Tell Me :
Talk
I think a lot has to do with the purity of the tone Keith uses. Jimmy Miller also needs appraisal here for the way he recorded the song. He achieves a perfect balance of the sound spectrum between the rhythmic bottom of the drums, percussion and bass and that seering, scorching lead guitar.
Amazingly for so much going on the sound is not cluttered or muddy. One of their finest recordings in the sense of how it was captured on tape.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-16 17:06 by Silver Dagger.
Where to start...that was bizarre. The jarring edit in the middle from strictly lip syncing to sort of singing with the track...Keith's never been better on tambourine...I see Mick washed off the tattoo from the R'n'R Circus gig, but kept the singing into the mike between his leg's bit...I'm just not sure why the hell they did that, but an interesting time capsule!
There's this lovely footage of them from Charlie Is My Darling.
I believe there's also short footage of them in the studio during the making of Satanic Majesties working on a song.
>>And Charlie and Bill with Rocky Dijon on congas create a rhythm to die for<<
Bill there for the development of the song but Keith on bass on the released version.
Its good to see that David was able to fit the word proper in there...
Try to do a search on youtube for a better version. Can't post it on a mobile device, but there is a MUCH better version available featuring Keith miming the guitar solo as well.
You read my mind....
Much better frost show version with Jagger singing live....
\and some interesting audience footage
What a drag it is gettin' old
The funniest Sandie Shaw performance
The Frost show performance preceded the filming of the Rock & Roll Circus, actually.
From the Department - you know what kind :E
It's funny, I took a shot and knew if I was wrong someone would correct me!
yes...can't get me enough of a good version of keith miming a solo!
it's all about the congas...
I hated the Eagles for decades but their derivative stuff brightens up my day when I hear them on the classic rock radio station
No fair! I was celebrating getting it OUT of my head! Now I'm going to be contemplating alternate lyrics for a parody video!!! Because it's all about the congas, bout the congas. No cowbell.
Screw it!!
Only 20 more minutes and I'll have Sympathy blasting on my car stereo for the ride home!
Peace,
Mr DJA
Although I never hated the Eagles (like so many here) I'm am in agreement that their stuff ends up being so close to lifeless it might as well be DOA. That being said, I rarely turn them off when they come on the radio and often times end up singing along.
I should say that I also don't have anything against Megan Trainer or her song. But when something THAT "popish" gets stuck in your head for THAT LONG, you start to understand why medically induced comas are a good thing for some patients.
Peace,
Mr DJA
Yes, it needs more cowbell. DAMMIT, just switch to HTW!
Talk about your favorite band.
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Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
Silver Dagger
()
Date: March 16, 2015 17:05
Quote
DandelionPowdermanQuote
duke richardson
guitar players- ...what do you think? the attack, the tone , the playing.. Keith's best?
I think so..but I aint a guitar player
Probably the most infectous, coolest and dangerous-sounding guitar playing from any Stone ever.
However, people have different perceptions of what the word "best" actually means.
I think a lot has to do with the purity of the tone Keith uses. Jimmy Miller also needs appraisal here for the way he recorded the song. He achieves a perfect balance of the sound spectrum between the rhythmic bottom of the drums, percussion and bass and that seering, scorching lead guitar.
Amazingly for so much going on the sound is not cluttered or muddy. One of their finest recordings in the sense of how it was captured on tape.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-16 17:06 by Silver Dagger.
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
treaclefingers
()
Date: March 16, 2015 17:23
Quote
Silver Dagger
Great footage of the song on the David Frost show in 1968.
Where to start...that was bizarre. The jarring edit in the middle from strictly lip syncing to sort of singing with the track...Keith's never been better on tambourine...I see Mick washed off the tattoo from the R'n'R Circus gig, but kept the singing into the mike between his leg's bit...I'm just not sure why the hell they did that, but an interesting time capsule!
