I started this thread over at the Rocks Off Message Board and I'm pasting it her for those who don't frequent there.
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With the new album out soon, maybe this isn’t the most appropriate time to dwell on their recent studio efforts. After all, the past is the past, no matter if it was only 8 years ago. In the context of bands releasing albums, generally, eight years is quite a gap, but with a studio-shy band like the Stones, maybe it isn’t.

Anyway, I’ve been revisiting Bridges To Babylon recently and something has gripped my attention. This is a REALLY strong collection of songs. The record has its weaker moments. I’m not TOO keen on Already Over Me or Always Suffering and I must admit to finding Might As Well Get Juiced almost unlistenble, but boy does this album have some standouts. I’m not going to over analyse particular tracks, but one thing that really stands out to me about songs such as Anybody Seen My Baby, Out Of Control and Saint Of Me is how refreshing they sound. I know part of this is perhaps due to the influence of The Dust Brothers, but after eight years, I’m still amazed at how great and DIFFERENT sounding these songs are. They sound so vibrant and they obviously full of ideas. It’s almost as if they were pushing boundaries again.

What’s more, the rockers on display are utterly fantastic too. Flip The Switch oozes urgency and the playing is creative. I really hope Keith comes out with some great riffs on the new one. Too Tight is also very good.

Keith also supplies us with one hell of a ballad in How Can I stop.

Come on, are the boys really going to top Bridges To Babylon? I know I’m perhaps being g a little premature in my judgement, but on the face of it, Rough Justice wouldn’t cut it on Bridges. It’s an okay song and I think many like it because it’s back to basics and it has some nice slide, but this isn’t really what I want from the Stones. A couple on the album, maybe, I’d like to hear the Stones being experimental again. I expect a lot were surprised when they first heard Anybody Seen My Baby, but surprises are not a bad thing. It may not of worked live, but it’s a fantastic song and a true testament to the fact that maybe Mick Jagger's fingers are a little more on the pulse then sometimes you’d imagine they were. Oh, and I don’t know about anyone else here, but I happen to think that Saint Of Me and Out Of Control should be hailed as true classics, especially the latter song when played live. I wish I’d seen the band at Wembley Stadium in ’99 to catch them playing it in the flesh.

Anyway, that’s my view. I love Bridges To Babylon at the moment and all I ask is to be surprised. Come on Mick and Keith, challenge my ears. Show me and all of us here that you can still be truly creative and inspiring in the studio.

Alex

I do totally agree. I have played "Bridges to Babylon" to pieces. I maen a lot. If it had been vinyl I would have to buy another one, like I had to with Sticky Fingers. If the new album is anywhere near BtB I will be delighted. If it is topping BtB it will be fantastic.

Bjornulf

Bjornulf, B2B is on vinyl!

That's how I first bought it, (naked - it, not me). It was so good that I later got the CD, (useful in the car).




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-07-26 17:26 by Four Stone Walls.

I also fully agree .'Bridge' has been underated and Saint of me and Out of control are truly Stones 'classics.The way they have been able to develop both songs on stage has always reminded me of Midnight rambler or street fighting man late 60's early 70's.
Eric

IMO Bridges is their most experimental album since Satanic, & most of it works. They collaborate w/ the likes of the Dust Bros & maintain their own identity throughout. I have the vinyl edition as well.

And I contend it's not a strong album, but "Juiced" is their best song in 2 decades. "unlistenable"? I don't understand that reaction to this song one bit.

Yes, BTB is horribly underrated. But I have to disagree slightly with the original post in this thread...I love Already Over Me - Mick's vocals and all of the instrumentation really paints a picture. Always Suffering sounds simple but it, too, paints a picture. Juiced pushes it in a good way nmy only critisism is that Out Of Control seems to end prematurely...much better live.

Nice post Big Al. I fully agree. Its a great album and doesn't get the credit it deserves. I think Gunface is a gem as well as the others mentioned above.

