Stop Breaking Down is one of my favorite Exile tracks and I think Taylor's slide guitar ranks among his very best work (and is a perfect foil for Jagger's chug-chug-chugging guitar sound). I still remember the first time I head SBD and thought there must six guitars playing. A great cover of a great song.

I'm very fond of this track. Like a few I had thought the rhythm guitar was Keith and was surprised to learn some years back it actually Mick Jagger (and on "Sway" too!) What really make the track for me is the Mick Taylor's slide guitar; hauntingly beautiful stuff...

This song was one of my immediate favourites of EXILE and for some not too short time after. However, in comparison to other songs of the album, "Stop Breaking Down" then from one point in time has over time almost imperceptibly faded somewhat to me, a fact that I became more actively conscious of as I began reading this thread when it appeared. I at once started to wonder why. Then I very soon read the post that states what I since have come to understand probably is the reason why to me.

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Doxa
.............................

The careful, sublime reading and study of 30's country blues numbers, that they mastered in BEGGARS ("Prodigal Son"), LET IT BLEED ("LOve In Vain"), and to an extent still in STICKY FINGERS ("You Gotta Move") was now transformed into straight-forward 70's loud electric guitar-heavy orgy. There is not one drop of Delta left, but pure blues rock; if the Chicago cats tranformed acoustic solo numbers into electric band stuff, that so much impressed the British r&b groups of the 60's, the Stones updated the latter into 70's sound, played by the greatest rock and roll band in the world. Could be even some Johnny Winter influence there. But I guess Robert Johnson must be smiling somewhere out there, 'those devils got it, man...'

...................

- Doxa

What has made the song fade a little to me (I still like it, mark that, but not so much as originally, in contrast to almost any Exile tracks else, which have not sunk for me), that point stands out in bold in Doxa's post. Eventually I understand why. It is how the song to a large extent has been transformed from blues into blues ROCK, where I later would have loved more of the blues element to have remained. (Not wanting Mick Jagger to "cry" like Robert Johnson does, though.) And when I am to write this post hours later, which I was thinking this morning, I came to reflect just now that this is why, among others of his, I am not that keen about one album of Muddy Waters, on which Johnny Winter plays. (HARD AGAIN, I think.) Something of the blues feeling gets lost to me, especially with Johnny Winter on that album. Far from so much detracted for me from the Stones take on "Stop Breaking Down", on the other hand, which I still do like, I emphasize that, but significantly less than originally. And I immediately become aware that reflecting on Johnny Winter is also a point covered by Doxa's once again highly interesting post.

What I say here, ought not to be read that I am opposed to or dislike loud electric guitars generally. However, in this case the lessened blues element has made "Stop Breaking Down" to a lesser degree sink somewhat to me, relatively to other EXILE songs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-10-29 19:10 by Witness.

Well, all I know is this is the kind of lip-smacking chiken lickin down home funk that turned me on and every which way but loose as a 15 yr old white boy in 1972...right on the verge of good as sex!!

I like the fact that they brought something new to the song and, in effect, made it their own. That's what a good cover version does.

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gimmelittledrink
I like the fact that they brought something new to the song and, in effect, made it their own. That's what a good cover version does.

Isolated on principle, I do agree to that idea.

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

+1

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Mathijs


Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.


Mathijs

Great info !

D'aprés Jean-Paul LEVET ("Talkin' that talk" le langage du blues et du jazz)
NINETY-NINE (99) : Alcool fort

The stuff I got'll bust your brains out, baby
Hoo hoo, it'll make you loose your mind
Now I give my baby, now, the ninety-nine degree
She jumped up and throwed a pistol down on me

Stop Breakin' Down, Blues, Robert Johnson (1937)

"We used to hang out at this place, drinking up his booze. We called it "a ninety-nine per cent", one more degree either way would bust your top, we said. "
Duke Ellington, SHAPIRO & HENTOFF (1955)

Jagger sings "I love my baby" so this explanation doesn't fit!

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

Thanks for the info.

I am quite sure that also Jagger's guitar has a capo at the 2nd fret.