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
duke richardson
()
Date: March 16, 2015 17:27
this song will never sound dated, I don't think..
..transcends all eras, like all great art..
is SFTD the only song we have documentary film of, as its being developed in the studio?
..transcends all eras, like all great art..
is SFTD the only song we have documentary film of, as its being developed in the studio?
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
Silver Dagger
()
Date: March 16, 2015 17:37
Quote
duke richardson
this song will never sound dated, I don't think..
..transcends all eras, like all great art..
is SFTD the only song we have documentary film of, as its being developed in the studio?
There's this lovely footage of them from Charlie Is My Darling.
I believe there's also short footage of them in the studio during the making of Satanic Majesties working on a song.
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
duke richardson
()
Date: March 16, 2015 17:39
Quote
Silver Dagger
Simply one of the most important and best loved songs that the Stones ever wrote. Apart from their flirtation with psychedelia this was their first real move away from pop into the brave new world of rock that was now taking the world by storm. At least the first that the public would hear.
Cream, Hendrix, The Doors, Velvet Underground, the San Francisco bands – all had already laid down strong markers in abandoning pop or psychedelic pop to take new directions in heavier rock.
Yes, there were some experimental rockish wig outs on Satanic Majesties and Jumping Jack Flash gave us all a pointer but now was time for the real deal – the great era of the guitar solo was upon us and the Stones didn’t want to get left behind.
And boy, did the Stones deliver! Major big time. As guitar solos go they don’t get much better than that sublime, seering, beacon of sound that shoots like a laser beam from Keith’s guitar to our speakers at 2.52 for 40 seconds and that simply floors everything in its path. You ever listened to that original studio version in a disco or at full blast? It’s life-affirming, transcendental stuff – everything that rock music should do to transport you to a higher spiritual plain of ultra happiness. It’s a stop everything moment that creates ear to ear grins and thousand mile stares. Simply amazing. If anyone ever asks you what rock music is all about, just play them that and they’ll know.
Then there’s that simply irresistible rhythm. A samba. I can’t think of anyone in the pop/rock idiom who merged a Latin dance rhythm with pop or rock on an album before this. Not The Beatles, nor The Who, Dylan, Cream, The Yardbirds or any other of the era’s leading lights Santana were also still a year away from establishing themselves on a global scale.
Thanks to the One Plus One film we have the good luck to see this song being built up – laboriously bit by bit. It makes me sad to think that the Stones don’t write or create this way anymore. I guess they simply don’t have the patience. In those days they all had a great collective energy in wanting to produce art of staggering quality.
Just listen to the ingenious way that the chorus of Mick, Keith, Marianne, Anita, Brian, Charlie, Jimmy Miller and whoever else was lucky enough to be there push the song on with their infectious woo woo chanting. That’s a really black sound, with its roots not only in gospel but also in voodoo and call and response going right back to Congo Square in New Orleans in the mid-1800s – the birth of modern popular music.
And Charlie and Bill with Rocky Dijon on congas create a rhythm to die for. It grabs you by the nuts and doesn’t let go until the very last note fades away. Even today at concerts the woo wooing can carry on for a few minutes as the body slowly returns to its normal rhythm.
And how about those lyrics then? Inspired by Marianne’s great literary knowledge and foresight to give Mick the weird and wonderful book The Master And Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov as well as a book of Baudelaire poetry. Mick brilliantly took that inspiration about Satan’s arrival in society to pen a lyric that immediately hit home with the disaffected students of Europe and American army draftees. Very stirring, and unsettling, it brilliantly enhanced the Stones’ flirtation with the dark side and even led some of the establishment to believe that the band were now in league with the devil.
It remains, with Paint It Black, Gimme Shelter and Midnight Rambler the songs that best represent the image of the Stones as disciples of darkness – polarising them against the neo-Christian Festival of Light and the establishment in general. But it also rubberstamped their bad boy credentials and help extend their career right through to today.