I also find Might As Well Get Juiced as unlistenable. You can tell there is a good song in there somewhere, and when they did it live it was better than the studio version. But that techno sound is just horrible. I am always embarassed to play this in front of people. Sounds like a remix you'd hear on a recent single.

Flip the Switch, Saint Of Me, and Out Of Control were all GREAT additions to the live set on the B2B tour. Similar to the Grateful Dead in the 70's, the albums they were making at the time were not very highly acclaimed, yet songs from albums like Wake Of The Flood and Blues for Allah became highlights of their live shows at that time, which were legendary!

Songs like Scarlet Begonias, Fire On The Mountain, Help On The Way,Row Jimmy; etc, smoked live!

Here's hoping A Bigger Bang will add some new highlights to The Stones upcoming gigs like B2B did!

Ross

I like the Dead analogy. Truly great songs - the ones you mention - but I also enjoy all those albums. And the Dead could do what they want, virtually, without criticism. Made their own 'rules'. They were designed to push boundaries. People prefer Stones to stay within boundaries. 'Juiced' is one of my favourites on the album. It's still a Stones sound (unmistakeable) - but in a new context.

In the light of history an album like B2B will be viewed more positively than VL, which is generally playing safe and keeping to tried/trusted styles and themes. Moon is Up is one of my favourites from that album. Similarly 'Continental Drift' from SW.

agree with all you say, FSW....

The songs on Bridges to Babylon works fantastic well live. It was Flip the switch, saint of me and out of control that kicked our asses on the btb tour.
And they almost played the whole album: Flip the switch, anybody seen, low down, already over me, gunface, saint of me, out of control, you don't have to mean it, might as well and thief in the night.

Dont forget Low Down! Ok, the verse is like Baby break it down, but the chorus part is fantastic. The melody, the hard rocking sound, especially the drums. Very good. For me is the only blues-song, might aswell... also fantastic. Unlistenable? Bullshit! Much better then play another blues song, not trying anything new. And Gunface? What a guitar sound (a bit low in the mix, ok)! Chord-changes like on an alice in chains album. Superb. Real shit are only Keiths songs, Yo dont have to mean it is the Worst(hahaha).

Generally agree, but You Don't HTMI is 100% authentic Trojan reggae. It's a triumph. 'Thief' was my least favourite of his three - just stayed on one level, one groove - albeit a tasty groove.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2005-07-27 00:10 by Four Stone Walls.

yeh its one of my fave discs as well....as for Juiced, I found it a turn off at first , in fact didnt even make it through it the first many listenings,but, and not sure I can explain this, taken as a straght old almost country blues tune (you have to get past the production) its pretty good. I would love to hear a stripped version of it, heading towards Robert Johnson....its got that simplicity and power of simple hard living under all that noise

You know I did not like anybody seen my bababy so never bought it I must

I really thought Voodo Longe was underated not by critics but by fans

I like love is strong and most cuts...

I love this CD too. In fact, song for song, I rate it as one of the highest the Stones have ever released. What I think keeps it from being a classic is in part, the ambiguousness of the cover art and album name. B-o-r-i-n-g. And very anti-Stones-like. A lion in the desert? Babylon? Come on, that's not down and dirty. It's an antiseptic cover and that helped seal its fate as a hard-to-figure-out CD.

I think it's their strongest album since Tattoo You. As argued elsewhere though I am of the shool of less is more and if they'd stripped it down to 45 mins it would have been a classic, Providing they sheared the right tracks of couse: IMO Gunface, Always Suffering, Too Tight & Already Over Me were not essential.
Flip The Switch, Saint Of Me, Out of Control are all modern classics. Keith's reggae track is ok and his other two are great. I really like Juiced and agree with Big Al that adventurousness is a good thing with Stones albums rather than endlessly trying to recreate Exile.

