A friend of mine who shares my love for CYHMK asked me why it is not as famous a track as, say, YCAGWYW or MR. It can't be a question of length, since YCAGWYW is longer, and MR is almost as long. Many rock radio stations don't even play it. Why does CYHMK -- one of the all-time greatest Stones tracks ever -- get overlooked so often and by so many?

Drew

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drewmaster
A friend of mine who shares my love for CYHMK asked me why it is not as famous a track as, say, YCAGWYW or MR. It can't be a question of length, since YCAGWYW is longer, and MR is almost as long. Many rock radio stations don't even play it. Why does CYHMK -- one of the all-time greatest Stones tracks ever -- get overlooked so often and by so many?

Drew

no one knows the answers to such questions as to what fans gravitate to and what they don't. as i'm sure you know, mick and keith didn't even think satisfaction was a suitable single. tastes are fickle.

for what it's worth, gimme shelter has been increasing significantly in reputation since it was released, perhaps one day CYHMK will too. cream rises to the top eventually.

perhaps i'm mistaken, but it seems as though the song "let it bleed" has declined in popularity, i remember it being played often on the radio in the 70s.

Lots of love here

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BluzDude
Lots of love here

+1
I love it! and I was thrilled to hear them play it
live in Nashville back on whatever tour that was...
I can still "see/hear" that moment... it was one of those YES!! moments

Love it! But it is a deep cut after all.

A deep cut not often played live. Also, some people don't like the jazzy section (not me, I love it).

I would very happily see this replace many a warhorse. It's always been a great live song as far as I'm concerned.

I don't know..

same reason as not much love for 'Slave'...

Its one of my favorite Stones songs. Epic. Long, so many styles. Like Midnight Rambler it builds and then gets mellow then smacks you hard with the jam. Great song!

never could get into the last half's aimless meandering

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Leonioid

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BluzDude
Lots of love here

+1
I love it! and I was thrilled to hear them play it
live in Nashville back on whatever tour that was...
I can still "see/hear" that moment... it was one of those YES!! moments

Same for me when they brought it out at the 2nd Staples Center show

The reason it is not considered in the same breath as YCAGWYW & Rambler is that the Stones never played it live for the world to hear (save for a gg or 2 in 71) until 31 years after its release.

Many would say that if it was not good enough for them to play regularly, then it must not be top-flight like so many of us freaks KNOW it is!

As for Let It Bleed, perhaps in my Stones' top 5 of all songs!

stonesstein

Kick me like you did before
I can't even feel the pain no more
Rocks Off, 1972

The intro to CYHMK is one the most awesome and identifiable stones riffs ever created. I think it is easily as "famous" as MR and I sure love it.

This tune has been used for soundtracks and even Guitar Hero II. I recently saw the film Casino and was totally surprised that they played the whole damn song, made my appreciation of that film go up a couple of notches.

Only complaint I have about the tune is that, in concert, they have never been able to duplicate the intro with the balls, emotion, tone and devastating effect of the recorded version. Not even close. Something about that intro on the recorded version was pure magic. Never get tired of it cranked to 11.

peace

I love the song! I just learned the opening riff on guitar, actually

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TonyMo
never could get into the last half's aimless meandering

Arghhhhhhhh....

CYHMK is a great song, but I'm sorry to live does not sound good.

The Stones didn't play it at either of the shows I've attended, but Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit do a pretty nice job of it live. It is a favorite of mine for sure.

No love? Their is nothing but love for it. fans were clamoring for it on the last tour with MT. It's still an Fm radio favorite. Trust me, their is plenty of love for it.............If they play it right. Which, without Taylor, is a big if.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

It does seem to have fallen out of favor, overall at least, in the "Classic Rock" ghetto format, but many good things have.... To my taste its unfortunate many good Stones tunes have gone the same route, but they're a victim of their longevity and the embarrassment of riches that is their catalog. Those radio stations aren't going to play 5 Stones tunes to every 1 for the Led Zep or The Who, AC.DC, Floyd etc..

one of my favourite tracks.
the alternate version I do like but it can't beat the original one.
the jazzy part is thrilling and I think the live versions are not bad at all.

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TonyMo
aimless meandering

I'm sure 95% of the "latin" part was planned and well-rehearsed before it got recorded.

It's great, but not as down to earth as Midnight Rambler or You Can't Always Get What You Want. It has less of that basic, rough, unpolished quality that makes me love the Stones.

Well, it was not a single.

Majority of Stones fans know it love it.

Nowadays the rest of the world (including DJs etc) don't.

We all think that the world knows Rambler, only because of its status of quasi-warhorse. In fact, out of the stones circles, no one knows rambler either.

C

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Naturalust
The intro to CYHMK is one the most awesome and identifiable stones riffs ever created. I think it is easily as "famous" as MR and I sure love it.

That's funny because I NEVER liked it not even a tiny bit. I think its a really bad riff. I can't explain why - I just hate it. The sound, the notes, everything about the riff. Its the opposite of everything great Keith did in the 70s. It's too brutal and primitive. There's nothing subtle about it.
The slow part is good and the verse or refrain or whatever too. But the riff sucks. Everybody loves it but me? Nah.

are you kidding me ? one of the BEST all time tracks the glimmers with the genius Mick Taylor on lead and the late GREAT Bobby Keys ever recorded !!!!!!!!!!!!

I know but I just don't like the riff. Maybe it sounds to digital. Maybe it the compressed distortion.

I would say the structure more than the length of the song makes it difficult for airplay, radio being where it's at today.
The crowd went absolutely wild when they played it in Düsseldorf, everybody seemed to know it and regard it as a rare occasion.

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71Tele
Also, some people don't like the jazzy section (not me, I love it).

Or the contrary...

The riff at the beginning is an all timer. Perhaps the drug references kept it off the radio early on. I saw them play it on the Licks tour in Vegas. Ronnie did a fine job even if he was pretty much sticking to Mick Taylor's original guitar.

Because of the duration