Sympathy For The Devil is as epic a rock song as you are ever likely to find.
>>And Charlie and Bill with Rocky Dijon on congas create a rhythm to die for<<
Bill there for the development of the song but Keith on bass on the released version.
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
Naturalust
()
Date: March 16, 2015 17:50
-
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-16 18:48 by Naturalust.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-16 18:48 by Naturalust.
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
Naturalust
()
Date: March 16, 2015 17:59
The rhythm and build of this tune is what make it stand out as truly great song. I'm guessing Jimmy Miller was key in both of those aspects. The total groove is established before a single melody instrument come in, then slowly the instruments and backup vocals are added. No wonder that nasty lead guitar hits you so hard, it's like the first audible electric guitar and almost 1/2 way through the tune. The tone cuts that mix like a hot knife through butter.
It's unusual for a Stones tune in that the piano is so out front for the entire tune. Also Mick's singing is awesome on this one, none of that over accented, affected stuff he is know for these days, just a genuine and believable vocal tone the whole way through.
I've always wondered what Mick was saying right before the guitar solo? Get down innit? Get down ____?
peace
It's unusual for a Stones tune in that the piano is so out front for the entire tune. Also Mick's singing is awesome on this one, none of that over accented, affected stuff he is know for these days, just a genuine and believable vocal tone the whole way through.
I've always wondered what Mick was saying right before the guitar solo? Get down innit? Get down ____?
peace
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
nightskyman
()
Date: March 16, 2015 18:28
The album this is featured on is my favorite from the Stones. It's the lead track and gives the album definition.
To me it is one of the great songs (recording) of the 1960s. Sound, rhythm, lyrics, everything.
To me it is one of the great songs (recording) of the 1960s. Sound, rhythm, lyrics, everything.
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
runaway
()
Date: March 16, 2015 18:41
Sympathy For The Devis is a Rock & Roll masterpiece.
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
stanlove
()
Date: March 16, 2015 18:57
Quote
Silver Dagger
Great footage of the song on the David Frost show in 1968.
Its good to see that David was able to fit the word proper in there...
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
James Kirk
()
Date: March 16, 2015 20:17
Why doesn't Jagger ever sing the line about the Kennedy's live in concert anymore?
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
Naturalust
()
Date: March 16, 2015 20:34
Strangely, their official live version is pretty lame, imo. Ronnie's licks and fills don't fit the song well, Keith's contributions are not stellar, Mick's singing is a shadow of the original. I won't even talk about the piano....and yeah that whole verse with the Kennedy reference is missing. 
It has it's moments but overall it doesn't come close to the magic of the original release, imo.
peace
It has it's moments but overall it doesn't come close to the magic of the original release, imo.peace
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
duke richardson
()
Date: March 16, 2015 20:54
yeah..
live they went in a different direction, but the one on Get Your Ya Yas Out did the song justice.
adapted and rearranged it still worked then.
live they went in a different direction, but the one on Get Your Ya Yas Out did the song justice.
adapted and rearranged it still worked then.
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
Blueranger
()
Date: March 16, 2015 20:54
Quote
treaclefingersQuote
Silver Dagger
Great footage of the song on the David Frost show in 1968.
Where to start...that was bizarre. The jarring edit in the middle from strictly lip syncing to sort of singing with the track...Keith's never been better on tambourine...I see Mick washed off the tattoo from the R'n'R Circus gig, but kept the singing into the mike between his leg's bit...I'm just not sure why the hell they did that, but an interesting time capsule!
Try to do a search on youtube for a better version. Can't post it on a mobile device, but there is a MUCH better version available featuring Keith miming the guitar solo as well.
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
68to72
()
Date: March 16, 2015 21:51
Quote
BluerangerQuote
treaclefingersQuote
Silver Dagger
Great footage of the song on the David Frost show in 1968.
