I love Bridges, pretty much every song on it! The 2 Keith slow songs at the end do drag it out a bit, but besides that, 'thumbs up'!

It hasn't aged well at all. I liked a few of the songs at the time. I don't even own it anymore. That puts it in such company as Undercover.

A mixed bag

Some great:

Saint
Already Over me
How Can I Stop

Standard rockers:

Flip The Switch
Too Tight

Decent Enough to good:

Out Of Control (too much copy of Papa Was A Rolling Stone, not very original)
Gunface
Anybody Seen My Baby

Average to forgettable:

Don't Have To Mean It (Keith Buffett?)
Thief
Juiced
Suffering



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-04-06 22:02 by Elmo Lewis.

no.
imo.
couple good tracks tho...i guess...
I like Keith re-working "here comes the night" sorta on "thief..." but not a masterwork like Van...not close...don't like it enough to even care to hear it again, like most of this LP frankly. I guess hey it's stones, if i heard any of it by surprise or on the radio i'd find it interesting and fun....but not really a good album or close to one imo, and not just in comparison with their best stuff...

i was relieved and overjoyed many years later when ABB came out and had some full on tough stuff that could really stand on it's own....far from perfect ABB, but a whole other class....and things like One More Shot for example imo, beat this entire album to death and oblivion, just that one cut...imo...

already suffering could have been great but mick's all coming in full character as baby man or something...the rockers seem overwrought and i don't like the production or sonics...well i don't want to go down the list; i would say just a load really...i mean i found it inconsequential on arrival; i could barely get thru it once as a whole thing...nope not for me. i can dissect some great elements hey it's charlie palying the drums! for example, but that's grasping at straws...they even effed up the snare sound. this is like a more poppy diverse dW, DW is better, by far...and i don't like that one much. haha... don't shoot!!
-------------------------------------------------------

well wiki is not a reliable source a lot of times; a useful one; often great in many resepcts, but also slanted and just plain wrong enough for me to qualify posting them as absolute fact in many cases....so saying that:
_______________________________________________________

"Following the Voodoo Lounge Tour, and Stripped projects of 1994/1995, the Stones afforded themselves a brief respite before Mick Jagger and Keith Richards began composing new songs together in the summer of 1996 with demos to follow as they met in New York in November and London the following month. Another writing session happened in Barbados on January 1997.[1]

In March 1997, the band arrived in Los Angeles to start the recording sessions at Ocean Way Studios. After many albums recorded in isolated islands, working in a big city allowed for the contribution of various musician friends of the band. Bridges to Babylon was recorded until July, and the four month production made it one of their most concise periods of recording in years. The sessions would frequently be all-nighters that lasted until Richards got tired by the morning.[1]

Although Don Was would be the producer again, Jagger arrived before the other Stones to seek local producers. First were The Dust Brothers, who had impressed Jagger with their work on Beck's Odelay and the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique.[2] The Dust Brothers' contributions were initially five, but were reduced to three, which mark the only Stones songs to feature sampling. Danny Saber and Babyface were also brought in by Jagger, though the latter's contributions to the track "Already Over Me" were eventually discarded. Richards was not keen on the idea of working with "loop gurus", going as far as expelling Saber from the studio once he found him overdubbing guitars. Richards brought in Rob Fraboni for his solo material, and Was made sure to work with Richards and Jagger in separate rooms. Drummer Charlie Watts would relieve the tense environment by working along with percussionist Jim Keltner, who he would later draft for a solo project. By the final week of recording, the Stones were not in speaking terms, with Jagger boycotting sessions arranged by Richards' crew and Watts leaving Los Angeles as soon as he finished his contributions.[1]

During the album's mastering, the projected lead single "Anybody Seen My Baby?" was found to resemble k.d. lang's 1992 hit "Constant Craving" in its chorus, a discovery brought to Richards' attention by his daughter Angela. Seeking to avoid possible future legal entanglements, lang and her co-writer Ben Mink were credited along with Jagger and Richards on the new song.[3] Upon its release, it would reach #22 in the UK and become a U.S. radio rock hit.

A total of eight different musicians played bass on the sessions for the album: Jeff Sarli, Jamie Muhoberac, Blondie Chaplin, Don Was, Danny Saber, Darryl Jones, Me'shell Ndegeocello, and Doug Wimbish."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-04-06 20:40 by hopkins.

Quote
Elmo Lewis
A mixed bag

Some great:

Saint
Already Over me
How Can I Stop

Standard rockers:

Flip The Switch
Too Tight

Decent Enough to good:

Out Of Control (too much copy of Papa Was A Rolling Stone, not very original)
Gunface
Anybody Seen My Baby

Average to forgettable:

Don't Have To Mean It (Keith Buffett?)
Thief
Juiced
Suffering





Bad to

IMHO Always Suffering and Already Over Me are nearly the same, but I haven't listened to BrTB for years.

It's kind of like asking whether Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is a good pasta. Some people swear by it. But rather than the run of the mill, processed foods like Kraft M&C that require a lot of artificial ingredients, the way Mick seemed to think B2B required lots of producers, session players, and dated production values and sounds, you might instead prefer the Trader Joes or Whole Foods organic brands.

But, like any other acquired taste, opinions will vary.

"Is Bridges To Babylon a good album?": Good enough for the time, enough to convince me that the Stones were making an earnest effort to keep current.

"Is Bridges To Babylon a great album?": You mean, is it something I would play every day along with 12X5, or any of the other Stones albums from my favorite era? No.

"Is Bridges To Babylon a classic album?": You mean, did I really live with this album, so much so that it defined an era of my life I would always revisit? Certainly not!