C

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liddas

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

Thanks for the info.

I am quite sure that also Jagger's guitar has a capo at the 2nd fret.

C

Correct.

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

Thanks for the info.

I am quite sure that also Jagger's guitar has a capo at the 2nd fret.

C

Correct.

By the way, did anyone ever saw Jimi use a capo on the guitar?

2 1 2 0

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Come On

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

Thanks for the info.

I am quite sure that also Jagger's guitar has a capo at the 2nd fret.

C

Correct.

By the way, did anyone ever saw Jimi use a capo on the guitar?

No. Then again, he didn't use open tuning a lot, either. If he did, he played in open E with a slide.

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DandelionPowderman

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Come On

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

Thanks for the info.

I am quite sure that also Jagger's guitar has a capo at the 2nd fret.

C

Correct.

By the way, did anyone ever saw Jimi use a capo on the guitar?

No. Then again, he didn't use open tuning a lot, either. If he did, he played in open E with a slide.

That is what I mean, real guitarists as Jimi uses no capon

Add Zappa as well and you have my 2 biggest guitar-heroes...

2 1 2 0

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Come On

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DandelionPowderman

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Come On

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

Thanks for the info.

I am quite sure that also Jagger's guitar has a capo at the 2nd fret.

C

Correct.

By the way, did anyone ever saw Jimi use a capo on the guitar?

No. Then again, he didn't use open tuning a lot, either. If he did, he played in open E with a slide.

That is what I mean, real guitarists as Jimi uses no capon

Add Zappa as well and you have my 2 biggest guitar-heroes...

Right...

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liddas

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

Thanks for the info.

I am quite sure that also Jagger's guitar has a capo at the 2nd fret.

C

I am not. They way the A-chord is damped and the way he sometimes slides up to D makes me think he played it without a capo.

Mathijs

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Mathijs

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liddas

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

Thanks for the info.

I am quite sure that also Jagger's guitar has a capo at the 2nd fret.

C

I am not. They way the A-chord is damped and the way he sometimes slides up to D makes me think he played it without a capo.

Mathijs

He won't get that punch using his pinky on the D-pull, while holding the A-chord that way.

Also, they way the A-chord rings leads me to believe he's playing with open strings.

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Come On


Add Zappa as well and you have my 2 biggest guitar-heroes...

One of my favorites as well, but in the end health is al that matters. I still miss him.

One more guitar-hero ..



Hound Dog Taylor

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scottkeef
Well, all I know is this is the kind of lip-smacking chiken lickin down home funk that turned me on and every which way but loose as a 15 yr old white boy in 1972...right on the verge of good as sex!!

Yes!

best track of the album

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Mathijs

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DandelionPowderman

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liddas
What tuning is Taylor on this?

C

Open G, most likely.

Taylor is in open G with a capo on the second fret, using a blond, maple capped neck Telecaster with both pickups on, through a Fender Deluxe and a tape delay. Jagger is in open G as well, using the Bigsby burst through an Ampeg V4 or VT-40.

I find Jagger's guitar sound to be absolutely brilliant, and this track truly of one of the standout tracks from Exile.

Mathijs

It is one of the best tunes on EOMS for me. Taylor's playing is fantastic. Mick's rhythm playing is outstanding.

What's nice about them charging this one up is it's not Chicago blues, which can be boring, but rather straight up original. Take their blues tracks from BEGGARS through the B-sides to, well, for some maybe The Storm, for others Back Of My Hand, and there's one hell of a compilation.

But back to back, Stop Breaking Down and (the official) I'm Not Signifying - holy crap. Still blows my mind Signifying didn't make EOMS. That other version is a good dumpy but the one with the rolling rumble and the horns is, for me, the greatest blues song the Stones have ever done.

Before it came out, I loved Stop Breaking Down the most, quickly followed by Fancy Man and Cook Cook, which features some great Elmore James phrasing by Ronnie, fantastically lifted right from Baby Please Set A Date. And to think they just did those blues to warm up... they have at least 10 albums worth of blues from all their various album sessions just sitting around - and that's excluding the crap they put on SG deluxe.