I love this cd too,most of the fans are living in the past,always complaing about
the stones new music they want to hear what the stones were doin in 60s and 70s
stones have grown up and the fans are living in the past i should know what i
am talkin about as i have been fan for 38 years. THE GREATEST ROCK-ROLL BAND
THE ROLLING STONES.If you dont like their music you should all FADE AWAY.KISH

I have to agree with the assesment of B2B. There's not a cut I dislike although I have my own personal favorites. Hope they keep up the trend with ABB!

Bill

The argument that anyone who dislikes some of the current or more recent Stones material is "living in the past" is absurd. It is quite possible to just "dislike" something "current" without being tagged with a dumb label like that.

Such an accusation is just as bogus as someone arguing that anyone who likes "Streets of Love" just has bad taste in music.

People react to songs differently. We're all Stones fans of the past/present/future and we're all entitled to our own opinions without being subjected to stupid accusations and labeling.

It seems we're also entitled to hear how you're disappointed with the new songs....over and over and over and over again...once would be enough, but you respond negatively to every positive comment on this board about the new material


T&A Wrote:
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> The argument that anyone who dislikes some of the
> current or more recent Stones material is "living
> in the past" is absurd. It is quite possible to
> just "dislike" something "current" without being
> tagged with a dumb label like that.
>
> Such an accusation is just as bogus as someone
> arguing that anyone who likes "Streets of Love"
> just has bad taste in music.
>
> People react to songs differently. We're all
> Stones fans of the past/present/future and we're
> all entitled to our own opinions without being
> subjected to stupid accusations and labeling.
>
>

but I have never flamed anyone - that's my point. let's respect each other's opinion.

T&A Wrote:
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> but I have never flamed anyone - that's my point.
> let's respect each other's opinion. and it's a gross exaggeration to say I have responded to every positive comment with a negative one. not even close.

The Worst Wrote:
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>> And they almost played the whole album: Flip the
> switch, anybody seen, low down, already over me,
> gunface, saint of me, out of control, you don't
> have to mean it, might as well and thief in the
> night.

they never actually played "Gunface" - or "Too tight" or "always suffering" either.

Lowdown and Juiced only got one public airing apiece (as did how can I stop?), and Already over me was played about 3 times in early '98

best two stones albums past 15 or so years was mick's wandering spirit and keith's talk is cheap in my opinion...and that wont' even get you a cup of coffee or cold beer

jhat111 Wrote:
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> best two stones albums past 15 or so years was
> mick's wandering spirit and keith's talk is cheap
> in my opinion...and that wont' even get you a cup
> of coffee or cold beer


that's an opinion I happen to share and one that several of my best Stones friends do too. I might even go so far as to say Main Offender would be the third best of the lot. hardly a good argument for solo careers, eh?

babylon is a strong album, it showed that mick still had his ear out for what was happening on the airwaves...much like the groove on miss you...the album has everything from flat out rockers, reggae, motownish soul, ballads...there has never been a band out there that can put out these different styles on one album and have them flow so well...i love the fat honking sax on flip the switch...the nasty guitar work on gunface...the harp on juiced( great song, everyone get the sand out of your ears)...rank this album with achtung baby or london calling as an album with many styles and many smiles...

nice reference to the grateful dead...their studio albums were on the weak side but they would take that idea and run with it onstage...especially scarlet>fire...

jss,

I still don't think Dead albums are weak - for the same reasons that you extol B2B! Eclectic mix.

I have also discovered that B2B is generally not stocked in stores like the ABKCO stuff and early ones...I have had to special order it most times I bought it (I thought it was so good I gave it as gifts to several folks- all of whom wondered why they hadnt heard about it being so good)...like most great music it seems it really grows on you. I like the more recent Stones stuff as much as the old personally, sometimes more as its quite refreshing, and I am glad they are not standing still recreating the smae thing over and over. But I thought the production/instrumentation on Juiced was bad....nothing to do with modern or not. I thought anybody seen my baby worked much better...imo