In my boredom, I have been pondering. Should the boys drop Sympathy for the next tour, or at least play it more sporadically? While it was a joy to hear it on the last tour, I felt they were having problems with it. Ronnie doesn't seem to do a great deal of guitar and after listening to Keith fills on the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tour versions, I can't help but feel he is really struggling. I'd go as far as to say that his solos were quite often feeble on the last tour.

Maybe they should try to recreate the studio version? Despite his dodgy digits, I really don't see why Keith couldn't pull off that 1968 killer solo live.

Oh yes. Drop it or at least get rid of the disco beat (used in the tours since 1989!). Terrible.

I would have to agree,

Some of KR's efforts have been distinctly lacking. I have over the years heard innumerable versions of this song with KR doing great stuff, but of late this definitely hasn't been the case. To be honest, WHAT on earth can top the 1969 version on Get yer ya yas out, but then that wasn;t KR - was it ?

no need to drop it, they just need to start playing it properly again

ala ya-ya's

Yes it was KR on Ya Ya's - guitar work over the rthym guitar & first solo...

But these days SFTD is boring!! The pre-recorded intro is terrible.

I would only like to hear the song if they go back and improvise with it....but in this current line-up improvisation is a dirty word....

I stated that Sympathy For The Devil was a joy to hear primarily because the Licks tour was the first I attended.

I think it was at the Swedish club show in 03 that Keith pulled off a half decent solo, but the others I've heard have been terrible.

Drop it PLEASE!

have to agree with the majority opinion here. it was THE standout song of the '89/'90 tour, IMO, even with the pre-recorded drum....Keith was a man-possessed then. Now, it's just a pale imitation relic.

What model guitar was Keith using on the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tour?

I know he used several, but I'm thinking of the white one in particular. Not only did his playing have real venom on that tour, but also the sound of that particular guitar was phenomenal. Couldn't he dig it out again, or was the sound more to do with the amplification they were using?

I wish he'd ditch that great old Gibson he uses. While it looks beautiful, it looks to me as if he finds it quite a handful.

time to send that song to bed......that along with t.dice...

Play it. Oh my God play it. But do it acoustic on the b-stage.

JumpingKentFlash

Big Al: I think the guitar you are referring to is the Music Man Silhouette (the same one on the back cover of the inner sleeve of the Xpensive w. live CD).
I tried one once: great guitar, but not my cup of tea.

RE: SFTD. The only decent version of it in the past 20 years was done at the Cirkus. The last minute of it, to be precise, the second start w/o "clic" & samples.

My idea is that K is bored to death to play karaoke solos over a "plastic" base of what was a great song. Just listen to the excitement of the whole band when MT's solo reaches it's climax on YY, or that beautiful mess which is the LYL version (the best one. period)

Samples and clics and Stones just don't work. Unless you go there for the lights and firework!

C

Thanks for that liddas. I was just curious. I think maybe the problem with Music Man Silhouette is that it was a little over bearing. I think it perhaps sounded a little out of place. It sounded like Keith was playing a guitar you'd be more likely to hear on a Heavy Metal record.

However, I just think Keith was just fantastic on that tour. His rhythm work was great and his solos were nearly always smoking.

Drop along with the other horses and bring me the peace corpses. Why not SFTD in the original Jagger/Jones (his bluesy lick is great)/Richards as heard on One plus one? Same with the others. And fill the list with unusual songs reworked. That could ionspire them to write some new stuff even.

But it's a great song for the tourists with the woo woos echoing throughout the stadium.

Liddas - you ahve to admit that the Keefster really smoked on those solos on the 89/90 tour. I agree the B2B and Licks versions were lame, but SW/UJ versions kicked ass. (Although I would prefer without sampled drum loop, of course.)

They can't recreate the 69 version because Taylor isn't in the band. His solo was the crescendo to that version and still stands as one of the best official released solos of his.

START THE SHOW WITH IT! and get it over with.

I only wish they played SFTD the way they did it back in '75. The LYL version is the best one to me, too. And of course they should keep the pre-recorded shit at home.

[There'll be no wedding today...]

No, I say start the show with short version of satisfaction and do Sympathy as encore.

Sympathy is always a winner, keep it in the set list!

SFD is one of the Stones signature songs. It should be played in every show. Every show in which I have seen it the audience loved the hell out of it.

By the way: FTS plays the 1969 version, which is fantastic

Play it, of course...

Play it, of course.

Play it, of course...

Play iy, of course...

Play it, play it, play it, play it...

Play it, play it, play it...

Play it, play it, play it...

Play it, of course!

Definitly play it ... but make the @#$%& as filthy as ya can for us!!!

ROCKMAN

It should be done without backing vocals.
As encore in theatres and on the b-stage.