Where to start...that was bizarre. The jarring edit in the middle from strictly lip syncing to sort of singing with the track...Keith's never been better on tambourine...I see Mick washed off the tattoo from the R'n'R Circus gig, but kept the singing into the mike between his leg's bit...I'm just not sure why the hell they did that, but an interesting time capsule!
Try to do a search on youtube for a better version. Can't post it on a mobile device, but there is a MUCH better version available featuring Keith miming the guitar solo as well.
You read my mind....
Much better frost show version with Jagger singing live....
\and some interesting audience footage
What a drag it is gettin' old
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
RomanCandle
()
Date: March 16, 2015 21:56
Quote
Come On
A very good starter on a very good album...Sandie Shaw show us how to do it...:
video: [www.youtube.com]
The funniest Sandie Shaw performance
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
with sssoul
()
Date: March 16, 2015 22:08
Quote
treaclefingers
I see Mick washed off the tattoo from the R'n'R Circus gig ...
The Frost show performance preceded the filming of the Rock & Roll Circus, actually.
From the Department - you know what kind :E
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
triceratops
()
Date: March 16, 2015 22:12
I have never liked the dark stupid_silly_Satanic Stones tunes. Why would I like dark sludge like Midnight Rambler? Same as Jimmy Page bought Aleister Crowley's creepy old wreck mansion//////////
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
treaclefingers
()
Date: March 16, 2015 22:16
Quote
with sssoulQuote
treaclefingers
I see Mick washed off the tattoo from the R'n'R Circus gig ...
The Frost show performance preceded the filming of the Rock & Roll Circus, actually.
From the Department - you know what kind :E
It's funny, I took a shot and knew if I was wrong someone would correct me!
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
mr_dja
()
Date: March 16, 2015 22:19
Thanks to this thread, Sympathy may have just become my favorite Stones track.
All day long, I've been suffering through a crappy Monday with that stupid "All About The Bass" song stuck in my head. And I mean stuck! Nothing could seem to get it out of my head... "All about the bass, bout the bass" on auto-repeat on my internal playlist was
Until...
Track Talk. Reading about, thinking about and listening to Sympathy has erased Megan Trainor and now I've got a combination of the opening rhythm and bass from the studio cut mixed with woo-woo's from the end! Go Stones!
Note: I've always enjoyed this tune but today, it truly saved my life. Or someone else's.
Peace,
Mr DJA
All day long, I've been suffering through a crappy Monday with that stupid "All About The Bass" song stuck in my head. And I mean stuck! Nothing could seem to get it out of my head... "All about the bass, bout the bass" on auto-repeat on my internal playlist was
Until...
Track Talk. Reading about, thinking about and listening to Sympathy has erased Megan Trainor and now I've got a combination of the opening rhythm and bass from the studio cut mixed with woo-woo's from the end! Go Stones!
Note: I've always enjoyed this tune but today, it truly saved my life. Or someone else's.
Peace,
Mr DJA
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
treaclefingers
()
Date: March 16, 2015 22:26
Quote
BluerangerQuote
treaclefingersQuote
Silver Dagger
Great footage of the song on the David Frost show in 1968.
Where to start...that was bizarre. The jarring edit in the middle from strictly lip syncing to sort of singing with the track...Keith's never been better on tambourine...I see Mick washed off the tattoo from the R'n'R Circus gig, but kept the singing into the mike between his leg's bit...I'm just not sure why the hell they did that, but an interesting time capsule!
Try to do a search on youtube for a better version. Can't post it on a mobile device, but there is a MUCH better version available featuring Keith miming the guitar solo as well.
yes...can't get me enough of a good version of keith miming a solo!
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
treaclefingers
()
Date: March 16, 2015 22:27
Quote
mr_dja
Thanks to this thread, Sympathy may have just become my favorite Stones track.
All day long, I've been suffering through a crappy Monday with that stupid "All About The Bass" song stuck in my head. And I mean stuck! Nothing could seem to get it out of my head... "All about the bass, bout the bass" on auto-repeat on my internal playlist was
Until...