"Is Bridges To Babylon a bad album?": You mean, is it something not worth even revisiting now and then? In that regard, the Stones have always been interesting. You'll always give something new they put out at least two or three listens, just to make sure you didn't truly dislike it the first one or two listens. I even like a few tracks from Dirty Work -- but mainly because I was 19 at the time. Then you get on with your life, and give your favorite era Stones (Rolling Stones Now!, Let It Bleed, Tattoo You) the regular listens you feel they deserve.

I love Flip the Switch. It rocks and has chilling lyrics. One of their most underrated songs, I think it measures up to their classics.
Overall, I remember being disappointed. I think I got the album for Christmas and had talked myself into, 'the Stones are back, they've still got it, this is going to be great!', and it really wasn't all that.

I still listen to B2B; I have a liking for it, which I don't have for Bigger Bang.

Enjoy the album although not widely liked, love the production. Some extended mixes may be better than album (OOC, Always Suffering, Saint)

Yes it is.
A good album of the second half, better then the other post 80's.

(But of course all-pre 1981 are better IMO)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-04-06 22:19 by 1962.

Yes, very good.
The only filler I find is Always Suffering, yet it's still enjoyable.

Bridges to Babylon is in my top three. I love Flip the Switch, Lowdown, Saint of Me, Anybody Seen My Baby (which has Jimmy Rip's motorcycle in it).

Great tracks:
Out of Control
Saint of Me
All 3 Keith cuts

Solid:
Gunface
Lowdown
Flip the Switch
ASMB?

Filler:
Everything else

For me their best post Wyman record (sans Blue and Lonesome). A album fraught with disagreement and arguments which resulted in some creative tension that helped build a coherent statement. The only song on it that I don't particularly care for is Might as Well Get Juiced. Great to hear three Keith songs of high quality on one Stones album!

It's a great album or would be if they had used Don Was' "No Biz" mix of "Anybody Seen My Baby" and the original mix Rob Fraboni prepared of "Juiced." It's still very close. Considering it's the amalgamation of two truncated solo albums, it's surprisingly cohesive. I credit Don Was with pulling that off. Interesting that there's no Chuck Leavell or Matt Clifford involvement.

Quote
chatoyancy
Bridges to Babylon is in my top three. I love Flip the Switch, Lowdown, Saint of Me, Anybody Seen My Baby (which has Jimmy Rip's motorcycle in it).

You always drop these nuggets. I'm interested because Jimmy was in L.A. for WANDERING SPIRIT but the motor bike is on Mercer Street in New York. It is true Jimmy worked with Mick in New York for the PRIMITIVE COOL mixing sessions and the "Beast of Burden" Peppermint Lounge video with Bette Midler before that. If you can tell more, please do. While we're at it, are you friendly with Victoria (Peter's daughter)?

Jimmy's motorcycle was in NYC when he lived there, then it was in Los Angeles when he lived there. Then he moved to Argentina because he loves it there. He is currently touring with Television. He has played with Tom Verlaine since 1981 except for the years Mick borrowed him. His audition for Mick was at that Peppermint Lounge video set, I think. He met Mick in 1983 and had input on many of Mick's songs and tours after that, including two Stones songs. I forgot if he got credit for those two songs. I never met Victoria.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-04-06 23:35 by chatoyancy.

This is a pretty good album. To me, it's their best new album since their classic era which ended with "Tattoo You".

My hits are:

Too Tight
You Don't Have To Mean It
Saint Of Me
Out Of Control
Already Over Me
Thief in the Night
Flip the Switch
Anybody Seen My Baby
Gunface
How Can I Stop

The opposite of A Bigger Bang in that Keith songs are the best. Overall an enjoyable album that gets played often, their best since Undercover and a great tour behind it.

Love it. Great album and great tour.

Quote
RollingFreak
Going off the same thread as A Bigger Bang, its got me rethinking this album. Well, not rethinking, but revisiting, and not really changing my mind about it. I sought it out when I was relistening to Keith Richards songs, and after I heard the 3 on this album I decided to dig into the album.

Haven't changed my mind, I really don't find it good, at all. IMO probably their worst besides those 80s albums. Only real standout is Out Of Control which doesn't even touch the greatness it is live, but you hear the foundation here. Then I come across the Rolling Stone review which is just sickingly praiseworthy (their usual "crap on the past efforts they previously praised but this new one is good" stuff) and I'm wondering if I'm totally missing something.

I find the Richards songs to be completely boring and repetitive and the Jagger songs to be second rate attempts at a modern rock fusion with loops and stuff. Flip The Switch almost sounds like they can't find the groove at all then just give up at the end. Again, am I missing something? I've never really given this album much thought.

no. Overproduced like the last 3 or 4

Yes.

Masterpiece

The album is uneven, a typical mid-90's record.

YET, it has 3 songs from their Top 5 songs released since 1994: Anybody Seen My Baby, Out Of Control and Saint Of Me.

Not many artists can release 3 killer songs on the same record after 35-year career at the time.

Amazing to see such varied opinions. Good on them. I guess this is an album that would support the case that bands should just release anything cause you never know who it will resonate with. I personally think this album and Voodoo Lounge are absolutely worthless, but that A Bigger Bang has a great 10 songs in it, and Steel Wheels, for all that it is, is pretty solid. And there's a lot that disagree. Very interesting to see with this band. Quite illuminating.

And... Out Of Control and Saint Of Me really are killer rock songs.
I love them live.... I love them on the album...

and as hans says..

I LOVE THE ROLLING STONES!!

Great tour... great album... great band... much fun was had by all... good times

Hell yes

I don't care for it much. I like Voodoo Lounge much better. It was disappointing to me after Voodoo Lounge.