too.

The thing I never will understand is why Charlie doesn't play the original pattern of the studio HTW. He tries, more or less in 69, but in 73 it's already gone. That drum part was GREAT!


C

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Elmo Lewis
I wish they would do the CH version live just to change things up.

Matt Clifford on fiddle?

I definitely endorse that idea. It would be a wonderful change to their live performance.

Following up on what DandlionPowedrman wrote, in my view "Honky Tonk Women" practically redefined the Rolling Stones sound and showcased what was to become Keith's signature and unique rhythmic phrasing in a way no other recording before it had done. The song's release I believe also marks Keith's first use of the now fabled open G tuning that was used on so many of the Stones hits that proceeded it. One could go as far to say that it marks the beginning of the Rolling Stones as they came to be known by so many. For these reasons the song is, in my view, quintessentially 'The Rolling Stones'...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-09-18 22:58 by Stones62.

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24FPS

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buttons67
honky tonk woman is so overrated, its an average mid tempo semi rocker, nothing more, nothing less. they made so much better which never got noticed much, really cant understand why this happens with the stones.

cant understand why anyone would rate this thier all time no 1 stones song.

gimme shelter, jj flash, brown sugar, let it loose, rocks off, paint it black, satisfaction are the obvious better ones but its about opinions.

It's so Rolling Stones. Charlie's bump and grind drums. Mick's sleazy lyrics. Keith's crunchy chords. Bill doesn't contribute a lot on this one but he may have laid back to let the guitar dominate more.

Exactly. It's sleazy, silly, funny, sloppily perfect, much cleverer than it pretends to be. It always makes me want to dance.

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GasLightStreet
Charlie's rolling rhythm in the LOVE YOU LIVE version is just insane. His drumming on that is so fluid yet clean, simple AND heavy.

Best solo Keith has ever done. And the little licks he throws in throughout the song are great too.

Indeed.

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OzHeavyThrobber
I wouldn't trust what Keith says. Even Taylor states he dies tv recall being on the track. And it's a pretty specific and purposeful change to go from standard acoustic tuning to electric G tuning just because of something someone apparently did to turn it around. Keith may not be lying but I don't think his recollections stack up esp given he's the only one that recalls it that way.

? Taylor is quoted saying he plays the country rock fills between the verses. Now I'm confused.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-09-19 05:08 by TravelinMan.

A killer live version is on the Buried Alive: Live in Maryland album from 1979. The best ever intro to HTW.

I remember hearing the single in the summer of 69 while on holiday in Germany. The Let It Be album came out in December.

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Silver Dagger
I remember hearing the single in the summer of 69 while on holiday in Germany. The Let It Be album came out in December.

To be or to bleed, that's the question...

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Silver Dagger
I remember hearing the single in the summer of 69 while on holiday in Germany. The Let It Be album came out in December.

Let It Bleed? Speaking words of wisdom .......

"No Anchovies, Please"

Let's not forget this one

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Redhotcarpet

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GasLightStreet
Charlie's rolling rhythm in the LOVE YOU LIVE version is just insane. His drumming on that is so fluid yet clean, simple AND heavy.

Best solo Keith has ever done. And the little licks he throws in throughout the song are great too.

Indeed.

Well that certainly proves that the vocals are overdubs, at least the choruses are! I always thought they were live.

What goofy camera work. Wow.