Track Talk. Reading about, thinking about and listening to Sympathy has erased Megan Trainor and now I've got a combination of the opening rhythm and bass from the studio cut mixed with woo-woo's from the end! Go Stones!
Note: I've always enjoyed this tune but today, it truly saved my life. Or someone else's.
Peace,
Mr DJA
it's all about the congas...
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
triceratops
()
Date: March 16, 2015 22:31
Quote
mr_dja
I hated the Eagles for decades but their derivative stuff brightens up my day when I hear them on the classic rock radio station
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
mr_dja
()
Date: March 16, 2015 22:41
Quote
treaclefingersQuote
mr_dja
Thanks to this thread, Sympathy may have just become my favorite Stones track.
All day long, I've been suffering through a crappy Monday with that stupid "All About The Bass" song stuck in my head. And I mean stuck! Nothing could seem to get it out of my head... "All about the bass, bout the bass" on auto-repeat on my internal playlist was
Until...
Track Talk. Reading about, thinking about and listening to Sympathy has erased Megan Trainor and now I've got a combination of the opening rhythm and bass from the studio cut mixed with woo-woo's from the end! Go Stones!
Note: I've always enjoyed this tune but today, it truly saved my life. Or someone else's.
Peace,
Mr DJA
it's all about the congas...
No fair! I was celebrating getting it OUT of my head! Now I'm going to be contemplating alternate lyrics for a parody video!!! Because it's all about the congas, bout the congas. No cowbell.
Screw it!!
Only 20 more minutes and I'll have Sympathy blasting on my car stereo for the ride home!
Peace,
Mr DJA
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
mr_dja
()
Date: March 16, 2015 22:50
Quote
triceratopsQuote
mr_dja
I hated the Eagles for decades but their derivative stuff brightens up my day when I hear them on the classic rock radio station
Although I never hated the Eagles (like so many here) I'm am in agreement that their stuff ends up being so close to lifeless it might as well be DOA. That being said, I rarely turn them off when they come on the radio and often times end up singing along.
I should say that I also don't have anything against Megan Trainer or her song. But when something THAT "popish" gets stuck in your head for THAT LONG, you start to understand why medically induced comas are a good thing for some patients.
Peace,
Mr DJA
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
Redhotcarpet
()
Date: March 16, 2015 23:23
1967 Jimmy Miller production. The slow version of SFTD had to be changed or it'd be too similar is what I think. The solo is close. But different songs in the end of course. Maybe also the idea to some extent, Dear mr Fantasy/Please allow me to introduce myself.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-16 23:24 by Redhotcarpet.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-16 23:24 by Redhotcarpet.
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
dandelion1967
()
Date: March 17, 2015 00:09
True definitive classic. The darkest track from a dark band. One of the most amazing things on this track is that the same players were recording standard R&B like "Can I get a witness" just 4 years before! Strange groove, but the essence remain black, as always in the Stones.
A unique piano masterclass given by Nicky Hopkins: the piano as a percussion instrument. How can a pianist play licks and rhythm during 6 minutes without repeat himself? This is song must be the guiding light for all pianist! (I study it just like Chopin etudes or that kind of works)
Keith also at his best, lead guitar role, closing his 60's era. The 70's are around, so the rhythm guitar will be his choice. The bass groove is amazing. Very close to the way he plays in "Yer blues" on the RnR Circus.
And what about Jagger? IMHO, with Paint it black, his best lyric. Deep, smart and moving. And one of his best renditions as a singer. Roger Daltrey will pick this "singing caracter" later after the Tommy live renditions.
--------------------------------------------
"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"
--------------------------------------------
A unique piano masterclass given by Nicky Hopkins: the piano as a percussion instrument. How can a pianist play licks and rhythm during 6 minutes without repeat himself? This is song must be the guiding light for all pianist! (I study it just like Chopin etudes or that kind of works)
Keith also at his best, lead guitar role, closing his 60's era. The 70's are around, so the rhythm guitar will be his choice. The bass groove is amazing. Very close to the way he plays in "Yer blues" on the RnR Circus.
