Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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Street Fighting Man
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Redlands, West Wittering, Sussex, UK, February - March 1968,
Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, March 31 & May 13 - 23, 1968 and
Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles, California, US, June 30 - July 25, 1968

Mick Jagger - vocals
Keith Richards - acoustic guitar, bass
Charlie Watts - drums, percussion
Brian Jones - sitar, tamboura
Nicky Hopkins - piano, organ
Dave Mason - shehnai, bass drum

Ev'rywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy
'Cause summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy
But what can a poor boy do, except to sing for a Rock 'N' Roll Band
'Cause in sleepy London Town there's just no place for Street Fighting Man, no

Hey, think the time is right for a Palace Revolution
But where I live the game to play is Compromise Solution
Well, then what can a poor boy do, except to sing for a Rock 'N' Roll Band
'Cause in sleepy London Town there's just no place for Street Fighting Man, no

Get down

Hey, said my name is called Disturbance
I'll shout and scream, I'll kill the King, I'll rail at all his servants
Well, then what can a poor boy do, except to sing for a Rock 'N' Roll Band
'Cause in sleepy London Town there's just no place for Street Fighting Man, no

Get down

Produced by Jimmy Miller

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Street Fighting Man / No Expectations” 7” single
(London 909) US, August 31, 1968
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Street Fighting Man (single version)
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Redlands, West Wittering, Sussex, UK, February - March 1968 and
Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, March 31 & May 13 - 23, 1968

Mick Jagger - vocals
Keith Richards - acoustic guitar, bass
Charlie Watts - drums, percussion
Brian Jones - sitar, tamboura
Nicky Hopkins - piano, organ
Dave Mason - shehnai, bass drum

Ev'rywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy
'Cause summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy
But what can a poor boy do, except to sing for a Rock 'N' Roll Band
'Cause in sleepy London Town there's just no place for Street Fighting Man

Yeah, think the time is right for a Palace Revolution
But where I live the game to play is Compromise Solution
Well, then what can a poor boy do, except to sing for a Rock 'N' Roll Band
'Cause in sleepy London Town there's just no place for Street Fighting Man

Get them

Hey, said my name is called Disturbance
I'll shout, I’ll scream, I'll kill the King, I'll rail at all his servants
Well, then what can a poor boy do, except to sing for a Rock 'N' Roll Band
'Cause in sleepy London Town there's just no place for Street Fighting Man, no

Get them

Produced by Jimmy Miller

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Street Fighting Man / No Expectations” 7” single
(London 909) US, August 31, 1968 (first pressing only)

It took me years to figure out what instrument it was that makes the alarming sounds: the Shehnai:





Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

Ahhhhhh the guitars! the guitars! the guitars!
What a huge glorious landscape of sound. It's spectacular on Beggars - then the YaYas version
ending with that brilliant and terrifying bone-crushing skin-shredding bionic pterodactyl crashing down in flames in the jungle night -
and the 90s-00s-10s acoustic versions that invariably galvanize the crowd and slam us to our knees at the same time
with all the say-hallelujah power of those guitars! A magnificent shining piece of forever

~*~*~*

There are lyrics somewhere in there.
"Get them"? Rene honey, are you sure??
And let's not forget the moment where Keith is saying yes while Mick is saying no (or vice versa) -
that was Highly Significant to the counterculture at the time, adding tripped-out zen-esque layers of meaning

~*~*~*

Has Everybody Paid Their Dues is also wonderful

~*~*~*

Have I mentioned the guitars?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-17 10:49 by with sssoul.

Here's the Mick helpfully illustrating in Umano Non Umano:







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-17 11:08 by with sssoul.

Masterpiece.

A magnificent call to arms for the world's restless youth, angry students, reluctant draftees, and those that had become polarised by politicians in general. Street Fighting Man carries on where Jumping Jack Flash left off with an aggressive sound that left their the rest of their pop peers whistling Dixie. And it again underlined Keith's credentials as the writer of the world's greatest and most urgent guitar riffs.

The song has a masterful build and sense of suspense from Keith's first fiercely strummed acoustic to the ceremonial crashing of the drums which come in on the off beat giving notice that something momentous is about to unfold. And boy, doesnt it just!

You can feel the anticipation start to rise but the tension builds again as a second acoustic comes in and then Jagger's rasping vocals echo the pounding beat as he sings of 'marching, charging feet, boy'. What a brilliant intro. It simply grabs you by the horns and doesn't let up for one moment. It's one of the most exciting intros in the Stones' repertoire and an absolute masterclass in perfect pop songwriting.

And just as you're settling into that groove they ramp up the tension again by taking the song up a notch to the key of G to deliver the killer line "But what can a poor boy do, cept to sing in a rock'n'roll band." It's basically the same lyrical theme as Lennon's Working Class Hero but written 2 years before the Beatle wrote his musical manifesto, not sung as a death blues but a rousing pop song to get the proletariat on their feet. More Lenin than Lennon.