And what about Jagger? IMHO, with Paint it black, his best lyric. Deep, smart and moving. And one of his best renditions as a singer. Roger Daltrey will pick this "singing caracter" later after the Tommy live renditions.
--------------------------------------------
"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"
--------------------------------------------
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
treaclefingers
()
Date: March 17, 2015 00:46
Quote
mr_djaQuote
treaclefingersQuote
mr_dja
Thanks to this thread, Sympathy may have just become my favorite Stones track.
All day long, I've been suffering through a crappy Monday with that stupid "All About The Bass" song stuck in my head. And I mean stuck! Nothing could seem to get it out of my head... "All about the bass, bout the bass" on auto-repeat on my internal playlist was
Until...
Track Talk. Reading about, thinking about and listening to Sympathy has erased Megan Trainor and now I've got a combination of the opening rhythm and bass from the studio cut mixed with woo-woo's from the end! Go Stones!
Note: I've always enjoyed this tune but today, it truly saved my life. Or someone else's.
Peace,
Mr DJA
it's all about the congas...
No fair! I was celebrating getting it OUT of my head! Now I'm going to be contemplating alternate lyrics for a parody video!!! Because it's all about the congas, bout the congas. No cowbell.
Screw it!!
Only 20 more minutes and I'll have Sympathy blasting on my car stereo for the ride home!
Peace,
Mr DJA
Yes, it needs more cowbell. DAMMIT, just switch to HTW!
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
latebloomer
()
Date: March 17, 2015 00:55
Aside from the song's hypnotic musical power, lyrically,it's a tour de force. I said it was as brilliant as anything Dylan wrote on a thread sometime ago and got shot down for it, but I stand by it. It is awe inspiring, in the old sense of the word, what Mick Jagger created out of his imagination and the times in which he was living. "Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name"...the devil amoung us and in us. It's a great favorite of English teachers (hope you guess my job 
), it pairs so well with all kinds of texts, from Lord of the Flies to Heart of Darkness.
Conservatives love it just as much as liberals, it was included a few years ago in a list of top conservative songs, of all things...
3. "Sympathy for the Devil," by The Rolling Stones.
Don't be misled by the title; this song is "The Screwtape Letters" of rock. The devil is a tempter who leans hard on moral relativism — he will try to make you think that "every cop is a criminal / And all the sinners saints." What's more, he is the sinister inspiration for the cruelties of Bolshevism: "I stuck around St. Petersburg / When I saw it was a time for a change / Killed the czar and his ministers / Anastasia screamed in vain."
), it pairs so well with all kinds of texts, from Lord of the Flies to Heart of Darkness.Conservatives love it just as much as liberals, it was included a few years ago in a list of top conservative songs, of all things...
3. "Sympathy for the Devil," by The Rolling Stones.
Don't be misled by the title; this song is "The Screwtape Letters" of rock. The devil is a tempter who leans hard on moral relativism — he will try to make you think that "every cop is a criminal / And all the sinners saints." What's more, he is the sinister inspiration for the cruelties of Bolshevism: "I stuck around St. Petersburg / When I saw it was a time for a change / Killed the czar and his ministers / Anastasia screamed in vain."
Re: Track Talk: Sympathy For The Devil
Posted by:
pmk251
()
Date: March 17, 2015 01:54
Again, the key song of the '69 tour to mark the emergence of a new band. The "audacity" and drive of the arrangement to suit the guitar duo...The Taylor solos scripted in along side Keith's as the band moved east, hearing the band surge behind those solos make it clear this new ground for the band, a new era. Jagger's vocals never sounded more convincing on that song. Performances later in the band's career are IMO travesties.
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