Those lyrics perfectly capture in a pop song the ethos of the 20th century working class dream of escaping one's roots by becoming a sports star, musician or entertainer.

And let's not forget we're still in the psychedelic age so to emphasise their underground credentials that magnificent chorus features not one but three extremely trippy sounding eastern instruments - the masterful Brian Jones on sitar and tamboura and session guest Dave Mason from Traffic literally creating a radiant buzz on the oboe like shehnai.

Street Fighting Man has a dizzying vibe that literally pulls you from whatever you're doing and makes you want to holler, shake your arms and stamp your feet. And you can't ask for any better than that.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2015-07-11 11:34 by Silver Dagger.

^ The shehnai doesn't come in until the outro.

Just a curious point on Rene's musician credits - Dave Mason on bass drum? Are you sure? Wouldn't Charlie's bass drum have been enough and is that Dave Mason at the very beginning with that grand tub thumping?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-17 13:04 by Silver Dagger.

A very good track; I just wish it rocked a little harder … it doesn’t have the in-your-face rhythmic propulsion of its cousin, JJF. But Brian -- and Dave Mason – create a wonderful sonic tapestry with those exotic instruments they’re playing. And Nicky Hopkins’ piano, particularly in the outro, is just exquisite.

Drew

Quote
Silver Dagger
Just a curious point on Rene's musician credits - Dave Mason on bass drum? Are you sure? Wouldn't Charlie's bass drum have been enough and is that Dave Mason at the very beginning with that grand tub thumping?

It could have been necessary to record a bass drum later, since Charlie was only playing
on some kind of traveller's drumkit, als Keith and Charlie described it:

Quote
Keith 1977
Street Fighting Man was all acoustics. There's no electric guitar parts in it. (Even the high-end lead part was through) a cassette player with no limiter. Just distortion. Just two acoustics, played right into the mike, and hit very hard. There's a sitar in the back, too. That would give the effect of the high notes on the guitar. And Charlie was playing his little 1930s drummer's practice kit. It was all sort of built into a little attaché case, so some drummer who was going to his gig on the train could open it up - with two little things about the size of small tambourines without the bells on them, and the skin was stretched over that. And he set up this little cymbal, and this little hi-hat would unfold. Charlie sat right in front of the microphone with it. I mean, this drum sound is massive. When you're recording, the size of things has got nothing to do with it. It's how you record them. Everything there was totally acoustic. The only electric instrument on there is the bass guitar, which I overdubbed afterwards.

Quote
Charlie 2003
Street Fighting Man was recorded on Keith's cassette with a 1930s toy drum kit called a London Jazz Kit Set, which I bought in an antiques shop, and which I've still got at home. It came in a little suitcase, and there were wire brackets you put the drums in; they were like small tambourines with no jangles. The whole kit packs away, the drums go inside each other, the little drum goes inside the snare drum into a box with the cymbal. The snare drum was fantastic because it had a really thin skin with a snare right underneath, but only two strands of gut... Keith would be sitting on a cushion playing a guitar and the tiny kit was a way of getting close to him. The drums were really loud compared to the acoustic guitar and the pitch of them would go right through the sound. You'd always have a great backbeat.

(source: timeisonourside )

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-17 13:12 by marcovandereijk.

Hats off to Silver Dagger and with sssoul for two brilliant posts!

Drew

As good as it gets. It has been played live with some thunder since 1994. I prefer it to the 69 into 70 versions (which I love anyway).

It copped the pounding delivery it deserves on the Licks tour. Song of the tour for me.
I like "Everybody pay their dues" too but they way they finalised it is perfect to me.

Just simply put - a fuking diamond!

Quote
drewmaster
Hats off to Silver Dagger and with sssoul for two brilliant posts!

Drew

Quote
marcovandereijk

Quote
Silver Dagger
Just a curious point on Rene's musician credits - Dave Mason on bass drum? Are you sure? Wouldn't Charlie's bass drum have been enough and is that Dave Mason at the very beginning with that grand tub thumping?

It could have been necessary to record a bass drum later, since Charlie was only playing
on some kind of traveller's drumkit, als Keith and Charlie described it:

Quote
Keith 1977
Street Fighting Man was all acoustics. There's no electric guitar parts in it. (Even the high-end lead part was through) a cassette player with no limiter. Just distortion. Just two acoustics, played right into the mike, and hit very hard. There's a sitar in the back, too. That would give the effect of the high notes on the guitar. And Charlie was playing his little 1930s drummer's practice kit. It was all sort of built into a little attaché case, so some drummer who was going to his gig on the train could open it up - with two little things about the size of small tambourines without the bells on them, and the skin was stretched over that. And he set up this little cymbal, and this little hi-hat would unfold. Charlie sat right in front of the microphone with it. I mean, this drum sound is massive. When you're recording, the size of things has got nothing to do with it. It's how you record them. Everything there was totally acoustic. The only electric instrument on there is the bass guitar, which I overdubbed afterwards.

Quote
Charlie 2003
Street Fighting Man was recorded on Keith's cassette with a 1930s toy drum kit called a London Jazz Kit Set, which I bought in an antiques shop, and which I've still got at home. It came in a little suitcase, and there were wire brackets you put the drums in; they were like small tambourines with no jangles. The whole kit packs away, the drums go inside each other, the little drum goes inside the snare drum into a box with the cymbal. The snare drum was fantastic because it had a really thin skin with a snare right underneath, but only two strands of gut... Keith would be sitting on a cushion playing a guitar and the tiny kit was a way of getting close to him. The drums were really loud compared to the acoustic guitar and the pitch of them would go right through the sound. You'd always have a great backbeat.

(source: timeisonourside )

This is why I love IORR. Thanks Marco.

Quote
OzHeavyThrobber
As good as it gets. It has been played live with some thunder since 1994. I prefer it to the 69 into 70 versions (which I love anyway).

It copped the pounding delivery it deserves on the Licks tour. Song of the tour for me.
I like "Everybody pay their dues" too but they way they finalised it is perfect to me.

Just simply put - a fuking diamond!

1990 as well. Who can forget those dogs...

By the way, the US single beats any other versions hands down. It is explosive, a piece of plastic dynamite that ought to be turned up to the max. Open the windows wide and let that joyous sound ring out for the neighbourhood to hear.

A brilliant piece of mess.............

__________________________

Quote
NICOS
A brilliant piece of mess.............

Yes- the underrrated GYYYO version is nothing less than magic.

I think both the studio version and the Stripped version are pure excellence. The former has more energy, of course, but the acoustic version on Stripped is magnificently recorded.

Live it's usually all about energy, and the melody tends to get lost somewhere along the way, imo. That said, they're all lovely in different ways.

They never would have obtained the aggressiveness of the studio version had they cut it with electric guitars, imo.

Quote
DandelionPowderman
I think both the studio version and the Stripped version are pure excellence. The former has more energy, of course, but the acoustic version on Stripped is magnificently recorded.

Live it's usually all about energy, and the melody tends to get lost somewhere along the way, imo. That said, they're all lovely in different ways.

They never would have obtained the aggressiveness of the studio version had they cut it with electric guitars, imo.

I love the line after HTW with the guitar feedback "We gotta do one and go[sic]

Even the ending of the song in GYYYO is magical within itself. I think it is a must hear today!! I'm in!

a beautiful piece of Art from the 1968 street

Live 1973 and Taylor's melodic firestorm takes the song to it's outter limits.

Quote
DandelionPowderman
I think both the studio version and the Stripped version are pure excellence. The former has more energy, of course, but the acoustic version on Stripped is magnificently recorded.

Live it's usually all about energy, and the melody tends to get lost somewhere along the way, imo. That said, they're all lovely in different ways.

They never would have obtained the aggressiveness of the studio version had they cut it with electric guitars, imo.

That was the one from the Paradiso May 26. Yes magnificently recorded but most of all fantasticly played. Both nights actually.
And great posts by the way from with sssoul, Silver Dagger & Marco!

an era-defining seminal work.

amongst a small handful of their most exquisite masterpieces.

Not my favorite back in -68...nowadays classic song of course

2 1 2 0

Amazing that it was not released as a single in the UK in 68. That year the Stones changed from being a singles releasing pop/rock chart band to an all out rock band more interested in touring. Jumping Jack Flash was their only singles release in the UK in 68.

Do you know where my copy was released, Mike?

I thought it was a british release...

Near the bottom of the page: [www.iorr.org]

Quote
DandelionPowderman
Do you know where my copy was released, Mike?

I thought it was a british release...

Near the bottom of the page: [www.iorr.org]

video: [en.wikipedia.org]

2 1 2 0

Quote
DandelionPowderman
Do you know where my copy was released, Mike?

I thought it was a british release...

Near the bottom of the page: [www.iorr.org]

Not sure. I think it was printed in the UK but released in other UK Commonwealth countries. The Stones or rather Decca made special export albums and singles. There is a another UK export version of Out of Our Heads with different track listing.

Quote
Silver Dagger

Quote
DandelionPowderman
Do you know where my copy was released, Mike?

I thought it was a british release...

Near the bottom of the page: [www.iorr.org]

Not sure. I think it was printed in the UK but released in other UK Commonwealth countries. The Stones or rather Decca made special export albums and singles. There is a another UK export version of Out of Our Heads with different track listing.

One release was exported to Denmark. Might be the one. Will dig a bit deeper into this. I just bought this original single.